The New Taipei Kings last night defeated New Taipei CTBC DEA 96-90 to face the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards in the best-of-five first-round of Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) playoffs.
The Kings had on Tuesday kept their playoff hopes alive with a 102-86 win, forcing a decisive game in their TPBL play-in series.
In the Tuesday game, Joseph Lin led the Kings with 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists without committing a turnover as the defending champions leveled the best-of-three series.
Photo: TPBL via CNA
“It’s win or go home, and we had no other choice. We had to fight with all our heart and honestly do it for A.D.,” Lin said after the game, referring to teammate Austin Daye, who plans to retire after the season.
Under league rules, the top three teams from the regular season advance directly to the playoffs, while the fourth-placed team holds a one-game advantage in a best-of-three play-in series against the fifth-placed team.
Lin, who made four three-pointers, on Tuesday scored 18 of his points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter. His highlight came with 1 minute and 34 seconds remaining, when he hit a floater near midcourt with his right hand, his weaker side.
The Kings led 47-45 at halftime, but fell behind by five points late in the third quarter. They responded with a 19-5 run over the next five minutes and maintained control the rest of the way.
Jalen Harris added 23 points for the Kings, while DEA guard Hsieh Ya-hsuan scored a game-high 28 points and made five three-pointers.
The Kings shot 48.6 percent from a three-point range, making 17 shots, while the DEA went nine of 42 from beyond the arc.
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