CBA regular season round 28 continued with Xinjiang securing a big win against Nanjing and Liaoning easily defeating Sichuan. Below is a brief summary of the matches.
[Xinjiang - Nanjing]
Nanjing strategically gave up, with Lif and domestic mainstays mostly absent. As a result, they had to rely on the individual abilities of their foreign small forwards to solve problems. Floyd and Harris accounted for 24 out of the team's first quarter 27 points, almost entirely through one-on-one play without significant tactical coordination. Xinjiang, on the contrary, demonstrated excellent teamwork with 13 assists in a single quarter, showcasing a fluid offensive game with everyone contributing, especially successful in breaking through the inside. This allowed them to temporarily lead by three points at 30-27.
In the second quarter, the game rhythm remained largely unchanged. Nanjing's lineup depth was stretched thin, with weak domestic players, leaving only the two foreign players to take turns performing. Once their shooting accuracy dropped, the situation became increasingly severe. Xinjiang played with ease, maintaining high efficiency both inside and outside, feeling no pressure. They ended the half with a small scoring spree to solidify their advantage, leading 69-51 by 18 points. The second half progressed steadily, with neither side causing significant waves, and the match lost suspense early. Xinjiang finished with a decisive victory over Nanjing, 124-99.
[Liaoning - Sichuan]
The match was not particularly smooth, with head coach Han Shuo receiving a technical foul for being dissatisfied with the refereeing, and Han Dejun getting a flagrant foul for pulling someone from behind. The frequent whistles caused the game to be stop-start. Liaoning boldly changed their formation, trying different starters with new recruit Patton partnering with Wells, which still needed to be polished for a mediocre effect. Wang Lanchen performed poorly with repeated turnovers during the transition phase. Samna displayed his superhuman individual ability, and Sichuan relied on his strong performance to keep up, ending the first quarter tied at 27.
Entering the second quarter, Sichuan exposed their problem of a single offensive point, with Samna under close watch and inevitably seeing a drop in efficiency. At this time, the other teammates struggled to provide stable output, repeatedly stalling and falling behind. Foge returned to the bench but played more freely, continuously scoring with breakthroughs and strong attacks. Zhao Jiwei organized the game, with more reasonable ball distribution, and Liaoning gradually found their rhythm, leading 61-54 by seven points at halftime.
Returning to the second half, Liaoning's outside game showed no signs of improvement, with the new lineup lacking cohesion and too many turnovers hindering a smooth offense. Samna stepped up to carry the team, almost every time breaking through and attacking the rim, repeatedly stepping up to the free throw line to score and stay close. By the end of the third quarter, they trailed by three points at 80-94. In the final quarter, Foge led the bench to launch a wave that directly sealed the game, and Liaoning finished with an easy victory over Sichuan, 115-99.
Below are the latest points rankings for CBA teams, with only a three-point difference between the eight teams ranked second to ninth.