Beijing Ducks point guard Stephon Marbury. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Beikong Fly Dragons won a capital city battle against the Beijing Ducks on Wednesday, pulling off a tight 94-92 upset in the 31st round of the 2015-2016 Chinese Basketball Association season at the Chaoyang Sports Centre in Beijing, China.
Both teams are based in the capital city of China with the Fly Dragons representing Chaoyang, Beijing and the Ducks playing on behalf of Haidian, Beijing.
Uruguayan-Spanish power forward Esteban Batista, who had a two-season experience in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, led Beikong with a monstrous double-double of 26 points and 19 rebounds, establishing the Fly Dragons presence inside the paint the whole match, via Asia-basket.
American small forward Dorell Wright, an 11-year NBA veteran who notably played for the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Portland Trail Blazers, backed up Batista with 21 points and seven rebounds for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Beijing was led by no less than former NBA superstar and three-time CBA champion and 2015 CBA Finals MVP Stephon Marbury, who fired 36 points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out five assists. Teammate and fellow American Randolph Morris also had a big game with 28 points and 13 rebounds for the visitors.
The Fly Dragons started the game strong, ending the first quarter with a 10-point lead, 26-16, behind the inside plays of Batista. The Ducks managed to trim the lead into eight points at halftime, 49-41, to keep the game within reach.
Led by Marbury, Beijing had a huge 36-point third quarter explosion to turn the tables over Beikong and build their own eight-point spread at the end of the penultimate period, 77-69.
However, the Fly Dragons are not surrendering yet and pulled off a 25-15 fourth quarter rally spearheaded again by Batista's rebounding and dominance in the paint to squeak out a close two-point victory against their more established city rivals.
Marbury managed to tie the game one last time at 92-all in the closing seconds, but the Ducks remained scoreless after that following former Laker point guard Sun Yue's injury, as per CCTV.
Beikong climbed up to the 14th spot of the current league table with its second consecutive win while Beijing went down to seventh place after losing two of its last four games.
