{
  "id": 8246718,
  "title": "S. Korea reaches men's basketball final",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/s-korea-reaches-mens-basketball-final-8246718",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T12:57:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260918/s-korea-reaches-mens-basketball-final"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NAGOYA — South Korea reached the men's basketball final of the Asian Games on Friday after defeating Iran 77-51 in the semifinals, securing at least a silver medal in Japan. Forward Lee Hyun-jung led the team with a game-high 26 points, including 12 points in the third quarter, shooting 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. If South Korea wins the final, which is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. Sunday at the same Nagoya venue, they will claim their first men's hoops gold medal in 12 years. The final will pit South Korea against the winner of the other semifinal match between China and Japan.\n\nSouth Korea, coached by Nikolajs Mazurs, won all three group matches, including one against Japan, and then eliminated Jordan and Iran in consecutive rounds to reach the gold medal game. The opening quarter was a low-scoring affair, with South Korea taking a 12-8 lead on 24% shooting while Iran converted only two of their 13 field goal attempts. The 12 points scored by South Korea came on four three-pointers, two of which were hit by Lee Hyun-jung.",
  "summary": "NAGOYA — South Korea advanced to the men's basketball final of the Asian Games on Friday, beating Iran 77-51 in the semifinals to secure at least the silver medal in Japan. Forward Lee Hyun-jung scored a game-high 26 points, including 12 in a dominant third quarter, at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, central Japan, while shooting 7-of-13 from behind the arc. South Korea is now a victory away…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "S. Korea reaches men's basketball final",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/s-korea-reaches-mens-basketball-final",
        "published": "2026-09-18T12:22:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "(2nd LD) (Asiad) S. Korea reaches men's basketball final, Japan up next",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/2nd-ld-asiad-s-korea-reaches-mens-basketball-final-japan-up-next",
        "published": "2026-09-18T12:39:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}