Australian Team Upsets NBA's Phoenix Suns In Surprise Preseason Victory

An NBA team had not lost to a non-NBA team in the preseason since 2016.
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The Phoenix Suns, which had the NBA’s best record during the 2021-22 season, shockingly lost to a team from Down Under during a preseason matchup on Sunday.

The Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s National Basketball League pulled off the 134-124 upset in what marked the first time a non-NBA team beat an NBA team in the preseason since 2016, ESPN reported.

It was only the fifth time in the past decade that an NBA team lost in an international exhibition, according to SB Nation.

The Adelaide squad finished in seventh place among their league’s 10 teams during the 2021-22 season.

The team was led by Robert Franks and Craig Randall II, who formerly played in the G League, the NBA’s minor league. They combined for 67 points in the victory.

Notably, the Suns and the 36ers typically play on different courts: The 36ers normally play with the 3-point line set by the International Basketball Federation (or FIBA), which is 18 inches closer to the basket than the NBA’s 3-point line, ESPN noted.

The Suns’ previous game, which was Game 7 of the conference finals this year, ended in a devastating loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

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