GUANGZHOU, April 28 (Xinhua) — The Guangzhou Loong Lions defeated the Guangdong Southern Tigers 93-76, while the Liaoning Flying Leopards beat the Shandong Heroes 77-67 in the best-of-three first round of the Chinese Basketball Association playoffs on Tuesday.
Xu Jie led Guangdong with 19 points, while Trevelin Queen posted 16 points and 10 rebounds. Guangdong trailed 42-37 at halftime and fell behind by eight points entering the fourth quarter.
Lindell Wigginton finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for Guangzhou, while Deonte Burton added 15 points. Xu Xin recorded a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds with three blocks, and Chen Guohao contributed 13 points. Guangzhou extended the margin to 21 points in the final quarter to seal the win.
Shandong guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell poured in a game-high 19 points, while Marquese Chriss added a double-double 16 points and 10 rebounds. However, they failed to overturn a 49-35 halftime deficit.
Fu Hao led Liaoning with 16 points, and Zhao Jiwei contributed 14 points and seven assists. Eric Moreland recorded a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Yan Shouqi scored eight fourth-quarter points to help seal the win.
“We started with great momentum and kept it going in the second quarter,” said Liaoning interim head coach Hugo Lopez. “But we made several mistakes and struggled against their zone defense in the fourth quarter. The series is only 1-0, and we need to get ready for the next game.” ■
