MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto came out with an efficient individual performance for the Adelaide 36ers in an 87-98 loss to the Perth Wildcats in a preseason game at the Eaton Recreation Centre on Friday.
Sotto, who returned to Adelaide for a second season after going unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft, came off of the bench and tallied a double double of 11 points, 11 rebounds in the loss.
The Filipino big man was an almost perfect 4-of-5 from the field. He was also a +17 in the +/- column.
Still, it wasn't enough for the 36ers to take the victory after the Wildcats outscored them, 30-17, in the third salvo.
He was the third leading scorer behind Antonius Cleveland and Dusty Johnson who finished with 23 and 12 points, respectively.
Adelaide will attempt to bounce back when they face Perth anew on Sunday, September 11. They also have South East Melbourne Phoenix, the Tasmania JackJumpers, and Illawarra Hawks in their preseason schedule.
Sotto's team will also be playing games against the OKC Thunder and the Phoenix Suns still in their build up for the 2022-23 NBL season.
Last season, Adelaide finished 7th in the league with a 10-18 win-loss slate.