The Jiangsu Dragons edged the Liaoning Flying Leopards in a close 91-90 game, while the Jilin Northeast Tigers beat the Guangzhou Loong Lions 116-112 in
Jiangsu and Liaoning tied at 87-87 with two minutes on the clock. Antonio Blakeney's jump shot put Jiangsu ahead but Zhao Jiwei made a three-pointer to turn the tables around for Liaoning. Blakeney scored again to make it 91-90 before Wu Guanxi's block and Wu Yujia's steal helped Jiangsu secure the narrow victory.
Blakeney went off for a massive 47 points, plus eight rebounds and five assists. Kyle Fogg contributed 35 points and six rebounds for Liaoning.
After the tip-off, Blakeney led Jiangsu's offensive charges while Fogg powered Liaoning to a 19-17 lead in the first quarter. Han Dejun dominated the paint in the second quarter to help Liaoning expand their lead to 50-45.
Blakeney contributed 16 points to Jiangsu's big 31-19 third quarter before holding their nerves in the final minute to claim their fourth win in a row.
Elsewhere, Dominique Jones' stable performance on the freethrow line helped Jilin beat Guangzhou in overtime.
With only four seconds left, Zhu Mingzhen's 3-pointer helped Guangzhou to even the game, but Cui Jinming's key 3-pointer and Jones' free throws killed Guangdong's hopes of a comeback win.
Also on Thursday, the Shanghai Sharks beat the Shenzhen Aviators 103-99, the Tianjin Pioneers lost to the Beijing Royal Fighters 97-82, and the Shanxi Loongs defeated the Beijing Ducks 97-95.
