Dominique Jones (R) of Jilin Northeast Tigers vies with Dezmine Wells of Zhejiang Lions during the 41st round match between Jilin Northeast Tigers and Zhejiang Lions at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Jiangsu Dragons defeated the Fujian Sturgeons 102-79 to grab the last spot in the playoffs while the Zhejiang Lions eased past the Jilin Northeast Tigers 99-89 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Sunday.
Jiangsu needed a victory over Fujian to win a place in the playoffs. Fujian established an early lead after tip-off thanks to Darius Adams's three pointer and assist, but Jiangsu cut the deficit down to one at the end of the first quarter.
Antonio Blakeney shone in the second quarter to help Jiangsu storm 18-4 to surpass Fujian, who were limited to 11 points in the single quarter. The second half saw Jiangsu keep a double-digit advantage all the way to the end to secure the last playoff place.
Blakeney had 36 points and seven rebounds, Liu Zhixuan added 16 points and team high seven assists. Adams led Fujian with 19 points.
"We had trouble scoring at the beginning of the game because we knew how important the game was tonight. We did well in defense and kept focused in the game to finally win a spot in the playoffs. Like I said before, always try 100 percent when you have a one percent chance to win," said Jiangsu coach Li Nan.
The Zhejiang Lions had led 30-22 against Jilin in the first quarter, but the latter turned the table by attacking the rim in the paint. Their shooting performance behind the arc helped Zhejiang win by ten points by the end of the game.
Zhejiang's Hu Jinqiu had 24 points and seven rebounds. Sun Minghui was one rebound away from triple double with 17 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists. Jilin's Dominique Jones had 21 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists.
In other games on Sunday, the Beijing Royal Fighters beat the Ningbo Rockets 99-95, the Guangdong Southern Tigers defeated the Shandong Heroes 102-93, the Qingdao Eagles edged the Sichuan Blue Whales 113-100, while the Zhejiang Golden Bulls lost to the Shanghai Sharks 112-88. ■
Yuan Zhenliang (top) of Sichuan Blue Whales looks to shoot during the 41st round match between Qingdao Eagles and Sichuan Blue Whales at 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Marlain Veal (2nd L) of Sichuan Blue Whales controls the ball during the 41st round match between Qingdao Eagles and Sichuan Blue Whales at 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Zuo Liannian (C) of Sichuan Blue Whales tries to break through during the 41st round match between Qingdao Eagles and Sichuan Blue Whales at 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Ou Junxuan (R) of Qingdao Eagles passes the ball during the 41st round match between Qingdao Eagles and Sichuan Blue Whales at 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Marlain Veal (R) of Sichuan Blue Whales breaks through during the 41st round match between Qingdao Eagles and Sichuan Blue Whales at 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Zhao Xuhong (R) of Sichuan Blue Whales looks to shoot during the 41st round match between Qingdao Eagles and Sichuan Blue Whales at 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Marlain Veal (L) of Sichuan Blue Whales passes the ball during the 41st round match between Qingdao Eagles and Sichuan Blue Whales at 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Dominique Jones (L) of Jilin Northeast Tigers shoots during the 41st round match between Jilin Northeast Tigers and Zhejiang Lions at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Dominique Jones (R) of Jilin Northeast Tigers shoots during the 41st round match between Jilin Northeast Tigers and Zhejiang Lions at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, April 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
