Changwon LG extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Suwon KT.
LG won 87-76 at home against KT in the 2023-2024 regular season of the Korean Basketball Association (KBA) on Nov. 11 at Changwon Indoor Gymnasium.
With the five-game winning streak, LG improved its record to 30-17, tied for second place with KT. If the two teams finish the regular season with the same overall record, LG, with a 4-2 head-to-head advantage, will finish higher.
LG’s Lee Jae-do had 22 points and nine assists, while Asem Marei had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way. Yang Hong-seok added 17 points and seven rebounds, while Yoo Yoo-sang chipped in 10 points.
Paris Bass led KT with 26 points and seven rebounds and Ha Yoon-ki had 13 points and six rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss.
The early going was all KT. KT jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the first quarter with Bass and Ha racking up points in quick succession, but LG didn’t go away easily. A three-pointer by Jung Hee-jae changed the tone of the game, and back-to-back baskets by Marei brought the score to 15-13. After another three-pointer from Lee Jae-do and another basket from Marei, LG closed out the first quarter with a 21-15 lead.
In the second quarter, the game became even more intense. KT would pull away and LG would run away. KT caught up with Ha Yoon-ki, but LG responded with goals from Yang Hong-seok and Lee Kwan-hee. Later in the second quarter, however, KT narrowed the gap a little bit thanks to Bass’ performance. At the end of the second quarter, LG led by just three points, 36-33.
However, LG came back strong in the third quarter. Back-to-back three-pointers from Yang Hong-seok and Yoo Yoo-sang, along with two points from Lee Jae-do, gave them a 44-33 lead. KT chipped away at the lead, but LG extended the lead to nearly 20 points with consecutive baskets from Lee Jae-do, Marei, and Yang Hong-seok. The third quarter ended with LG leading 66-48.
With the victory in hand, LG took it easy in the fourth quarter, maintaining a lead of around 15 points. KT made a run, but the game was already won. LG maintained a large lead throughout the fourth quarter and ended the game with an 87-76 victory.
Meanwhile, the result of the game further enhanced the chances of first-place Wonju DB to win the regular season title. DB will clinch the regular season title if they don’t suffer a blowout loss of more than 20 points in their home game against KT on April 14th.