Shanghai Sharks defeat Shanxi Loongs for fourth straight win in CBA

The Shanghai Sharks beat the Shanxi Loongs 100-93 in a Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) game in east China's Shanghai Municipality on Wednesday, securing their fourth straight win in a contest postponed from earlier in the season.

Five players contributed double-digit points for the hosts, with Li Tianrong and Wang Zhelin both scoring 18. Li drilled four three-pointers on seven attempts. Wang contributed a double-double that also included 10 rebounds before exiting with an apparent injury down the stretch.

Li drained two of his triples in the first quarter, which Shanghai finished with a 29-26 lead. Shanxi counted on Brandon Goodwin and Hamidou Diallo to rally in the second period. Goodwin also set up Zhang Ning for a three in the final seconds of the quarter to give the Loongs a one-point advantage, 53-52, going into halftime.

Wang stepped up for the Sharks in the third quarter, making six of his seven shots in the paint, and also knocking down a rare triple to net 13 points in the period. The home side led 81-74 going into the fourth.

Diallo came up with an impressive block on Wang in transition early in the fourth quarter, but inadvertantly fell on the two-time league Most Valuable Player's knees afterwards. The veteran center limped back to the locker room and didn't return to the court. Li Tianrong and Li Hongquan kept the hosts on the front foot, however, by making shots from downtown. The home side's advantage grew to 15 points at 97-82.

With Yuan Shuai and Zhang missing multiple outside shots, second-placed Shanxi suffered its ninth loss of the regular season. Shanghai, which won 20 of its past 22 games including 12 in a row at home, remains in 10th place in the CBA standings.