CBA Roundup: Beijing edges Sichuan, Xinjiang noses out Zhejiang Lions

ZHUJI, China, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Ducks nipped the Sichuan Blue Whales 85-83, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers beat the Zhejiang Lions 85-77 in the 18th round of the 2022-2023 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league regular season here on Sunday.

Beijing labored to its fifth consecutive victory thanks to Ty Leaf's bank shot with 1.2 seconds left on the clock. Leaf led the Ducks with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Fan Ziming, who grabbed the key offensive rebound to put the ball back and then made a jumper to tie the game, made 10 out of 16 attempts, scoring 24 and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Despite the victory, Beijing's head coach Xie Libin was very dissatisfied with his team's performance as they went 1-of-22 behind the arc. "It was an ugly game, it was not the Ducks people knew before," he said. "We must react to our troubles quickly, otherwise we will repeat the mistakes of last season."

Meanwhile, Sichuan swallowed an eight-game losing streak. Marlain Veal had a team-high 22 points and 10 assists, and Zhang Dianliang, who missed the game-tying shot, added 12 points.

The Whales' head coach Mo Ke praised his young players after the game. "My players went all out, and I would like to see this attitude in every game," he said.

The Lions' star center Hu Jinqiu made his first appearance of this season back from an injury layoff but only played five minutes without scoring. Zhu Junlong scored 18 points for Zhejiang, while Zhao Yanhao added 17. On Xinjiang's side, Tacko Fall got 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Zhu Xuhang added 10 points.

Elsewhere, the Shanxi Loongs eased past the Jiangsu Dragons 101-86, the Shenzhen Aviators beat the Shanghai Sharks 121-104, and the Liaoning Flying Leopards defeated the Nanjing Monkey Kings 98-91.