Nanjing suffer fourth straight CBA defeat

QINGDAO -- The Nanjing Monkey Kings lost to the Shenzhen Aviators 102-97 here on Wednesday, extending its Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) losing streak to four games.

Forward Gu Quan scored four points for Shenzhen after the game kicked off, though Nanjing took a 32-24 lead in the first quarter as Qiao Wenhan contributed 16 points.

The Monkey Kings enlarged the gap to 17 points in the second quarter and forced the Aviators to ask for a timeout. Nanjing maintained their lead as more players put on scoreboard.

Shenzhen hit back in the third quarter. After Gu scored a three-pointer, the Aviators narrowed the gap to eight points.

Shenzhen tied the score at 83-83 with six minutes left in the last quarter. Yang Linwei got a key three points after a 94-94 tie and Gu's free throws secured Shenzhen's victory.

Gu had a game-high 30 points for Shenzhen, Shen Zijie contributed 23 points and Lu Yiwen added 14 points. Qiao scored a team-high 23 points for Nanjing, while Joseph Young collected 16 points, Li Shengdong got 19 points, Li Borun and Li Hongpeng grabbed 11 points apiece.

"We did a good job in the first half, but our defense became weak in the second. Several players are injured in our team and can't play for the entire season, so we don't have enough players on the bench," rued Cui Wanjun, coach of Nanjing.

"We fell more than ten points behind in the first half, but our players didn't give up. This win will boost the team's morale," said Shenzhen coach Wang Jianjun.