Jones carries Xinjiang past Beijing in CBA
Dominique Jones delivered an impressive performance with 33 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists as the Xinjiang Flying Tigers won 102-95 over the Beijing Royal Fighters in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Sunday.
Xinjiang gained an early advantage over the Royal Fighters, launching an 11-2 run in the opening quarter.
The tide soon turned in the visiting team's favor with Grant Riller stepping up from the bench, as his aggressive drives to the basket caused havoc for Xinjiang, who struggled to find a solution in containing him. The Royal Fighters took a narrow 47-45 lead at halftime.
In a physical second half, Zhang Fan sank four 3-pointers in the third quarter to keep the Royal Fighters in contention.
Nevertheless, Jones once again showcased his dominance on the court, with his consecutive mid-range jumpers in the fourth quarter proving too much for the Royal Fighters to overcome.
Abdusalam Abdurexit and Qi Lin each contributed 13 points for Xinjiang.
In another intense matchup, Zhao Baiqing's clutch 3-pointer in the final moments propelled the Nanjing Monkey Kings to a thrilling 111-106 victory over the Shenzhen Leopards for their fourth straight win.
Elsewhere on Sunday, the Tianjin Pioneers eased past the Sichuan Blue Whales 113-93, the Fujian Sturgeons routed the Ningbo Rockets 126-93, and the Zhejiang Lions beat the Shanxi Loongs 110-98.