NBL Round 28 (Regular Season): Jiangsu defeat Hefei in the closest game of the week

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 28 in the NBL took place in Yannan. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of much higher ranked Hefei (20-5) to tenth ranked Jiangsu (12-13) 111-108 on Thursday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. It ended at the same time the 11-game winning streak of Hefei. Jiangsu made 28-of-34 free shots (82.4 percent) during the game. 28 personal fouls committed by Hefei helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Kendall Smith (190-1995, college: OK State) who helped to win the game recording 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and the other American import point guard Quade Green (183-1998, college: Washington) who added 28 points and 4 assists during the contest. At the losing side Greek forward Dimitrios Agravanis (208-1994, agency: Diamond Sports) responded with 44 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Jiangsu moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Jiaozuo and Hangzhou. Hefei at the other side keeps the second position with five games lost. Jiangsu is looking forward to face Anhui W. (#11) at home in the next round. Hefei will play against Shandong (#5) and is hoping to win this game.
Very important is a road loss of third ranked Hunan (14-11) against eighth ranked Jiangxi (13-12) on Wednesday night. Visiting Hunan was defeated by Jiangxi in a tough game in Jiangxi 106-115. Americans were the main players on the court. The winners were led by guard Niven Glover (196-2000) who scored that evening 31 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists and Michael Bryson supported him with 26 points and 6 rebounds. Even 25 points and 8 rebounds by Stanton Kidd (202-1992, college: Colorado St., agency: JCK Sports Group) did not help to save the game for Hunan. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Jiangxi moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Hebei. Hunan at the other side dropped to the fourth position with 11 games lost. They share it with Shandong. Jiangxi will play against Guizhou (#13) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hunan will play against the league's leader HK JinNiu (#1) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
NBL top team - HK JinNiu (22-3) added another victory to their record on Thursday. This time they beat fifth ranked Hebei (13-12) 106-101. EJ Anosike fired 21 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Corey Lamonte produced 27 points for lost side. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. HK JinNiu have an impressive six-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 22-3 record. Loser Hebei dropped to the sixth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Jiangxi. HK JinNiu will meet Hunan (#4) in the next round. Hebei will play against Hubei and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 28: Shanghai won against Anhui W. on the opponent's court 85-74. Hangzhou outscored Guizhou in a home game 111-58. Shandong managed to beat Jiaozuo on the road 95-86. Hubei defeated Zhangjiakou on its own court 107-97.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 36 points (!!!) and 17 rebounds by Baylee Steele of Hubei.



Jiangxi - Hunan 115-106

Very important is a road loss of third ranked Hunan (14-11) against eighth ranked Jiangxi (13-12) on Wednesday night. Visiting Hunan was defeated by Jiangxi in a tough game in Jiangxi 106-115. They made 19-of-23 charity shots (82.6 percent) during the game. Jiangxi players were unselfish on offense dishing 27 assists. Americans were the main players on the court. The winners were led by guard Niven Glover (196-2000) who scored that evening 31 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists and guard Michael Bryson (193-1994, college: UCSB) supported him with 26 points and 6 rebounds. Even 25 points and 8 rebounds by Stanton Kidd (202-1992, college: Colorado St., agency: JCK Sports Group) did not help to save the game for Hunan. Center Stephen Zimmerman (211-1996, college: UNLV) added 21 points and 8 rebounds (on 9-of-10 shooting from the field) for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Jiangxi moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Hebei. Hunan at the other side dropped to the fourth position with 11 games lost. They share it with Shandong. Jiangxi will play against Guizhou (#13) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hunan will play against the league's leader HK JinNiu (#1) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Jiangxi: N.Glover 31+9reb+8ast, M.Bryson 26+6reb+3ast, Y.Wang 15+9reb, Y.Yang 12+3reb+1ast, C.Wang 9+1ast, C.Han 6
Hunan: K.Stanton 25+8reb+2ast, Z.Stephen 21+8reb+2ast, G.Ramon 16+3reb+4ast, Y.Jialong 10+1reb, D.Yuxin 9+2reb+3ast, W.Qingming 8+2reb

