Xu Jie scored 17 points and 9 assists, while Guo Ailun struggled with only 9 points and 4 rebounds; Guangdong narrowly defeated Guangzhou to claim their third consecutive win to start the season.

On December 19th, in the CBA regular season, Guangdong narrowly beat Guangzhou 97-94, maintaining an undefeated streak through their first three matches.

For Guangdong, Salinger posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, Xu Jie had 17 points and 9 assists, Quinn contributed 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, Sumner scored 16 points, and Wang Shaojie added 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks; for Guangzhou, Wiggins scored 25 points and 8 assists, Holiday had 13 points, Yuan Zhaoyao 10 points, Guo Ailun 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Thomas had 8 points and 10 rebounds.

In the first quarter, Quinn scored 5 points with drives and outside shots, Wang Shaojie continuously attacked the rim, and Hu Mingxuan hit a long-range shot; Holiday made a three-pointer, Guo Ailun scored with a floater, and Wiggins combined inside and outside scoring to help Guangdong lead narrowly 12-11. Xu Jie hit a three from the right corner; Xu Xin scored under the basket, Thomas converted a second-chance layup, and Holiday successfully made a reverse layup, tying the score at 17. Liu Yancheng made a three-pointer, Guo Ailun and Wiggins scored consecutively inside; Sumner and Salinger battled for points under the basket, Xu Jie nailed a long-range shot, and the teams were tied at 24. Sumner scored a floater under the basket, helping Guangdong finish the quarter ahead 26-25.

In the second quarter, Shao Weiyun hit a three-pointer, Wiggins slammed a dunk on an alley-oop, and Thomas scored on a fast break layup, helping Guangzhou extend the lead to 35-28. Xu Xin scored on an alley-oop under the basket; Quinn hit a chasing three-pointer, Sumner attacked the rim, and Guangzhou held a slight advantage at 38-37. Quinn delivered consecutive dunks near the basket, Salinger made a put-back, Xu Jie hit a chasing three, and Salinger’s mid-range shot helped Guangdong take a 55-47 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Sumner scored a layup, Xu Jie made a long-range shot, and Salinger converted a put-back, helping Guangdong pull ahead 62-53. Holiday scored 5 points from mid- to long-range shots, Thomas made a floater, and Yuan Zhaoyao hit an open three-pointer, bringing Guangzhou to 63-66. Both Salinger and Wang Hongze completed and-one plays, pushing Guangdong’s lead to 72-63. Yuan Zhaoyao scored a layup, and Wiggins made a three-pointer, narrowing Guangzhou’s deficit to 70-74. Xu Jie successfully finished a layup, helping Guangdong maintain their edge and lead 77-70 at the end of the quarter.

In the final quarter, Wiggins scored 6 points both inside and outside, bringing Guangzhou within 76-79. Sumner made a three-pointer, Wang Hongze and Holiday aggressively attacked the rim, while Xu Jie and Hu Mingxuan each hit three-pointers, helping Guangdong extend their lead to 93-83, a 10-point margin. Although Guangzhou fought back hard, they couldn’t overturn the result. Guangdong firmly held their advantage in the remaining minutes and secured the victory as expected.

Starting Lineups

Guangdong: Salinger, Xu Jie, Hu Mingxuan, Quinn, Wang Shaojie

Guangzhou: Wiggins, Xu Xin, Guo Ailun, Liu Yancheng, Holiday