CBA Roundup: Guangdong beats Shanghai to reap three victories in a row

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Guangdong, the powerhouse of the CBA league, kept unbeaten in the new season as it defeated Shanghai 102-87 in the third round of CBA on Thursday.

With two three-pointers from Zhou Peng, the visiting team Guangdong got a 23-6 lead at the beginning of the game, and Shanghai cut the gap to nine points when the first quarter ended.

Jimmer Fredette, a former NBA player, helped Shanghai narrow the difference to one point. Strengthening its defense, Guangdong expanded the advantage to 11 points at the end of the first half.

Yi Jianlian, a former player of Milwaukee Bucks, led Guangdong to enlarge the gap to 16 points, forcing Shanghai to call a timeout in the third quarter. The visiting team kept a double-digit advantage in the last quarter and grabbed the victory.

Fredette scored a game-high 33 points and seven assists, and Nick Minnerath collected 30 points. Yi Jianlian contributed 22 points and 17 rebounds for Guangdong, Zhou Peng pocketed 18 points and 21-year-old Zhao Rui scored 22 points.

Powerful center Hamed Haddadi got 23 points and 19 rebounds on Thursday, but Sichuan still lost to Guangzhou 111-125, suffering three losses in a row.

In another match played on Thursday, Shandong edged Beijing 87-86 as Ding Yanyuhang's two key free throws sealed the game.