Jonathan, a 'NBA native', showed the best performance since entering the KBL → KT in crisis saved... Playoff ticket and "only one game difference"

*This content was translated by AI.

Jonathan Williams, a former NBA player, showed his best performance after entering the KBL, sparking hope for Suwon KT's advance to the semi-finals (PO). KT accelerated its last-minute ranking competition by winning a valuable victory with Williams' double-double performance and Kim Sun-hyung's milestone.

KT defeated Seoul Samsung 83-78 in an away game of LG Electronics' professional basketball regular league from 2025 to 2026 at Jamsil Indoor Stadium on the 29th. With the victory, seventh-ranked KT (25 wins and 26 losses) closely trailed sixth-ranked Busan KCCC (26 wins and 25 losses), the last-place line to advance to the semifinals, by one game and fired up its will to PO. On the other hand, Samsung (15 wins and 36 losses) fell to a tie for ninth place with Daegu Korea Gas Corporation.

Jonathan Williams contributed the most to KT's victory on the day. Williams, who struggled with only two points and two rebounds in the match against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation, which was his debut on the 20th, has not shown any significant performance since then in Anyang Jeong Kwan-jang (2 points and 3 rebounds) and KCC (7 points and 4 rebounds).

It was the best performance since entering the KBL. Williams showed off his overwhelming presence under the basket by scoring 22 points, 10 rebounds, and a double-double against Samsung. Williams has played in the NBA's LA Lakers and Washington Wizards, as well as the Philippines and Japan.

Veteran guard Kim Sun-hyung's fighting spirit also shone. Kim Sun-hyung scored 16 points to help him win. In particular, he added three assists on the day, achieving a total of 3002 assists, becoming the sixth player in professional basketball history to reach 3,000 assists. Samsung sought to win three consecutive games with Lee Kwan-hee scoring 21 points, but failed to overcome KT's background.

Samsung led 40-38 in the first half of the game, continuing a tight trend.

KT's concentration exploded in the third quarter. While KT scored 24 points, Samsung took over the lead with only 17 points. At the end of the quarter, Park Joon-young's come-from-behind three-point run followed by Derek Williams' outer shot to win 62-57. Samsung's strong pursuit continued in the last four quarters, but KT responded with consecutive outposts by Moon Jung-hyun, Han Hee-won, and Kim Sun-hyung to decide the game.

Meanwhile, in Changwon, the leading Changwon LG defeated the Seoul SK 67-55 and had only two wins left to win the regular league championship. LG (35-15), which has won four games in a row, narrowed its gap with second-ranked Chung Kwan-jang by three games to two. Yoo Ki-sang led the team's attack by scoring 19 points, including 5 3-point shots, and Asem Marei played 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. SK collapsed with its main catcher Jamil Warney scoring only six points.

In Daegu, KCC defeated Korea Gas Corporation 87-80 to maintain the sixth place. Heo Woong showed a one-man show in which he poured 28 points, including six three-point shots, and Heo Hoon, who returned wearing a mask after surgery for a broken nose, recorded six points and eight assists for 34 minutes. The defeated Korea Gas Corporation fell to the bottom along with Samsung after falling into a quagmire for the fourth consecutive time.

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*This content was translated by AI.