What Happened 

The New Taipei Kings won their second straight EASL game and improved to 3-2 in Group C after thrashing the previously undefeated Xac Broncos 109–94 on Saturday night.

Early in the contest, the Kings were dealt a heavy blow when star forward Sani Sakakini suffered a lower-body injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the game. Still, New Taipei rallied in front of its home crowd to close the first quarter up 34–29. From there, the Kings outscored the Broncos 50–32 over the next two periods on the way to a dominant win.

New Taipei shot a season-high 57.7 percent from the field and held one of the league’s top scorers, Ian Miller, to a season-low 10 points after he dropped 40 on them in their previous meeting.

EASL debutant Jalen Harris put on a show with 35 points on 12-for-18 shooting, while Jason Washburn, making his 2025–26 season debut, added 30 points and 10 rebounds. For the Broncos, center Efe Odigie was a bright spot, finishing with a massive 29 points and 18 rebounds.

‍

What It Means 

The Xac Broncos came into Xinzhuang Gymnasium with history on the line. The Mongolian representatives had a chance to become just the third team to start an EASL campaign 4-0, and the first non–B.LEAGUE side to do it.

Instead, a loss to New Taipei drops the Broncos to 3-1, though they still sit atop the Group C standings. New Taipei improves to 3-2, significantly boosting their chances of holding onto a postseason spot with just one regular-season game left to play.

The Broncos’ defeat also means another previously unbeaten team has fallen. Now, only Group A’s Taipei Fubon Braves remain undefeated at 1-0 after their EASL Tip-Off 2025 win over the B.LEAGUE’s Utsunomiya Brex in Taipei.

‍

EASL Player of the Game: Jalen Harris 

You probably couldn’t script a better debut than the one Jalen Harris delivered. The recently naturalized Jordanian international poured in 35 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field and went a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line.

This kind of scoring outburst is nothing new for Harris. Just last week, he dropped 42 points for Jordan against Syria, the second-highest single-game scoring performance in FIBA World Cup qualifying history. He also still holds the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League) single-game scoring record with 45 points.

Even without Sani Sakakini, New Taipei leaned heavily on Harris’ scoring in tonight’s win. With him now in the lineup, the Kings look poised to make a third straight EASL postseason run.

‍

Super Statistic: 30 

New Taipei’s Jalen Harris and Jason Washburn scoring 35 and 30 points, respectively, marked just the second time in EASL history that teammates have both scored 30+ points in the same game.

The last time it happened was on November 15, 2023, when Quincy Miller (33 points) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (34 points) did it for TNT Tropang Giga 5G in a losing effort against the Taipei Fubon Braves.

‍

Next Up

The New Taipei Kings are now five games into their six-game regular season and won’t play again until February 4, when they travel to Tokyo, Japan, to face B.LEAGUE powerhouse Alvark Tokyo.

The Xac Broncos, meanwhile, have a quick turnaround as they head to South Korea to take on the winless Changwon LG Sakers on Tuesday, December 9.