Anhui W. - Shanghai 74-85

Very expected game when 10th ranked Anhui W. (11-14) was defeated at home by fourth ranked Shanghai (15-10) 85-74 on Wednesday. American forward Shemar Wilson (206-2001, college: UT Arlington) fired 9 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winners. The other American import swingman William Douglas (196-1998, college: PVAMU, agency: BIG) chipped in 18 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Shanghai's coach used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. American center Noah Dickerson (207-1997, college: Washington) produced a double-double by scoring 16 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists and swingman Wenbo Yang (196-1990) added 15 points and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Four Anhui W. players scored in double figures. Shanghai moved-up to third place. Loser Anhui W. dropped to the eleventh position with 14 games lost. Shanghai will meet Hangzhou (#10) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Anhui W. will play against Jiangsu in Yannan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Shanghai: W.Douglas 18+1reb+5ast, C.Sun 14+4reb+1ast, J.LoVett 10+5ast, J.Tang 10+1reb+1ast, S.Wilson 9+17reb+1ast, W.Wangfan 7+4reb+2ast
Anhui W.: D.Noah 16+15reb+4ast, Y.Wenbo 15+2reb+4ast, L.Juntao 11+4reb+1ast, M.Yicheng 11+5reb+4ast, M.Matt 9+3reb+4ast, B.Will 7+2reb

Hangzhou - Guizhou 111-58

Rather predictable result when ninth ranked Hangzhou (12-13) smashed at home 12th ranked Guizhou (8-17) 111-58 on Wednesday. Hangzhou dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Guizhou's 22. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Hangzhou made 8 blocks. The former international center Rongzhen Zhu (218-1999) fired 28 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. American center Trevor Thompson (210-1994, college: Ohio St., agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds. Four Hangzhou players scored in double figures. Guard Liwei Zhan (191-2003) produced 16 points (made all of his nine free throws !!!) and guard Pifu Hu (180-1999) added 8 points and 8 rebounds respectively for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Hangzhou have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Jiangsu and Jiaozuo. Guizhou lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the thirteenth position with 17 games lost. Hangzhou will meet at home higher ranked Shanghai (#3) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Guizhou will play against Jiangxi (#6) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Hangzhou: R.Zhu 28+8reb, J.Howard 19+1reb+4ast, R.Edwards 15+3reb+2ast, T.Thompson 13+10reb+1ast, K.Si 8+1reb+2ast, Y.Gao 8+6reb+3ast
Guizhou: Z.Liwei 16+4reb, L.Jianhao 10+4reb, H.Pifu 8+8reb, Z.Baole 8+1reb+2ast, L.Shusen 5+2reb, L.Zhanfan 5+1ast

Hebei - HK JinNiu 101-106

NBL top team - HK JinNiu (22-3) added another victory to their record on Thursday. This time they beat fifth ranked Hebei (13-12) 106-101. HK JinNiu made 23-of-25 free shots (92.0 percent) during the game. Nigerian-American swingman EJ Anosike (199-1998, college: CS Fullerton) fired 21 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. American guard Mason Jones (193-1998, college: Arkansas) chipped in 17 points and 8 assists (made all of his eight free throws). Four HK JinNiu players scored in double figures. American guard Corey Lamonte (191-1998) produced 27 points and forward Yongkang Fu (200-1999) added 23 points respectively for lost side. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. HK JinNiu have an impressive six-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 22-3 record. Loser Hebei dropped to the sixth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Jiangxi. HK JinNiu will meet Hunan (#4) in the next round. Hebei will play against Hubei and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
HK JinNiu: E.Anosike 21+9reb, M.Jones 17+4reb+8ast, S.Ponds 12+1reb+6ast, Y.Lu 12+3reb+1ast, C.Tang 12+1reb, H.Qu 10+3reb
Hebei: L.Corey 27+3reb+1ast, F.Yongkang 23+4reb+1ast, K.Vladyslav 17+6reb, W.Jinlang 9+3reb+1ast, W.Xuan 9+2reb+4ast, H.Jeriah 7+7reb+1ast

