The Guangdong Southern Tigers wrapped up the second phase of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season with a commanding 111-82 home victory over their local rivals, the Guangzhou Loong Lions, on Friday night.
The game started with intensity as Zhang Haojia missed a three-pointer, but Eric Moreland grabbed the rebound and delivered a powerful dunk, giving Guangdong an early lead. Despite Guangzhou’s 11-0 run, highlighted by Yumit Sedak‘s steal and slam dunk, the Southern Tigers regained control in the second quarter.
Xu Jie ignited the home crowd in Dongguan with a three-pointer, extending the lead to double digits. A spectacular windmill dunk by Darius Bazley following a turnover further energized the fans.
Maintaining momentum after halftime, Guangdong continued to dominate. Troy Gillenwater dished to Ren Junfei for an easy layup, stretching the gap to 17 points. Gillenwater, who scored a game-high 22 points, then hit a mid-range jumper. Ren later found Xu for a corner triple, pushing the lead to 30 points midway through the fourth quarter. Xu finished with an impressive double-double of 19 points and 11 assists, including five three-pointers.
With this victory, the 11-time CBA champions moved up to third place in the standings. The Loong Lions, under coach Nathaniel Mitchell, suffered their seventh consecutive defeat, dropping to 18th place.
In another game that night, the Beijing Ducks overwhelmed the Fujian Sturgeons 128-94 on the road. Although Fujian led by five points at halftime after a buzzer-beating three from Zou Yang, the Ducks turned the tide in the third quarter. Zhou Qi, who tallied a game-high 31 points, teamed up with Zeng Fanbo to help Beijing outscore Fujian. The Sturgeons, trailing by 21 points entering the final period, couldn’t mount a comeback and endured their fourth straight loss.
The Ducks climbed to eighth place, while the Sturgeons sit at the bottom of the standings in 20th.
