NBL Round 21 (Regular Season): HK JinNiu defeat Jiangxi in the game between Top 4 teams

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

An interesting game for HK JinNiu (17-3) which played road game in Jiangxi against 4th placed Jiangxi (11-9). First ranked HK JinNiu had an easy win 112-85. HK JinNiu outrebounded Jiangxi 33-20 including 23 on the defensive glass. 28 personal fouls committed by Jiangxi helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a good game for Nigerian-American swingman EJ Anosike (199-1998, college: CS Fullerton) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 15 rebounds. American guard Michael Ertel II (186-1999, college: UAB) contributed with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. American guard Michael Bryson (193-1994, college: UCSB) answered with 19 points and 7 rebounds for Jiangxi. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. HK JinNiu maintains first place with 17-3 record. Jiangxi lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. They share it with Shandong. HK JinNiu are looking forward to face Shandong (#7) at home in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Jiangxi will have a break next round.
Bottom-ranked Zhangjiakou is still unable to win any game. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their 20th consecutive match to second ranked Hefei (16-4) 104-62. Guard Zeang Chen (190) stepped up and scored 15 points and 6 rebounds for the winners and Brandon McCoy chipped in 13 points and 9 rebounds. The best for the losing side was American guard Kenneth Miller (186-1995, college: OVU) with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hefei have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain second place with 16-4 record behind leader HK JinNiu. Zhangjiakou at the other side still closes the standings. Hefei will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Zhangjiakou will play at home against Anhui W. (#11) and hopes to get finally their first victory.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 21: Hebei smashed Shanghai on the road 93-72. Guizhou lost to Shandong on its own court 92-97. Hangzhou managed to outperform Hubei in a road game 114-106. Jiaozuo managed to beat Anhui W. at home 102-96.



Shanghai - Hebei 72-93

There was a small surprise when sixth ranked Hebei (11-8) crushed on the road 4th placed Shanghai (11-8) 93-72. Hebei dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Shanghai's 42. They outrebounded Shanghai 43-31 including a 32-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. Hebei players were unselfish on offense dishing 26 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Shanghai's players. Ukrainian center Vladyslav Koreniuk (210-1994, agency: BIG) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 32 points and 12 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line) for the winners and American point guard Jaylen Adams (188-1996, college: St.Bonaventure) chipped in 15 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Four Hebei players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American guard Marcus LoVett Jr (183-1996, college: St.John's, agency: Octagon Europe) with 23 points and guard Jie Tang (187-1999) scored 8 points and 4 assists. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hebei moved-up to fourth place, which they share with defeated Shanghai. Hebei will play against Jiangsu (#8) in Yannan in the next round. Shanghai will play on the road against Hunan (#3) in Changsha and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Hebei: V.Koreniuk 32+12reb, J.Adams 15+6reb+9ast, J.Jiang 14+5reb+2ast, J.Horne 11+4reb+1ast, J.Weng 6+5reb+4ast, Y.Fu 5+3reb+1ast
Shanghai: L.Jr. Marcus 23+2reb, Z.A 11+2ast, T.Russell 8+2reb, T.Jie 8+2reb+4ast, W.Shemar 7+5reb+1ast, D.William 6+4reb+2ast

Guizhou - Shandong 92-97

Very expected game when 11th ranked Guizhou (7-13) lost at home to seventh ranked Shandong (11-9) 97-92. American point guard Loren Jackson (170-1996, college: Akron) stepped up and scored 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and American-Bulgarian guard Brandon Young (193-1991, college: DePaul, agency: BIG) chipped in 24 points. The best for the losing side was American-Puerto Rican Kyle Vinales (188-1992, college: CCSU) with 28 points and 5 assists and American power forward Sterling Manley (213-1998, college: UNC) scored 23 points and 9 rebounds. Five Shandong and four Guizhou players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Shandong have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Jiangxi. Guizhou at the other side dropped to the twelfth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Hubei. Shandong will play against league's leader HK JinNiu in Hong Kong in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Guizhou will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Shandong: B.Young 24+3reb+2ast, L.Jackson 22+5reb+4ast, J.Chen 16+1ast, M.Holyfield 14+12reb+1ast, H.French 11+5reb+1ast, W.Shi 5+5reb+2ast
Guizhou: V.Kyle 28+3reb+5ast, M.Sterling 23+9reb+1ast, L.Zhanfan 14+3reb, L.Shusen 10+3reb+1ast, L.Scottie 9+2reb+3ast, M.Corey 4+1reb

