Joseph Young (2nd L) and Li Gen (2nd R) of Beijing Royal Fighters are helped by teammates Wang Shaojie (1st L), Sun Tonglin (C) and Zhang Fan during the 25th round match between Beijing Royal Fighters and Guangdong Southern Tigers at the 2020-2021 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)
ZHUJI, China, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Xinjiang Flying Tigers extended their winning streak to six matches after edging the Sichuan Blue Whales 103-98, while the Guangdong Southern Tigers shrugged off the Beijing Royal Fighters 127-96 in the 2020-21 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league here on Wednesday.
Five Xinjiang players put double-digit figures on the scoreboard, led by Zhou Qi's 28.
Marcus Georges-Hunt of Sichuan pocketed a team-high 33 points, plus seven rebounds and five assists, but his team could not overturn the more balanced Xinjiang, which had 33 assists in the game, nearly double than Sichuan.
Xinjiang was in good form, winning nine out of their ten games before the match. The team sprint ahead after the seesawing minutes via a 7-0 scoring dash at the end of the first quarter, but Sichuan narrowed the gap to five before the half break.
Xinjiang expanded the gap to double-digit twice in the next half but suffered scares in the last quarter with Sichuan's attacking ability.
Hunt scored four points in a row to help Sichuan trail by 98-101 with 22 seconds left on the clock, but Yu Dehao converted both free throws later for his only two points in this match to clinch the victory for Xinjiang.
Left behind by five points in the first quarter, Guangdong started to find rhythm and control the game from the second quarter, outscoring Beijing 31-20 during a 12-minute span.
As Beijing began to struggle offensively in the last quarter, the reigning champion dominated the game with a 9-0 scoring dash and nailed the victory.
Marshon Brooks of Guangdong pocketed a game-best 26 points and nine assists, while both Zhou Peng and Du Runwang added 20 points.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, the Zhejiang Lions snapped their six-game losing streak with a 130-102 victory over the Fujian Sturgeons. The Shanghai Sharks smashed the Nanjing Monkey Kings 110-83. Enditem
