The CBA playoffs quarterfinal Round 3 intensified as Guangdong Dongguan Light traveled to face Beijing Beiqi. The game saw maximum physicality and tight competition from both sides. Guangdong opened with a first-quarter lead but could not sustain their offensive and defensive consistency, allowing Beijing to surge ahead with a counterattack. Despite a valiant effort to close the gap, with field goals nearly matched, a massive disparity in free throws (21-41) proved too much to overcome, resulting in a 73-88 defeat that eliminated the team in the quarterfinals.
Game Recap
From the opening tip, both teams engaged in intense, physical play, limiting scoring opportunities from the field. Beijing’s Zhou Qi drew fouls inside, while Jieman and Chen Yingjun increased their drives to the basket. Wang Shaojie and Xu Jie each picked up two early fouls and were forced to sit. In a critical moment, McColl scored on consecutive drives to the rim, and Hu Mingxuan continued his hot shooting from Game 2, scoring nine points, helping Guangdong take a 21-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Quinn scored four straight points to extend the lead. Beijing, led by Chen Yingjun, kept pace. Guangdong’s suffocating defense forced Beijing into repeated offensive failures. Rakicevic and Du Runwang worked perfectly inside and out, stretching the lead to double digits and forcing a Beijing timeout. However, after the timeout, Zhao Rui left the game unexpectedly due to injury, and Beijing switched to two small foreign players, altering the game’s momentum dramatically. Guangdong failed to respond effectively, committing turnovers, and Beijing capitalized, going on an 18-0 run to take the lead. At halftime, the score was 35-40, with Guangdong trailing by five points.
In the third quarter, Zhai Xiaochuan and Jieman quickly extended the lead to nine points. Quinn and Hu Mingxuan stepped up to rally the team. Quinn executed an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Sullinger and converted two and-one opportunities, while Hu Mingxuan sank a tough three-pointer while off balance, cutting the deficit to two points. However, Beijing closed the quarter with an