Hubei - Hangzhou 106-114

Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both eleventh ranked Hangzhou and 12th ranked Hubei had identical 7-12 record. But Hubei was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from Hangzhou 114-106. Hangzhou shot the lights out from three nailing 20 long-distance shots on high 54.1 percentage. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 32 assists comparing to just 18 passes made by Hubei's players. American-Puerto Rican point guard Jordan Howard (180-1996, college: Cent Arkansas) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 31 points and 10 assists for the winners and American center Trevor Thompson (210-1994, college: Ohio St., agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in 19 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists. The best for the losing side was American center Baylee Steele (213-1997, college: Duquesne, agency: Octagon Europe) with a double-double by scoring 42 points (!!!) and 15 rebounds and the other American import point guard Keifer Sykes (183-1993, college: Green Bay) scored 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hangzhou have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to tenth place, which they share with Anhui W. Hubei lost seventh consecutive game. They keep the twelfth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Guizhou. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Hangzhou: J.Howard 31+2reb+10ast, T.Thompson 19+14reb+9ast, C.McGriff 15+6reb+6ast, K.Si 11+3reb+2ast, X.Huang 9+1reb+1ast, R.Edwards 8+1reb+2ast
Hubei: S.Baylee 42+15reb+2ast, W.Xiaoming 19+5reb+3ast, S.Keifer 17+5reb+6ast, G.Xiaopeng 12+2ast, P.Eric 9, X.Haoyu 5+1reb+1ast

Zhangjiakou - Hefei 62-104

Bottom-ranked Zhangjiakou is still unable to win any game. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their 20th consecutive match to second ranked Hefei (16-4) 104-62. Hefei outrebounded Zhangjiakou 44-23 including a 35-13 advantage in defensive rebounds. Guard Zeang Chen (190) stepped up and scored 15 points and 6 rebounds for the winners and American forward Brandon McCoy (213-1998, college: UNLV, agency: MSG) chipped in 13 points and 9 rebounds. Five Hefei players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American guard Kenneth Miller (186-1995, college: OVU) with 15 points and 6 rebounds and forward Yudi Si (200-2003) scored 10 points. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hefei have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain second place with 16-4 record behind leader HK JinNiu. Zhangjiakou at the other side still closes the standings. Hefei will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Zhangjiakou will play at home against Anhui W. (#11) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Hefei: N.Johnson 16+3reb+2ast, Z.Chen 15+6reb+3ast, J.Walker 15+2reb+1ast, Y.Chen 14+3reb+1ast, B.McCoy 13+9reb+1ast, X.Yu 8+7reb
Zhangjiakou: M.Kenneth 15+6reb+2ast, M.Chris 10+3reb+1ast, S.Yudi 10+4reb, Y.Amir 6+3reb+1ast, L.Yutian 6, S.Jilong 5+1reb

Jiaozuo - Anhui W. 102-96

Everything could happen at the game between two tied teams. Both tenth ranked Jiaozuo and 9th ranked Anhui W. had identical 8-11 record. This time Jiaozuo used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Anhui 102-96. Jiaozuo made 24-of-27 charity shots (88.9 percent) during the game. They also forced 19 Anhui W. turnovers. American-Thailand guard Tra Holder (185-1995, college: Arizona St.) stepped up and scored 35 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and Nigerian center Olisa Akonobi (213-2000, college: AAMU) chipped in 11 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks. The best for the losing side was American point guard Jesse Jones (183, college: Bridgeport) with 34 points (!!!) and 4 assists and the other American import center Noah Dickerson (207-1997, college: Washington) produced a double-double by scoring 10 points and 11 rebounds. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Jiaozuo (9-11) moved-up to ninth place. Anhui W. at the other side dropped to the tenth position with 12 games lost. They share it with Hangzhou. Jiaozuo will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Anhui W. will play on the road against Zhangjiakou (#14) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Jiaozuo: T.Holder 35+8reb+4ast, R.Liang 19+4reb+3ast, B.Feng 13+3reb+4ast, D.Thomas 12+5reb+1ast, O.Akonobi 11+16reb+1ast, Q.Liu 6+2reb+2ast
Anhui W.: J.Jesse 34+3reb+4ast, M.Yicheng 12+9reb+1ast, M.Matt 10+8reb+4ast, Y.Wenbo 10+4reb+1ast, D.Noah 10+11reb+1ast, L.Juntao 8+1ast

Jiangxi - HK JinNiu 85-112

An interesting game for HK JinNiu (17-3) which played road game in Jiangxi against 4th placed Jiangxi (11-9). First ranked HK JinNiu had an easy win 112-85. HK JinNiu outrebounded Jiangxi 33-20 including 23 on the defensive glass. 28 personal fouls committed by Jiangxi helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. It was a good game for Nigerian-American swingman EJ Anosike (199-1998, college: CS Fullerton) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 15 rebounds. American guard Michael Ertel II (186-1999, college: UAB) contributed with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. American guard Michael Bryson (193-1994, college: UCSB) answered with 19 points and 7 rebounds and the other American import guard Niven Glover (196-2000) added 17 points, 5 assists and 4 steals in the effort for Jiangxi. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. HK JinNiu maintains first place with 17-3 record. Jiangxi lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. They share it with Shandong. HK JinNiu are looking forward to face Shandong (#7) at home in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Jiangxi will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
HK JinNiu: E.Anosike 27+15reb+3ast, I.Ertel 23+5reb+5ast, J.Dong 19+7reb+4ast, Y.Lu 9+3reb+3ast, Z.Diao 9+1reb+1ast, C.Sun 7
Jiangxi: B.Michael 19+7reb+2ast, G.Niven 17+1reb+5ast, L.Junwen 14+2reb, K.Mohamed 8+4reb+2ast, L.Yantao 7+1reb, W.Yixiong 7+3reb+1ast