On May 12, Beijing defeated Guangdong 88-73 to claim the third spot in the CBA playoffs semifinals, winning the best-of-three series 2-1. Beijing will now face Shanghai in the semifinals. Guangdong, meanwhile, exited in the quarterfinals for the second straight year, highlighting the need for roster and tactical upgrades for the storied franchise. In the other half of the bracket, Shenzhen swept Zhejiang Chouzhou 2-0 to lock in a semifinal berth, while the final semifinal spot will be decided between Guangsha and Shanxi, currently tied 1-1 in their series.
The Guangdong-Beijing series was highly anticipated, with both sides splitting the first two games. Beijing won Game 1 102-94, and Guangdong forced a decisive Game 3 with a 102-99 overtime victory at home. In the winner-take-all Game 3, Beijing capitalized on its interior strength early, with Zhou Qi hitting 3 of 4 free throws. Du Runwang opened Guangdong’s scoring from beyond the arc. Hu Mingxuan, coming off the bench, quickly found his rhythm with a mix of three-pointers and drives, including a buzzer-beating triple, giving Guangdong a 21-15 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Guangdong pushed its lead to double digits, but the momentum shifted when Zhao Rui collided with Hu Mingxuan’s knee during a drive, forcing a stoppage. Guangdong seemed rattled, and Du Runwang was called for a flagrant foul on Zhou Qi. Beijing responded with an 18-0 run to erase the deficit and take a 5-point lead into halftime. After the break, Guangdong’s perimeter shooting went cold, and they relied on Quinn’s drives for offense. Beijing maintained control, with Williams contributing 4 points and 3 assists in the quarter to extend the lead. In the fourth, Zhou Qi dominated inside with 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 blocks, stifling Guangdong’s attempts to rally. The final score was 88-73, ending Guangdong’s season.
Key stats: Quinn shot 9 of 19 from the field (1 of 9 from three) and 7 of 6 from the line for 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, but his outside shooting faltered after hitting 8 threes in Game 2. Hu Mingxuan had 13 points and 2 assists on 3-of-9 shooting, while Xu Jie went scoreless on 0-for-3, exposing his defensive weaknesses against taller opponents. McColl managed just 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting, and Guangdong’s interior duo of Salinger and Rakocevic combined for only 11 points. For Beijing, Zhou Qi was dominant with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals on 5-of-8 shooting and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line. Jaylen had a near triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Zeng Fanbo added 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Chen Yingjun was aggressive, scoring 16 points despite shooting 3 of 9 from the field, making 8 of 8 free throws.