BASKETBALL/New Taipei Kings eye EASL 3rd place after loss to Chiba Jets

Taipei, March 9 (CNA) The New Taipei Kings of Taiwan's P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) will play in the East Asia Super League's (EASL) third-place playoff on Sunday after a 92-84 semifinal loss to the Chiba Jets in the Philippines on Friday.

Despite missing Jeremy Lin (林書豪) and Byron Mullens, the Kings stunned fans by remaining competitive for most of the game, and even took a one-possession lead with four minutes left in the game with the help of three straight three-pointers by Joseph Lin (林書緯).

Yuki Togashi, however, responded with a three-pointer over Joseph Lin to tie the game at 82 with 3:15 left, and the reigning runners-up of Japan's B.League then went on a 10-2 run to close out the game.

Togashi, who made six of his 13 shots from behind the arc, finished with a game-high 28 points, and teammate Xavier Cooks contributed 24.

"Obviously it was a very tough game. We knew that they were undefeated [in the EASL] and one of the best teams in Japan. I guess our defense wasn't good enough, but at least we fought until the end," said Joseph Lin, who racked up team-highs of 21 points and five assists.

Describing Togashi as "probably the best point guard in Japan," Joseph Lin said, "I just took this challenge and obviously didn't back down, but he still outperformed me."

The loss meant that the Kings will not vie for the EASL championship on Sunday, one of two major goals Kings head coach Ryan Marchand set for the team before the start of the 2023-24 season, when Jeremy Lin joined the team.

Instead, they will square off against the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) at the Lapu-lapu Hoops Dome at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Despite the result, two-time PLG regular season MVP Yang Chin-min (楊敬敏) took pride in the team's performance on Friday, calling it "the best game we've played so far this season" in either the EASL or PLG.

"If we can bring this experience and mindset back to [Taiwan], I think no one is gonna beat us," Yang said. He scored 16 points in his 31 minutes on the floor.

A similar sentiment was shared by PLG Vice President Charles Chen (陳建州), who said the EASL provided Taiwanese players with more opportunities to compete against foreign players, making the team better.

"It has been a shame that most local players in Taiwan have no chance to see the world because only the national team has been able to play overseas," Chen was quoted as saying by sports media TSNA.

"The EASL exposes us to teams from top leagues like Japan's B.League, South Korea's KBL, and the Philippines' PBA (Philippine Basketball Association). It'll be good [if our players] learn from them and improve upon returning home."

Joseph Lin, who has never represented Taiwan in an international game before, said Thursday that the EASL was as important to him as games for Taiwan's national team players.

Yet the Kings still have to deal with the challenge of the Jeremy Lin injury. They confirmed Thursday that he will not suit up for the team on Friday and Sunday after he felt discomfort in his leg after practice.

On Jan. 27, the Kings announced that the former NBA guard would miss all four games before the Lunar New Year break due to a plantar fascia injury in his left foot, and Lin has played in only one of the team's last eight PLG games.

He suited up for the Kings on Feb. 28 in a game against the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers, but left the court after playing only 12 minutes.

The 13-10 Kings have gone 4-5 in PLG games and 0-3 in EASL games in which Jeremy Lin has not played, and currently are on a four-game losing streak in the PLG.

Franchises finishing in the top three of the EASL tournament will win US$1 million, US$500,000 and US$250,000, respectively, in prize money.