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The Beikong Royal Fighters have secured their spot in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Playoffs quarterfinals after defeating the Shandong Kylins 93-84 in Game Two of their first-round series on Tuesday in Beijing. With this victory, the Royal Fighters clinched the series 2-0 and are set to face their city rivals, the Beijing Ducks, in a highly anticipated best-of-five quarterfinal showdown.
Grant Riller led the charge for the Royal Fighters, posting game highs of 24 points and eight assists. Alongside teammates Liao Sanning and Shen Zijie, the trio relentlessly attacked Shandong’s defense, earning 13 trips to the free-throw line and converting 12 of them. Jared Sullinger made a significant impact as well, recording a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, dominating the glass as the only player to reach double digits in rebounds.
Despite struggling from beyond the arc, hitting only seven of their 21 three-point attempts, the Royal Fighters found success through Zhang Fan, who knocked down four of six shots from deep, contributing 16 points to the scoreboard.
The Royal Fighters took an early lead, ending the first quarter up 22-19 and extended their advantage to 65-46 late in the third quarter. However, the Kylins mounted a spirited comeback in the fourth quarter led by Dallas Moore and Gao Shiyan. A clutch three-pointer by Xu Mengjun, assisted by Gao, cut the deficit to just five points at 89-84 with 50 seconds remaining.
Beikong remained composed in the final moments. A crucial jumper by Meng Zikai and a timely steal by Shen Zijie dashed the Kylins’ hopes of a comeback. Forced to foul, Moore sent Riller to the line, where he sealed the victory with two free throws.
“Just a big series, man, this is kind of what you dream of, what you sign up for,” Riller shared after the game. “Two Beijing teams get to battle it out in the playoffs, and only one can advance. We know they’re a good team, so we’ve just got to come out, do what we did in this series. Play tough, execute the game plan, and I always like our chances.”
The defeat not only ends the Kylins’ playoff run but also extends their postseason losing streak to eight consecutive games.
