The New Taipei Kings on Wednesday advanced to the final four of the East Asia Super League (EASL) basketball tournament after clinching a 67-63 home victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings courtesy of Jeremy Lin’s clutch three-pointer.
The win improved New Taipei’s record to 4-0, making them the first team from Group B and the first Taiwanese team ever to reach the crossborder league’s playoff round.
The game at New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang Gymnasium came down to the wire, with New Taipei taking a 64-63 lead with less than 30 seconds to go before Lin sealed victory with a stepback three.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
Despite being roared on by a crowd of 5,207, the highest for a New Taipei Kings home game in the EASL, Lin and his team struggled from long range throughout the evening.
They missed their first 15 shots from beyond the arc and finished the game with four for 33 from deep as well as a 33.7 field-goal percentage, a season low.
Their sluggish shooting was mirrored by 37.7 percent for the visitors, tying their own season-worst.
The anemic showing turned the matchup between the two hitherto freewheeling EASL teams into a low-scoring slugfest, described by Lin as an “ugly, ugly game.”
The combined 130 points scored by the two teams was the lowest in any EASL game in the 2023-2024 season, and it was also the first game in which neither team recorded 20 points or more in any quarter.
New Taipei head coach Ryan Marchand said that his team had succeeded in creating enough space for three-point attempts and he believed the players would eventually find their groove.
“It’s our job to make the wide-open shots,” said Lin, who defended his coach, insisting that a video review would prove that Marchand was not to blame for the strategy.
The margin between the two teams remained within 10 throughout the game.
New Taipei had opportunities to extend the lead when the Golden Kings’ American center Jack Cooley was pulled in the third quarter after receiving his fourth foul.
Cooley is leading Japan’s B.League in rebounds per game with 12.7.
However, Ryukyu were not punished, as New Taipei missed more threes while forward Carl Tamayo of the Philippines stepped up for the Golden Kings, including making a three-pointer late in the last quarter to put his team 58-57 ahead.
The 22-year-old young phenom dropped four three-pointers to put up 16 points and seven rebounds for his best performance with the Golden Kings this season.
Kenneth Manigault of New Taipei also scored 16 points to tie the game high.
The two teams have a rematch at Okinawa Arena on Jan. 24 as Ryukyu (2-3) seek to secure the last final-four spot left in Group B. Seoul SK Knights are 2-2, while the Meralco Bolts are 1-4.
New Taipei are the second team to advance to the final four, following the China Jets’ 6-0 finish in Group A. The New Taipei Kings are to square off against the runners-up of Group A, which could be either Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters (2-2), TNT Tropang Giga (1-4) or the Taipei Fubon Braves (1-4).
The final four is to be played on March 8, followed by the championship game and the playoff for third on March 10.
The top three teams are to receive prize money of US$1 million, US$500,000 and US$250,000 respectively.
The EASL has not yet announced the venue for the next rounds.
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