The Jiangsu Dragons clinched their first victory of the 2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular season by defeating the Guangdong Southern Tigers 100-98 in a nail-biting game on Thursday night in Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province.
Entering the game with 13 consecutive losses, Jiangsu was the only winless team in the league. The Dragons started strong, leaping to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter, capitalizing on the early exit of Guangdong’s starting center Wang Shaojie, who left the court due to injury just 17 seconds into the game.
The Southern Tigers relied on Xu Jie’s sharpshooting and Troy Gillenwater’s offensive aggression to stay competitive, trailing 28-23 by the end of the first quarter. Both teams struggled with low field goal percentages in the second quarter. Guangdong momentarily took the lead at 36-35 but couldn’t maintain it for long.
Franklin Jackson and Archie Goodwin spearheaded Jiangsu’s attack, persistently driving into the paint and regaining the advantage. Guangdong faced additional setbacks when Xu accumulated four personal fouls with over five minutes remaining in the quarter. Despite Hu Mingxuan’s efforts, the Southern Tigers trailed by a narrow margin of 48-46 at halftime.
The intensity escalated in the second half as Guangdong initiated a 10-0 run, seizing a 58-50 lead. An assist from Hu to Gillenwater extended their advantage to 63-52. However, Jackson and Goodwin showcased their prowess in both scoring and playmaking, narrowing the deficit to two points at 74-72 by the end of the third quarter.
In the decisive fourth quarter, Goodwin was unstoppable, scoring eight points in two minutes to grant Jiangsu a 97-91 lead with two minutes remaining. Guangdong fought back with a three-pointer from Adonis Arms and clutch free throws by Yang Yi, trimming the gap to 99-98. A tense moment ensued when Jiangsu’s Liu Zexi missed two free throws, giving Guangdong a chance to turn the game around with only six seconds left.
In a dramatic turn, Arms slipped and lost possession to Li Chengyao, forcing Yang to commit a foul to stop the clock. Li made one of two free throws, leaving Guangdong with a final opportunity. However, Zhang Mingchi’s desperate three-point attempt missed the mark, sealing the victory for Jiangsu.
In another game that day, the Nanjing Monkey Kings triumphed over the Sichuan Blue Whales 97-83 at home.
Reference(s):
Jiangsu Dragons upset Guangdong Southern Tigers for 1st win of season
cgtn.com
