The Liaoning Flying Leopards soared to a 115-100 victory over the Beikong Royal Fighters in Beijing on Wednesday night, solidifying their fourth-place standing in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). This crucial win keeps Liaoning in position for a first-round bye in the playoffs if they can maintain their ranking.
Liaoning came out strong, with multiple players sinking three-pointers in the first quarter, ending it with a 29-19 lead. Stars Dez Wells and Fu Hao continued to fuel the team’s offense in the second quarter, while Beikong struggled, enduring a two-minute scoring drought that extended Liaoning’s lead to 35-21.
Beikong’s woes deepened after benching Grant Riller, leading to turnovers and missed opportunities. By halftime, after a three-pointer from Zhao Jiwei, Liaoning had stretched their advantage to 62-40.
Although Beikong showed signs of life in the second half with Zhang Fan, Liao Sanning, and Riller attacking Liaoning’s defense, they couldn’t close the gap. Liaoning’s Li Xiaoxu nailed a three-pointer in the fourth quarter, pushing their lead to an insurmountable 97-68. The Flying Leopards coasted to their 31st win of the season, with Zhao contributing 19 points and surpassing 5,000 career points.
In other CBA action, the Qingdao Eagles defeated the Shanghai Sharks 119-107 at home. Despite Shanghai leading 64-58 at halftime, the ejection of Kenneth Lofton in the third quarter shifted the momentum. Qingdao capitalized, outscoring Shanghai 61-43 in the second half, handing them their second consecutive loss.
Meanwhile, the Shandong Kirin extended their winning streak to six games with a commanding 116-79 victory over the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. Dominant defense from Shandong limited Xinjiang to just 17 and 14 points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, sealing an easy win.
