Dongbu Promy, led by regular season MVP Kim Joo-sung, left, will meet Marquin Chandler and the KT&G Kites in the five-game semifinal series. / Korea Times File |
By Jonathan Sanfilippo
Staff Reporter
Competing in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) playoffs for the first time might be difficult for some players.
But KT&G Kites star Marquin Chandler is making it look easy.
The 1.97-meter forward from the United States poured in 41 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 10 assists to lead the Kites to a 94-90 victory over the SK Knights on Monday at the Jamsil Gymnasium, completing a sweep of their first-round playoff series.
``It was a hard-fought game,'' said Chandler, who shot 12-of-18 from the floor, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range. ``SK played a hell of a game, and I'm just happy that we came out with a win.''
The Kites, who are seeded fourth in the playoffs, won their best-of-three series against the fifth-seeded Knights 2-0. They advanced to face the top-seeded Dongbu Promy in a five-game KBL semifinals series, with the first game scheduled to take place Saturday in Wonju.
Chandler, a 26-year-old KBL rookie playing in the league's postseason for the first time, dominated the Kites' series with the Knights, averaging 34 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two games.
After the Kites were losing Monday's game 68-64 at the end of three quarters, Chandler, who averaged 22.9 points and 9.1 rebounds during the regular season, scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to help his team earn the win.
The Kites' T.J. Cummings finished the game with 14 points, while Joo Hee-jung tallied 13 points and seven assists.
Bang Sung-yoon led the Knights with 26 points. Gyasi Cline-Heard finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Brandon Robinson and Kim Tae-sul scored 14 points apiece for the Knights, whose season came to an end with the defeat.
jonsanfilippo@koreatimes.co.kr
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