The Hsinchu JKO Lioneers on Saturday clinched the top spot in the P.League+’s regular-season standings after overpowering the Taipei Fubon Braves 108-99.
At 20-10, the Lioneers are to enter the playoff semi-finals as the top-seeded side, while the Formosa Taishin Dreamers are currently in second with a 17-11 record, ahead of the Braves at 18-12.
Lioneers head coach Greg Lin (林冠綸) said after the game that finishing atop the regular-season rankings was a testament to the team’s hard work.
Photo: CNA
“This season has not yet finished. We will continue to press forward and continue to put in the effort,” Lin said.
At Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, the Lioneers led for most of the game, reaching a 65-48 advantage at halftime.
Near the end of the third quarter, Braves forward Winston Tsai narrowed the deficit to a one-possession 75-72 game, but Lioneers forwards Nick Faust and Mike Bruesewitz quickly extended their lead beyond Taipei’s reach at 108-99.
Faust led all scorers with a double-double of 36 points and 11 rebounds, while Bruesewitz had 28 points and 13 rebounds.
Three postponed games remain in the regular season, and two of them could directly affect the Dreamers’ standings, league founder and CEO Blackie Chen (陳建州) said.
The Dreamers are likely to play the Taoyuan Pilots on Friday, followed by the New Taipei Kings on Saturday, he said.
Losses in those games could knock the Dreamers below the Braves in the standings.
The Kings are in fourth place with a 16-13 record, while the Kaohsiung Steelers and the Pilots, in fifth and sixth respectively, will not advance to the playoffs.
The top four teams by winning percentage in the regular season compete in the playoffs, consisting of a best-of-five first round series and the finals played in a best-of-seven format.
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