‘Nicholson 37 points + dramatic 3-pointer’ GASCO gets valuable first win of season over SK

Daegu’s Korea Gas Corporation earned its first win in three games.

GAS won 96-94 at home against Seoul SK in the first round of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association regular season at Daegu Gymnasium on Monday. GASCO recorded its first win after two consecutive losses to open the season, while SK suffered its second straight defeat after winning its opening three games. 굿모닝토토 도메인

GAS and SK traded blistering offensive baskets from the start. After a 29-27 first quarter, GAS went into halftime with a 51-50 lead, and SK took a 76-75 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The game remained close throughout. In the fourth quarter, the largest lead for either team was four points.

Down 91-94 with less than five seconds left in regulation, Gasworks pulled within one point with Lee Dae-heon’s basket with 41 seconds left, and Andrew Nicholson hit a step-back three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left to tie the game. It looked like he was going for a breakaway, but the three-pointer went straight to the rim.

Nicholson finished with 37 points and five rebounds, including five three-pointers, while Shin Seung-min (21 points, five rebounds) provided backup shooting with a high 82% field goal percentage (9-of-11). SK had Kim Sun-hyung (27 points-assists), Heo Il-young (21 points-5 rebounds), and Oh Jae-hyun (20 points) all score in double figures, but couldn’t get over the hump in the closing minutes.

Changwon LG defeated Seoul Samsung 90-69 at Jamsil Gymnasium behind a double-double from Dante Cunningham (20 points, 10 rebounds) and strong performances from Justin Gutang (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Lee Jae-do (18 points, 6 assists). Samsung held on with foreign players Ishmael Lane (16 points, 8 rebounds) and Kofi Coburn (15 points, 11 rebounds), but couldn’t overcome LG’s firepower, which utilized a variety of offensive options. LG has won two in a row after opening with three straight losses, while Samsung improved to 1-2.