No one was going to be surprised if Jeremy Lin of the Kaohsiung Steelers put up a triple-double during Sunday’s game against the New Taipei Kings, but few could have foreseen that he would do it with a score of 50 points.
The former NBA star broke the P.League+’s halftime scoring record, claiming 32 points in the first two quarters. He fouled out with 4 minutes, 12 seconds remaining of the game, with a total of 50 points, 10 boards and 11 dimes.
Lin, 34, tied Sim Bhullar for most points scored in a P.League+ game and broke Anthony Tucker’s record of 41 points scored in a triple-double.
Photo: CNA / The Kaohsiung Steelers
“I really enjoyed the game, not because I scored a lot, but because I saw my teammates show few reactions when I fouled out. They just said: ‘Okay, let’s work together and forge ahead,’” Lin said.
He said he felt more nervous watching the game from the bench, but was thrilled to see how his teammates performed in the last 3 minutes, describing the game as “a very beautiful one.”
The Steelers had a 103-100 lead when Lin was forced to leave the court. Jamarcus Mearidy stepped up in Lin’s absence to score 10 of the Steelers’ last 13 points en route to their 116-110 home victory.
He also pulled off a behind-the-back pass to Wendall Lewis for a dunk that ignited the Kaohsiung Fengshan Stadium.
“I knew when Shu-hao [Lin] fouled out, I just knew I had to step up,” said Mearidy, who scored 12 points in total.
Sunday’s win was the Steelers’ eighth in a row, and they are tied with the Formosa Taishin Dreamers in fourth place at 15-21.
Also on Sunday, the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots defeated the Taipei Fubon Braves 95-86, largely thanks to Sani Sakakini’s 41 points.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
Tony Jefferson intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in overtime to give the Los Angeles Chargers a 22-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday in an NFL thriller between playoff contenders. Justin Herbert, playing a week after surgery on his broken left (non-throwing) hand, withstood a career-high seven sacks to throw for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers. Cameron Dicker kicked five field goals, including the 54-yard game winner in overtime. The Chargers defenders forced Hurts to throw four interceptions and surrender a fumble for a career-worst five turnovers as the Eagles fell to 8-5 with a third