Kai Sotto had a better game for Adelaide compared to his NBL debut.
Still, the 36ers fell against Melbourne United, 97-78, on Saturday at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Sotto stepped up in the absence of injured Isaac Humpries, dunking in 6 points to go with 8 rebounds and 1 steal.
But the league-leading Melbourne was too much for his team, pulling away in the final period en route to its seventh win.
Adelaide absorbed its fourth defeat in 7 games.
In his NBL debut last December, Sotto had 1 point, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.