What a night for basketball fans! 🏀🔥
The Jilin Northeast Tigers roared back to life, snapping their four-game losing streak with a heart-pounding 116-114 victory over the Ningbo Rockets in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, on Thursday.
Despite missing their ace, Dominique Jones, due to injury, the Tigers found a new hero in Tomas Kyzlink. The Czech guard put on a show, shooting an almost perfect 9-for-10 from the field, dropping a team-high 30 points and dishing out 15 assists! 🎯 He also snagged three steals, showing he's got game on both ends of the court.
Kyzlink came out swinging, racking up 11 points and 7 assists in the first quarter alone, helping Jilin jump ahead 37-27. As he kept raining threes 🌧️ in the second quarter, the Tigers roared to a 21-point lead at 60-39. It was looking like a blowout!
But the Ningbo Rockets wouldn't go down without a fight. Jordan Howard, Wang Zirui, and Wang Junjie ignited, launching their own barrage of triples 🚀, slicing the deficit to 11 points at 70-59 by halftime. The momentum was shifting!
Into the second half, Kyzlink continued to dominate, attacking the paint fearlessly. But Ningbo's Mangok Mathiang joined in the fun, throwing down dunks and rattling the rim. The Rockets were fueling up! ⛽️🔥
With just 19 seconds left, Luo Kaiwen nailed his fourth three-pointer, pulling Ningbo within two at 111-109. Talk about a nail-biter! 😱 The Rockets started playing the foul game, but Jilin's Cui Jinming and Jiang Weize kept their cool at the free-throw line, missing only one of six attempts. Even though Wang Junjie and Wang Zirui hit clutch shots in the final moments, it wasn't enough. The Tigers held on for the win, avoiding a fifth consecutive loss. Victory never tasted so sweet! 🏆🎉
Meanwhile, over in Nanjing, the Beikong Royal Fighters edged out the Nanjing Monkey Kings 107-103 for their second straight win. Grant Riller was on fire in the first half, helping Beikong build up a 14-point lead at 48-34. But the Monkey Kings swung back into action! 🐒🔥
Ty Leaf led Nanjing's charge in the second half, attacking the rim and flipping the script to take an 89-88 lead early in the fourth quarter. But Beikong's Zou Yuchen wasn't about to let this one slip away. He stepped up big time, owning the paint and putting the Royal Fighters back on top.
Despite Zhao Baiqing's clutch three-pointers keeping Nanjing in the hunt till the very end, the Monkey Kings couldn't climb all the way back, dropping their third straight game. Another wild finish in the CBA! 🏀🤯
Stay tuned, hoop fans! The season is just heating up, and with performances like these, you won't want to miss a single game. 📺🔥
Reference(s):
Jilin Northeast Tigers beat Ningbo Rockets to end 4-game losing streak
cgtn.com
