[Tilu News]After a one-day break, the 2024 National Men’s Basketball League (NBL) finals will be staged at the Southorn Arena in Wan Chai on the night of Saturday (21st) Game 4. The Hong Kong Golden Bulls, who played at home, controlled the game for most of the time. After leading for more than 90% of the time, they finally defeated Anhui Wenyi 94:83. At the same time, they rewritten the number of games in the series to 3:1 and won the championship as soon as next Tuesday (24th). The first NBL championship in team history.
Hong Kong badminton representatives Yang Yating and Tang Junwen were both guests at this event.
Tickets for this event are hard to come by, and all tickets were sold out two days ago. Most of the fans in attendance wore the “Golden Bulls Finals T-shirts” presented to them on-site to cheer for the home team. The Hong Kong Golden Bulls struggled greatly in the last battle and fell behind by 22 points in the second half. They successfully counterattacked with a 20:1 offensive in the final quarter, achieving their second consecutive victory and leading the game by 2:1. The home team, striving to win the match point, used the same winning lineup as in the previous two games, consisting of Yu Bolin, Sun Chenran, and Liu Chuanxing paired with Ronald. Ronald March and Dominic. Dominique Jones takes charge.
Golden Bulls main player Zhu Songwei, who was injured in Game 1, missed the third consecutive game.
The home team took the lead in the early stages of the game. Yu Bolin and Ma Qi both took turns firing from the outside, opening up a 7-point gap for the Golden Bulls, forcing the away team to request a timeout less than 4 minutes into the game. Anhui Wenyi regrouped later and relied on two foreign aids, Dakari Johnson and Pierre Jackson, to score consecutively to narrow the gap and end the first quarter at 24:27.
March scored a lot of points for the Golden Bulls early on
Jackson sealed the score for the away team in the first quarter
In the early part of the second quarter, the Golden Bulls’ offense failed and many outside shots failed to hit. Anhui Wenyi relied on Troy Gillenwater’s long shot to overtake the score. When the game was at a stalemate, the home team’s point guard Dong Jian stepped forward and hit jumpers from beyond the three-point line for three consecutive rounds, setting off a climax of the game and helping the team regain control of the rhythm of the game. The Taurus generals regained their confidence and played more smoothly. Liu Chuanxing, who had always been in the paint, also scored a three-pointer. The home team returned to the locker room with a 53:41 lead.
Dong Jian felt hot in the second quarter and broke the deadlock for the team when the game was tense.
The home team became more and more courageous in the second quarter, even Liu Chuanxing hit an outside shot.
Anhui Wenyi actively counterattacked after changing sides. Jackson kept attacking the inside of the home team and won free throws many times. Golden Bulls coach Xie Libin was even forced to put away the foul-ridden Josh Carlton, which affected the team’s defensive strength. Influence. The away team took advantage of the opportunity to attack and chase points, while the Golden Bulls relied on the scores of Jones and Yu Berlin to compete. At the end of the third quarter, they still led 67:62.
Jones continues to shoulder the scoring responsibility in this game
In the last quarter, Carlton, who was full of energy, came on the court and immediately succeeded in a single for the home team. Dong Jian also showed off his strength again, making two tackles to help the Golden Bulls regain the double-digit point difference. Anhui Wenyi was limited by the home team’s high-intensity defense and was unable to regain lost ground. However, more than two minutes before the end of the game, the Golden Bulls suddenly made consecutive mistakes. Within 10 seconds, the opponent launched a 5:0 offensive. The point difference returned to single digits again, causing the home fans to break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, March’s three-pointer immediately stabilized the team’s morale. The Golden Bulls finally held on to the victory, winning 94:83, leading the game to 3:1, and were only one step away from the championship.
In terms of statistics, Jones scored a game-high 34 points for the Golden Bulls and provided 11 assists. Dong Jian scored 13 points with a shooting rate of over 60%, and March also scored 18 points. Anhui Wenyi’s scoring sources were mainly concentrated on three foreign players. Jackson, Johnson and Gillenwater combined for 53 points, accounting for more than half of the team.
Jones scored a game-high 34 points
March also scored 18 points for the Golden Bulls
Hong Kong gold medal coach Xie Libin said after the game: “I am very honored to reward the fans with two consecutive home wins. At this stage, both sides have no technical secrets to speak of. What is tested is everyone’s will and mentality, so the game We have been emphasizing that everyone must be determined, tough and careful. Facing opponents who have won multiple championships, we can only win the final victory if we do better and become more perfect.”
The NBL finals adopt a 7-game 4-win system, and the Game 5 event will be held at the home court of Anhui Wenyi next Tuesday (24th). The Golden Bulls, who currently lead 3:1, only need to win one more game to win the first NBL championship in team history.
Pictures and text: Li Keyi
This article was published bySportsroad“Originally published in”NBL｜The Hong Kong Golden Bulls defeated Anhui Wenyi again at home and were just one step away from winning the championship.」
