CBA Rankings Shuffle Dramatically! Shenzhen Climbs to Third with 10 Wins, Eight Teams Secure Playoff Spots, Shandong Crushes Guangdong

On April 7 Beijing time, the CBA regular season continued. Last night's results included Guangzhou's 81-88 loss to defending champion Guangsha, Jiangsu's 89-88 victory over Beijing Control in a tug-of-war, Shanxi's 97-100 narrow defeat to Qingdao in a clash of last season's dark horses, Shandong's multi-point outburst crushing Guangdong 99-86, super weak team Tianjin's 102-89 win over fast-rising Ningbo, Beijing's 106-92 easy handling of soft opponent Tianjin, and Xinjiang's 97-102 loss to surging Shenzhen. Thus the latest rankings emerged: Shanghai first, Guangsha second, Shenzhen third with a 10-win streak, Shandong surged to fourth, Beijing fifth, Guangdong slipped to sixth, Zhejiang seventh, Qingdao eighth. The top eight have locked playoff berths, while Sichuan sits bottom with 35 consecutive losses!

Guangzhou versus Guangsha. The first quarter saw the two teams evenly matched, neither gaining an advantage. But from the second quarter Guangsha erupted, firing on all cylinders to post a 32-21 score, securing a double-digit lead. The second half became a seesaw battle; Guangzhou nibbled at the deficit, reigniting suspense. However, trailing too much, Guangzhou couldn't overturn the game, and Guangsha ultimately seized victory. In this match, Hu Jinqiu blasted 27 points with high efficiency!

Shanxi versus Qingdao. Two dark horses from last season met, sparking a fiery clash. Both teams' performance fluctuated wildly—either one blowing out the other—keeping suspense alive till the end. In the decisive moment, Shanxi, trailing, finally substituted Gaye for offense, but it was too late; Qingdao grasped victory with a slim margin.

Shandong versus Guangdong. In the first half, Shandong's offense was blazing, relentlessly scoring to widen the gap, leaving Guangdong crumbling and struggling. In the second half, Shandong's efficiency plummeted; Guangdong seized the chance to counterattack, steadily reducing the deficit. The final quarter saw Shandong reignite its onslaught, scoring heavily to regain control, while Guangdong's insufficient firepower couldn't catch up. Thus Shandong powerfully won this pivotal matchup, rising to fourth place!

Xinjiang versus Shenzhen. Shenzhen has been surprisingly impressive this season. This duel with veteran powerhouse Xinjiang, whose strength and record are quite poor, turned into a fierce tug-of-war. The gap couldn't be widened, and the contest remained even. However, Shenzhen's He Xining erupted, scoring furiously to help Shenzhen gain an edge. Ultimately, Shenzhen's multi-point offense secured victory over Xinjiang, racking up a 10-win streak to firmly hold third place!

By Sports Story