BASKETBALL/Cousins' double-double debut sees Leopards collect 5th straight win

Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins' double-double debut saw the Taiwan Beer Leopards secure a 119-90 blowout win against the Tainan TSG GhostHawks on Saturday.

The Leopards improved to 9-4 after the game, tying the New Taipei CTBC DEA atop the five-team T1 LEAGUE on the back of a franchise-record five-game winning streak.

The 6,015 spectators who turned up for Cousin's debut also set a new attendance record for the Leopards at the Taoyuan Arena, the franchise's home since last summer.

Cousins logged 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block in 28:24 on the floor -- a performance the four-time NBA All-Star suggested he could exceed with adequate rest.

"I'm jet-lagged; I just got off a 14-hour flight. I'll get some recovery after this game, get my legs fresh, and be ready for tomorrow. So hopefully, it's a better performance," the 33-year-old center said after the game.

Cousins arrived in Taiwan Thursday night and practiced with the Leopards just once, on Friday, before Saturday's game, broadcaster Lee Ping-sheng (李秉昇) noted.

Cousins' offensive approach to Saturday's game mirrored how he is making adjustments, commentator Lee Po-lun (李伯倫) said.

Cousins missed his first five shots in the first seven minutes of the game before being benched, and he recorded his first bucket in the T1 LEAGUE with a typical two-handed dunk later in that quarter after stealing the ball in transition.

He made one out of seven attempts in the first half, with his shots mostly launched from outside the paint.

However, Cousins started attacking the paint more aggressively after halftime, leading to a few fierce physical plays that were not seen from him in the first two quarters.

That strategy paid off. In less than 13 minutes he played in the second quarter, Cousins dropped 11 points by making five shots, including four from within the paint.

Yet, the player of the game went to the Leopards' small forward Lasan Kromah, who racked up 29 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his third triple-double of the season. Rookie of the Year front-runner Gao Jin-wei (高錦瑋) also chipped in 16 points off the bench on a 70 percent field goal.

Meanwhile, three GhostHawks players scored 15 points each to tie the team high.

Tainan suffered its fifth consecutive loss and fell to fourth in the league with a 3-9 record, only half a game ahead of the last-placed Taipei Mars.

The Leopards will have a chance to top the league on Sunday as the team hosts the defending champions DEA at 7 p.m.