Lual Acuil (left) of the Nanjing Monkey Kings goes for a basket during the second round match against the Guangdong Southern Tigers at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association league in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Oct 13, 2022. (CHEN ZHENHAI / XINHUA)

HANGZHOU - Powerhouse Guangdong Southern Tigers pocketed its first win this season after beating the Nanjing Monkey Kings 116-102, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers edged the Shenzhen Aviators 92-91 in Hangzhou on Thursday in the second round of the 2022-2023 Chinese Basketball Association.

Guangdong was supposed to take on the Beijing Royal Fighters in the first round, but the game didn't take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Guangdong was ruled to lose the game 20-0 for its absence.

Trailing by 54-48 at halftime, Guangdong engined a 35-14 comeback during the third quarter thanks to its typical solid defense and counterattacks

Embarking on the new season with an afternoon matchup against the lesser Nanjing, the 11-time champion didn't find its rhythm until a third-quarter rally. Trailing by 54-48 at halftime, Guangdong engined a 35-14 comeback during the third quarter thanks to its typical solid defense and counterattacks.

"I sent everyone on the roster on court during the first half to let them find their form as soon as possible," Guangdong coach Du Feng said after the game.

"They performed better both in offense and defense in the second half, having a higher 3-point shooting percentage. That's the main reason why we could build the advantage," he added.

Marshon Brooks (right) of the Guangdong Southern Tigers breaks through during the second round match against the Nanjing Monkey Kings at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association league in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Oct 13, 2022. (CHEN ZHENHAI / XINHUA)

Marshon Brooks, who missed games for over 500 days after rupturing his Achilles tendon, was off to a team-high 32 points and 11 rebounds for Guangdong, while five of his teammates scored double digits.

After stunning title contender Shanghai Sharks in its season's opener, Xinjiang pulled out another dramatic win in a highlighted clash against Shenzhen. The game went neck-and-neck for the whole 48 minutes as the scores tied at 22-22 in the first quarter and at 45-45 before the interval.

During the final quarter, Shenzhen enlarged the gap to six points 81-75 after Gu Quan made a jump shot with more than six minutes on the clock, but Xinjiang managed to erase the deficits and tied the scores at 86-86 in the dying minutes.

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He Xining (right) of the Shenzhen Leopards blocks Yu Dehao of the Xinjiang Flying Tigers during a second round match at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association league in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Oct 13, 2022. (CHEN ZHENHAI / XINHUA)

Tacko Fall became the clutch player for Xinjiang during the last 60 seconds as he scored four consecutive points with a dunk and a layup, giving Xinjiang a four-point lead with only 16 seconds to time.

Although Shenzhen's Jared Sullinger made another jump shot and narrowed the gap to 90-88, Qi Lin's free throw finally sealed the victory for Xinjiang.

Five players scored at least ten points for Xinjiang, with Zhu Xuhang leading the team with 19 points.

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In the other games on Thursday, the Shandong Heroes won over the Beijing Royal Fighters 104-93, the Zhejiang Lions beat the Jilin Northeast Tigers 82-73, and the Fujian Sturgeons lost to the Jiangsu Dragons 107-96.