On January 5th, Beijing time, in a CBA regular season game, Shanxi Men's Basketball Team made an incredible comeback against Xinjiang Men's Basketball Team, winning 115-110 to return to second place in the league. Xinjiang had a significant lead of 15 points in the first quarter, which extended to 19 points at halftime and 25 points by the end of the third quarter. However, Shanxi staged a remarkable comeback in the fourth quarter, with a 26-4 run that narrowed the gap to just 3 points. In the decisive moments, Goodwin drew a foul and made two free throws to take the lead, and Shanxi finished the game with an astonishing 41-11 run.
Team Statistics
Xinjiang: Lawson scored 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists; Ilyas Fu La Ti contributed 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 three-pointers; Hegen Si added 11 points and 10 assists; Xierzati had 16 points and 4 three-pointers; Peterson chipped in with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists; Yang Rui scored 13 points; Li Yan Zhe had 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Shanxi: Goodwin went 4 for 15 from the field, scoring 20 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds; Zhang Ning contributed 19 points and 6 rebounds; Diyaluo had 22 points and 9 rebounds; Jiaers scored 16 points and 7 rebounds; Liu Chuanxing added 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Star of the Game - Ilyas Fu La Ti
Despite Goodwin's shooting struggles (4 for 15 and 0 for 6 from three-point range), he was the catalyst for the fourth-quarter rally and made the crucial free throws to take the lead, finishing with 20 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Anecdotes
Zhu Xu Hang has returned to the club, and Xinjiang officially welcomed him back.
The starting lineups for both teams were announced, with Shanxi still having four foreign players, while Xinjiang had only three. Zhao Rui continued his suspension, and A Bu Du and Qi Lin were rested.
Before the game, Zhao Tanchang hyped up the "grudge match" between Shanxi and Xinjiang, referring to the major conflict that occurred on December 22nd when Goodwin and Qi Lin were both ejected.
Game Recap
Xinjiang started strong with a 17-6 run, and Xierzati's three-pointer made it 20-7. Diyaluo had a steal and a dunk, and Faye drew a three-point foul. Ilyas Fu La Ti continued to hit threes, making three in the first quarter. Xierzati also scored in transition, and Liu Chuanxing got a basket. Goodwin had a fast-break layup, and Peterson drew a foul in transition. Xierzati hit two more threes, and Xinjiang led 41-26 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, both teams engaged in an offensive battle. Shanxi's foreign player, Jiaers (a former NBA first-round pick), scored 10 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and had 1 block in the quarter, while Diyaluo also scored 10 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists. These two foreign players accounted for 20 of Shanxi's 28 points in the second quarter, highlighting the underperformance of the rest of the team. Xinjiang had a balanced scoring effort, with Ilyas Fu La Ti scoring 13 points, Xierzati adding 13 points, and Peterson contributing 11 points and 6 assists. Xinjiang shot well from beyond the arc, going 9 for 16 from three-point range at halftime, leading Shanxi 73-54.
In the third quarter, Shanxi's three-point shooting remained poor, with various misses from outside, making it difficult to close the 20+ point gap without three-pointers. Shanxi finished the third quarter with only 2 three-pointers made out of 27 attempts, while Xinjiang made 14 out of 26 (a three-point shooting percentage of 53.8%). Shanxi's perimeter defense also had significant issues, as Xinjiang's Yang Rui scored 11 points by the end of the third quarter, and Xinjiang already had six players in double figures. Shanxi relied heavily on Diyaluo and Jiaers for scoring, with Goodwin scoring 8 points and Faye adding 3 points in three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Xinjiang's defense inexplicably collapsed, and Shanxi went on a 16-0 run in less than 4 and a half minutes to reduce the deficit to 9 points. Ilyas Fu La Ti hit a key jumper to stop the bleeding, but Shanxi continued to fight, securing another basket on an offensive rebound. Xinjiang was then held scoreless for 24 seconds, and they committed a turnover that gave Shanxi points. After Goodwin completed a 2+1 play, the gap was down to 3 points (26-4). Lawson hit a crucial three-pointer, and Li Yan Zhe had a powerful dunk to extend the lead to 8 points. Shanxi called a timeout and responded with a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 3 points. Goodwin drew a foul and made both free throws, and Han Pei Yu sealed the victory with a 2+0 play. Peterson missed a three-pointer that could have tied the game, and Diyaluo secured the rebound. Liu Chuanxing made a putback to end the game.
Starting Lineups
Xinjiang: Lawson, Li Yan Zhe, Ilyas Fu La Ti, Hegen Si, Xierzati;
Shanxi: Goodwin, Zhang Ning, Faye, Liu Chuanxing, Chen Peng Yu Di;
Written by Yan Xiaobai