The Fujian Sturgeons edged the Shanghai Sharks 133-130 in overtime, while the Shandong Heroes overcame the Liaoning Flying Leopards 119-114 to survive after a thrilling second overtime in the 29th round of the 2022-23 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league regular season on Wednesday.
The CBA league kicked off its third phase of the regular season after China's men's basketball team came back from the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Home-away games were played for the first time after a two-season hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The third-to-last-ranked Fujian seems to have found a way to win. They forced the Sharks with Eric Bledsoe into overtime and secured the victory in overtime with Darius Adams' layup. Adams clinched a game-high 45 points, adding his 45-plus games to 37, and Chen Linjian added 18 for the Sturgeons. On Shanghai's side, Bledsoe scored 30 points and dished 12 assists, and Wang Zhelin took 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
Shandong and Liaoning tied after four quarters in the featured match. In the first five minutes of overtime, the Flying Leopards broke the tie with Zhao Jiwei's 3-pointer, but the Heroes relied on their paint points to keep the game even. At the critical moment, Guo Ailun failed to end the game, and the game went into a second overtime.
Troy Gillenwater took over the game in the second overtime, he first scored two points with a dunk, then hit a three-pointer, and in the final moments, Gillenwater's layup sealed the victory. Gillenwater contributed 32 points for Shandong, and Tao Hanlin added 27. On Liaoning's side, Guo notched a team-high 23 points, and Zhang Zhenlin added 18.
Elsewhere, the Guangdong Southern Tigers edged the Shanxi Loongs 107-101, the Qingdao Eagles nosed out the Nanjing Monkey Kings 93-85, the Jilin Northeast Tigers cruised past the Ningbo Rockets 108-93, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls beat the Guangzhou Loong Lions 85-73, the Shenzhen Aviators defeated Sichuan Blue Whales 94-85 and due to the withdrawal of the Xinjiang Flying Tigers from the CBA league, the Beijing Ducks automatically won with a score of 20-0.
