Dwight Howard led all scorers with 21 points and 13 rebounds in a home game Friday against the visiting Tainan TSG GhostHawks, but the Taoyuan Leopards were still outhustled 87-78.
The Eight-time NBA All Star recorded a double-double of 21 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the game, played at National Taiwan Sport University Multipurpose Gymnasium in Taoyuan.
Despite leading all scorers, Howard shot 8-20 from the floor, including 1-7 from beyond the arc and 4-10 from the stripe.
At the post-game press conference, Howard said he thought the game was intense from beginning to end and was proud of his teammates.
“We missed a lot of shots from the outside, shots that we normally make, but the effort, the energy, the passion from everyone was there and I thought we had a chance to really win this game tonight,” Howard said.
The loss was unfortunate but the team will keep pushing, Howard added.
With the loss, the Leopards stay at the bottom of the six-team T1 LEAGUE standings with a 1-5 record, while the GhostHawks secured their third consecutive win to record a 4-4 card and tie for fourth with the Taipei-based TaiwanBeer HeroBears.
GhostHawks center Robert Upshaw III led his team with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three blocks, while the team’s new recruit Sim Bhullar trailed with 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Speaking about his matchup against Howard, the 2.26 meter-tall Bhullar said he was not fazed playing against the NBA superstar.
“It doesn’t matter to me. It’s more for the fans to get to see him play. For me, I really don’t care who I play against,” Bhullar said. “It is what it is, which is basketball. I never back down from anybody on the court. It’s just another matchup for me.”
The game on Friday saw the GhostHawks take a 25-18 lead at the end of the first quarter as the Leopards were inconsistent with their shooting and the Tainan team played two bigs at any given time in an attempt to dominate the paint.
Unable to improve their shooting the Leopards fell behind 13 points 40-27 after Upshaw pulled off a turnaround-reverse-hook on Howard with just under six minutes left of the first half.
The half ended with the Leopards trailing the GhostHawks 50-38 as the Tainan team utilized the speed of their guards to their advantage.
The Leopards rallied in the third quarter, at times reducing the difference to single digits, but still trailed by 10 points, 73-63, when the last quarter started.
In the final quarter, the gymnasium erupted in excitement when the Leopards managed to cut the deficit to just five points 81-76 after a layup by guard Chen Hsiao-jung (???) with around 4 minutes and 47 seconds to go in the game.
However, a breakdown of the Leopards defenses helped the GhostHawks clinch the 87-78 win.
It is Howard’s third game and second consecutive loss with the Leopards since joining the team in November.
Howard was the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft, later becoming a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. He also won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019-2020 season.
The Leopards next face the New Taipei CTBC DEA on Saturday in the city’s Xinzhuang Gymnasium. The DEA are tied second in the standings with the Taichung Suns, both carrying a 4-3 card.
Meanwhile, the GhostHawks will face off against DEA on Dec. 18 at Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel