LaMelo Ball equalled his best points return of the season on Monday, but it was not enough to give the Illawarra Hawks a win, as they lost 98-92 to the Adelaide 36ers.

Ball scored 15 points at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, adding five rebounds and seven assists (1-of-7 from three), but the Hawks slipped to their fourth defeat in five National Basketball League games this season.

The 18-year-old provided one of the highlights of the game early on when he went behind the back to set up Josh Boone for a dunk:

Fox Sports' Olgun Uluc was impressed:

By halftime, Ball had contributed six points and three assists, but his team was down 56-49.

He opened the third quarter with an easy basket, and a few minutes later he put it on a plate for Boone once again:

Ball reached double figures with a layup soon after:

After several missed three-point attempts, Ball finally hit one to close out the third quarter.

He helped the Hawks close the gap to just two points when he converted a pair of free throws with 54 seconds on the clock, but the 36ers pulled away again to secure the victory.

The Hawks shared Ball's stats from the game:

Illawarra's key man was longtime NBA veteran Aaron Brooks, who finished with 31 points, five rebounds and three assists.