DB, a candidate for the professional basketball title, defeated Sono in the opening game... Samsung also won by defeating KT

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = Wonju DB, who is considered a strong candidate for the championship in professional basketball, defeated last season's runner-up Goyang Sono in the opening game.

DB defeated Sono 95-86 in the 2026-2027 KCC professional basketball regular league home game held at DB Promy Arena in Wonju on the 4th.

DB was designated as the '1st choice' candidate for the championship by other club managers at the season opening event.

As many as 7 of the 9 team commanders predicted that DB had the greatest chance of winning.

Sono, who took the second place by storm in the second half of last season, was chosen by one person as a candidate for the championship at the same event.

Sono took the lead first thanks to Lim Dong-seop's goal.

Lim Dong-seop scored 19 points, the most for both teams, including 5 3-pointers in the first half. In particular, he recorded a 100% success rate on outside shots.

In the second quarter, Johnny O'Bryant showed off his presence both inside and outside, adding strength to Sono's attack.

Sono's 'ace' Lee Jeong-hyeon hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer with Rayson Hammonds in front of him, splitting the rim, and Sono ended the first half with a 9-point lead, 54-45.

DB's offense came to life only in the third quarter.

If Sono's defense relaxed even a little, Ethan Albano quickly broke through and scored.

Henry Ellenson, Sangjae Kang, and Lee Yongwoo scored 3 points one after another while Sono's attack was slowing down.

With about 20 seconds left in the quarter, Sangjae Kang scored 3 points in a row to bring DB back to 74-71.

In the fourth quarter, O'Bryant's shot was zeroed, but Sono was unable to come up with an alternative.

On the other hand, DB was able to score points regardless of whether it was domestic or foreign. Hammonds dominated under the goal, and Lee Yu-jin and Lee Yong-woo hit three points on the outside.

At about 2 minutes and 30 seconds, Kang Sang-jae's 3-pointer split the rim, making the gap 16 points, and the pendulum swung in favor of DB.

Coach Lee Gyu-seop, who took command of DB ahead of this season, marked his debut as head coach with a victory.

Ellenson and Sangjae Kang took the win, scoring 19 points each, the most on the team.

Ethan Albano recorded a ‘double double’ with 15 points and 11 rebounds. If he had added just one more assist (9), he could have achieved a triple double.

For Sono, Johnny O'Bryant struggled with 26 points, the most for both teams.

Lim Dong-seop's performance, who scored 19 points, also faded in the loss.

At Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena, Seoul Samsung, which was the ‘lowest ranked team in 1000 years’, defeated the home team Suwon KT 81-76.

Samsung, which was in a close game, took a 6-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter thanks to Kerem Kanter's free throw and Lee Gyu-tae's score while KT was unable to score.

With about 3 minutes left, Chris McCullough's long-distance 3-pointer while chasing the shot clock split the rim and created a 9-point lead, foreshadowing Samsung's victory.

KT, who defended tenaciously and saw an opportunity to catch up, went up to 3 points with Paris Bass scoring with about 50 seconds left, but that was all.

Coach Kim Sang-sik, who took charge of Samsung ahead of this season, won his debut match.

Kanter led the way in victory with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Among domestic players, Han Ho-bin's performance shined with 7 points and 8 assists.

In KT, Bath showed off its incredible destructive power with 35 points and 11 rebounds, the most of both teams, despite the opponent's intensive control.