Former NBA player Austin Daye played his first game for the New Taipei Kings and helped the team hold on to the top position in the P. LEAGUE+ (PLG) standings after outhustling the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots 93-88 in a home game at Xinzhuang Stadium on Friday.
With the latest victory, the Kings now lead the six-team league with a 5-1 record. The Formosa Taishin Dreamers, Hsinchu Jko Lioneers and Taipei Fubon Braves trail in joint second place with a 3-2 record.
At the post-game press conference, Daye said his first game was physical but not as technical as his last stint playing in Europe.
“In Europe, there’s so much technicality that goes into certain games, but here, I think the good thing I like about it is that guys have to figure out things on their own and make adjustments on their own,” Daye said.
The 34-year-old 2.11m-tall power forward, who played for six years in the NBA, played for Umana Reyer Venezia in Italy before coming to Taiwan.
At the game in Xinzhuang Stadium on Friday, the score was close from the jump off with neither team able to establish a lead of more than six points. The strong play continued into the second quarter with Quincy Davis putting up eight points after coming off the bench close to the end of the first quarter.
The Kings upped the pace close the end of the first half coming from behind when down 38-40 with only two minutes and 23 seconds left on the clock to lead 44-42 at halftime. Daye contributed nine points, including two from beyond the arc.
The Kings stayed in front for most of the third quarter before entering the final quarter with a three-point 70-67 lead.
The points remained close in the fourth quarter until Kings team captain Amigo Yang (楊敬敏) drained a step-back three-pointer to lift his team into a double-digit lead at 89-78 with two minutes and 50 seconds left in the game.
The Pilots rallied to narrow the gap, but were unable to chase down the score, eventually losing the game 93-88. The Taoyuan team are now fifth with a 1-3 record.
Daye led his team with a total of 20 points, which included four buckets from downtown. Pilots center Jason Washburn posted a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, also in the P. LEAGUE+, the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers will host the Formosa Taishin Dreamers on Saturday and the Pilots on Sunday at Hsinchu County Stadium.
Steelers sign Aaron Harrison
The Kaohsiung 17Live Steelers announced Thursday that they have signed former NBA player Aaron Harrison to boost the professional club’s overall level of play.
The 28-year-old 1.98m-tall guard went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2015 and spent three years playing in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks, averaging 6.7 points in the league’s 2017-2018 season.
Steelers head coach Dean Murray said in a statement that Harrison is a team-oriented player who is very cooperative with the tasks given by the coaching staff.
Harrison has good offensive skills and also excellent shooting from the perimeter, Murray said, adding that the American professional basketball player also shows a positive attitude on the defensive end, which is very important for the team.
Steelers’ fifth consecutive loss
The Steelers were edged by the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers by a single point 102-101 on Tuesday at Kaohsiung Fengshan Stadium.
The thriller saw Steelers forward Terrence Jones post a monstrous double-double of 43 points and 15 rebounds, while Lioneers center Sim Bhullar led his team with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
The action became heated on the court between Jones and Bhullar as the former NBA players fought to dominate the paint.
Tensions flared at the final buzzer when Jones got up off the ground after being blocked by Bhullar on the last play of the game. Teammates from both sides got in between the two to prevent any physical altercation.
The Steelers, which are last in the regular season standings with a 0-5 record, will be looking to break their five-game losing streak this weekend as they host the Taipei Fubon Braves on Saturday and the New Taipei Kings on Sunday at Kaohsiung Fengshan Stadium.
T1 LEAGUE
Meanwhile in the T1 LEAGUE, the defending champions, the Kaohsiung Aquas, who are tied in second place in the six-team league standings with a 3-2 record, will host the Taichung Suns and the Taoyuan Leopards on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at Kaohsiung Arena.
The Suns are currently at the top of the standings with a 4-2 record, while the Leopards are at the bottom with a 1-3 card.
The Taipei-based TaiwanBeer HeroBears will host the New Taipei CTBC DEA on Saturday and the Tainan TSG GhostHawks on Sunday at University of Taipei’s Tianmu campus gym.
The HeroBears are tied in second place in the standings with a 2-1 record, the DEA are fourth with a 3-3 record, while the GhostHawks are tied last with the Leopards with a 1-3 card.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel