Beijing upset Guangdong in CBA semifinals opener

Despite Will Bynum's 24 points in the second quarter, defending champions Beijing held off their arch rivals Guangdong to win 114-108 and set up a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) semifinals here on Wednesday.

Three Beijing players had a 20-plus-point night: Randolph Morris scored team-high 26 points, Stephon Marbury and Li Gen had 25 and 24 respectively.

"Game 1 of the semifinals, a very challenging game. We met some problems in the second quarter, especially in terms of defense on Bynum," said Beijing head coach Min Lulei.

"But we played well and made timely adjustment in the fourth," he added.

Guangdong established an 87-86 lead on Yi Jianlian's jumper early in the fourth period, forcing their opponents into a timeout, before Li Gen finished two layups and Morris added a jumper. Marbury's three-pointer helped Beijing build a comfortable nine-point lead with 1:50 to go, and the defending champs sealed the win with solid performance in free throws.

Guangdong has never won a playoffs series against Beijing in their last two encounters. In 2011-2012, Beijing clinched their first CBA title after beating Guangdong 4-1. In 2013-2014, Guangdong did not advance to the finals for the first time in 12 years after losing to Beijing 3-2 in the semifinals.

Ji Zhe opened the home team's attacking account with a jumper, while the visitors missed their first four shots. Then Zhu Fangyu and Bynum responded with two free throws and a layup respectively for Guangdong. After Zhang Qingpeng hit beyond the arc, Beijing built a double-digit lead with one minute remaining and kept this margin as the first quarter ran out.

Beijing extended their lead to as many as 13 points on Morris' jumper, before Bynum changed the game into his sole play with 20 points in a row. Layups, three-pointers, free throws, Bynum showed everthing that he had. His 24 points in this quarter gave Guangdong a 59-56 lead into halftime.

Beijing's Marbury-Morris duo showed overall advantage in front of their Guangdong counterparts. Morris had six points midway through the third period to tie the score at 76, before Ji Zhe's layup gave Beijing their first lead in the second half at 80-79. Beijing held onto the lead before snatching the opening victory in the semifinals.

Yi Jianlian finished with game-high 36 points and 16 rebounds. Bynum helped with 35 points. Jeff Adrien added 17.

The second game between two teams will be held in Guangdong's home on Friday. Endi