The Liaoning Flying Leopards beat the Zhejiang Lions 100-88 to lead the best-of-five semifinals 1-0 in the 2022-2023 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoffs on Wednesday.

The Lions who lost to the same opponents 4-0 in the finals last season, tried to forget the tragic sweep as they have a healthy star center Hu Jinqiu back on the court this year. However, young coach Wang Bo's side, who just rallied past the old brand powerhouse Guangdong Southern Tigers, failed to constrain Liaoning's attacks behind the arc.

Followed by the 33-point show in the quarterfinal victory over the Beijing Ducks, Liaoning's Zhao Jiwei again proved that he was not only a clear-eyed point guard but also a dangerous scorer. Zhao made 10 out of 20 attempts including five 3-pointers to register a game-high 29 points.

While Zhao was not the only threat, his teammates Guo Ailun and Kyle Fogg pocketed 21 points and 16 points respectively to secure the win.

On the contrary, the Lions' core guard Sun Minghui struggled throughout the game as he missed all eight 3-pointer attempts. Kyle Wiltjer took Zhejiang's team-high 27 points, and Hu added 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

"Our players haven't had a chance to take a rest after finishing three tough battles [against Guangdong], and that reflected on our terrible 3-pointers and offensive rebound," commented the Lions' head coach Wang.

Both sides will stay in Liaoning for the next match on Friday.

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