Kai Sotto absorbed his first loss as a starter.
Adelaide figured in a huge meltdown on Saturday, suffering an 83-86 loss at the hands of Cairns in the 2022-23 NBL-Australia season at Cairns Convention Centre.
The 36ers led by as much as 18 points, 78-60, with 6:41 left in the game before the visitors suddenly went cold from the field.
Shannon Scott, DJ Hogg, and Ben Ayre suddenly caught fire, sparking a 22-2 spurt to give the Taipans an 82-80 lead with a minute left.
Though Ian Clark was able to stop the bleeding with a triple, Scott fired a booming trey for the go-ahead.
Clark and Robert Franks missed in the clutch while Tahjere McCall sealed the deal with a free throw.
Scott fired 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting, lifting Taipan to 11-7 for third in the standings.
McCall got 19 points while Hogg added 13 points.
In his fifth start, Sotto played just 11 minutes for eight points and four rebounds.
Antonius Clevaland paced Adelaide with 16 points while Clark added 15 points on three treys.
The 36ers fell to 10-9 for seventh.
Adelaide will next face Illawara on Friday.
