NEW Taipei Kings took advantage of Meralco's offensive blackout in the second half to score an 89-77 win in their East Asia Super League (EASL) rematch on Wednesday night.
Former NBA player Jeremy Lin stood at the forefront of a telling 11-0 run by the visiting team that turned a five-point deficit into a 53-47 lead.
The man behind the 'Linsanity' craze in the NBA a decade ago highlighted the scoring run with back-to-back three pointers.
He finished with 23 points in leading the Kings to the comeback win to the disappointment of a sizeable crowd at the Philsports Arena.
New Taipei continued to lord it over in Group B with a perfect 3-0 record, while dealing Meralco a second straight loss at home for a 1-4 slate.
“The first five minutes of that third quarter was such an important part of the game. We just didn’t get the job done in that first five minutes,” said Meralco guard Chris Banchero of the game-changing run made by the Kings.
“A good part of that was my responsibility. And we let them get going.”
Lin added 10 rebounds for a double-double, while former Chinese-Taipei national team member Chin-Min Yang added 13, import Kenneth Manigault added 12 and nine rebounds, while Joseph Lin – brother of Jeremy – big man Kai Yan Lee had 11 points each.
The Bolts played without top man Chris Newsome and Aaron Black, but relied on Zach Lofton, Allein Maliksi and Banchero to fill in the shoes of the two Meralco guards.
Lofton and Maliksi waxed hot in the second period when the Bolts finally jumped on the lead and take a 47-42 lead with them at the break.
Unfortunately they cooled down to start the second half, allowing the Kings to get their momentum and take control of the game for good.
“I thought our defense in the second half was amazing,” said the 35-year-old Lin. “I think the challenge the coaching staff gave us as well was to talk more on defense.”
Lofton, bothered by a hurting wrist for most of the game, led Meralco with 20 points, Maliksi added 12 including eight in the first quarter, while Banchero had 10.
The Bolts are still in the running for one of two semifinals berth in Group B, but face a must-win situation in their remaining game on the road against the Seoul SK Knights in Korea on Feb. 7.
The scores
New Taipei Kings (89) – Jeremy Lin 23, Yang 13, Manigault 12, Joseph Lin 11, Lee 11, Blankley 7, Anigwe 6, Su 4, Davis 2, Chien 0, Wang 0, Hung 0.
Meralco (77) – Lofton 20, Maliksi 12, Banchero 10, Hodge 8, Quinto 8, Ibeh 7, Almazan 5, Rios 4, Dario 3, Pascual 0, Bates 0.
Quarterscores: 21-21; 42-47; 66-58; 89-77.
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