The Beijing Royal Fighters fought back from a 25-point deficit, giving the Zhejiang Lions new coach Wang Bo a 115-105 loss in his debut in the 2020-21 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Wednesday, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers rallied past the Jilin Northeastern Tigers 119-112.

The Lions had suffered a 3-game losing streak before against the Royal Fighters, who jumped early, taking a 61-39 lead behind inside duo of Hu Jinqiu and Miroslav Radulica's playmaking and shooting.

But they had a huge scoring drought in the second half, missing all of shots except Radulica's layup for more than 10 minutes, only to see the Royal Fighters use a stunning 29-2 run to flip a 91-75 deficit into a 104-93 lead and held on for the win.

"We did well before the final period," said Wang Bo, "We had too many turnovers in the fourth that's not supposed to happen and gave up the lead."

Joseph Young scored 26 for the Royal Fighters, followed by Zhang Fan's 23. Hu got 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Lions.

Facing Xinjiang, Jilin led 31-16 capped by Dai Huaibo's 3-pointer in the first quarter. It was plenty of time for Xinjiang to rally, who cut down the gap to four before the halftime break.

It was close for most of the second half, and Zhou Qi's consecutive dunks put Xinjiang back ahead. Veteran Zeng Lingxu hit two key free throws with 13.8 seconds remaining and Jilin never recovered.

Donatas Motiejunas contributed 36 points and 16 rebounds, which made Dominique Jones' triple-double of 55 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in vain.

Also on Wednesday, the Sichuan Blue Whales won over the Nanjing Monkey Kings 93-73. Jimmer Fredette's 34 points helped the Shanghai Sharks overcome the Fujian Sturgeons 128-115, while the Guangdong Southern Tigers routed the Tianjin Pioneers 110-87.

In the rest of the 22nd round, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls will face the Shanxi Loongs on Thursday, while the Liaoning Flying Leopards are to play against the Qingdao Eagles. 

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