Joseph Michael Young (Front) of Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings goes up for a basket during a match between Guangzhou Loong Lions and Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings at the newly resumed 2019-2020 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, June 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
DONGGUAN, South China, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Joseph Young racked up 55 points, six rebounds and two assists, helping the Nanjing Monkey Kings edge the Guangzhou Loong Lions 105-103 in the just-resumed Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Thursday.
Young's opponents took the upper hand during the second half, even turned the table in the third quarter and had a two-digit advantage, but the MVP of the 2019 CBA All-star Games turned around the game again before the final whistle and helped his team win two CBA games consecutively.
Young pocketed 29 points before the half break, putting the Monkey Kings ahead 58-43.
The Loong Lions got a 14-3 pointing dash, narrowing the gap of the scoreline to four points in the midway of the third quarter. When Guangzhou Loong Lions players doubled off Young, few Young's teammates could score.
With 1:56 remaining on the clock in the quarter, Chen Yingjun of Guangzhou finished an "and one" layup and helped his team turn around the score 72-70.
Having a one point advantage at the start of the final quarter, Guangzhou had a 10-0 spurt and built a two-digit advantage.
Young kept his team's winning hopes alive before the final whistle with a three-pointer, adding up with two free throws. With two seconds on the clock, He Jingjia took the buzzer beater after receiving Young's pass.
Besides Young, four players earned double-digit points for Nanjing. As for Guangzhou, Marcus Georges-Hunt led his team's three other players in double-digit points with 26 points. Guo Yingjun had a top local guard performance with 24 points, six rebounds and 10 assists.
In the next round, Guangzhou will face the Zhejiang Lions on Sunday, while Nanjing will compete with the Bayi Rockets. Enditem
