Beijing Ducks upsets defending Guangdong Hongyuan to reach CBA finals

Stephon Marbury of Beijing Ducks celebrates after leading the team to win the best-of-five series against eight-time champions Guangdong Hongyuan in the CBA league semifinals in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, March 13, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Stephon Marbury led the Beijing Ducks to beat eight-time champions Guangdong Hongyuan 110-102 in Game 5 of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league semifinals on Thursday.

The Beijing Ducks won the best-of-five series by 3-2, smashing Hongyuan's hopes of making to the CBA finals for a record 12th consecutive time.

The Ducks, which are seeking their second CBA title, now face Xinjiang Guanghui in the finals.

Marbury, 37, finished with game-high 31 points, five assists and five rebounds. Randolph Morris pocketed 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Zhu Yanxi and Sun Yue combined for 28 points for the Beijing Ducks.

Yi Jianlian, a former player of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, had 30 points and nine rebounds for the home team, and his teammate Joshua Powell added 17 points and 15 rebounds.

The Ducks established an eight-point lead in the first quarter, before Yi Jianlian helped Hongyuan to narrow the gap to four points when the first half ended.