The CBA semifinals continued on May 12 with a pivotal Game 3 between the Guangdong Southern Tigers and the Beijing Ducks at Beijing’s home court. With the series tied 1-1, both teams faced a must-win situation, as the victor would advance to the next round.
Guangdong entered the game with extra motivation after reports emerged that the team’s owner had promised a 2 million yuan bonus for a series win over Beijing. The financial incentive seemed to spark an early surge, as Guangdong took a 21-15 lead in the first quarter, surprising the home crowd. Despite Beijing’s stronger roster on paper, they struggled to find their rhythm early on.
The second quarter brought a dramatic turn of events. Former Guangdong teammates Hu Mingxuan and Zhao Rui collided when Hu made a defensive play, inadvertently using his knee to strike Zhao’s knee as Zhao drove to the basket. Zhao Rui fell to the floor in visible pain, slapping the court in agony. The incident drew immediate comparisons to a previous controversial play by Hu against Liaoning’s Zhao Jiwei, which had been criticized by Guo Ailun as a dirty move. However, the referees reviewed the play and only called a common foul, not upgrading it to a flagrant foul.
Zhao Rui’s injury seemed to spark a reaction from the Beijing Ducks. They quickly erased Guangdong’s lead and built a 40-35 halftime advantage. Guangdong head coach Du Feng called two timeouts but could not stop the momentum shift.
At the half, Beijing’s statistics included Zhao Rui (0 points), Zhou Qi (10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist), Germain (9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Lei Meng (3 points, 1 rebound), Spellman (3 rebounds), Chen Yingjun (7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists), Zeng Fanbo (9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist), Williams (2 assists), McGee (2 rebounds), and Zhai Xiaochuan (2 points, 3 rebounds).
For Guangdong, Hu Mingxuan had 9 points, Xu Jie (0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Quin (9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), McCall (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist), Du Runwang (6 points, 2 rebounds), Wang Shaojie (1 rebound), Zhang Haojia (1 rebound), Rakocevic (4 points, 2 rebounds), Salinger (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Cui Yongxi (0 points, 3 rebounds), and Jiao Boqiao (2 rebounds).
The game remained tense as Beijing held a slim 5-point lead heading into halftime. Both teams know the stakes are high, with the winner advancing to the semifinals and the loser going home. The injury to Zhao Rui could impact Beijing’s rotation, but the Ducks have shown resilience in his absence. Guangdong will need to regroup and find a way to stop Beijing’s momentum in the second half.