The Shanxi Loongs trashed the Fujian Sturgeons 136-104 on Thursday to extend their unbeaten streak to five matches in the Chinese Basketball Association, while the
Fujian and Shanxi were so evenly matched that neither could gain the upper hand. Ge Zhaobao's layup tied the score 59-59 for Shanxi with 29 seconds left before halftime, after both sides had leveled each other 10 times.
Shanxi began to show their prowess in the third quarter, making a 42-24 run, and continued to dominate the rest of the match as the Sturgeons saw their morale sagging.
Yuan Shuai led Shanxi with a game-high 40 points, and the 36-year-old Alexey Shved contributed a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
Elsewhere, Ningbo, the hosts, finished the first quarter with a five-point advantage and further extended the lead to 19 points before the interval.
Maurice Kemp led a 5-0 run in the third quarter and cut the deficit to five for Guangzhou. Facing the fierce visitors, Ningbo grew flustered and even failed in two layup attempts in the last minutes before Chen Yingjun scored the winning last-second layup.
The victory put an end to Guangzhou's three-game losing streak, while worsening Ningbo's win-loss record to 2-8.
In the other match on Thursday, the Shandong Heroes came from behind to defeat the Nanjing Monkey Kings 86-81
