MANILA, Philippines, November 18 ------ Kai Sotto and the Adelaide 36ers weathered a fourth-quarter comeback from the Melbourne United to escape with a 91-86 win as the National Basketball League resumed on Thursday, November 17.
Returning to Australia following his Gilas Pilipinas stint, the 7-foot-3 big man delivered 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal in nearly 17 minutes of action – his longest playing time this season. But Sotto sat out the entire fourth quarter as the 36ers squandered a double-digit lead before they took care of business late courtesy of Robert Franks and Anthony Drmic.
Franks finished with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Drmic also netted 21 points on top of 5 rebounds and 2 steals in the hard-earned victory, with their clutch free throws keeping the United at bay. Melbourne trailed 64-74 at the end of the third period before it sliced its deficit to a whisker off a 9-0 start in the fourth quarter powered by 5 points from Rayjon Tucker. Tucker then waxed hot late, scoring their last 8 points of the game to keep the United within striking distance with a minute left, 86-88, but Franks canned his two charities and Drmic split his foul shots for the final tally.
Antonius Cleveland totaled 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Mitch McCarron posted 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals as Adelaide returned to the winning column. Losing to the Perth Wildcats before the NBL took a break to give way for the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the 36ers bounced back to improve to an even 4-4. Tucker tallied a game-high 23 points to go with 5 rebounds for Melbourne, which dropped to 5-6.
Former Adelaide big man Isaac Humphries, who became the first player to come out as gay in the NBL, finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in the losing effort. Sotto and the 36ers will play their second straight road game as they face the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday, November 20.
Source: rappler.com
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