NBL Round 18 (Regular Season): Hefei defeat HK JinNiu

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked HK JinNiu (15-2) in Hong Kong on Tuesday night. Hosts were defeated by second ranked Hefei (13-4) 96-85. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. 32 personal fouls committed by HK JinNiu helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a good game for American point guard Jordan Walker (186-1997, college: Morehead St., agency: Octagon Europe) who led his team to a victory with 35 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Greek forward Dimitrios Agravanis (208-1994, agency: Diamond Sports) contributed with 17 points for the winners. Swingman Jian Dong (196) replied with 15 points and 5 rebounds for HK JinNiu. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hefei have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 13-4 record having just two points less than leader HK JinNiu. HK JinNiu at the other side still keeps top place with two games lost. Hefei are looking forward to face Hubei (#10) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. HK JinNiu will play against Anhui W. (#11) and is hoping to win this game.
Bottom-ranked Zhangjiakou is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their 17th consecutive match to twelfth ranked Guizhou (6-11) 121-77. American-Puerto Rican Kyle Vinales (188-1992, college: CCSU) scored 40 points (!!!) and 8 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Scottie Lindsey chipped in 31 points and 6 rebounds (went 12 for 12 at the free throw line !!!) during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Kenneth Miller (186-1995, college: OVU) with 23 points and 5 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Guizhou maintains twelfth position with 6-11 record. Zhangjiakou at the other side still closes the standings. Guizhou will play against higher ranked Hebei (#7) on the road in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Zhangjiakou will play against Shanghai (#5) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
The game in Hebei was also quite interesting. Third ranked Hunan (12-5) played at the court of 6th ranked Hebei (9-8). Hunan defeated Hebei 105-91 on Tuesday. Ramon Galloway notched 27 points and 6 assists to lead the effort. Even a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds by Vladyslav Koreniuk did not help to save the game for Hebei. Hebei's coach rotated ten players and allowed the starting five to rest. Hunan have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 12-5 record having just three points less than leader HK JinNiu. Loser Hebei keeps the sixth place with eight games lost. They share the position with Jiangsu. Hunan will meet Shandong (#8) on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Hebei will play against Guizhou and hope to secure a win.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 18: Jiangxi beat Anhui W. on the road 104-97. Hangzhou destroyed Shandong on its own court 101-77. Hubei unfortunately lost to Jiangsu in Yannan 84-93.



Anhui W. - Jiangxi 97-104

No shocking result in a game when fourth ranked Jiangxi (11-6) beat on the road 10th ranked Anhui W. (7-10) 104-97 on Monday. Jiangxi dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Anhui W.'s 34. American players dominated the game. Guard Michael Bryson (193-1994, college: UCSB) notched 39 points (!!!), 6 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the effort and guard Niven Glover (196-2000) supported him with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jiangxi's coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Even 33 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 4 assists by point guard Jesse Jones (183, college: Bridgeport) did not help to save the game for Anhui W.. Center Noah Dickerson (207-1997, college: Washington) added 20 points and 17 rebounds. Jiangxi maintains fourth position with 11-6 record. Loser Anhui W. keeps the tenth place with ten games lost. They share the position with Hubei. Jiangxi will meet Hangzhou (#13) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Anhui W. will play against the league's leader HK JinNiu in Hong Kong and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Anhui W.: J.Jesse 33+5reb+4ast, D.Noah 20+17reb+1ast, Y.Wenbo 14+2reb+8ast, M.Yicheng 9+4reb+1ast, L.Juntao 9+5reb+5ast, Y.Zhenliang 8+6reb
Jiangxi: M.Bryson 39+6reb+6ast, N.Glover 25+6reb+4ast, J.Liu 11+1reb+1ast, X.Wang 8+4reb, Y.Li 7+5reb, Y.Wang 6+7reb+2ast

Hangzhou - Shandong 101-77

There was an upset when higher ranked Shandong (8-9) was smashed on the road by thirteenth ranked Hangzhou (5-12) 101-77 on Monday. American forward Cameron McGriff (201-1997, college: OK State) notched 33 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds to lead the effort and American-Puerto Rican point guard Jordan Howard (180-1996, college: Cent Arkansas) supported him with 23 points (went 12 for 12 at the free throw line !!!). Even 23 points by American-Bulgarian guard Brandon Young (193-1991, college: DePaul, agency: BIG) did not help to save the game for Shandong. Guard Jiuzhang Chen (193-2001) added 21 points. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Hangzhou maintains thirteenth position with 5-12 record. Loser Shandong dropped to the eighth place with nine games lost. Hangzhou will meet at home higher ranked Jiangxi (#4) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Shandong will play against Hunan (#3) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Shandong: Y.Brandon 23+2reb+1ast, C.Jiuzhang 21+2reb, H.Michael 13+10reb, Y.Yerbo 6+1reb, C.Jinchang 5+5reb+2ast, X.Yimin 4+2ast
Hangzhou: C.McGriff 33+9reb+1ast, J.Howard 23+2reb+2ast, R.Edwards 12+5reb+4ast, Z.Wei 8+4reb, T.Thompson 7+2reb+2ast, Y.Gao 7+10reb+2ast

