KT beat Changwon LG 89-80 in Game 4 of the 2023-2024 Professional Basketball semifinal playoff (three wins out of five) held at KT Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do on the 22nd.
KT, which suffered a come-from-behind defeat by LG's Yoon Won-sang in Game 3, grabbed Game 4 and made 2 wins and 2 losses overall in the series, leading the game to the last Game 5. It is the first time in three years that Game 5 was held in the semifinal playoff since KCC and Electronic Land in the 2020-2021 season. 토토사이트 순위
The same crisis, how to hold out, determined the outcome
LG, which is trying to advance to the championship game as soon as possible, and KT, which is over if it loses on the day, had a fierce battle from the first quarter. LG's Asem Maray scored under the basket one after another following the offensive rebound, and KT countered with Paris Bath's explosive attack.
KT, which gave up the lead after being hit by a three-point shot by LG Yoo Ki-sang, turned it over again by Moon Jung-hyun's three-point shot, and even Heo Hoon's jumper burst, finishing the first quarter with a 27-24 lead.
KT gained the upper hand, but Bath committed three fouls in the first quarter alone, facing the danger of stepping down to the bench. However, Michael Eric, who took the court in place of Bath, maintained his lead thanks to his 10 points and six rebounds in the second quarter without being pushed back in the under-the-basket match against Maray.
In the third quarter, LG was in crisis as Maray left the court for a while due to four fouls, but they also took the opportunity to turn the tables as they narrowed the gap thanks to the performance of another foreign player, Dante Cunningham.
However, LG's bigger crisis came in the last four quarters. After returning to the court, Maray committed a foul just two minutes later and was eventually sent off. Bath scored 13 points and eight rebounds in the fourth quarter alone, stirring freely in the paint zone without Maray.
LG tried to change the atmosphere with Yang Hong-seok's three-point shot and Cunningham's dunk, but there was too little time left. Eventually, kt won Game 4, and the two teams had a one-legged race in Game 5.
It was a victory with bold mercenary skills of KT coach Song Young-jin. KT tried to suppress LG's scoring ability as much as possible by increasing the playing time of Moon Jung-hyun, who has good rebound and space penetration, instead of Ha Yoon-ki, who has good height, and this was a great achievement.
In addition, Eric, who put Bath into the place where he was out due to foul trouble, performed better than expected, and Bath, who saved physical strength from the bench, put him in the fourth quarter of the match to break LG's pursuit. Bath showed off his strength by scoring 32 points, 14 rebounds, and four steals even during less-than-usual playing time.
His faith in Heo Hoon, an "native ace," also paid off. In the semifinal playoff, Heo only scored two points in the first round. He seemed to recover gradually by scoring eight and 12 points in the second and third rounds, respectively, but his name was far short of the value.
Nevertheless, manager Song Young-jin put Heo Hoon as the charge leader in Game 4, which could have been the last game of the season, and Heo Hoon finally exploded late with 18 points and 4 assists, performing well to meet expectations.
On the other hand, LG's Maray was sluggish with 13 points and eight rebounds. In particular, LG also collapsed when Maray, the core of offense and defense, was sent off with five fouls at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Yang Hong-seok struggled with 18 points and Cunningham 13 points, but Maray's vacancy was large.
Attention is focusing on who will get the ticket to the championship game in Game 5 to be held by moving to Changwon on the 24th