The Beijing Ducks’ winning streak came to an end on Sunday night as the Guangdong Southern Tigers, the regular season champions, extended their own Chinese Basketball Association record to 29 consecutive wins. Guangdong won 101-82 in Qingdao in the first day of CBA games to allow fans back in, with health workers, teachers and other public servants allowed to watch. The win confirmed their status as championship favourites, while the Ducks dropped to fourth behind Liaoning Flying Leopards. Beijing finish the season with a 32-14 record, the same as Liaoning, with the teams splitting their two meetings. Liaoning leapfrogged Beijing on account of their better points differential. That means that Beijing will join Guangdong in the top half of the play-offs draw, while Liaoning move to the bottom half with second-placed Xinjiang Flying Tigers. The top four all proceed to the second round of the play-offs. The champions raced into an early lead in Qingdao, stretching the gap to 11 points inside the opening quarter before an elbow by Zhao Rui on Jeremy Lin allowed the former NBA star to narrow the deficit in the second period. However, the gap was seven points at half-time and only got bigger, at one stage reaching 25 points. Guangdong’s Sonny Weems top-scored with 19 points, followed by teammate Zhao with 18. Lin and Ducks teammate Wang Xiaohui both scored 16 points. The result means that the Ducks are likely to meet Guangdong again in the play-off semi-finals, presuming both teams can negotiate their second round matchups. While Guangdong are the reigning champions and record nine-time CBA winners, their previous eight championships all came before 2013. History gives reason for the Ducks to be positive. In 2012, led by the recently recruited Stephon Marbury, the Ducks finished second in the regular season and later beat Guangdong in the finals for a first CBA title. Their second championship in 2014 came after the Ducks had finished fourth in the regular season before beating Guangdong in the semi-finals and then Xinjiang in the finals. In their most recent title a year later, the Ducks once more finished fourth with Guangdong first, but it was the Ducks who won in the semi-finals of the play-offs before beating Liaoning in the finals. Furthermore, the Sichuan Blue Whales won the 2016 play-offs after finishing outside the top two in the regular season. They finished third but eventually beat first-place Liaoning in the finals. This season’s play-offs begin on July 31.