It was a starry night in the Orient as three of Asia’s top stars came out to play and close out Window 4 of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Monday.
None shone brighter than Yang Hansen.
The 7-foot-1 big man who plays for Portland nailed the go-ahead basket with 2.2 seconds left to lift China to an 89-87 stunner over Lebanon at Xishi Basketball Center in Zhuji.
Meanwhile, Rui Hachimura of the LA Clippers was lights out in Japan’s 123-70 rout of Qatar at Toyota Arena in Tokyo. Then Lee Hyunjung, who played for San Antonio in the NBA Summer League, bounced back as South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia, 85-72, at West Suwon Chilbo Gymnasium.
The results shook up the Group F standings, with Japan now tying Lebanon for the lead at 6-2, while China moved into solo third at 5-3.
South Korea and Qatar are tied for fourth at 4-4, with the former holding the quotient advantage, while Saudi Arabia dropped to last at 3-5.
The biggest shake-up came from China.
With the game tied at 87-all, Yang created space inside and scored the game-winning basket with 2.2 seconds remaining.
With no timeouts left, Hayk Gyokchyan heaved a Hail Mary that fell well short, allowing Team Dragon to snap the Cedars’ five-game winning streak.
Yang finished with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists, and one block.
(C) FIBA
Hachimura, meanwhile, erupted for 30 points on six three-pointers, along with six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks in the Akatsuki Five’s rout.
Lee also stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in South Korea’s victory.
Liao Sanning complemented Yang with 18 points and six rebounds, while Wang Junjie added 11 points and five rebounds for China.
Four other Japanese players scored in double figures, led by Keisei Tominaga, who knocked down four triples for 23 points. Josh Hawkinson added 16 points and eight rebounds, Yuta Watanabe scored 12, and Yudai Nishida chipped in 11.
Yuki Kawamura glued things together with 10 assists.
Yeo Junseok and Lee Woosuk chipped in 18 and 11 points, respectively, to support Lee Hyunjung in South Korea’s win.
(C) FIBA
Omar Jamaleddine paced Lebanon with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Gyokchyan finished with 16 points.
Qatar had five players score in double figures, led by Abdul Mousa with 14 points. Ndoye Seydou, Ousmanediatta Dieng, and Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem added 12 apiece, while Mike Lewis was limited to 11 points.
Mohammed Alsuwailem was the lone bright spot for Saudi Arabia, finishing with 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, and five assists.
