Marquese Chriss (top R) of Shandong Heroes passes the ball during the playoff 1st round match between Beijing Royal Fighters and Shandong Heroes at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Beijing, China, April 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Sharks edged the Guangdong Southern Tigers 104-103 with a buzzer-beater to tie the series in the best-of-three first round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoffs on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Beijing Royal Fighters clinched their second straight win over the Shandong Heroes 93-84 to sail into the quarterfinals to face the Beijing Ducks, which will be a much-anticipated Beijing derby.
Guangdong and Shanghai fought back and forth from the start of the game. Du Runwang's three-pointer with just 15 seconds left on the clock put Guangdong ahead 90-86, which nearly sealed the victory. However, following Wang Zhelin's layup, Tyler Harvey of Shanghai stole the ball and scored to tie the game 90-90.
In the last four seconds of overtime, Hu Mingxuan of Guangdong missed two free throws, but Guangdong still led 103-101. Then, Harvey stood out again to nail a three-pointer for a resounding victory.
Harvey pocketed 33 points and 11 rebounds, while six players of Guangdong scored in double digits yet had to swallow the painful loss.
Confronting the Shandong, Beijing's Liao Sanning and Zhang Fan came off the bench and combined for four three-pointers to help the home team take an eight-point lead before the halftime.
The Royal Fighters further strengthened their offense in the third quarter and extended the lead to 13 points. The Heroes, who only got 54 points in the first three quarters, bounced back in the final quarter with continuous scoring of Dallas Moore. Shandong once closed the gap to six points but failed to turn around.
Grant Riller of Beijing scored a game-high 24 points, while Moore had 20 points and five assists. ■
Grant Riller (L) of Beijing Royal Fighters goes for a lay-up against Marquese Chriss of Shandong Heroes during the playoff 1st round match between Beijing Royal Fighters and Shandong Heroes at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Beijing, China, April 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Dallas Moore (R) of Shandong Heroes goes for a lay-up during the playoff 1st round match between Beijing Royal Fighters and Shandong Heroes at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Beijing, China, April 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Grant Riller of Beijing Royal Fighters dunks during the playoff 1st round match between Beijing Royal Fighters and Shandong Heroes at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Beijing, China, April 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Marquese Chriss (R) of Shandong Heroes competes during the playoff 1st round match between Beijing Royal Fighters and Shandong Heroes at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Beijing, China, April 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Jared Sullinger (L) of Beijing Royal Fighters celebrates with teammate Liu Xiaoyu during the playoff 1st round match between Beijing Royal Fighters and Shandong Heroes at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Beijing, China, April 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
