THIRD time, still no charm for Kai Sotto.
The 7-foot-3 center, bidding to become the first homegrown Filipino to gain NBA foothold, sat out anew the Orlando Magic’s sorry 80-82 loss at the hands of the New York Knicks yesterday in the NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Orlando coach Dylan Murphy stuck to a 10-man rotation, leaving Sotto, who has yet to play a single second in the Summer League, glued to the bench the whole game.
Guard Jaylen Martin scored on a game-winning basket in the extra period to hand the Sotto-less Magic their third straight loss in as many games.
Charlie Brown Jr. showed the way for the Knicks with 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, and four blocks, while QJ Peterson and Martin had 16 and 12 markers, respectively.
Jett Howard, the 11th pick overall in the last NBA draft, carried the fight for Orlando with a game-high 22 points.
The Magic will next take on the Portland Trail Blazers today.
The Magic will then wind up their campaign with a still unannounced squad.
Sotto, 21, worked out with the New York Knicks, Utah Jazz, and Dallas Mavericks.
Hiroshima has signed Sotto to a contract extension for the Japan B. League’s 2023-24 season.
