After a decade-long wait, the Beijing Ducks have soared back into the spotlight, trouncing the Shanxi Loongs 121-103 at Wukesong Arena to sweep their best-of-five semifinal series 3-0.
The contest opened as a tight battle: tied 15-15 in the first quarter, Shanxi grabbed a brief lead on Brandon Goodwin’s layup. Beijing responded through Eugene German’s sharpshooting and Zhang Ning’s triple, keeping the score within reach.
In the second quarter, German ignited the comeback—hitting a crucial three, setting up Anunwa Omot for a dunk, then sinking the go-ahead triple to put Beijing in front. Veteran center Zhou Qi added a dunk, helping the Ducks lead 61-53 at halftime while tallying 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Ducks maintained momentum in the third quarter, extending their lead with aggressive drives and timely threes. German’s layup at the buzzer stretched the advantage to 23, effectively dashing the Loongs’ comeback hopes.
German poured in a game-high 43 points, pacing Beijing to their first Finals appearance since 2014. They now face the Guangsha Lions in a best-of-seven championship series starting May 7.
As the Ducks chase their first title in over a decade, the CBA’s growing global footprint has fans across G20 nations tuning in to every dunk and three-pointer.
Reference(s):
Beijing trounces Shanxi to set up CBA Finals meeting with Guangsha
cgtn.com
