Well, that game certainly happened. Fans tuning in to the Phoenix Suns' preseason game against the NBL's Adelaide 36ers expected a blowout. After all, that's how most games against teams from other leagues went in the last few years. Instead, the Australian squad brought the pain to Phoenix, shocking them in a 134-124 loss.
The Suns' preseason loss to the 36ers marked the first time that an NBA team lost to a non-NBA team in the preseason since 2015. Back then, the European Fenerbache squad defeated the Brooklyn Nets in preseason. A key difference, is that the Nets team back then wasn't seen as a good team. Phoenix, meanwhile, is coming off a season where they earned the first seed in the West. (via Kevin Pelton)
It appears the Adelaide 36ers are the first non-NBA team to win a preseason game (134-124 at the Phoenix Suns) in the U.S. since Fenerbahce beat Brooklyn in October 2015: https://t.co/GY8GDYGj1B
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) October 3, 2022
As usual, NBA Twitter ruthlessly clowned the Suns during and after their loss to the 36ers.
Congratulations to Luka Doncic, Craig Randall, and Robert Franks on becoming the new co-owners of the Phoenix Suns 👏🏽
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 3, 2022
Suns getting lit up by a created team
— Dom2K 🎅 (@Dom_2k) October 3, 2022
Astute fans also learned that the 36ers were a mediocre team in the Australian NBL league. After this info went viral, fans started to roast the Suns even more.
Article Continues BelowThe 36ers aren’t even one of the better teams in their league 😭😭😭😭😭
The Suns just lost to the Pistons of the NBL pic.twitter.com/EiUgz6OIsw
— Ramon 🇵🇷⚡️ (@RamonIsHim) October 3, 2022
The Pheonix Suns at halftime after being down 71-59 to the Adelaide 36ers pic.twitter.com/sx5EG8BCWZ
— KiLBJJ ʰᶦᵐ (@KiLBJJ) October 3, 2022
This tweet perfectly summed up NBA Twitter for the entirety of the Suns-36ers game.
NBA twitter looking at the Suns pic.twitter.com/9uKUZeN8rA
— Bryson (@BrysonWright3) October 3, 2022
So, does this mean that the Suns are doomed after this humiliating loss in the preseason? Well, not quite. Remember, better teams have gone winless in preseason, then turned into world-beaters in the regular season. The 36ers also were incredibly hot from deep, connecting on 24 of their 43 three-pointers. Phoenix won't face that level of shot-making with regularity once the season rolls around.
Let's give credit where credit's due: the 36ers played a hell of a game against the Suns. The way they were playing on Sunday, they could've beaten any team in the NBA. Phoenix just became the unfortunate victim of a team with nothing to lose and everything to gain from this game.