Liaoning Flying Leopards shooting guard Guo Ailun. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Liaoning Flying Leopards captured the 2015-2016 Chinese Basketball Association regular season crown with a high-scoring 150-122 victory over the Tianjin Gold Lions on Wednesday at the Tianjin arena.
Xinhuanet noted that it was the first time Liaoning has ever topped the CBA's regular season since the franchise was founded in 1995 and the team did it by winning 16 consecutive games.
The Flying Leopards' last defeat was on Dec. 23 of last year, a 99-92 loss in the hands of the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions and they have not lost since their Christmas Day 103-86 blowout win over the Guangdong Southern Tigers,
Liaoning controlled the high-offense game from start to finish, pulling off a 41-point outburst right in the opening quarter as against 33 points from Tianjin, as per Sofa Score.
The Flying Leopards, led by their American imports, Shavlik Randolph and Lester Hudson, led in every quarter on the way to the decisive rout, but it was noticeable that not much defense was being played.
With the win, head coach Guo Shiqiang's squad earned home court advantage in every series of the forthcoming CBA playoffs, where Liaoning could face the Zhejiang Golden Bulls or the Beijing Ducks in the first round of the postseason depending on the results of the tournament's regular season final round games on Friday.
Randolph led the Flying Leopards with a monstrous double-double of 43 points and 13 rebounds. He also contributed two assists, three steals, and a shot block in almost 32 minutes of action coming off the bench.
Hudson backed Randolph up with 34 points on 50 percent (8-of-16) shooting from the three-point line. The former Los Angeles Clipper also had eight boards, an assist, and two steals.
The Flying Leopards' best local player is starting shooting guard Guo Ailun, who fired 26 points on an incredible 91.7 percent (11-of-12) two-point field goal shooting.
Liaoning currently has a win-loss record of 30-7 and 67 points with one more game to go in the regular season on Friday at home versus the Shanxi Brave Dragons.
Coming in at second place is the Xinjiang Flying Tigers with a 29-8 slate and 66 points. Xinjiang's tough 112-110 loss to the Brave Dragons on Jan. 29 proved to be crucial as it allowed the Flying Leopards to grab solo first place in the league table.
