On January 4th, Beijing time, the CBA regular season continued with a match between Guangdong and Shandong at Guangdong's home court. Guangdong entered the game with a record of 14 wins and 11 losses, ranking 9th in the league. In their previous game, they won against Tianjin by 7 points at home, but the team appeared exhausted. On the other hand, Shandong had just defeated the strong Xinjiang team on the road, ending their undefeated streak at home. Currently, Shandong is in high spirits with an 18-7 record, ranking fifth in the league and among the championship contenders. One of the highlights of this game was the matchup between the two guards, Xu Jie and Gao Shiyan, both aiming to lead their teams to victory. Let's look forward to seeing who will come out on top. Here is a summary of the full game and player ratings for Guangdong!
Up to this point in the league, Guangdong, aiming for the finals, is only ranked 9th in the regular season, a result that fans cannot accept. Hu Mingxuan is indefinitely sidelined due to injury issues, and the team's choice of small foreign aid has been disappointing, leaving only Xu Jie with scoring ability. With limited rotation, he has to play longer minutes, which makes him very tired. The last game was an example; although they won against Tianjin, Xu Jie gritted his teeth to finish the game. Whenever he is not on the court, Guangdong gets targeted. This has become a norm, and the team must quickly solve the issue of insufficient personnel, or there may be a bigger crisis. In this round, they face a strong Shandong team at home. Let's see how coach Du Feng copes with the situation. This is a game that neither side wants to lose, especially for Guangdong, as another loss could sap the team's morale!
Shandong's performance this season has been evident to all. Besides Shanxi, they are another dark horse, having achieved an 18-7 record after 25 rounds, ranking fifth in the league. Up to now, their average score per game is 105.1, ranking eighth in the league, and their average points conceded is 100.4, ranking fifth. This shows that they are a balanced team in both attack and defense, which aligns well with their current results. In their last game, they defeated Xinjiang 111-107 on the road, with Zhao Rui being ejected from the opposing team. A total of six players scored in double figures, including Tao Hanlin (11+7+1), Gao Shiyan (17+9+6), Gaili (10+3+2), Chris (25+6+4), Yu Dehao (11+2+5), and Moore (19+5+2). Their overall performance was outstanding, key to their victory. Playing away in this round, can they continue their momentum from the last win and defeat their opponents? It's a game worth looking forward to!
Highlights of the Full Game
In the first quarter, after Guangdong got the first attack, Morland scored 2 points with an open basket, and Tao Hanlin responded with 2 points under the basket, making it 2-2. Jilunwote missed a shot, and Shandong counterattacked with Chris flying in for a layup to add another 2 points. Xu Jie then hit a three-pointer to make it 5-4. Gaili immediately responded with a three-pointer and made a foul shot for a bonus point. Jilunwote made one of two free throws, and Chris dunked to respond with 2 points. Du Runwang hit a three-pointer to make it 9-10. Jilunwote grabbed the rebound and broke through to make both free throws. Tao Hanlin made two free throws in response, and Guangdong stole the ball to counterattack, with Morland scoring 2 points from the free throw line. Tao Hanlin hit a three-pointer to respond, and Huang Rongqi immediately hit a three-pointer to make it 16-15. Jilunwote dunked again to add 2 points, and Gao Shiyan missed a three-pointer. Huang Rongqi made two free throws to make it 18-15.
Tao Hanlin stole the ball, and Shandong counterattacked with Tao Hanlin dunking with one hand to score 2 points, making it 18-17. Du Feng complained to the referee and received a technical foul, with Moore executing the free throw and scoring. Yu Dehao missed a three-pointer, and Han Dejun scored 2 points with a layup. Chris responded with a reverse layup to tie the score at 20-20. Xu Jie hit a three-pointer to respond, and Moore broke through and stopped to score 2 points. Huang Rongqi made one of two free throws, and Kumajie hook shot to respond with 2 points. Guangdong turned the ball over, and Shandong counterattacked with Kumajie stopping and shooting to add another 2 points. Beizi hit a jumper and made a foul shot for a bonus point to make it 27-26. Moore missed a long-range three-pointer, and the first quarter ended with Guangdong leading Shandong 27-26 by 1 point.
In the second quarter, Chen Peidong opened the scoring with a three-pointer, making it 27-29 for Guangdong. Xu Jie responded with a three-pointer, and Kumajie made two free throws plus Chen Peidong forced a three-pointer, with Shandong scoring 5 consecutive points to force a timeout from Guangdong, making it 30-36. After the timeout, Jilunwote hit a three-pointer to stop the bleeding, and Chris stole the ball and counterattacked with a dunk to respond with 2 points, making it 33-38. Guangdong turned the ball over again, and Shandong counterattacked with Tao Hanlin scoring another 2 points with a jump shot. Xu Jie responded with a three-pointer, and Chris assisted Tao Hanlin to rise up for a layup to respond with 2 points. Xu Jie continued his three-point streak, and Gaili responded with a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Jilunwote made both free throws, and Gaili followed up with another three-pointer to extend the lead to 41-48. Jilunwote responded with a turnaround jumper for 2 points, and Chris hit a dry pull-up three-pointer. Jilunwote made both free throws again to make it 45-51. Gaili missed a three-pointer, and Jilunwote made another two free throws. Sun Tonglin scored 2 points with a strong drive under the basket to respond, and Jilunwote made both free throws again to make it 49-53. Gaili hit another three-pointer to respond, and Xu Jie made both free throws. The half ended with Guangdong trailing Shandong 51-56 by 5 points.
Halftime Statistics
In the second half, Guangdong launched a 28-23 offensive assault in the third quarter, ending the quarter tied at 79-79. In the final quarter, both sides engaged in intense competition, and Guangdong eventually won at home with a narrow 98-93 victory over Shandong.
Key Player Ratings for Guangdong ↓
Xu Jie [Perfect Score]
Today, Xu Jie started again, maintaining a hot state with extremely high shooting accuracy, especially a perfect three-point shooting percentage for the quarter. As the core of the team's offense, he played a pivotal role in connecting the team, contributing 6 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists at the end of the first quarter, 17+2+2 at halftime, and finishing with 22+4+11.
Jilunwote [Perfect Score]
Today, Jilunwote started again. Although his state at the beginning of the game was average with low shooting accuracy, he controlled the rebounds well and was accurate from the free throw line. He contributed 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist at the end of the first quarter, warmed up in the second quarter, and finished with 26+9+2.
Du Runwang [Passing]
Today, Du Runwang started, with limited shooting opportunities in the quarter but decent accuracy. He contributed 3 points at the end of the first quarter, 3+0+0 at halftime, and finished with 13+1+0.
Huang Rongqi [Passing]
Today, Huang Rongqi started, with a general state at the beginning of the game and poor shooting accuracy. He contributed 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist at the end of the first quarter, 4+1+1 at halftime, and his state improved in the second half to finish with 9+3+3.
Morland [Perfect Score]
Today, Morland started again, coming out strong with excellent control of the rebounds and high shooting accuracy. He exerted great pressure on the opponents at both ends of the court, contributing 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists at the end of the first quarter, 6+10+6 at halftime, and finishing with 8+19+10.
Zhang