The Guangzhou Loong Lions edged the Qingdao Eagles 101-96, while the Shanghai Sharks beat the Beijing Ducks 110-96 in the best-of-three first round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league playoffs on Thursday.

Barry Brown (L) of Guangdong Loong Lions goes for a lay-up during the play-off first leg match between Guangdong Loong Lions and Qingdao Eagles at the 2023-2024 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

Qingdao guard Myles Powell, who made only one from 11 attempts in the first three quarters, regained his form in the final minutes for a triple-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists. Wang Ruize led Qingdao with 24 points. Promising center Yang Hansen nailed seven points and 16 rebounds, but suffered seven turnovers.

Guangzhou outscored Qingdao 31-24 in the last quarter. Chen Ying-chun kickstarted the period with three consecutive 3-pointers, and Barry Brown scored 18 points down the stretch in keying Guangzhou's win. Brown pocketed a game-high 36 points, and Chen added 15.

"We have made full preparations before the game, which worked out in the game. Thanks to our defense, we got the win," Guangzhou coach Guo Shiqiang said after the game.

Shanghai established a 62-39 halftime advantage, but Beijing's hot shooting from 3-point range and 33 points in the third quarter got themselves back into the game. However, Shanghai withstood the rally to defend their home court.

"We did not keep full concentration for the whole game, and conceded some easy points to our opponents. Luckily we controlled the game again to take this win," said Shanghai coach Liu Peng.

Eric Bledsoe spearheaded Shanghai with 41 points and seven rebounds. Wang Zhelin added 12 points and 14 rebounds.

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