ZHUJI, China, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Guangdong Southern Tigers fought back to defeat the Shenzhen Aviators 109-98 in the 47th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Wednesday, while the Liaoning Flying Leopards smashed the Nanjing Monkey Kings 105-82.
Guangdong had a shaky start with more faults, and Shenzhen grabbed the opportunity to enjoy a 13-point lead in the first quarter.
But the defending champions increased their defensive strength and narrowed the gap in the second quarter. With a deciding third quarter, Guangdong came back to take the lead and secure the game.
Five players got double-digit points for Shenzhen, but Kenny Boynton got just two points: his lowest in the CBA.
Although Guangdong got their 40th wins in the season, their head coach Du Feng was unsatisfied with the team's performance.
"It's the last game before the All-star games, but the players were in the resting state already," said Du.
Substitute Fu Hao was one of the biggest surprises for Liaoning, as they smashed Nanjing 105-82, giving the opponents an 11-game losing streak.
Five Liaoning players got two-digit points, and Fu contributed 16 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes. Guo Ailun grabbed a team-high 19 points and nine assists.
The Guangzhou Long Lions and the Beijing Royal Fighters were both fighting for a berth of the playoffs, and Guangzhou increased some odds after beating the Beijing Royal Fighters 119-92.
In their three encounters this season, Guangzhou got all the wins, while Stephon Marbury's team had to swallow the two-game losing streak to end the third phase of the CBA.
In the other game played on Wednesday, the Jilin Northeast Tigers edged the Shandong Heroes 116-113. Both teams' foreign players sparked in the game as Dominique Jones had a triple-double of 40 points, 17 rebounds, and 16 assists, while Lester Hudson grabbed 36 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Enditem
