It was the worst possible start to pre-season for the Phoenix Suns, who lost at home to the Adelaide 36ers from Australia's National Basketball League.
No NBA side has ever lost on American soil to a team from the NBL until Sunday night, as Adelaide beat a star-studded Suns team 134-124, pouring further misery on their recent home form. Their last match in Phoenix was in game seven of the Western Conference semi-finals, where they lost by 33 points against the Dallas Mavericks.
No NBA side has lost a pre-season game against any team outside of the division since 2016, when Oklahoma City Thunder lost to Real Madrid. But no side had ever lost in America to an NBL side throughout history, until now.
It's not panic stations just yet for the Suns, as of course, upsets do happen. And it was perhaps a long time coming, as NBL sides had threatened to beat an NBA franchise for some time, coming close on many occasions.
But Adelaide become the first side to go all the way, and unfortunately for the Suns it's at their expense. Hidden gems can be found in those obscure sides, as when Madrid beat OKC, one Luka Doncic was then suddenly thrusted into the spotlight.
However, the likes of Chris Paul and Devin Booker were on the court for the Suns, making for a more embarrassing defeat. Suns head coach Monty Williams claimed it was a good opportunity for them to 'learn' following the defeat, as he's eager to put Sunday behind them.
"Just didn't give them the respect that they deserve as a pro team," Suns coach Monty Williams said. "It's a great opportunity for us to learn."
Williams also admitted that they didn't read the game as expected, as they overlooked Adelaide's ability. "I thought we didn't do a good job of reading the game," Williams said.
"Once they made a few [3s] in the first quarter, I didn't think we had awareness that these guys would keep making shots." And perhaps they were overlooked due to a poor record in Australia last year.
Adelaide finished seventh out of 10 teams in the NBL last season with an underwhelming 10-18 record. In contrast, it was actually the Suns who boasted the best NBA record in the last regular season, adding to what was a freak upset.
The Australian side will now be full of confidence, and have one more opportunity to leave their mark on American soil before heading back from their US tour. They take on Oklahoma City Thunder later this week, and will face-off against Australian star Josh Giddey.
