Beijing Ducks claim fifth straight win in CBA

The Beijing Ducks clinched their fifth straight victory while the Liaoning Flying Leopards suffered their first loss in the fifth round of the 2026-2027 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) League regular season.

The Ducks beat the Shandong Heroes 103-92 on Tuesday to remain the only unbeaten team in the CBA. Barry Brown and Jakarr Sampson each scored 22 points for Beijing, while Zhou Qi added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Trailing 55-37 at halftime, the Heroes pulled within 96-90 with two minutes and 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, only for the Ducks to close out the game with a 7-2 run.

"There were ups and downs throughout the game. Shandong showed tremendous grit, battling all the way to the final whistle. Tests like this help us build chemistry as a team," said Beijing head coach Li Nan. "This experience will serve us well as we aim to bring our best in every game ahead."

The Heroes were led by Wang Lanqin's 20 points.

Liaoning had its four-game winning streak snapped with a 90-84 road loss to the Zhejiang Lions on Tuesday.

Kyler Edwards made a layup with 1:57 remaining to pull Liaoning within 89-84, but that was as close as it would get. Cui Xinquan made one of two free throws with 22 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Lions.

Dezmine Wells notched 36 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in less than 29 minutes to help the Lions improve to 3-2, while Liaoning slipped to 4-1.

Defending champions Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls also finished Round 5 with 4-1 records.

Li Hongquan had 27 points and six rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell and Li Tianrong added 22 and 20 points respectively as the Sharks held off the Guangdong Southern Tigers 99-87 on Monday. The Golden Bulls defeated the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 81-75 on Tuesday.

In Monday's other action, the Ningbo Rockets dropped their fifth game in a row, losing 85-76 at home to the Jilin Northeast Tigers.

The Guangzhou Loong Lions edged the Beijing Royal Fighters 91-90 in overtime on Tuesday for their third victory in five games. Elsewhere, the Jiangsu Dragons beat the Fujian Sturgeons 88-78, the Qingdao Eagles recorded their second win of the season by holding off the Tianjin Pioneers 94-90, and the Sichuan Blue Whales lost 91-81 to the Nanjing Monkey Kings.

In the final game of the fifth round, the Shenzhen Aviators beat the Shanxi Loongs 95-83 on Wednesday evening.