The Suns managed to close the gap in the dying stages, but the 36ers put their foot down and ran away with the win. Only losing the third quarter as the Suns' nightmare off-season continues.
Craig Randall and Robert Franks obliterated the Suns defence with a combined 67 points but it was Randall who had minds melting across America.
Head coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the second half against the Adelaide 36ers. Photo / Getty
Australian fans feared the electric guard might not make it on the plane home after his devastating display, as he torched the Suns every time down the floor.
Randall finished the contest with 35 points, a record for an NBL player against an NBA team, as he lit it up from beyond the arc knocking down nine three-pointers.
The 36ers also become the first non-American team to secure a win over an NBA team since 2015 when Fenerbahce defeated Brooklyn.
Phoenix Suns great and NBA TV commentator Eddie Johnson was bewildered in the fourth quarter, saying: "I ain't never seen anything like this".
Aussie superstar Josh Giddey, a former member of the 36ers before being picked up by the OKC Thunder, couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wasn't the only NBA player impressed by the 36ers' display.
Basketball fans in Australia were blown away by the performance from the NBL squad, heaping praise on the squad.
The Age's Roy Ward wrote: "Yes. It is the first game of NBA pre-season but Adelaide hasn't played a regular-season game this season either. Stunning performance from the Sixers, love seeing the NBL representing itself in this way."
ESPN"s Olgun Uluc wrote: "Mitch McCarron set the tone for the 36ers with 4 points, 9 boards, and 16 (!) assists. Craig Randall II (35 points; 9/17 3pt) and Robert Franks (32-7-3; 6/10 3pt) led the scoring effort. Each of Phoenix's starters (CP3, Booker, Bridges, Johnson, Ayton) played 22:29 minutes."
