Beijing-Liaoning Clash! In the first round, Beijing broke through Liaoning's home court with a narrow one-point victory. This time, back on their own turf, they aim to complete a double kill. Liaoning sent out 11 players, united in spirit, hoping to regain their footing.
In the first half, Beijing led Liaoning 50-41 by 9 points! Both sides struggled with their three-point shooting, but Beijing had an advantage in physical fitness and lineup, which allowed them to play with more vigor, dominate rebounds, and create more second-chance opportunities, leading to more shots and thus securing the lead. Liaoning was physically exhausted and had too few players capable of playing at a high level, making them very passive. Fortunately, Ferguson recovered, otherwise the gap would have been even greater.
Statistics: Lei Meng 8 points, Zhou Qi 5 points 6 rebounds, Chen Yingjun 8 points 2 assists, Omore 6 points 2 assists, Solomon 4 points 7 rebounds, Zeng Fanbo 4 points 4 rebounds 4 assists, Zhang Cairen 7 points 2 rebounds, Zhai Xiaochuan 4 points; Ferguson 17 points 2 rebounds, Wang Lanqin 3 points 3 rebounds 2 steals, Wells 10 points 2 rebounds 3 assists, Fu Hao 10 points 3 rebounds.
In the second half, both sides fought fiercely, with a tight and intense battle. With 4 minutes and 41 seconds remaining, Chen Yingjun sprained his ankle and had to leave the game, with Wang Lanqin suspected of stepping on his foot. Without Chen Yingjun, Beijing's rhythm became disorganized, allowing Liaoning to seize the opportunity and close the gap. Zeng Fanbo made one of two free throws, Zhang Cairen hit a counterattack three-pointer, Li Xiaoxu answered with a shot, Wang Lanqin continued, Zhai Xiaochuan made a mistake, Wells scored, and Liaoning went on an 8-0 run to reduce the deficit to one point. Wells made a passing error, Zhang Cairen hit a counterattack three-pointer, Ferguson shot over Zhou Qi, Zhou Qi made two of four free throws, and Beijing led Liaoning 75-71.
In the final quarter, Zeng Fanbo attacked the basket, Zhou Qi blocked Yu Zechen, Jerman made a strong three-pointer, Yu Zechen stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer, Zhang Cairen made an open layup, Ferguson made a mistake, Zhou Qi opened up from the top of the arc with a three-pointer, and the gap returned to double digits.
Fu Hao scored two points to stop the bleeding, Zhang Cairen hit an open three-pointer, Yu Zechen made a layup, Zeng Fanbo and Wang Lanqin missed their three-point attempts, Zhang Cairen hit another corner three-pointer, Wells made a mistake, Zhang Cairen hit another corner three-pointer, and Beijing stopped Liaoning again with a score of 93-78. Wells made another mistake, Jerman made a breakthrough layup, creating a 17-point difference. Yu Zechen missed an open three-pointer, Zhang Cairen continued with a corner three-pointer, creating a 20-point difference.
With 5 and a half minutes left, Yang Ming announced his surrender, replacing the main players with substitutes for training. Beijing still let their main players play for a while, not daring to relax, after all, their opponent is the reigning champion, with a solid foundation. Liaoning did their best, but their physical energy was severely depleted in previous games, and their lineup was not well-aligned. Beijing is indeed formidable, but the injury to their core player Chen Yingjun made the victory bittersweet, as the cost was too high.