CBA: Jeremy Lin’s Beijing Ducks beat Guangdong Southern Tigers to set-up semi-finals decider

Jeremy Lin’s debut Chinese Basketball Association season comes down to a winner takes all game against the Guangdong Southern Tigers after the Beijing Ducks bounced back to win game two of the play-offs semi-finals.

That ended Guangdong’s 31-game winning streak, which had included 29 regular season wins including a final day victory over the Ducks.

In Tuesday’s game one the Ducks threw away a 19-point fourth quarter lead against the reigning champions in game one but there was to be no repeat of that disappointment in Qingdao on Thursday.

It was Lin who put the win beyond doubt when he stepped up to the free-throw line with 14.1 seconds on the clock and an 89-86 lead. He sank the first and missed the second but there was not time for Guangdong to get another shot off to finish 90-86.

Lin, who could become the first player to win the NBA and CBA back to back, scored 25 points, plus six rebounds and three assists. Teammate Ekpe Udoh added 23 points while Sonny Weems scored 28 for Guangdong.

The Tigers led 18-14 after the first quarter, with Weems scoring the first five points of the night.

Following that the lead began to change hands. One Beijing scoring run in the second half saw them take the lead following free throws after an unsportsmanlike foul, an Udoh basket and a Lin three.

Still, Guangdong entered the dressing rooms three up at the half with the score 45-42.

The lead would keep changing hands in a third quarter where both teams scored 23 points but the Ducks would see the better of the fourth, outscoring their rivals 25-18 to ensure a game three.

Now the Ducks are one game away from a first finals since 2015. It all comes down to Saturday night.