Ducks beat Tigers in CBA finals opener

The Xinjiang Flying Tigers failed to -handle the Beijing Ducks on Wednesday in the first game of the CBA finals as they were comprehensively defeated 95-75 at Hongshan Arena in Urumqi, capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur -Autonomous -Region.

It was coach Cui Wanjun's second home defeat this season. The previous defeat was also inflicted by the Ducks in the season-opener.

Cui said the game was his side's worst game this season.

"This was the worst game of the season," he said. "The players were burdened much psychologically, which resulted in messy play and poor -finishing."

The best-of-seven finals see Xin-jiang host the next game on Friday before heading to Beijing on Sunday.

Xinjiang had a nine-day break after sweeping the Dongguan Leopards 3-0 in the semifinals while Beijing secured their final berth only five days before the first game of the final.

Stephon Marbury of the Ducks -tallied 21 points while teammate Randolph Morris seized a match-high 23. Four other Ducks also reached double digits in scoring.

Xinjiang, who are known for their three-pointers, only counted five of their 22 attempts from distance. The misfiring Flying Tigers only saw two players reach double figures, both foreign players, as Lester Hudson hit 21 and James Singleton got 18.

Xinjiang were the leading side in the opening stages, as Xirelijiang Mugetear's opening three-pointer drove the hosts to a 15-5 run, forcing Beijing coach Min Lulei to call a timeout. The Ducks quickly responded with an 11-2 run in less than three minutes to force Cui to call a timeout.

After Yang Chin-min of Xinjiang nabbed a layup to make the scoreboard 23-19, the Ducks launched a 10-0 run to grab the lead, which they never gave up.

The hosts trimmed the deficit to only one point after a four-point play before the game stepped into the second quarter.

The two teams were struggling in scoring in the second, putting fans through a 17-11 quarter.

Hudson led the Flying Tigers with 11 points after the halftime break. Xin-jiang totaled 20, but were outscored by the Ducks with 25 in the third quarter.

The anxious hosts relied too much on their three-point attempts, but their lack of accuracy cost them dear as the Ducks managed to hold a double-digit lead till the end of the game.

Min said the fact his side outnumbered the hosts in rebounds eased his tension before singling out Zhang Songtao.

"I was worried about our rebounding but we finally outnumbered them with four," Min said. "Zhang Songtao's performance was beyond my expectations, he attacked and defended with ease."