A strong matchup in the CBA regular season saw Liaoning take on Xinjiang. Liaoning's second stage performance was poor, with more losses than wins against strong teams, and the team was plagued by injuries and a lack of players. In this game, Zhao Jiwei and Zhang Zhenlin were still unable to play, while Fredette played despite illness. Facing the formidable Xinjiang team, their chances of winning were slim, and they would need to perform above their usual level to have a chance. Although Xinjiang also had their fair share of injuries, they were in good form, able to win tough games, and were currently on a four-game winning streak. In this match, Zhao Rui and Qi Lin were absent, with three-point shooting being the key to victory, as well as the battle for rebounds.
Xinjiang's starting lineup: Li Yanzhe, Xirzati, Yilifula, Lawson, and Hagens! Liaoning's starting lineup: Fredette, Wang Lianqin, Wells, Li Xiaoxu, and Han Dejun!
Both sides started with a minute of missed shots, with Wang Lianqin scoring the first three-pointer, followed by Li Yanzhe's mid-range shot, Fredette's three-pointer, Lawson's drive to the basket, Wang Lianqin's turnover, Hagens' open three-pointer, Fredette's airball, Lawson's short shot, Wells' three-pointer opening the scoring, Lawson's turnover leading to a technical foul, Wells' mid-range shot extending Liaoning's lead. Yi Li's buzzer-beater, Wells' layup, Hagens' eight-second violation, Han Dejun's putback, Li Yanzhe's turnover again, and Wells' response.
Xirzati's three-pointer from the top of the arc missed, Wells stepped out of bounds, Lawson's three-pointer missed, Wells' layup, Liaoning led 19-9, forcing Xinjiang to call a timeout. Peterson came on and immediately turned the ball over, Wang Lianqin stole and went coast-to-coast. Ge Haoran broke the scoring drought, Peterson missed another three-pointer, Wells countered with a three-point play, scoring more points than the entire Xinjiang team. Yi Li finally hit a three-pointer, Wells assisted Fu Hao, A Bu Du flipped and shot, Shou Di's layup missed, A Bu Du countered again, bringing the gap back to single digits.
Fredette pulled up from outside, Ge Haoran forced a shot but missed, Peterson turned the ball over again, Wells continued his counterattack, Hagens continued his turnovers, Fu Hao countered, and the gap was heading towards 20 points. It was really unexpected that Xinjiang would be dominated by Liaoning, contrary to pre-match predictions. Liaoning's defense was too strong, Xinjiang made too many mistakes, and their three-point shooting was lacking.