The Beijing Ducks sat on top of the standings with a win-loss record of 9-1 as the first stage of the 2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league regular season concluded on Sunday.

Beijing had a commanding start against the Shanghai Sharks, jumping out to a 31-11 lead as the first quarter ran out. The advantage was padded to 27 points at halftime, before Beijing held on during the second half for a 99-83 road win.

Dedric Lawson (L) of Xinjiang Flying Tigers vies Hu Jinqiu of Zhejiang Lions during a match at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nov. 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Beijing coach Xu Limin noted that his team's performance so far has gone beyond his expectations before the season started. "We are a new squad, and our target is to make some improvements and solve our problems as the game progresses so that we can get better on both ends of the floor and in our team chemistry deep into the season. Whatever the result is, making some positive changes is our ultimate goal," he said.

Eugene German shot 10 of 15 to lead Beijing with 25 points. Anunwa Omot and Richard Solomon contributed 18 and 14 points, respectively. On the Shanghai side, Li Tianrong scored a game-high 30 points. Kenneth Lofton posted a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds.

The Zhejiang Lions and the Shanxi Loongs, who had shared the league-best record with Beijing prior to the round, both fell short in their final games of the first stage.

Facing Zhejiang, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers recovered from a 15-point deficit early in the final quarter to force overtime and triumphed in 107-104.

Five Xinjiang players scored in double figures, led by Li Yanzhe's 22 points and 10 rebounds, making Zhejiang guard Barry Brown's 40-point performance futile.

Edmond Sumner scored 43 points, including a 3-pointer with 18.7 seconds remaining, as the Sichuan Blue Whales handed Shanxi its second defeat of the season by 123-120.

After Sumner's 3-pointer, Yuan Shuai gave Shanxi some hope with his turnaround jumper, but they ultimately fell short after Brandon Goodwin, who poured in 41 points and 15 assists, missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer.

Guangzhou Loong Lions' Guo Ailun received his championship ring ahead of their game away to the Liaoning Flying Leopards, but the star guard was absent from the game against the team where he had played for 14 seasons and won four titles. The defending champions Liaoning eventually prevailed 97-86, thanks to Kyle Fogg's 31 points.

Han Dejun (L) of Liaoning Flying Leopards goes for a basket during a match between Guangzhou Loong Lions and Liaoning Flying Leopards at the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Tianjin, China, Nov. 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Xinjiang, Shanxi, Liaoning and Zhejiang all recorded eight wins and two losses to rank from second to fifth.

At the other end of the standings, the Jiangsu Dragons sat rock bottom as the only team without a win so far, after losing to the Shandong Heroes 99-94 to conclude the first stage.

In other matches, the Jilin Northeast Tigers lost to the Tianjin Pioneers 108-102, the Guangdong Southern Tigers overwhelmed the Shenzhen Leopards 123-88, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls sailed past the Ningbo Rockets 114-95, and the Nanjing Monkey Kings narrowly defeated the Qingdao Eagles 89-83.

With the CBA league halted due to the international break, Chinese internationals will gather for a training camp from Nov. 4 to 20 to prepare for their 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers against Guam and Mongolia, while the group stage of the inaugural CBA Club Cup will take place from Nov. 12 to 17 in four cities -- Dingzhou in Hebei Province, Huizhou in Guangdong Province, and Yantai and Qingdao, both in Shandong Province.

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