The CBA regular season has reached its 26th round, with last night's five matches proving to be incredibly exciting. As Beijing defeated Zhejiang, Fujian lost to Shenzhen, Guangzhou fell to Jiangsu, Qingdao overcame Shanxi, and Xinjiang staged a comeback against Sichuan, the CBA standings were thrown into chaos overnight! Seven teams are vying for second place, while three teams are fighting for the final playoff spot, which is twelfth place. Shanghai is making the strongest comeback, closely followed by Shenzhen! Let's delve into the specifics:
Last night, Shanxi suffered a 122-129 defeat on the road against Qingdao, ending their winning streak and dropping to third place. The game was a fierce battle throughout, with Qingdao's ten-rebound advantage being the decisive factor. Both teams made numerous mistakes, giving each other opportunities. Qingdao had 19 turnovers, while Shanxi had 20. Additionally, the match was marked by constant conflicts, with three players from both teams fouling out, including Shanxi's foreign player Diawara, who shoved Jia Cheng and received another unsportsmanlike foul, accumulating a total of five unsportsmanlike fouls, which is not good news.
In terms of scoring, four Qingdao players scored in double figures, with two of them reaching 30+ points. Weatherspoon scored 39 points, 1 rebound, and 8 assists, while Mickey contributed 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. These two foreign players really put in an effort! Wang Ruize also had a breakout game with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Yang Hanshen easily grabbed a double-double with 17 points and 18 rebounds. Shanxi also had four players score in double figures, with Goodwin scoring 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists, Diawara scoring 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Zhang Ning scoring 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. However, due to the loss, Shanxi's two 30+ point performances were in vain!
After this match, Shanxi's record stands at 19 wins and 6 losses, dropping to third in the league. Qingdao's record improves to 17 wins and 9 losses, rising to seventh place. The league standings have been reshuffled, starting with this game.
Currently, the teams ranked second to eighth are Xinjiang, Shanxi, Zhejiang, Shandong, Beijing, Qingdao, and Liaoning. Among these seven teams, Shandong and Liaoning will play their matches tonight, and regardless of the outcome, they will accumulate points. Currently, the maximum point difference between second and eighth place is only two points. If Liaoning and Shandong both win tonight, they could potentially return to the top four. Therefore, there are currently seven teams competing for second place, making the competition extremely fierce.
Before tonight's matches, the points are as follows: Xinjiang with 44 points, Shanxi with 44 points, Zhejiang with 44 points, Shandong with 43 points, Qingdao with 43 points, and Liaoning with 42 points. After Shandong and Liaoning complete their matches, losing will add one point, while winning adds two points. Therefore, there is almost no difference between second and eighth place, and the top four can change at any time.
The teams currently ranked twelfth to fourteenth are Jilin, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Although Jilin has 35 points and is temporarily in twelfth place, Shanghai has played three fewer rounds and has already achieved an 11-game winning streak. With this momentum, it is only a matter of time before they enter the top twelve. Shenzhen also won 122-112 against Fujian last night, securing a three-game winning streak. Shenzhen's points are only one less than Jilin's, and considering Jilin's key player Jones is injured, it is uncertain which of these three teams will secure the twelfth spot.
It is worth mentioning that last night's "Zhou-Wei combination" from Shenzhen was truly impressive. The two veterans, Zhou Peng and Weems, who together are 73 years old, combined for 65 points to lead the team to victory. Shenzhen's momentum is strong, and if they maintain it, they still have a chance to make a playoff push!