MANILA, Philippines — Kai Sotto delivered his best game yet since returning from an ACL injury that sidelined him for a year at the Japan B. League.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino import posted 20 points and 14 rebounds to power the Koshigaya Alphas to an 81-80 win over home team Levanga Hokkaido Sunday.
Sotto added two assists and one block to his name as Koshigaya avenged its 81-88 Saturday loss to Levanga, which features another Gilas Pilipinas mainstay Dwight Ramos.
In that defeat, Sotto logged 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, kickstarting his back-to-back double-double performances.
Sotto also entered the 1000-point club in Japan in the said loss, joining fellow Filipino imports Ramos, Thirdy Ravena, Kiefer Ravena, Ray Parks Jr., Matthew Wright.
With their latest win, Sotto and the Alphas improved to 13-22, 19th in the standings.
Levanga dropped to 26-9 but stayed in the upper echelon in fifth place.
Ramos uncorked 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists on Saturday, defeating Sotto and the Alphas.
The 6-foot-4 wing then went scoreless on Sunday.
Through his first four games of the season, Sotto has been averaging 10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
Meanwhile, Ramos has been posting 12.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.