Kai Sotto and Adelaide pounced on a short-handed Cairns squad, taking a dominant 83-57 win in the 2021-22 National Basketball League season, Friday at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Despite a horrid shooting game — going 0-of-7 from the field, the 7-foot-3 Sotto made up for it on defense, grabbing eight rebounds while swatting away two shots.
The 36ers, meanwhile, dominated in the second half.
Up 52-51 midway through the final frame, Mitch McCarron sparked a 9-0 end-of-quarter spurt to put the 36ers up for good.
The surge of the 36ers continued in the final frame, limiting the Taipans to just six points in the last 10 minutes of the contest.
McCarron led Adelaide with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field with 10 rebounds.
Cameron Bairstow got 12 points and six rebounds while Tad Dufelmeier added 10 points and five rebounds.
Adelaide saw its five-game skid snap, raising its slate to 6-12.
Cairns, who fell to 4-13, was led by Keanu Pinder with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Tahjere Mccall tallied 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists while Bul Kuol added 12 points.
Adelaide will next face Melbourne on Sunday at John Cain Arena.
