The Shanghai Sharks continued their impressive run in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Friday, securing their 15th consecutive victory with a commanding 112-81 win over the Guangzhou Loong Lions at home.
The game kicked off with Li Tianrong setting up Li Hongquan for an early layup, putting the Sharks ahead 11-5. Guangzhou fought back, and a three-pointer by Yuan Zhaoyao gave the Loong Lions a five-point lead. However, the Sharks regained control as Kenneth Lofton Jr. tied the game at 63-63 with a second-chance layup. Lofton then assisted Wang Zhelin for a layup, pushing Shanghai ahead.
Li Tianrong was on fire, sinking a corner three-pointer to extend the Sharks’ lead to 23 points. Assisted by Eric Bledsoe, Li notched a career-high 31 points. Yuan Tangwen’s long-range three-pointer expanded Shanghai’s dominance to a 27-point lead. The Sharks cruised to a 31-point victory, solidifying their position in 12th place in the standings.
In another thrilling matchup, the league-leading Guangsha Lions overpowered the second-placed Shanxi Loongs with a 111-78 victory at home. Despite an early surge by Shanxi’s Brandon Goodwin, who scored consecutive layups to put the visitors up by nine points in the second quarter, the Lions roared back.
Barry Brown Jr. was instrumental for Guangsha, sinking a deep three-pointer to cut the deficit and then, with an assist from Sun Minghui, nailing another triple. The Lions led 50-41 at halftime. Brown continued his stellar performance after the break, scoring a game-high 38 points, including seven three-pointers.
Zhao Yanhao connected with Josh Carlton for a layup, and the Lions never looked back, ultimately securing a 33-point victory. Guangsha notched their sixth straight win and extended their home winning streak to 16 games. Despite the loss, Shanxi remained in second place.
Reference(s):
CBA: Shanghai claims 15th straight win, Guangsha defeats Shanxi
cgtn.com
