On January 17th, Beijing time, the 32nd round of the CBA regular season kicked off with a comprehensive competition. Shanxi Men's Basketball Team faced off against the strong Shanghai Men's Basketball Team at home. The intense matchup between the two teams was full of highlights, with the score tightly contested and constantly changing.
In the first quarter, Lofton's offensive performance was unstoppable, and no one on the Shanxi team could better defend him. Lofton dribbled past half court and drew a foul from the opponent, making one of two free throws. On the other end, Tianrong also committed a foul, sending Zhang Ning to the free throw line. Both teams frequently went to the free throw line, making the game very fragmented. Young player Xie Liyong had some bright moments in organizing the offense, but Diao's three-pointer missed. Xie Liyong grabbed the defensive rebound, and Lofton's fast break layup was blocked by the opponent. Lofton then made two consecutive turnovers, with the ball going in and out of bounds. Both teams played somewhat chaotically on the court, but it was Diao who eventually hit a mid-range shot. Wilson's three-pointer also missed, and the first quarter ended with Shanxi leading 22-20 over Shanghai.
In the second quarter, Lofton remained on the court and passed the ball to Wilson for a dunk attempt that was blocked by Diao. Diao then scored two points and drew a foul on Lofton. Shanxi's offense gained momentum, and Liu Wei replaced Wilson with Bradsoe, who immediately made a turnover. Diao quickly scored again. Shanxi then went on an 8-0 run, while Shanghai struggled on offense and had trouble controlling their turnovers. Yuan Shuai hit a three-pointer, extending the lead to 30-20. Wang Zhelin drew a foul on Jiao Hailong under the basket, and Shanghai inbounded the ball, with Bradsoe hitting a three-pointer.
Jia Mingru hit a three-pointer, but Shanghai's defense left their opponents wide open for shots, which they capitalized on. Today, Shanghai's overall rhythm was off, and Bradsoe was晃开 by Yuan Shuai, who then hit another three-pointer. During several rounds of Shanghai's zone defense, Shanxi hit three three-pointers. Liu Wei called a timeout, and upon resuming play, Liu Zheng hit an outside three-pointer. Liu Zheng stole the ball and attempted a three-pointer that missed, but Li Hongquan grabbed the offensive rebound and completed a secondary attack, resulting in Shanghai scoring five consecutive points during the timeout.
Shanxi relied more on the performance of their foreign players, and when Jia Mingru missed a three-pointer, Wilson grabbed the defensive rebound and passed to an open Bradsoe, who hit a three-pointer from beyond the arc. Shanxi made changes to their foreign players, bringing Goodwin back in a timely manner. Bradsoe and Wang Zhelin executed a pick-and-roll, but Wang Zhelin's mid-range shot missed, and Shanxi failed to capitalize. Instead, it was Liu Zheng who hit a three-pointer, allowing Shanghai to close the gap to just one point. No sooner had this happened than Goodwin hit a three-pointer, to which Wang Zhelin responded in kind. Goodwin's accuracy from beyond the arc was remarkable, and Shanghai chose to leave him open, which allowed Shanxi to pull away once again. The half ended with Shanxi leading 57-50 over Shanghai.
After adjusting in the locker room during halftime, Shanghai came back and scored five consecutive points, while Shanxi went scoreless for two minutes. Lofton grabbed a defensive rebound and passed to Li Hongquan for a quick two points, allowing Shanghai to tie the score at 57-57. Wang Zhelin's continuous feints under the basket drew a foul from Fay, but he missed both free throws. Shanghai then went on a 7-0 run, prompting Shanxi to make another adjustment with their foreign players, bringing Goodwin back in. Diao hit a three-pointer from beyond the arc, and after Goodwin entered the game, Shanxi's offense became smoother, with immediate results.
Lofton's shot drew a foul from Diao, and he made both free throws, demonstrating his stability at the line. Shanxi focused more on passing the ball to Goodwin and Diao to work together, but Liu Zheng's steal and fast break layup was blocked by Diao. Shanghai inbounded the ball, and Wang Zhelin drew a foul on Liu Chuanxing, missing both free throws. Shanghai's free throw shooting needed improvement, as they failed to capitalize on four attempts. Whenever they managed to catch up in scoring, their offense would stall. Bradsoe hit a crucial three-pointer to stop the bleeding. Diao missed an open three-pointer from beyond the arc, but Lofton grabbed the defensive rebound and passed to Li Hongquan, who hit a three-pointer. Shanxi's Yuan Shuai also responded with a three-pointer, as both teams traded threes.
Shanghai made two consecutive turnovers, which Shanxi capitalized on with successful defensive counterattacks. Wang Zhelin drew a foul on Liu Chuanxing and made one of two free throws, highlighting poor free throw shooting that saw only one successful attempt out of six in the third quarter. Liu Zheng hit a three-pointer from outside while being guarded, but Li Hongquan missed his attempt, and Diao grabbed the defensive rebound. Yan Pengfei came on and immediately let Liu Chuanxing go, who scored a mid-range two-pointer. Yan Pengfei's entry put Shanghai's defense in a passive position, failing to defend and even giving fouls to the opponents.
Post-game player ratings: 3 perfect scores for Lofton, Bradsoe, and Li Hongquan; 5 passing grades for Liu Zheng, Wang Zhelin, Xie Liyong, Wilson, and Yuan Tangwen; and 3 failures for Li Tianrong, Hawkins, and Yan Pengfei.