Marquese Chriss led the Shandong Kylins to a hard-fought 118-114 victory over the Beikong Royal Fighters on Saturday night, lighting up the scoreboard with an impressive 29 points.
Beikong faced early challenges as key players Liu Xiaoyu and Shen Zijie were sidelined with injuries. Former NBA star Jared Sullinger made a late entrance in the second quarter, adding 7 points to help Beikong narrow the gap to 55-64 by halftime. Despite their efforts, Beikong struggled on the boards, securing only 12 rebounds in the first half—just half of Shandong’s tally.
Chriss was unstoppable, racking up 21 points by halftime and posing a significant threat to Beikong’s defense. In a spirited third quarter, Beikong mounted a comeback with a 16-6 run to seize a 71-70 lead. However, Chriss and teammate Jarmar Gulley regained control for Shandong, pushing them ahead to 91-84 entering the final period.
In the game’s closing moments, Shandong continued to find success from the perimeter, maintaining their lead. Beikong trailed by four points with just 23 seconds left, but missed two crucial three-point attempts, ultimately falling short in front of their home crowd.
