Hudson drops 41 as Liaoning beats Beijing in double-OT

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Behind a 41-point game by Lester Hudson, the Liaoning Flying Leopards defeated the Beijing Ducks 123-119 to take a 2-1 lead in their CBA playoff series.

Down by three with just six seconds left to play in regulation, Aaron Jackson shrugged off two defenders and drained a triple to tie the score at 103 and force overtime.

The two evenly-matched teams would fail to light up the scoreboard in the first OT, putting up only a combined four points in the first three and a half minutes of the period. Liaoning would eventually gain a slight advantage before Jackson once again came to the rescue for Beijing, evening the score at 110 to force a second OT. Jackson would finish the game with a 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Aaron Jackson earned a triple-double with 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Liaoning in the Game 3 of the CBA playoffs quarterfinals. /VCG Photo

Jackson, however, wouldn't be able to save the Ducks a third time as Liaoning took a four-point lead with just over 30 seconds to play on a jumper from Hudson. The Flying Tigers would maintain the advantage for another notch in the win column.

Liaoning coach Guo Shiqiang pointed to the two teams' familiarity as a key factor behind the close contest.

"Both teams do not have the secret for each other," Guo said after the game. "We are very familiar opponents and are both aware of each other's strategies. The team that can execute better and commit fewer turnovers will win the game."

That familiarity will come into play once again on Thursday night as the two teams meet again in Beijing for Game 4 of their best-of-five series.