Liaoning beats Shandong for 7th straight win in CBA

ZHUJI, China - League leaders Liaoning Flying Leopards netted a 122-109 win over the Shandong Heroes, leaving Lester Hudson's triple-double in vain in the 2020-21 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season on Tuesday.

Hudson posted a team-high 27 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists for Shandong. O.J. Mayo scored a game-high 32 points for Liaoning.

The game was quite emotional as both had players that once played for the other side. Hudson once played for Liaoning, and his then-teammate Gao Shiyan, who was absent due to injury this game, joined Shandong this season. Zhu Rongzhen of Liaoning played for Shandong last season.

Liaoning started with an 11-0 scoring run and led the game by 11 points before the interval. Shandong tried to claw its way back, but Mayo and Guo Ailun together delivered a 20-point lead in the third period.

In the last quarter, Shandong failed to complete a comeback despite once cutting the deficit to four points.

Shandong coach Xie Xiaobin acknowledge the team's efforts with some of their players sidelined and pointed out the players need to control their turnovers in crunch time.

"Liaoning is better than us. We lost in details, but we learned from them," Wang Ruheng of Shandong said.