The Jilin Northeast Tigers defeated the Ningbo Rockets 116-114 in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, on Thursday, ending their four-game losing streak.
Despite missing their ace Dominique Jones due to injury, the home team relied on Czech guard Tomas Kyzlink for both scoring and playmaking. Kyzlink had a nearly perfect game, shooting 9-for-10 from the field to drop a team-high 30 points and 15 assists, along with three steals.
Kyzlink kicked off the game by contributing 11 points and seven assists in the first quarter alone, allowing Jilin to outscore Ningbo 37-27. His continued three-point shooting in the second quarter boosted their advantage to a maximum of 21 points at 60-39.
However, Jordan Howard, Wang Zirui, and Wang Junjie stepped up for Ningbo, draining a series of three-pointers and narrowing the deficit to 11 points, 70-59, before halftime. In the second half, while Kyzlink remained a strong presence in the paint, Ningbo's Mangok Mathiang joined his teammates in challenging the rim.
With 19 seconds left, Luo Kaiwen nailed his fourth three-pointer, bringing Ningbo within two points at 111-109. The teams fouled on Cui Jinming and Jiang Weize to stop the clock. Although Wang Junjie and Wang Zirui scored five points for Ningbo in the final moments, Cui and Jiang missed five of their six free throw attempts, ensuring Jilin escaped their fifth consecutive loss.
In another game that night, the Beikong Royal Fighters edged out the Nanjing Monkey Kings 107-103 in Nanjing, China's Jiangsu Province, marking their second consecutive win.
Beikong led by as many as 14 points, 48-34, in the first half, thanks to Grant Riller's dominant performance. However, Ty Leaf's relentless attacks on Nanjing's rim in the second half allowed Nanjing to take a 89-88 lead early in the fourth quarter. Zou Yuchen's solid finishes under the hoop helped Beikong regain the lead. Although Zhao Baiqing kept Nanjing in the game with consistent three-point shooting, they ultimately couldn't overcome, suffering their third straight loss.
Reference(s):
Jilin Northeast Tigers beat Ningbo Rockets to end 4-game losing streak
cgtn.com
