CBA Roundup: Guangdong, Beijing remain unbeaten in CBA

XI'AN, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Guangdong Southern China Tigers bagged their sixth straight win since the 2025-2026 season of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) kicked off after beating the Shandong heroes 94-88 on Friday.

The Beijing Ducks, one of the hottest CBA title favorites, overtook the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 89-85 and also went to a 6-0 record in the regular season.

Guangdong took a 31-23 lead after the first quarter. Although Shandong overtook Guangdong 34-33 in the middle of the second quarter, the home team responded with a 9-0 point run. Before the half break, Jared Sullinger's layup allowed Guangdong to lead 61-46.

Shandong kept chasing and narrowed the gap of the scoreline to four before the final quarter. Then the away team established a solid defense system, forcing Guangdong to fail to score in two and a half minutes. Tao Hanlin scored four points consecutively in two possessions and helped Shandong tie the score at 75-75.

However, Xu Jie and Wang Shaojie gave Guangdong an 11-6 point lead, stretching Guangdong's advantage to five points heading into the last minute, and leaving no way back for its rival.

Edmond Sumner pocketed 24 points, Xu Jie added 22. Sullinger finished a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Chen Linjian led team Shandong by scoring 21 points.

When facing Xinjiang, Beijing trailed by seven points in the first quarter. Then, three-time CBA champion Beijing found its pace and closed the first half 44-42.

After a tight third quarter, Zhao Rui, captain of the national team, scored seven points in the final period and enabled Beijing to extend its winning streak to six games. The win improved the Beijing Ducks' record to 6-0 at the top of the CBA standings.

Elsewhere, the Ningbo Rockets defeated the Zhejiang Golden Bulls 88-79, the Fujian Sturgeons defeated the Guangzhou Loong Lions 97-84, the Tianjin Pioneers defeated the Nanjing Monkey Kings 104-76, and the Qingdao Eagles edged the Shanxi Loongs 88-81.

In two games played on Thursday, the Shanghai Sharks beat the Jiangsu Dragons 84-68, and the Zhejiang Lions smashed the Liaoning Flying Leopards 96-64. Enditem