"Nagoya was silenced!" 100-point barrage against Japan... Korean basketball landslide victory over Japan, '1st in group, advances to quarterfinals'

[Financial News] It is a spectacular return for the dominant force in Asia. The South Korean men's national basketball team achieved a thrilling landslide victory in the match against Japan on the road, launching a ruthless offensive to reach the 100-point mark in Nagoya, the heart of Japan.
The South Korean national basketball team (FIBA ranking 57), led by head coach Nikolais Majuls (Latvia), defeated the 'home team' Japan (22) 100-83 in the final Group A match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games men's basketball group stage, held at the Aichi International Arena in Japan at 7 p.m. on the 13th.
With this victory, Korea defeated the formidable opponent Japan following wins against Saudi Arabia (82-66) on the 10th and Indonesia (102-48) on the 11th, racing a winning streak of three consecutive wins in the group stage and confidently advancing to the quarterfinals as the Group A winner. They also perfectly avenged the humiliation of two consecutive losses suffered against Japan in away friendly matches last month on the main stage of the most important international tournament.

The game was a fierce battle. Although Japan was missing some key players such as Yuki Kawamura, they displayed formidable strength led by 211cm naturalized player Alex Kirk, mixed-race player Harper, and Yamazaki. Korea led the first quarter 19-17, but after allowing consecutive three-pointers from the middle of the second quarter, they finished the first half trailing 40-42.
The biggest hurdle was the third quarter. With 3 minutes and 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter, amidst a fierce back-and-forth game, a massive setback occurred when Lee Woo-seok was ejected after receiving a technical foul following an unsportsmanlike foul (U-foul) during a contest under the basket.
However, in a moment of crisis, the true value of 'KBL Regular Season MVP' Lee Jung-hyun (Sono) lit up the night sky of Nagoya. Trailing 62-63 with 1 minute and 39 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Lee completed a three-point play with a sharp drive, followed by sinking a go-ahead three-pointer with 1 minute and 4 seconds left. Not stopping there, he exploded with consecutive three-pointers with 35.4 seconds remaining and just before the final whistle, instantly completely turning the tide to 71-66. While Korea poured in 31 points in the third quarter alone, Japan was limited to just 24.

The "chronic fourth-quarter slump" that was cited as Korea's weakness was absent on this day. Riding the momentum, Korea widened the score difference significantly in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer from Yoo Ki-sang and consecutive points from "ace" Lee Hyun-joong (Portland). Korea effectively sealed the victory by making the score 93-81 with free throws from Lee Hyun-joong with 1 minute and 5 seconds remaining, and completed the 100-point mark with a thrilling buzzer-beater three-pointer from Moon Yoo-hyun just before the final whistle, putting the finishing touch on a landslide victory by a 17-point margin.
On this day, Lee Jung-hyun delivered the best performance among both teams with 25 points, including 5 three-pointers, and 7 assists. Veteran big man Jang Jae-seok (KCC) solidly defended the paint against the naturalized player with 18 points and 8 rebounds, while Lee Hyun-joong also contributed 16 points and 7 assists, becoming the key contributor to the victory.
The Japanese archipelago fell silent at the formidable momentum of Korean basketball, which overcame even the one-sided support of the home crowd and the setback of a third-quarter ejection with their skill. Having secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a flawless performance, the Majuls team will continue their journey toward their first gold medal in 12 years on the 16th, taking on an opponent determined by the results of other group matches.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter