Professional basketball leader Wonju DB pulled off a 35-point blowout victory to send last-place Seoul Samsung into the depths of a 10-game losing streak.
DB snapped the losing streak with a 108-73 victory over Samseong in an away game of the 2023-2024 regular season at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul today (Nov. 30).
With the win, DB (28-9) widened the gap to four and a half games between second-place Seoul SK and 스포츠토토 Changwon LG (both 23-13).
Meanwhile, Samsung (5 wins and 31 losses), which has lost 10 straight games, has a slimmer chance of escaping last place.
The gap between them and eighth-place Anyang Jungkwanjang and Goyang Sono (over 13 wins and 23 losses) grew to eight games.
Samsung, which hasn’t won in a month, last playing Sono on Nov. 30, has also lost eight straight at home.
They haven’t smiled at home in more than two months after winning against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation on November 23 last year.
Samsung was evenly matched against DB until the first half.
Led by big center Kofi Coburn, who exploded for 17 points and seven rebounds in the first half alone, Samsung and DB were only six points apart at the end of the second quarter.
However, DB widened the gap to over 20 points in the third quarter alone, hitting six 3-pointers and exploding for 35 points.
Unable to stop DB’s fast break, led by Filipino guard Lee Sun Albano, Samsung’s offense was stymied by the opposing big man lineup of Kim Jong-kyu, Dedrick Lawson, and Kang Sang-jae until Coburn.
DB’s ace Lawson hit another three from the top of the key to start the fourth quarter, completely breaking Samsung’s will to catch up.
Lawson was all over the place, posting a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Kim Jong-kyu also had 24 points and seven rebounds while defending Coburn, who is bigger than him.
Forward Kang Sang-jae dished out 10 assists to go along with his 15 points, easing the burden on Albano, who was tasked with running the game.
LG also defeated Sono 74-70 on the road without “big man” Asem Marei.
With the win, LG moved into a tie for second place with Seoul SK, which had a bye on the day. The race for a direct playoff (PO) berth is tight, with fourth-place KT (22-13) also trailing the two teams by half a game.
In professional basketball, the first and second place teams bypass the six-team PO and go straight to the quarterfinals.
LG has been exceptionally competitive, cruising to a 4-1 record in its last five games with foreign player Marei out with a knee injury.
Marei has been a key resource for LG’s offense and defense under the basket, averaging 16.2 points and 15.3 rebounds per game, but has been sidelined with a knee injury since the last game against SK on March 9.
Without not only Marei but also Mexican international center Josh Ibarra, who has been designated as an alternate foreign player, LG struggled in the first half, allowing Chinanu Onuaku to score 21 points and grab eight rebounds.
In the second half, however, domestic players like Lee Kwan-hee and Yang Hong-seok stepped up to the plate and staved off the Sono charge, which was centered around Onuaku and Lee Jung-hyun.
Yang Hong-seok was the team’s top scorer with 19 points. Rookie shooter Yoo Yoo-sang also provided firepower from the perimeter, scoring 18 points, including four 3-pointers.