On January 12, 2025, the 30th round of the CBA regular season continued with several exciting matchups, some of which were not only dramatic but also made the rankings for this season even more tense. Guangdong managed to narrowly defeat Beikong with a last-minute buzzer-beater, while Liaoning and Xinjiang failed to maintain their leads in crucial moments, ultimately losing to Qingdao and Nanjing respectively. This round of games added a lot of suspense to the competition between teams, especially on the leaderboard, where there is only a difference of 1 point between the 2nd and 8th places, making the situation extremely complex.
In the home game against Beikong, Guangdong demonstrated their resilience and ability to seize key moments. The entire match was full of ups and downs, with Guangdong relying on Xu Xin's crucial goal in the final moments to narrowly win against Beikong with a score of 99-98, continuing their winning streak. At the start of the game, Beikong quickly took the lead, particularly showing activity on the offensive end. However, Guangdong gradually regained their rhythm in the critical moments, especially with Xu Jie's outstanding performance, allowing Guangdong to maintain a slight advantage in the last quarter.
The climax of the game occurred in the last minute. With Guangdong's defense slackening, Beikong tied the score with Tres' three-pointer. Just as the game entered its final second, Xu Xin calmly made a layup to deliver the final shot of the game, helping Guangdong secure a victory over Beikong by a margin of just 1 point.
In another highly anticipated match, Liaoning faced off against Qingdao and after four quarters of fierce competition, they unfortunately lost 100-103. Liaoning did not have a smooth start to the game, trailing by double digits in the first quarter. Although Ferg led the team to gradually close the gap in the second quarter and even overtook Qingdao in the third quarter, they failed to hold onto their lead in the crucial moments of the final quarter.
Qingdao erupted in the final moments, successfully completing a comeback before the end of the game with accurate three-pointers and key free throws from Wang Ruizhe and other players. Liaoning missed out on a victory that they should have secured. Especially in the last second, Liaoning's Ferg failed to make the buzzer-beater, instead being pulled further behind by the opponent through free throws.
For Xinjiang, today's game did not bring the expected victory. Facing the challenge from Nanjing, Xinjiang failed to perform at their expected level throughout the game. Nanjing controlled the pace of the game with efficient offensive coordination, especially the performances of Lin Wei and Guo Haowen. Although Xinjiang once regained their form in the middle of the game and narrowed the gap with the outstanding performances of substitute players like Yili Fuerati, they never managed to surpass Nanjing.
In the crucial final quarter, Nanjing widened the score again with Lin Wei's outburst, eventually defeating Xinjiang 113-106. This loss meant that Xinjiang's losing streak continued, and they fell out of the top four positions on the leaderboard, experiencing a drop in ranking.
With the results of these three games, the ranking situation in the CBA has undergone subtle changes. Qingdao's victory allowed them to continue to firmly occupy a high position, while Guangdong's winning streak brought them closer to the top spots. Liaoning and Xinjiang's losses allowed other competitors to catch up. Currently, from the 2nd place Qingdao to the 8th place Zhejiang, there is only a difference of 1 point among the seven teams, meaning that the upcoming games will be even more critical, with any loss potentially causing significant fluctuations in the rankings.
Guangsha still firmly occupies the first place, but the rankings of Qingdao, Liaoning, Xinjiang, Shanxi, Guangdong, Shandong, and other teams are very close, especially with the gap among the top few teams shrinking to less than the difference of one game. This situation suggests that as the season progresses, every game will determine each team's fate in the battle for playoff spots.
Now, the CBA season has entered a white-hot stage, with increasingly fierce competition between teams. Guangdong's winning streak, Qingdao's comeback, and Liaoning and Xinjiang's losses have added more suspense to the rest of the season. After entering the second half of the season, the stability and adjustment capabilities of the teams will become the key factors in determining their final rankings. For fans, the upcoming games will undoubtedly be even more anticipated, and for each team, every victory or defeat may directly affect their position in the playoffs.