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SK Knights keep championship hopes alive with Game 5 win

Published: 14 May. 2025, 12:01 Updated: 14 May. 2025, 18:13

The Seoul SK Knights celebrate after winning the fifth game of the KBL Championship against the Changwon LG Sakers at Jamsil Students Gymnasium in southern Seoul on May 13. [NEWS1]

The Seoul SK Knights kept their KBL Championship title hopes alive on Tuesday by thrashing the Changwon LG Sakers 86-56 in the fifth game of the best-of-seven championship at Jamsil Students Gymnasium in southern Seoul after losing the first three games of the series.

The Knights are two wins away from a reverse sweep — a feat yet to be accomplished in the KBL.

Small forward Ahn Young-jun, named MVP of the regular season, led the Knights' offense with 21 points. He demonstrated improvements in Game 4 with 13 points and continued his resurgence in Tuesday's contest after struggling through the first three games.

Jameel Warney recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow power forward Isaiah Hicks added 16 points.

Knights head coach Chun Hee-chul kept his superstitions intact, appearing in the same suit, shirt and tie combo from Game 4.

Seoul SK Knights head coach Chun Hee-chul instructs his players during the fifth game of the KBL Championship against the Changwon LG Sakers at Jamsil Students Gymnasium in southern Seoul on May 13. [YONHAP]

“I copied [Sakers] head coach Cho Dong-hyun’s suit routine,” Chun said. “We have nothing to lose and we’re just living one day at a time.”

Cho, who wore the same suit during the Sakers’ three-game winning streak, changed his outfit after their Game 4 loss.

The Knights led 24-23 after the first quarter, with Ahn scoring nine points, including a 3-pointer and a solo fast break layup.

Warney took over the paint with powerful drives to the rim in the second quarter. Oh Se-keun and Hicks also imposed their presence to stretch the lead to 42-27.

Ahn and Warney opened the third quarter with an and-one and a hook shot. The Knights’ transition offense, initiated by point guard Kim Sun-hyung, continued to click, pushing the lead to 58-40.

When Warney exited with his third foul, Hicks stepped up, helping the Knights extend the lead to 70-43 with 1:25 left in the third.

The Sakers struggled to find rhythm on offense, converting just nine of 40 attempts from 3-point range for a 22.5 percent success rate. The Changwon club also leaned heavily on Assem Marei for scoring, but their offense overall fell short.

“I expected them to come out strong in the first two quarters,” Chun said. “But we’ve won all eight quarters since Game 4. Warney suggested we take it 10 minutes at a time, and I think the players have found their rhythm. If we play like this again, we might just turn LG’s home into a library.”

The Knights previously overturned a 2-0 deficit in the 2017-18 season against Wonju DB Promy, winning four straight to take the title.

“It’s been a tough stretch for me,” Ahn said. “My teammates believe in me, but my slump made me feel more pressure.

“The atmosphere is even better than back then. Maybe because we hit rock bottom after going down 0-3, our will to fight back is stronger. We’re telling each other, ‘Let’s just win one more.’"

The sixth game of the series will take place at Changwon Gymnasium in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on Thursday.

Achieving the first reverse sweep would also mark the Knights' first championship victory since the 2021-22 season, while claiming the title would be the first for the Sakers.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]