Top-ranked Wonju DB Promise comfortably defeated the bottom-ranked Seoul Samsung Thunder.
DB, led by head coach Kim Joo-sung, won 87-73 on the road against Samsung in the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball League at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul on Saturday. With the win, the top-ranked DB improved to 24-6 on the season, while 10th-ranked Samsung dropped its third straight game to fall to 5-24.
DB was led by Dedrick Lawson with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Lee Sun Albano also hit four three-pointers to finish with 21 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Park In-woong also had 17 points, including four three-pointers, while Lee Yong-woo added 10 points and Kim Jong-kyu chipped in with five points and 10 rebounds.
For Samsung, Ismael Lane led the way with 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Shin Dong-hyuk had 11 points and three rebounds and Kim Si-rae had eight points and three rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from losing.
It was Samsung who took the lead in the first quarter. At 5-4, a steal by Lee Dong-yeop, a basket by Shin Dong-hyuk, a three-pointer by Ishmael Lane, and a basket by Choi Seung-wook put DB ahead. DB responded with baskets from Lee Sun Albano, Dedrick Lawson, and Park In-woong, but Samsung never relinquished the lead and ended the first quarter with a seven-point lead, 26-19.
However, in the second quarter, Samsung scored just 12 points and allowed DB to pull away. Park In-woong hit a three-pointer at the start of the second quarter, and after a free throw by Doo Kyung-min, Dedrick Lawson’s end-one play tied the game at 26-26.
Samsung looked to pull away with a basket by Ismael Lane and a three-pointer by Kim Si-rae, but they couldn’t stop Lee Sun Albano’s outside shot, and DB eventually took the lead at 34-31. Down 32-38, Samsung ended the half with a three-point lead, 38-41.
At the start of the third quarter, Ismael Lane scored to bring Samsung within one point, 40-41, but DB answered with a three-pointer from Park In-woong, followed by baskets from Dedrick Lawson and Doo Kyung-min. Each time Samsung tried to pull away, DB hit a three-pointer to set the tone.
In the fourth quarter, it was DB who took the lead. With the score at 68-52 at the start of the fourth quarter, DB first reached the 70-point mark with a dunk by Kim Jong-kyu. Then, Park In-woong’s three-pointer and Kim Jong-gyu’s free throws piled up the points, and the team held off Samsung to secure the win.
Meanwhile, in a matchup between the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus and Suwon KT Sonic Boom at Dongcheon Gymnasium in Ulsan, Hyundai Mobis pulled off a dramatic 83-82 upset. With the win, fourth-ranked Hyundai Mobis, which has won three straight, improved to 14-14 and closed to within half a game of fifth-place Busan KCC Aegis (13-12). KT, which had its five-game winning streak snapped, fell to 19-10.
Trailing 51-66 at the start of the fourth quarter, Hyundai Mobis used Aluma to pull within four points, 74-78, with two minutes left in the game. After Jang Jae-seok’s free throws and a two-pointer at 76-82, Hyundai Mobis pulled within two points, 83-82, on Miguel Andre Okjohn’s three-pointer with 10 seconds left in the game, and held on to the one-point lead to complete the dramatic victory.
In a game played at Changwon Gymnasium, Daegu KOGAS Pegasus defeated Changwon LG Sakers 82-78. With their second straight win, KOGAS improved to 9-20 on the season, while LG, which lost its second straight, remained in ninth and fourth place with an 18-11 record.
Tied at 73-73 with 2:30 left in regulation, Chabawi’s 3-pointer and 2-pointers from Andrew Nicholson and Samjosef Belangel gave KOG the lead. LG answered with a three-pointer from Lee Jae-do and a dunk from Justin Gutang, but KOGAS answered with a pair of free throws from Andrew Nicholson and the game was over.