BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A more balanced Beijing Ducks claimed a narrow 91-87 victory over Shenzhen Aviators in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Friday.
With 8.2 seconds remaining, Shenzhen's Li Muhao scored a big three-pointer following up an inbound pass turnover to cut the deficit to 90-87, but could not save his team from losing its third game in a row.
Zhai Xiaochuan scored a team-high 23 points for Beijing, while Justin Hamilton and Jeremy Lin contributed a combined 38 points. Allerik Freeman made his league debut and posted 24 points for Shenzhen.
Both sides suffered in offensive play before the break, shooting only 37 percent in the first half, before Lin stood out with tough layups to speed up the pace while controlling the rhythm.
"We knew it would be a tough game. We played our defense and our players executed the game plan very well," Beijing coach Yannis Christopoulos said.
Also on Friday, Dominique Jones was in immense form, notching 41 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to lead Jilin Northeast Tigers to overcome Xinjiang Flying Tigers 102-94.
As a top shooter who can average 37 points per game this season, Jones was on fire and racked up 37 points plus 10 rebounds in the first three periods, helping the host team prevail 85-68 into the last quarter.
Xinjiang center Jarnell Stokes prevented the game from turning into a rout, scoring 26 points and forcing Jones to shoot only 1 for 8 in the last period.
In the other games on Friday, Fujian Sturgeons thrashed Bayi Rockets 113-97, Guangzhou Loong Lions edged Qingdao Eagles 116-113, and Zhejiang Golden Bulls bulldozed Beijing Royal Fighters 126-97.
