Abdusalam Abdurixit (left) of the Xinjiang Flying Tigers runs with the ball during a game of the Chinese Basketball Association against the Shenzhen Aviators in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Jan 17, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

JINAN - The Tianjin Pioneers were overturned by the Shandong Heroes in the last three minutes, losing the game 107-110, while the Shenzhen Aviators edged the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 101-98 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Wednesday.

The visiting team Tianjin hit seven three-pointers out of 11 attempts, leading the game 35-27 in the first quarter and continuing to show their team style of this season. David James grabbed 10 points in this single quarter.

Tianjin's three-pointer strategy made them lead the score in most time of the game, but failed to bring a final victory. Marial Shayok hit the key three-pointer in the last moment and helped Shandong overturn the score to 108-107, then Gao Shiyan's shot enlarge the gap to 3 points in the last 13.5 seconds.

Troy Gillenwater notched 27 points, while Chen Peidong added 20 for Shandong.

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Tianjin's three-pointer strategy made them lead the score in most time of the game, but failed to bring a final victory

"We enhanced the physical confronting in the second half in order to decrease our opponents' hitting rate. Such a tough game will give our players a good lesson, they can learn and make progress," said Ding Wei, head coach of Shandong.

Xinjiang, who topped the table, was unfortunate either. Dominic Jones dominated the first half, getting 17 points and 5 assists for Xinjiang in the game verses Shenzhen. Shen Zijie and Jared Sullinger established the advantage in the paint and helped Shenzhen stabilize the situation.

In the last 2.5 seconds, Sullinger's two free throws made their team lead the game, Qilin missed the final shot, giving Shenzhen a narrow victory.

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In the other games, the Beijing Ducks lost to the Fujian Sturgeons 93-103, facing a 5-game losing streak. The Liaoning Flying Leopards beat the Shanxi Loongs 118-112, the Zhejiang Lions smashed the Nanjing Monkey Kings 126-109, the Jiangsu Dragons were defeated by the Jilin Northeast Tigers 106-111.