Suns coach Monty Williams reacts to Suns' shock preseason defeat to Adelaide 36ers

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Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams admitted that his players simply didn't give enough respect to the Adelaide 36ers in their preseason opener. On Sunday night in Phoenix, the Suns suffered a shock 134-124 defeat versus the 36ers.

The Suns entered the game as the absolute favorites to beat the Australian team, but they ended up losing in double digits. After the game, Suns head coach Williams kept it very honest about his team's performance. "Just didn't give them the respect that they deserve as a pro team," Suns coach Williams said.

"It's a great opportunity for us to learn." The Suns' starters played for 22 minutes, a bit more than initially expected. For the Suns, Cameron Payne scored a game-high 23 points, while Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges both had 22 points.

Devin Booker didn't really have a great game, finishing with just 13 points. "I actually got them a little higher than I wanted to -- they got competitive, they wanted to come back, but I wasn't going to let those guys come back," Williams said.

Coach Williams: The Suns didn't read the game well

The 36ers had two American players in double-digits. Craig Randall, who knocked down nine three-pointers, finished the game with 35 points. Robert Franks also exploded for over 30 points as he contributed to the 36ers' win with 32 points.

Antonious Cleveland also played a big part in the 36ers' win, finishing with 22 points. "I thought we didn't do a good job of reading the game," Williams said. "Once they made a few [3s] in the first quarter, I didn't think we had awareness that these guys would keep making shots." Later this week, the Suns are playing the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. It remains to be seen if the Suns can bounce back from a shock defeat and perform better versus the Lakers.