Shen Zijie (bottom) of the Sichuan Blue Whales tussles with Liu Ruoyu of the Shenzhen Aviators in the game in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, October 18, 2020. /VCG
The Sichuan Blue Whales lost to the Shenzhen Aviators 93-83 on Sunday in their first game of the new season. Sichuan rookie Zhu Songwei went 1-7 from the field to finish with five points in 20 minutes.
After another newbie, Zheng Qilong of the Jiangsu Dragons, scored 20 points in Saturday's season opener, many expected Zhu to have a similar performance. Zhu, 23, averaged 19.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in the Chinese University Basketball Association and had been nicknamed the "Kevin Durant of Shantou University."
Yu Liang (#35) of the Shenzhen Aviators denies a shot by Han Shuo of the Sichuan Blue Whales in the game in Zhuji, October 18, 2020. /VCG
However, the CBA is a different world. Hu missed six shots, over half of which were wide open. He also committed four fouls and when he was on the court, Sichuan was the losing side. One game could never define Zhu's career but it's a reminder he needs to work harder to adapt to the league.
Shenzhen established a safe lead from the beginning with a 15-2 run. Sichuan managed to slim the deficit to single digits more than once but their defense lacked consistency. After the first quarter, Shenzhen finished every quarter leading by 10+ points before taking the win.
Jiang Yuxing (R) of the Jilin Northeast Tigers drives toward the rim in the game against the Nanjing Monkey Kings in Zhuji, October 18, 2020. /VCG
Dai Huaibo leads Jilin over Nanjing
The Jilin Northeast Tigers beat the Nanjing Monkey Kings 105-97 on Sunday. Though Jilin's Jiang Yuxing fouled out early in the fourth quarter, Dai Huaibo carried the team on his shoulders by dropping a game-high 27 points. Dai's constant attack on Nanjing's paint helped Jilin lead 29-10 in free throw attempts.
Having missed the playoffs last season, Nanjing went through great changes during the offseason. They hired a new general manager, Huo Nan, appointed a new head coach, Zvjezdan Misimovic, and landed 13 new players.
Nanjing saw five of their players reach double-digit points but the team also turned the ball over 21 times, giving Jilin too many opportunities for easy points via fast break. Meanwhile, the 31 fouls they committed also meant Nanjing's players need to get more familiar with each other defensively.
The Beijing Ducks are awarded a 20-0 win over the Bayi Rockets after Bayi failed to appear in the arena for the game in Zhuji, October 18, 2020. /VCG
Beijing pockets win for Bayi's absence
The Bayi Rockets, who were scheduled to play the Beijing Ducks on Sunday, did not show up in the arena. Therefore, Beijing was awarded a 20-0 win. There's no official announcement whether Bayi will continue to miss the rest of their games this season.
Wang Zhelin (#31) of the Fujian Sturgeons competes for the ball in the game against the Shanxi Loongs in Zhuji, October 18, 2020. /VCG
Wang Zhelin is outnumbered by Shanxi
The Shanxi Loongs defeated the Fujian Sturgeons 99-92. Though Fujian's ace center Wang Zhelin put down 32 points and 18 rebounds, both game highs, he could not carry his team to victory alone.
Despite Wang's incredible performance, Fujian only saw three of their players reach double-digit points – Huang Yichao (13) and Xu Mingzhi (11). The team's other ace, Chen Linjian, was 1-6 in FGs to score only two points.
By contrast, six of Shanxi's players reached double-digits in scoring. Zhou Zhandong had 12 points, four rebounds, nine assists and three steals. His orchestrating added great mobility to Shanxi's offense which Fujian found difficult to contain.
In the last two games on Sunday night, the Zhejiang Lions pocketed a big win over the Shanghai Sharks. The Lions' star pair Sun Minghui and Hu Jinqiu together put down 72 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. The Xinjiang Flying Tigers defeated the Guangzhou Loong Lions 102-97.