BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Zhejiang Golden Bulls beat the Beijing Royal Fighters 99-93, while the Jilin Northeast Tigers nosed out the Tianjin Pioneers 106-102 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Saturday.

The game played at the National Indoor Stadium marked an important node for both sides. Last season's runner-up Zhejiang kicked off its 2024 campaign with instability, stunning defending champions the Liaoning Flying Leopards but losing to the young Qingdao Eagles by a margin of 14 points.

The Royal Fighters, who had recorded six straight wins after coach Min Lulei put them on the right track, had a disappointing trip to northeast China, losing to Liaoning and the Jilin Northeast Tigers consecutively.

Carlik Jones scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, helping Zhejiang withstand Beijing's raging comeback in an intense match. Jones led Zhejiang with 21 points and guard Wu Qian added 17 points. Six players scored double digits for the Royal Fighters, with Liao Sanning taking a team-high 20 points and Chen Guohao adding 12 in less than 14 minutes of action.

Wang Zilu once again proved his image of a powerful rebounder that no team should sleep on. The 2.02-meter swingman scored eight points and grabbed 11 rebounds, of which six were offensive. It was not a one-game affair, as the 27-year-old had grabbed 17 rebounds against Yang Hansen's Qingdao and 18 against Shen Zijie's Shenzhen Aviators.

19-year-old Zhejiang center Liu Shuangyu contested his second CBA game, playing two minutes and 15 seconds in the third quarter. Coach Wang Shilong seemed to prioritize the task of finding a way to relieve the burden on starting center Yu Jiahao.

"We have a pretty challenging game due to injuries, some players came to the court with headaches and some with fever," Wang noted at the post-game press conference.

Min praised his players' attitude on the court, stating that the team didn't give up despite a 21-point deficit early in the second half.

In another game, QJ Peterson scored 23 points to help Jilin narrowly defeat Tianjin. Jilin's Wu Changze had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Ding Haoran added 17 points. On Tianjin's side, Taylor Rochestie scored 22 points and Li Rongpei pocketed 15.

Also on Saturday, the Shenzhen Aviators beat the Jiangsu Dragons 113-103. Enditem

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