Seoul Samsung defeated defending champion Busan KCC 97-86 at Jamsil Students' Gymnasium on Wednesday, extending its unbeaten run to six games to open the 2026-27 KBL regular season, according to 한겨레. The result matches the club's longest season-opening winning streak, a mark the team last reached in the 2003-04 campaign — 23 seasons ago.
The win also ended KCC's four-game run against Samsung dating back to last December and sent the defending champions to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Why it matters
Samsung has spent recent seasons near the bottom of the standings, and a 6-0 start under new head coach Kim Sang-sik marks a sharp reversal. 한겨레 described the team as noticeably changed: patient in creating chances, efficient in its shooting, active on the boards, and free of the individual shot-hunting that had hurt it in the past. Kim had called his side "gritty" before tip-off, and the results so far back that up.
A first quarter built on three-point shooting
Samsung's offense clicked from the opening tip. Led by Lee Kwan-hee's three-pointer to start the game, the hosts attempted nine shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter and made six, closing the period ahead 30-21. Lee hit three of those threes in the quarter alone and finished with 17 points.
The scoring was spread across the roster. Karem Kanter led all scorers with 30 points, Lee Kyu-tae and Chris McCullough each added 15, giving Samsung five players in double figures. Kim, reviewing the box score in his postgame press conference, said everyone on the team carried out their role. Asked about the six-game streak, he said the feeling was excellent but that plenty of games remain and his team will keep giving its best effort.
Late-game poise replaces old collapses
For several seasons, Samsung's pattern was to play well early and fade after halftime. That has not been the case this year. Against KCC, the hosts were outscored 28-23 in the second quarter and went into the break holding only a four-point lead at 43-39. They responded by outscoring KCC 22-13 in the third, stretching the margin to as many as 15 points at 73-58.
한겨레 reported that players who once lost energy when leads slipped away are now sustaining effort across all four quarters. Lee Kwan-hee said he finds it hard to believe the team sits at the top of the table after years of looking up from the bottom. He said the season began with doubts about whether the group could compete, but that winning two or three games in a row built a conviction that it can.
KCC's slide deepens
KCC head coach Lee Sang-min pointed to turnovers in decisive moments as the source of his team's problems, saying the miscues drained his side's momentum. Heo Ung, who had missed two games through injury, returned and contributed 11 points, though Lee said Heo is not yet at full condition.
What to watch
Samsung's next test is whether it can push the streak past six and set a new club record, while KCC will look to halt a four-game skid and recover the form that made it champion last season.
