BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Ducks fell 118-100 to the Shenzhen Aviators for their second loss of the week, while the Shanghai Sharks beat the Shanxi Loongs 96-81 for a ninth straight win as the 13th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season ended on Sunday.
Beijing dropped to fifth in the standings after the loss. Returning forward Zeng Fanbo and newly signed Victor Bailey Jr. have yet to develop clear chemistry with the team. Although Beijing's leading scorer Eugene German scored 34 points, the Ducks committed 16 turnovers, repeatedly fueling Shenzhen's fast breaks.
For Shenzhen, Terquavion Smith shot 16 of 25 from the field for 45 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, while Wang Haoran made five three-pointers on his way to 25 points.
In another marquee matchup of the round, Kenneth Lofton Jr. had 29 points and 15 rebounds to lead Shanghai past Shanxi. The win extended Shanghai's streak to nine games and lifted the Sharks to the top of the standings.
Shanxi stayed within striking distance through the first three quarters but went cold in the final 10 minutes, scoring eight points in the fourth. Hamidou Diallo scored 22 points in the loss.
In other 13th-round games, defending champion Zhejiang Lions beat the Ningbo Rockets 84-78, the Shandong Heroes extended its winning streak to six games after beating the Ningjing Monkey Kings 89-76, the Guangdong Southern Tigers defeated the Liaoning Flying Leopards 108-78, the Qingdao Eagles edged the Jilin Northeast Tigers 82-74, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers beat the Jiangsu Dragons 99-60, the Fujian Sturgeons defeated the Tianjin Pioneers 115-94, the Guangzhou Loong Lions beat the winless Sichuan Blue Whales 106-76, and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls beat the Beijing Royal Fighters 89-69. ■
