Both of these games come right after a lopsided result that says less than it seems. KCC lost by 35 in the KBL opener mostly because its two best guards couldn't hit a three. Samsung lost 12-0 to Doosan because its starter was scratched hours before the game. In each case, what caused the blowout is gone for the next game, and that is what this pairing is built on.
In KCC's opener loss to LG, Heo Woong and Heo Hoon, just back from minor injuries, went 0 for 11 from three between them. Shawn Long still put up 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Louis King scored 18. KCC has shot close to 39% from three over its recent games with box scores, so the cold night looks like a one-off.
Mobis also lost its opener, 88-85 at JungKwanJang, with Gage Prim scoring 33. These two have split their last 20 meetings 10-10, and Mobis has rarely put teams away by big margins over its last 20 games. I expect a close, physical game in Ulsan on Mobis's emotional home opener.
In Daegu, Samsung's 0-12 loss came after Chris Pedak was scratched with back stiffness and lefty Lee Seung-hyeon had to step in. He gave up five runs and three homers in four innings. Before that, Samsung had won six straight, including a 6-4 win over Doosan in the series opener.
This time Samsung has Ariel Jurado on the mound: 9-1 with a 3.09 ERA, and seven scoreless innings against Doosan earlier this season. Doosan counters with Zach Logue, who has a 4.13 ERA in four games against Samsung. With KT's magic number down to two, Samsung can't afford another loss, and it gets its best arm for this one.
