With less than a second left on the clock, Creek attempted a lay-up that would have drawn his South East Melbourne Phoenix level, only for the ball to bounce around the rim and roll out to hands thrown on heads in collective disbelief.

The 113-111 loss to the Adelaide 36ers was the former Horsham Hornet's first game back in Adelaide to face the club that gifted him his professional debut and where he spent eight seasons, of which two were served as captain.

A characteristically resolute Creek said he would take the result "on the chin".

"When I went to attack there were about four and half seconds (left), and I knew that was enough time to dribble and take my two steps with patience, hang, and there was still enough time for an (offensive rebound)," he said post-game.

"I thought it was in...but that's basketball mate, they go in, and they go out. It does one or the other. It doesn't just hang in the air for 10 minutes and magically stop there; it does something. It didn't go in."

Creek finished with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds in what was a much-hyped homecoming game.

"You know me; I don't really give two hoots about how I play, I just want to win," he said.

"I don't really care about how many points, or what anyone says about coming back to Adelaide. There were a lot of emotions (about) coming back for me."

"It was very hard, but at the same time I'm a professional, and for me, the most important thing is this team and putting them above everything else."

"All the hype and the talk about it is just blase because the most important thing is the team and unfortunately we didn't win tonight."

Elsewhere, Shaun Bruce had a team-high four assists to help the Sydney Kings to a 104-81 win against Melbourne United on Saturday.

Mitch Creek's South East Melbourne Phoenix played the Cairns Taipans at home on Sunday night, after the Mail-Times went to print.

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