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O.J. Mayo (C) of the Liaoning Flying Leopards in action during the CBA match with the Qingdao Eagles in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, November 13, 2020. /CFP
League leaders the Liaoning Flying Leopards defeated the Qingdao Eagles 105-99 for their 11th win while Sichuan Blue Whales avenged their earlier defeat to the Shenzhen Aviators 100-92 on the penultimate match-day of the first phase of the 2020-21 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season on Friday.
In Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, American O.J. Mayo had an excellent 48-point play for Liaoning while their star guard Guo Ailun rested due to a ligament contusion and Han Dejun, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, rose to fifth on the CBA all-time leading rebound table. Darius Adams recorded 39 points for Qingdao but only 9-for-28 shooting.
"We did not find our tempo in the first half without Guo Ailun, but managed to limit Adams with defense. I'm proud of my players," said Liaoning coach Yang Ming.
The win consolidated Liaoning's leading position in the league with an 11-1 record while the Qingdao Eagles were fifth on the 19-team table. Looking into the next phase, Yang expected even better performance from a more mature team.
"I'm satisfied with our overall performance in the first phase. We had new members in the team and the young players shouldered their responsibility. However, the youngsters did not have stable performance in the matches, and we found different problems from every time. We mainly take the first phase as a chance to build better chemistry in the roster and the next phase will be crucial," Yang said.
Hamed Haddadi #5 of the Sichuan Blue Whales attempts to block Lu Yiwen (C) of the Shenzhen Aviators during the CBA game in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, November 13, 2020. /CFP
Also on Friday, 35-year-old Iranian Hamed Haddadi had a triple-double of 21 points, 22 rebounds and 16 assists to power the Sichuan Blue Whales past the Shenzhen Aviators 100-92 with a 10-0 spurt in the last quarter. Li Yuanyu and Chen Chen scored 25 and 17 points respectively for Sichuan. Askia Booker led with 28 points and 11 rebounds for Shenzhen.
"Generally I'm very satisfied with our team's performance in this phase. We fought hard in every game, including in today's match. Tactically, we played well throughout, especially in controlling errors. We must train harder to improve ourselves in the offseason," said coach Zhou Jinli of the Sichuan Blue Whales.
Players of the Jilin Northeastern Tigers celebrate their victory over the Guangzhou Loong Lions during the CBA game in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, November 13, 2020. /CFP
Shooting only five for 29 from the three-point line, the Guangzhou Loong Lions lost their nine-point advantage in the first quarter to fourth-placed Jilin Northeastern Tigers in a 101-94 defeat. Dai Huaibo had a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds to spearhead Jilin. Guangzhou head coach Guo Shiqiang praised the team's execution on the court despite the loss while Chen Yingjun, who led the team with 15 points, believed they needed to step up defense in the next phase.
(With input from Xinhua)
