The Shanghai Sharks beat the Guangsha Lions 92-88 at home in east China’s Shanghai Municipality on Friday, giving the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) leaders their second straight defeat their first losing streak of the season.
Li Tianrong and Kenneth Lofton Jr. combined to put the hosts on a 8-0 lead as the game started. Guangsha, which lacked their star point guard Sun Minghui, saw multiple players make offensive contributions in response and tied the score 16-16. Shanghai’s final four points came from Wang Zhelin who made sure that his side finished the first quarter with a four-point advantage at 20-16.
Both teams shot poorly from downtown in the first quarter as they combined to miss 13 of their 16 attempts there. Therefore, both sides continued to charge the rim with determination. The domination of Wang and Lofton Jr. under the hoop enabled Shanghai to drive a 9-2 run that forced a timeout by the opponents. Li Hongquan drained two triples for the home team in this quarter, helping them extend their lead to eight points at 45-37 before halftime break.
Lofton Jr. and Li Hongquan continued to torture Guangsha’s defense in the third quarter. Meanwhile, both Wang and Bledsoe delivered steals for easy baskets in transition, increasing Shanghai’s lead to as many as 22 points at 63-41. Guangsha counted on Hu Jinqiu and Zhao Jiaren to respond a 11-0 run, but they still trailed 73-59.
Zhao and Barry Brown led Guangsha to fire and knock down shots beyond the arc in the fourth quarter to come back. They cut the gap to four points at minimum, 92-88, when there were 15 seconds left. However, their efforts ended there and the visitors suffered a loss on the road.
Other games on the night (winners come first)：
Ningbo Rockets 110-101 Fujian Sturgeons
Nanjing Monkey Kings 115-93 Jilin Northeast Tigers
Liaoning Flying Leopards 121-93 Qingdao Eagles
Shanxi Loongs 117-115 Guangdong Southern Tigers
Beijing Ducks 99-83 Sichuan Blue Whales