Jiangsu - Hubei 93-84

Rather predictable result when seventh ranked Jiangsu (9-8) won against 9th ranked Hubei (7-10) in Yannan 93-84 on Tuesday. American players dominated the game. point guard Quade Green (183-1998, college: Washington) notched 28 points and 9 assists to lead the effort and center Henry Sims (208-1990, college: Georgetown) supported him with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Even 24 points and 6 rebounds by forward Eric Paschall (198-1996, college: Villanova) did not help to save the game for Hubei. Center Baylee Steele (213-1997, college: Duquesne, agency: Octagon Europe) added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists (went 12 for 12 at the free throw line !!!). Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Hubei's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Jiangsu moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Hebei. Hubei lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the tenth position with ten games lost. They share it with Anhui W.. Jiangsu will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Hubei will play against the league's second-placed Hefei (#2) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Hubei: P.Eric 24+6reb, S.Baylee 15+8reb+4ast, S.Keifer 11+3reb+3ast, X.Shiwei 11+8reb+4ast, L.Wantong 9+5reb+2ast, G.Xiaopeng 8+1ast
Jiangsu: Q.Green 28+4reb+9ast, H.Sims 23+10reb, J.Song 14+9reb+1ast, J.Li 11+3reb+2ast, Y.He 9+9reb+4ast, R.Upshaw 8+4reb

Hebei - Hunan 91-105

The game in Hebei was also quite interesting. Third ranked Hunan (12-5) played at the court of 6th ranked Hebei (9-8). Hunan defeated Hebei 105-91 on Tuesday. Hunan had a 37-25 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American-Iraqi guard Ramon Galloway (190-1991, college: La Salle) notched 27 points and 6 assists to lead the effort and American center Stephen Zimmerman (211-1996, college: UNLV) supported him with 12 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. Even a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds by Ukrainian center Vladyslav Koreniuk (210-1994, agency: BIG) did not help to save the game for Hebei. Guard Jinlang Weng (196-2004) added 15 points and 5 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Hebei's coach rotated ten players and allowed the starting five to rest. Hunan have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 12-5 record having just three points less than leader HK JinNiu. Loser Hebei keeps the sixth place with eight games lost. They share the position with Jiangsu. Hunan will meet Shandong (#8) on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Hebei will play against Guizhou and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Hebei: K.Vladyslav 23+13reb+2ast, W.Jinlang 15+4reb+5ast, F.Yongkang 14+8reb+1ast, W.Ziqi 11+1reb+1ast, A.Jaylen 9+1reb+2ast, W.Xuan 7+6reb+1ast
Hunan: R.Galloway 27+4reb+6ast, J.Liu 16+4reb+3ast, J.Liu 16+1reb+2ast, S.Zimmerman 12+15reb+4ast, M.Watkins 9+14reb+3ast, Y.Deng 9+1reb+3ast

Guizhou - Zhangjiakou 121-77

Bottom-ranked Zhangjiakou is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their 17th consecutive match to twelfth ranked Guizhou (6-11) 121-77. Guizhou made 32-of-38 charity shots (84.2 percent) during the game, while Zhangjiakou only scored twelve points from the stripe. Zhangjiakou was plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. American-Puerto Rican Kyle Vinales (188-1992, college: CCSU) scored 40 points (!!!) and 8 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American swingman Scottie Lindsey (196-1996, college: Northwestern) chipped in 31 points and 6 rebounds (went 12 for 12 at the free throw line !!!) during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Kenneth Miller (186-1995, college: OVU) with 23 points and 5 assists and forward Jiahui Cao (196-2003) scored 10 points and 7 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Guizhou maintains twelfth position with 6-11 record. Zhangjiakou at the other side still closes the standings. Guizhou will play against higher ranked Hebei (#7) on the road in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Zhangjiakou will play against Shanghai (#5) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Zhangjiakou: M.Kenneth 23+4reb+5ast, C.Jiahui 10+7reb+1ast, Z.Zibei 9+3reb+1ast, R.Tianhang 8+4reb+1ast, Y.Amir 6+8reb+2ast, S.Yudi 6+3reb
Guizhou: K.Vinales 40+2reb+8ast, S.Lindsey 31+6reb+2ast, B.Zhao 13+1reb+1ast, Y.Li 8+3reb, Z.Li 7+1reb, S.Manley 6+6reb+1ast

HK JinNiu - Hefei 85-96

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked HK JinNiu (15-2) in Hong Kong on Tuesday night. Hosts were defeated by second ranked Hefei (13-4) 96-85. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. 32 personal fouls committed by HK JinNiu helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a good game for American point guard Jordan Walker (186-1997, college: Morehead St., agency: Octagon Europe) who led his team to a victory with 35 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Greek forward Dimitrios Agravanis (208-1994, agency: Diamond Sports) contributed with 17 points for the winners. Swingman Jian Dong (196) replied with 15 points and 5 rebounds and Nigerian-American swingman EJ Anosike (199-1998, college: CS Fullerton) added 12 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for HK JinNiu. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hefei have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 13-4 record having just two points less than leader HK JinNiu. HK JinNiu at the other side still keeps top place with two games lost. Hefei are looking forward to face Hubei (#10) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. HK JinNiu will play against Anhui W. (#11) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
HK JinNiu: D.Jian 15+5reb+2ast, A.E.J. 12+5reb+1ast, E.II Michael 10+3reb+3ast, J.Mason 9+2reb+4ast, S.Chenran 7, L.Duwei 6+3reb
Hefei: J.Walker 35+5reb+5ast, D.Agravanis 17+4reb+2ast, X.Zhang 9+1reb+2ast, B.McCoy 9+11reb+1ast, Z.Liu 9+2reb+2ast, J.Feng 8+2reb+1ast