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E-mail Xinhua, October 15, 2024
The Liaoning Flying Leopards began their Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league title defense with a 123-112 victory over the Zhejiang Golden Bulls 123-112, while the Beijing Ducks rallied past the Shanghai Sharks 110-107 in overtime in the first round which concluded on Monday.
Ahead of the season's curtain raiser, Liaoning received their CBA championship rings and saw their fourth championship flag raised.
Despite the departure of star point guard Guo Ailun, who joined the Guangzhou Loong Lions this summer, the reigning champions displayed their strength by outscoring Zhejiang 42-21 in the third quarter to seal the victory at home.
Liaoning's Kyle Fogg led all scorers with 39 points, while teammate Zhao Jiwei contributed 22 points and eight assists. Paris Bass from Zhejiang scored 23 points but struggled with nine turnovers.
"I will give myself seven or eight points for my first game of this season. We wanted to share the honorable moment with fans and tried our best to win the game," said Zhao. "Due to injuries, I didn't train together with my teammates in a five-on-five until Thursday. So actually I need more time to get familiar with our new players and keep improving my physical fitness."
Another notable offseason transfer was former NBA center Zhou Qi, who joined the Beijing Ducks. Despite the absence of Zhou and other key players like veteran Fang Shuo and Zhai Xiaochuan in their opening match, Beijing rallied in the second half to secure their victory.
Shanghai started strong, leading 21-10 early and holding a 59-51 advantage at halftime. However, Chen Yingjun emerged as a hero for Beijing in the second half, controlling the pace and lifting team morale with his assists and three-pointers. In the final minute of overtime, Eugene German hit a three-point buzzer-beater to push Beijing past Shanghai at 109-107.
Beijing head coach Xu Limin praised his team's effort, saying, "Even without our full lineup, each player was willing to contribute. In the final stretch of the game, we focused on defense and demonstrated our competitiveness."
In another matchup during the first round, the Beijing Royal Fighters edged out the Jilin Northeast Tigers 100-99, thanks to a strong 29-17 run in the fourth quarter. Despite Dominique Jones's impressive performance for Jilin, where he recorded 32 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists, and six steals, his efforts were not enough to secure the win.
Elsewhere, Quentin Peterson scored 28 points from the bench to help the Xinjiang Flying Tigers beat the Jiangsu Dragons 112-98, while the Guangdong Southern Tigers suffered a 110-99 loss away to the Shanxi Loongs.
The second round will kick off on Tuesday.
