The Shanghai Sharks 🦈 continued their winning streak by defeating the Shanxi Loongs 100-93 in an electrifying Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) showdown held in Shanghai on Wednesday. This marks their fourth consecutive victory, solidifying their strong performance this season.
Leading the charge were Li Tianrong and Wang Zhelin, both scoring 18 points each. Li was on fire from beyond the arc, sinking four three-pointers on seven attempts, while Wang dominated the paint, racking up a double-double with 10 rebounds before leaving the game due to an apparent injury in the final minutes.
The game was tight in the first half, with Li hitting two crucial triples to give Shanghai a slight edge. However, Shanxi's Brandon Goodwin and Hamidou Diallo stepped up in the second quarter, with Goodwin setting up Zhang Ning for a last-second three to give the Loongs a one-point lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Wang Zhelin brought the Sharks back, making six of his seven shots in the paint, including a rare three-pointer, pushing Shanghai ahead 81-74 heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter saw intense action as Diallo blocked a key shot from Wang before accidentally injuring him. Despite this setback, Li Tianrong and Li Hongquan kept the momentum, hitting shots from downtown to extend Shanghai's lead to 15 points at 97-82.
With Shanxi struggling from the outside and missing multiple key shots, they faced their ninth loss of the regular season. Meanwhile, Shanghai, boasting an impressive record of 20 wins in their last 22 games and 12 consecutive home victories, currently sits 10th in the CBA standings.
Reference(s):
Shanghai Sharks defeat Shanxi Loongs for fourth straight win in CBA
cgtn.com
