Devin Williams (L) of Jiangsu Dragons passes the ball during a playoff match between Shanghai Sharks and Jiangsu Dragons at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in east China's Shanghai, April 14, 2023. (silubaba/Wang Xiang)
SHANGHAI, April 14 (silubaba) -- Consecutive mistakes in the final minutes from the Jiangsu Dragons gifted the Shanghai Sharks a 108-104 victory here on Friday, helping the hosts reach the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) quarterfinals with a 2-1 win in their best-of-three first round.
The decisive moments came in the last two minutes, which saw a 10-0 burst for Shanghai led by Wang Zhelin due to Jiangsu's turnovers.
Wang returned to court after injury and was presented with the MVP trophy of the 2022-23 regular season ahead of the game. The Shanghai center tallied 23 points.
Jiangsu guard Antonio Blakeney notched a game-high 33 points and five rebounds.
In a closely-contested game from the outset, Blakeney had eight points to deliver an 11-6 run for Jiangsu, who enlarged their gap to double digits. After Wang returned to the court, Shanghai quickly cut the deficit to 25-24 after the first quarter.
Entering the second half 52-50 ahead, Shanghai consolidated their leading position thanks to Romelo Trimble's four free throws. Jiangsu erased a seven-point deficit to tie 78-78 heading into the final frame.
With Shanghai marching on, the list of the last-eight teams has been completed. Shanghai will face the Shenzhen Aviators in the quarterfinals. ■
Melo Trimble (2nd L) of Shanghai Sharks goes for a lay-up during a playoff match between Shanghai Sharks and Jiangsu Dragons at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in east China's Shanghai, April 14, 2023. (silubaba/Wang Xiang)
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