The Shanxi Loongs stunned the Shandong Kylins with a thrilling 120-119 victory on Thursday night in Jinan, east China’s Shandong Province, snapping the hosts’ 11-game home winning streak.
The game tipped off with high intensity as Shandong found themselves trailing 7-1 less than three minutes into the first quarter. American guard Jamar Gulley ignited the Kylins’ offense by scoring nine consecutive points, helping to level the score at 26-26 by the end of the opening period.
Shanxi struggled offensively at the start of the second quarter, managing to score only three points in six minutes. The Kylins capitalized, outscoring the Loongs 15-3 and building a double-digit lead. However, Brandon Goodwin and Hamidou Diallo spearheaded Shanxi’s comeback by relentlessly attacking the paint. Zhang Ning added momentum with a four-point play, and after Goodwin and Zhang connected for a layup, the Loongs trailed by just one point at halftime, 52-51.
After the break, Shanxi’s sharpshooters found their range from beyond the arc. Xing Zhiqiang joined forces with Zhang and Goodwin, pushing the Loongs ahead by eight points at 72-64. Undeterred, Dallas Moore teamed up with Gulley to keep the Kylins in contention, and the lead continued to shift between the teams.
With about 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Kylins regained a slim lead at 119-118. As Shandong concentrated their defense on Shanxi’s key scorers, Goodwin and Zhang, the Loongs sought an alternative. Jia Mingru rose to the occasion, receiving the ball in the corner. He executed a perfect pump fake to evade Marquese Chriss and calmly sank a long jumper, putting Shanxi up 120-119 with just 0.2 seconds left. The Kylins’ final attempt was insufficient, sealing the dramatic victory for the Loongs.
In another exciting matchup, the Beikong Royal Fighters edged out the Jiangsu Dragons 96-95 on the road, extending the Dragons’ losing streak to five games. Liao Sanning delivered a standout performance with 26 points off the bench for Beikong. Despite Jiangsu closing the gap to one point late in the game, a crucial turnover in the final seconds thwarted their comeback, allowing the Royal Fighters to secure the narrow win.
