NBA Championship winner Ian Clark has drained 27 points in the absence of Nathan Sobey to power South East Melbourne to an upset 108-89 win over Adelaide in a top-of-the-table HoopsFest showdown in Perth.
Sobey, who had been averaging 22.8 points and 4.7 assists a game this season, was ruled out of Sunday's encounter at RAC Arena with illness.
It opened the door for Clark to step into the starting line-up, and the 34-year-old former Golden State Warriors guard played a starring role in the stirring victory with a hot 5-of-9 from the perimeter.
The Phoenix only signed Clark in December as a replacement for Hunter Maldonado, and the veteran's performance in Perth was his finest yet for his new club.
Clark won an NBA title with Golden State in 2017 and an NBL title with the Sydney Kings in 2022, and he could add another crown this season with the Phoenix if they continue on their merry march.
The win consolidated second spot for South East Melbourne (17-8), while Adelaide (19-6) remain top despite slumping to their second consecutive defeat.
Cotton, still a fan favourite in Perth despite his defection to the 36ers, was prominent with 30 points and six assists, while Isaac Humphries chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds.
New 36ers recruit, former NBA guard John Jenkins, finished with eight points, including two three-pointers.
But Adelaide couldn't match it with the even team spread from South East Melbourne.
Phoenix centre Jordan Hunter (20 points, nine rebounds) produced a dominant performance, while John Brown III (14 points), Wes Iwundu (13 points) and Owen Foxwell (15 points) all chipped in.
"Sobey wanted to be here really bad. I mean, he's a freaking competitor. He's a warrior," Phoenix coach Josh King said.
"He was not able to get on the flight. And if there would have been a way for him to be here, he would have been here.
"It feels good to kind of prove to ourselves that we can hang with a team like Adelaide.
"We weren't perfect by any means, but I think it was our best overall collective defensive performance."
Cotton made a bright start to the game as Adelaide shot out to a 9-2 advantage, but a 16-0 run by the Phoenix helped lift the underdogs to a 31-23 quarter-time lead.
The 53-43 halftime score would have looked even worse for Adelaide if not for Cotton's 10-point haul in the second quarter.
Alarm bells were ringing for Adelaide late in the third quarter when Hunter's dunk extended the margin to 14 points.
Adding to Adelaide's woes was the fact Cotton picked up his fourth foul in the dying seconds of the term.
The Phoenix went into the three-quarter time break with an 81-69 lead, and it was game over midway through the last as more Clark fireworks from long range helped extend the gap to 25 points.
It was Adelaide's first game since losing to Tasmania on January 9, and coach Mike Wells felt the extended break hurt his side.
"I think it just took us a little while to figure out the rhythm, and maybe we never did," Wells said.
