BASKETBALL/New Taipei Kings advance to EASL Final Four on Jeremy Lin's clutch three

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) The New Taipei Kings advanced to the Final Four of the East Asia Super League (EASL) on Wednesday after clinching a 67-63 home victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings courtesy of Jeremy Lin's (林書豪) 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 play-off round.

The game at Xinzhuang Gymnasium came down to the wire, with New Taipei taking a 64-63 lead with less than 30 seconds to go before Lin sealed the victory with a stepback three-pointer.

Despite being roared on by a crowd of 5,207, the highest for a Kings home game in the EASL, both Lin and the Kings struggled from deep range throughout the evening.

The Kings missed their first 15 shots from beyond the arc and finished the game with 4-for-33 from deep as well as a 33.7 field goal percentage for season low; that sluggish shooting was mirrored by the guest team's 37.7 percentage, tying its own season-worst.

This 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 2023-24 season, and it was also the first game in which neither team recorded 20 points or more in any quarter.

Asked to comment on the team's insistence on shooting threes, New Taipei head coach Ryan Marchand said the team had succeeded in creating enough space for the shot, and that 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 points throughout the game, and the Kings had opportunities to extend the lead when Golden Kings' American center Jack Cooley was pulled in the third quarter after receiving his fourth foul.

Cooley is currently leading the B.LEAGUE in rebounds per game with 12.7.

Ryukyu was not punished, however, as New Taipei missed more threes while Filipino forward Carl Tamayo stepped up for the Golden Kings, including making a three-pointer late in the last quarter to put his team 58-57 ahead for a short while.

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 will have a rematch at Okinawa Arena on Jan. 24 as the 2-3 Ryukyu seeks to secure the last Final Four spot left in Group B. Seoul SK Knights are now 2-2, while the Meralco Bolts are 1-4.

New Taipei is the second team to advance to the Final Four, following China Jets' 6-0 finish in Group A. The Kings will 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 will be held on March 8, followed by the championship game and the third-placed playoff on March 10. The top three teams will receive prize money of US$1 million, US$500,000 and US$250,000, respectively.

The EASL has not yet announced the exact venue for the next round of games.

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