JINAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Former NBA star Ty Lawson scored 32 points, and his 3-pointer game-winner helped Shandong snatch a much-needed 119-116 win over Guangsha to make the best-of-seven semifinals 2-2 in the 2017-2018 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoffs Wednesday night.
Shandong was struggling with its shots early into the first quarter. Luckily, Donatas Motiejunas scored 17 points, and Shandong trailed by only 3 points before the second quarter.
Guangsha led the second quarter for a while, and the game went back and forth. Ding Yanyuhang countered with a 3-pointer to give Shandong a 52-50 lead. Ding's temamate Wu Ke ended the first half with a 3-pointer to give Shandong a 65-58 lead.
Shandong kept the lead in third quarter. Guangsha once cut the deficit to only 2 points, but Shandong managed to build an 89-85 lead after three periods.
The final period was dramatic for both sides. With a 92-all after first minutes, Lin Zhijie of Guangsha scored 9 points to lead for 6 minutes. Lawson scored a 3-pointer to take a 114-113 lead with three minutes remaining. Despite Zhao Yanhao's three free throws to make a 116-116 tie, Lawson's 3-pointer sealed the victory.
Ding Yanyuhang scored 25 points, Motiejunas had a game-high 35 points and 14 rebounds. Ty Lawson added 32 points and 7 assists. Point guard Sui Ran only played 34 seconds before a foot injury.
"Though we had many difficulties in this game, we finally won it. It is a step forward, and now it is 2-2, we will try to win more," said Shandong coach Aleksandar Kesar.
