Kai Sotto struggles as Adelaide suffers heartbreaker to Sydney

MANILA, Philippines – Kai Sotto and the Adelaide 36ers failed to get back on the winning track as they absorbed a heartbreaking 93-90 loss to the Sydney Kings in the Australia National Basketball League (NBL) on Sunday, February 27.

With the score tied at 90-all with only 4 seconds remaining on the clock, Sydney’s Jaylen Adams delivered the cold-blooded triple to win the game for the Kings and hand the 36ers their second straight loss.

Adams torched Adelaide with a game-high 26 points on an efficient 5-of-9 clip from deep, while his teammate Xavier Cooks posted a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds.

On the other side, Dusty Hannahs topscored for Adelaide with 24 points, while Sotto finished with a quiet outing of 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, and 3 fouls in 11 minutes of playing time.

Coming off a 16-point loss to the Illawarra Hawks just two days ago, the 36ers came up with a much better showing as they led the Kings for most of the game.

The 36ers, however, failed to keep the momentum going as the Kings outscored them in the fourth and final frame, 24-19.

Adelaide’s Daniel Johnson had a chance to put the game into overtime in the final possession, but missed on his contested fadeaway jumper as the buzzer sounded.

With the loss, Adelaide slipped further down to 5-9 in the standings, while Sydney improved to 10-7.

Sotto and the 36ers will look to snap their two-game losing streak when they clash with the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Friday, March 4, at 4:30 pm, Manila time.