Jiangsu - Hefei 111-108

The most exciting game of round 28 in the NBL took place in Yannan. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of much higher ranked Hefei (20-5) to tenth ranked Jiangsu (12-13) 111-108 on Thursday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. It ended at the same time the 11-game winning streak of Hefei. Jiangsu made 28-of-34 free shots (82.4 percent) during the game. 28 personal fouls committed by Hefei helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Kendall Smith (190-1995, college: OK State) who helped to win the game recording 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and the other American import point guard Quade Green (183-1998, college: Washington) who added 28 points and 4 assists during the contest. Five Jiangsu players scored in double figures. At the losing side Greek forward Dimitrios Agravanis (208-1994, agency: Diamond Sports) responded with 44 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 5 assists and American forward Brandon McCoy (213-1998, college: UNLV, agency: MSG) produced a double-double by scoring 25 points and 13 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Jiangsu moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Jiaozuo and Hangzhou. Hefei at the other side keeps the second position with five games lost. Jiangsu is looking forward to face Anhui W. (#11) at home in the next round. Hefei will play against Shandong (#5) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Jiangsu: K.Smith 30+6reb+4ast, Q.Green 28+2reb+4ast, H.Sims 14+10reb+2ast, J.Song 12+5reb+6ast, X.Yu 10+2reb, Y.He 6+3reb
Hefei: A.Dimitrios 44+8reb+5ast, M.Brandon 25+13reb, W.Jordan 10+4reb+6ast, F.Jiawei 9+5reb+4ast, L.Zihao 7+1ast, Y.Xiaohui 4+2reb

Jiaozuo - Shandong 86-95

Not a big story in a game when 8th ranked Jiaozuo (12-13) was defeated at home by sixth ranked Shandong (14-11) 95-86 on Thursday. American point guard Loren Jackson (170-1996, college: Akron) fired 19 points and 8 assists for the winners. The other American import center Michael Holyfield (211-1992, college: SHSU) chipped in 14 points and 9 rebounds (perfect from the field making all six shots). American-Thailand guard Tra Holder (185-1995, college: Arizona St.) produced 33 points (!!!) (made all of his twelve free throws !!!) and Czech Tomas Kyzlink (198-1993) added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Shandong have a solid three-game winning streak. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Hunan. Loser Jiaozuo keeps the eighth position with 13 games lost. They share it with Jiangsu and Hangzhou. Shandong will meet at home league's second-placed Hefei in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Jiaozuo will play against Zhangjiakou (#14) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Shandong: L.Jackson 19+8ast, J.Chen 16+2reb+1ast, B.Young 16+4reb+2ast, M.Holyfield 14+9reb, W.Shi 11+2reb+2ast, H.French 7+8reb+1ast
Jiaozuo: H.Tra 33+3ast, K.Tomas 16+6reb+4ast, C.Haozhe 14+6reb+1ast, A.Olisa 10+8reb, %PlayerNameFromUNbr% 6+2reb, L.Ruibo 4+5reb+2ast

Hubei - Zhangjiakou 107-97

Everything went according to plan when twelfth ranked Hubei (9-16) beat at home bottom-ranked Zhangjiakou (0-25) 107-97 on Thursday. Hubei made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. Hubei outrebounded Zhangjiakou 45-28 including a 35-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. American center Baylee Steele (213-1997, college: Duquesne, agency: Octagon Europe) fired a double-double by scoring 36 points (!!!) and 17 rebounds for the winners. Guard Xiaoming Wang (190) chipped in 18 points. DR Congolese center Viny Okouo (214-1997) produced a double-double by scoring 29 points and 11 rebounds and center Tianhang Ren (205-2002) added 22 points respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Hubei maintains twelfth position with 9-16 record. Loser Zhangjiakou still closes the standings. Hubei will meet at home higher ranked Hebei (#7) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Zhangjiakou will play against Jiaozuo (#8) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Hubei: B.Steele 36+17reb, X.Wang 18+3reb+2ast, K.Sykes 12+6reb+5ast, X.Guo 12+5reb+4ast, E.Paschall 11+1reb+1ast, S.Xue 8+7reb+5ast
Zhangjiakou: O.Viny 29+11reb, R.Tianhang 22+1reb, M.Chris 12+3reb+1ast, L.Junjie 11+2reb+7ast, Y.Amir 8+5reb, S.Jilong 6+1reb+1ast