Guo Ailun of Liaoning attempts to shoot a lay-up during a CBA game against Jilin, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, December 14, 2019.
Liaoning beat Jilin 115-105 with 4 players scoring over 20 points in the 17th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Saturday.
Sylven Landesberg's 43 points and Joseph Young's big triple-doubles helped the Zhejiang Golden Bulls and the Nanjing Monkey Kings smash their competitors respectively.
Both are located in the northeast part of China and have the same record of 11 wins and 5 losses before Saturday; the match between Liaoning and Jilin was considered as a derby.
These rivals are displaying different tactical styles this season. Jilin relies much on Dominique Jones, which gave him the highest match-average score 37 among all the CBA players so far in this season. However, Liaoning focuses more on teamwork. Also, the Chinese players' performance in Liaoning was outstanding on Saturday .
Guard Zhao Jiwei of Liaoning showed his talent in both scoring and passing, contributing 23 points including 5 three-pointers plus 10 assists. Brandon Bass benefited from Zhao's good vision and got a team-high of 26 points. Guo Ailun missed seven shots beyond the arc, but excelled on counterattacks and got 20 points. Lance Stephenson added 23 points.
"We got a good team win, we shared the ball well. I like the current chemistry and the flow of the game," Liaoning coach Guo Shiqiang said.
Saturday also witnessed a provincial derby between the Golden Bulls and the Lions. Even though the lions have 5 players posting double-digits, they couldn't stop Sylven Landesberg.
Landesberg snatched 43 points in about 33 minutes, including an incredible 27 from the second quarter. Wu Qian, who hit 8 three-pointers from 11 attempts and scored 27 points in total, was also a Golden Bulls hero.
In another match, the Nanjing Monkey Kings smashed Guangzhou Loong Lions 128-98 to mark the team's biggest winning advantage in the CBA.
The script for this game didn't look like a one-sided stomp when Nanjing just lead 57-53 at the start of the third quarter.
But Joseph Young shot 8, including 5 three-pointers, with only 9 attempts, which established most of the team's 30-point win.
In the other game, the Beijing Ducks edged the Shanghai Sharks 88-87. The last 10 seconds saw Shanghai's McCallum successfully draw a foul but missed one free throw, locking the score with a pity one point.