The P.League+ on Friday announced New Taipei Kings forward Yang Chin-min as this season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), while on the court, the Taipei Fubon Braves put themselves on the brink of the championship title in their finals series against the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers.
Yang led all local players with a scoring average of 21.2 points in the 29 games he played during the regular season, including an explosive outing of 39 points on March 13 in an away game at Fengshan Stadium in Kaohsiung against the Steelers.
Known for his shooting in clutch situations, Yang has taken on the role of go-to man in the fourth quarter, draining crucial buckets for his team.
A household name in the Taiwan basketball scene, Yang has an extensive resume from playing in the Super Basketball League, the ASEAN Basketball League and on Taiwan’s national team.
However, his team were ousted in their first-round post-season series, losing 3-2 to the Lioneers, whose center Singh Bhullar was named Import Player of the Year.
The 2.26m Canadian professional basketball player topped the regular-season points and rebounds leaderboards with an average 26.3 points and 20.8 rebounds per game, the league said in a statement.
Out of the 27 games he played in the regular season, he recorded at least 30 points and 20 rebounds in eight, including an away game on April 17 against the New Taipei Kings at the Sinjhuang Gymnasium in which Bhullar posted a Herculean double-double of 50 points and 32 rebounds.
He was named April’s MVP for his prolific performance that month that led the Lioneers to the top of the six-team table with a 6-1 record.
Bhullar’s explosive play in the paint makes him difficult to guard, while his performances give confidence to the rest of the team, the P.League+ said last month.
However, Bhullar’s Lioneers were trounced in Game 4 of the best-of-seven P.League+ finals at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium yesterday, with the Braves winning 128-110.
Bhullar was the top performer for his side once again, scoring 24 points and pulling down 18 rebounds.
For the Braves, Texas-born Mike Singletary scored 24 points and had 17 rebounds as they went ahead 3-1 in the series.
Game 5 is to be played at the Hsinchu County Gymnasium tomorrow. If they are needed, Game 6 is scheduled for Wednesday in Taipei and Game 7 is to be played in Hsinchu on Friday.
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