The Guangdong Southern Tigers have continued their impressive run in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) with a narrow 99-98 victory over the Beikong Royal Fighters in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, marking their sixth straight win.
The game started with Beikong taking an early lead of 8-2, but Guangdong's strategy shifted when Xu Xin's exceptional playmaking, coupled with Eric Moreland's solid finishes, helped the Tigers reclaim the advantage, ending the first quarter at 25-24.
Dominating the second quarter, Guangdong broke through Beikong's defense with Ren Junfei’s impressive triples and Darius Bazley’s aggressive rim attacks. A pivotal moment came when Xu Xin stole the ball from Zhu Songwei and fueled a fast break, leading Bazley to a two-handed dunk and pushing Guangdong's lead to 47-32 with just four minutes left in the quarter.
Despite a spirited comeback from Beikong in the third quarter, spearheaded by Shen Zijie, Travis Trice, and Jared Sullinger, mounting a 10-0 run to close the gap to one point at 61-60, Guangdong remained resilient. Troy Gillenwater and Xu Xin responded with crucial jumpers, ensuring Guangdong maintained a leading score of 77-70 by the end of the quarter.
The tension peaked in the fourth quarter as Shen Zijie and Travis Trice tied the game at 97-97 with less than a minute remaining. However, missed free throws from Shen and Zhang Fan left Beikong trailing by one point at 98-97 with just 7.1 seconds left. Ren Junfei passed the ball to Gillenwater, who bypassed two defenders to tip it to Xu Xin. Xu then executed a decisive floater, securing the win for Guangdong and handing Beikong their second consecutive loss.
Guangdong's remarkable teamwork and clutch performances by Xu Xin and teammates have solidified their position as a formidable contender in the CBA this season.
Reference(s):
Xu Xin's game-winner extends Guangdong's winning streak to six games
cgtn.com
