On the evening of January 9, 2025, the CBA regular season witnessed two intense matchups, with the Shandong men's basketball team and the Zhejiang men's basketball team playing at home against Jilin and Ningbo respectively. The final scores of both games were unexpectedly lopsided, with Shandong and Zhejiang defeating their opponents by large margins, demonstrating their strong capabilities. Especially in the fierce competition on the points table, these big wins also revealed the cruelty of the CBA season.
Game Process
Shandong 117-84 Jilin: Dominant Offensive Momentum
The match between Shandong and Jilin started off as a one-sided affair. Despite the two teams drawing level at the beginning, Shandong quickly found their rhythm and gradually widened the gap thanks to Chris' outstanding performance. By the end of the first quarter, Shandong led 29-18, and in the second quarter, although Jilin tried hard to catch up, Shandong once again extended the difference, leading by 17 points at halftime.
In the third quarter, the game entered garbage time as Shandong continued to exert their overwhelming advantage, expanding the lead to over 30 points. Ultimately, Shandong defeated Jilin 117-84, securing their second consecutive victory and becoming the fourth team this season to win 20 games. Chris' dominance in the paint and Chen Peidong's scoring ability were key factors in Shandong's victory.
Zhejiang 119-93 Ningbo: Foreign Players Leading the Charge
The game between Zhejiang and Ningbo was dominated by foreign players Jones and York. In the first quarter, Jones exploded, making seven shots and scoring 17 points, helping Zhejiang quickly open up a 37-20 lead. In the second quarter, Ningbo attempted to close the gap with Howard's excellent performance, but Zhejiang still led 62-51 going into the second half.
In the third quarter, Zhejiang's offense was on fire, extending the lead to 19 points, while Ningbo failed to find an effective defensive strategy. By the fourth quarter, the game had lost all suspense, and Zhejiang ultimately won 119-93, creating a "tragedy." Jones and York's scoring performances were commendable, becoming the biggest highlights of Zhejiang's big win.
Latest CBA Points Table:
Personal Opinion
The results of these two games undoubtedly demonstrated the formidable strength of the two championship contenders, Shandong and Zhejiang. Especially in terms of foreign player performance, Jones and York from Zhejiang, and Chris from Shandong, all displayed tremendous individual abilities, contributing a significant number of points and assists to their teams.
Looking at the overall picture of the games, both Shandong and Zhejiang not only showed dominance on both ends of the court, but especially in the offensive explosions in the third and fourth quarters, ultimately dragging the games into garbage time. This powerful strength left their opponents with almost no chance to fight back, showing the absolute competitiveness of these two teams in the league.
From the latest CBA points table, the competition among the top four teams is becoming increasingly fierce. Guangsha (24 wins, 4 losses), Shanxi (21 wins, 6 losses), Shandong (20 wins, 8 losses), and Xinjiang (20 wins, 7 losses) are all vying for more favorable positions in the playoffs. Notably, between the second-ranked Shanxi and the seventh-ranked Qingdao, the points difference is at most 1 point, meaning that the upcoming games, especially the first few rounds of the playoffs, will be filled with uncertainty and suspense.