CBA: Beijing Ducks beat Guangdong Southern Tigers

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Beijing Ducks defeated Guangdong Southern Tigers 95-90 in the 15th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Wednesday.

Guangdong swept both Beijing Beikong and the Ducks last season, but started this road trip with a loss to the Fly Dragons, and headed to the far west side of the capital looking to turn things around against the Ducks.

A rash of injuries has forced the Southern Tigers to play multiple untested youngsters, putting some pressure on star player Yi Jianlian, the four-time CBA MVP, to lead by example.

Guangdong Southern Tigers' Yi jianlian in the match. /VCG Photo

"We were all over the place on the court," the Southern Tigers center said after the match. "We didn't play well at some points, and have a lot of problems on offense and defense. Our team has many players who are only in their first or second seasons, and have not competed in big games before."

The number six pick from the 2007 NBA Draft would help Guangdong stage a stirring fourth quarter rally, cutting the deficit to one by hitting three free throws with 12 seconds remaining, on his way to scoring 25 points.

But the Ducks held on to eke out a 95-90 victory that put the Southern Tigers on the receiving end of back-to-back defeats.