Former Shanghai Sharks player Yao Ming, who started playing in the CBA at 13. (Photo : Reuters)
Sunday's Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) match between defending champion Beijing and Jilin resulted in a victory for the capital city's team, which has won two out of the last three CBA titles.
With Randolph Morris scoring 31 points, the scoreboard's final readout displayed 111-92, placing Beijing in a dominant 2-0 position as the two sides compete in a best-of-five playoff for the first round series of the league's championship.
Beijing is now only one victory away from an achievement that would represent a fourth consecutive CBA semifinal appearance. However, the first two confrontations in the round-one series were not straightforward for the defending champions. On Sunday, they were fortunate to receive the support of Morris, Stephon Marbury and Li Gen, whose combined on-court performances provided a total of 73 points.
Both Marbury and Li spoke with the media after the game, with the former, who contributed 17 points to the 73 total, saying, "I think we played with confidence." Marbury also managed five assists and four steals.
Li Gen, who sunk 25 points, highlighted the focus of his teammates, acknowledging the power that his opponents had on the defensive part of the court, stating that Beijing "did well" against such strength.
In terms of game statistics, Beijing produced results from 30 of their 52 two-point attempts, while Jilin made 25 out of 60 in the first quarter;
Dominique Jones led Jilin's squad with 32 points, followed by Denzel Bowles who scored 27; Beijing forward Zhai Xiaochuan finished with 17 points. After starting the game well, with a first-quarter lead, Beijing prevailed when the final siren blew, walking off court with a 19-point victory.
