Second seed Sichuan Blue Whales pulled off a stunning upset over title favorites Liaoning Flying Leopards, 109-104, in Game 3 of their best-of-seven championship series in the 2016 Chinese Basketball Association season held at the Sichuan Provincial Stadium in Chengdu, Sichuan, China on Wednesday.
The Blue Whales now lead the series, 2-1, with the next two games still scheduled to be played in their home court while Games 6 and 7, if necessary, will be played back in Liaoning's home stadium.
Sichuan's trio of imports, namely Hamed Haddadi, Mike Harris, and Justin Dentmon, combined for 80 points and 39 rebounds as they led the way for the underdogs, as reported by Xinhuanet.
Playing intensely in front of the team's raucous hometown crowd, Dentmon fired a game-high 40 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished off six assists in an impressive all-around game that left the Flying Leopards hapless on defense.
Haddadi backed him up with 28 points and a monstrous 25 rebounds while Harris fired 12 points and hauled down eight rebounds, as per BW Live.
Zhang Chunjun and Meng Da led the Blue Whales locals with 11 and 10 points under their names.
Dentmon shot 44 percent from the field, including five three-pointers, and made 13-of-16 from the foul line en route to the crucial victory.
Meanwhile, Liaoning was again spearheaded by two-time CBA MVP Lester Hudson with 31 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Former NBA standout Shavlik Randolph came off the bench to contribute 24 points and 12 rebounds for Guo Shiqiang's squad.
Four Flying Leopards locals scored in double figures, namely Hang Dejun, He Tianju, Li Xiaoxu, and Guo AiLun, who had 13, 12, 11, and 11 points respectively.
Liaoning started the game strong and had led 16-12 in the first quarter before Sichuan unleashed a quick 8-2 run in the final three minutes of the period to finish it up by two, 20-18.
The Blue Whales continued to dominate in the middle quarters behind Dentmon's outside shooting and Haddadi's dominance off the boards as they outscored the Flying Leopards by six points overall to increase their lead to eight, 79-71, at the end of the third period.
Hudson and his gang fought back in the fourth as forward He caught fire, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the final quarter to pull the Flying Leopards within a point with still more than seven minutes left in the clock.
However, Dentmon's continuous drive-to-the-basket plays led to plenty of foul shots that sealed the game for Sichuan.