Liaoning beat Jilin for 2nd straight win on Zhao Jiwei's career night

The Liaoning Flying Leopards beat the Jilin Northeast Tigers 112-99 in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, to secure their second straight win in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on a career night for the home team's star guard Zhao Jiwei.

Zhao was Liaoning's best performer on the night after making seven of his 10 attempts from downtown to score a team-high 23 points while delivering nine assists. He surpassed Guo Ailun to become the all-time assists leader in team history after setting up 2,581 made field goals (FGs) for his teammates.

Zhao did well in both individual attack and making plays in the first quarter, knocking down two triples and setting up easy buckets for his teammates. Liaoning led 28-24 after this quarter.

Dominique Jones and Tomas Kyzlink carried Jilin's counterstrike in the second quarter. Jones both made shots from the outside and charged the rim with remarkable aggression. Kyzlink stole from Zhang Zhenlin for a single-handed dunk that silenced the home crowd. With a 13-5 run, the visitors rose to a 56-49 lead when the first half ended.

Zhao and Zhang responded with offensive aggression by constantly attacking the paint as the game resumed. Kyle Fogg also matched Jones in providing explosive firepower. Liaoning outscored Jilin 31-20 in this quarter and gained the advantage back at 80-76.

Zhao continued to knock down triples as the fourth quarter began, enabling the hosts to drive an 11-3 run and extending their lead to double digits. Though Jones continued to score and dropped 42 points in the end, his side failed to reverse the situation.

In the other game on the night, league leaders the Guangsha Lions beat the Nanjing Monkey Kings 105-98 on the road to avoid their third consecutive loss. Barry Brown Jr. shot 12-for-24 from the field for a game-high 38 points for the home team.