BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Xinjiang Flying Tigers secured a hard-fought victory over the Jiangsu Dragons 106-104, while the Beijing Royal Fighters rallied past the Zhejiang Lions 98-85 in the sixth round of the 2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season on Friday.
Despite two bitter defeats ahead of the match, Xinjiang's Li Yanzhe and Dedric Lawson unleashed a fearsome 11-0 run as the game began, ending the first quarter with a 10-point lead.
Three-pointers of Jiang Haoran and Terquavion Smith closed the deficit to 3 points for the Dragons, but failed to penetrate the defenses of Xinjiang in the second half, leaving the laurel to the tenacious Flying Tigers.
Xinjiang's Dedric Lawson pocketed 21 points, while his teammates Azimat Tursun, Quentin Peterson, Li Yanzhe and Qilin also scored double-digits. Terquavion Smith from Jiangsu led all players with 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Another notable competition took place between the Beijing Royal Fighters and the Zhejiang Lions on Friday, marking the second winning streak of the Beijing players. .
Beijing's Liao Sanning and Jared Sullinger spearheaded quick offensives down the basket and established a 5-point lead as the first quarter concluded. Though shocked by Zhejiang's intensive shots, the Royal Fighters extended the gap with accurate three-pointers of Zhang Fan and Liao, prevailing against the Dragons with Shen Zijie's powerful dunk.
Liao Sanning became the top scorer of Beijing with 24 points, with Jared Sullinger achieving a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds. On the Zhejiang side, sharpshooters Hu Jinqiu and Sun Minghui also pocketed 20 points respectively.
In other matchups during the sixth round, the Qingdao Eagles defeated the Jilin Northeast Tigers 92-85, the Shanxi Loongs ended Liaoning's winning streak 103-100, the Shandong Heroes surpassed the Shenzhen Leopards 121-118, the Ningbo Rockets overwhelmed the Shanghai Sharks 114-99 and the Sichuan Blue Whales cruised past the Zhejiang Golden Bulls 122-107.
Elsewhere, the Beijing Ducks beat the Guangdong Southern Tigers 105-101, the Nanjing Monkey Kings crushed the Guangzhou Loong Lions 122-110, and the Tianjin Pioneers defeated the Fujian Sturgeons 115-109.
