XI'AN, China, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Liaoning defeats Xinjiang 127-113 in the 21st round of the 17-18 Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) on Wednesday, winning three games in a row.
Before this game, Xinjiang won 34 of 52 games when facing against Liaoning in history. But the defending champion was less competitive in the season after Zhou Qi's drop out. It lost to Liaoning 110-108 in the second round of the season's regular games.
Andray Blatche's injury made Xinjiang compete with its old rival in one non-Chinese player formation. Liaoning's Brandon Bass led his team with 37 points and 14 rebounds. Lester Hudson contributed 24 points, six rebounds and five assists to Liaoning. Although Darius Adams grabbed 42 points, 14 rebounds plus 13 assists, the 28-year-old was outnumbered.
Another CBA powerhouse Guangdong edged Guangzhou 113-101 on Wednesday. In the Guangdong derby, both team tied 54 all at the end of the second quarter. Andrew Nicholson fouled out in the third quarter, but Yi Jianlian and Zhou Peng brought the problem under control. It is well to be reminded that Guangdong never missed a free-throw in the game. The runner-up last season takes the 4th place on CBA standings.
In the other two games played on Wednesday, Shanghai smashed Tianjin 111-92, Shanxi won over Qingdao 122-109.