Former NBA Yi Jianlian lifts Guangdong to 18th straight win

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) — Former NBA player Yi Jianlian had a double-double as Guangdong beat Xinjiang 111-94 on Wednesday in the 29th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league.

The victory extended Guangdong’s winning streak to 18 games, the longest for all teams during this season. Liaoning, who opened the season with 17 straight victories, now tops the league standings ahead of Guangdong.

Yi scored 26 points and grabbed 21 rebounds for Guangdong. Will Bynum had match-high 30 points and dished out five assists. Zhu Fangyu hit three of his five three-pointers in the final quarter, adding 28 points.

Sebastian Telfair had 29 points to lead Xinjiang. Andray Blatche scored 27 points in the first half but only made one free-throw in the second half to finish with 28.

The victory was also Guangdong’s eighth straight home win against Xinjiang since the 2011/2012 season. Xinjiang is now ranked seventh.

Liaoning became the first team to secure a play-off berth after beating Dongguan 124-117 at home. Dongguan’s six-game winning streak was snapped.

Lester Hudson led Liaoning with a triple-double of 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, while Bobby Brown’s 64 points still could not bring Dongguan a victory.

Also on Wednesday, Shanghai beat Tongxi 107-97 thanks to Michael Beasley’s 28 points and 13 rebounds. Shanxi ended Bayi’s three-game winning streak at 104-92. Guangsha crushed Sichuan 118-99. Beijing defeated Foshan 109-94. Fojian lost to Jilin 118-124. Tianjin downed Jiangsu 116-105, and Qingdao beat Shandong 108-91.

via CBA Roundup: Yi lifts Guangdong to 18th straight win | GlobalPost.