Former NBA player Yi Jianlian contributed 27 points and 10 rebounds to help Guangdong beat Beijing 103-98 in the 32nd round of the 2016-2017 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league action on Sunday.
In their first match in the Year of the Rooster, Guangdong opened with an impressive first quarter. Zhou Peng scored 13 points to put Guangdong 34-21 ahead. The visitors were still unable to put up a fight in the second period as they lagged behind 46-61 at halftime.
Beijing narrowed the gap in the second half with consecutive shots from Stephon Marbury, and even had a chance to win in the last quarter. But Zhou Zhandong and Ren Junfei scored five points in a row to help Guangdong regain the lead.
Yi Jianlian was then fouled behind the arc with 18.1 seconds left on the clock. He hit all three free throws and blocked Zhang Songtao in the paint to secure the victory for Guangdong.
Marbury, who was fouled out in the fourth quarter, scored game-high 32 points while teammate Zhai Xiaochuan had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Yi had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Guangdong as former NBA player Carlos Boozer added 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Defending champion Sichuan beat Shanxi 111-101 thanks to veteran Liu Wei's 17 points in the first quarter. Guangsha defeated Jiangsu 110-107 as Courtney Fortson had 44 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the winner.
Elsewhere, Bayi lost to Liaoning 77-96, Aolong beat Guangzhou 109-100, Shenzhen defeated Tianjin 117-111, Shandong edged Jilin 98-95, Xinjiang overwhelmed Fujian 138-115, Tongxi beat Zhejiang 114-112 and Shanghai downed Qingdao 115-109.
