Guangdong lost again—87–88, a one-point heartbreak against Zhejiang. What makes it even more painful is that Guangdong led for about three and a half quarters, got caught in the fourth, and then went to overtime. In OT, they even fought back from behind to lead 87–85, seemingly ready to close it out—only to be crushed by Zhejiang import York’s ultra-deep buzzer-beating three.
Venus? No—this game was all about Xu Jie’s return and effort. Coming back from injury, he played 37:24, shot 7/14 overall and 5/11 from three, finishing with 22 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers, plus a +4 plus/minus—team-high scoring, and a performance that looked like he gave everything. Whenever Guangdong needed a bucket, he stepped up, including a huge deep three late when the team was down.
So why did Guangdong still lose? From the perspective of this review, the biggest issue was late-game decision-making and how the offense was run. The coaching staff repeatedly put Hu Mingxuan in the primary ball-handling/organizing role, seemingly to develop his playmaking. But the result was a messy offense and a major drop in efficiency—essentially wasting the momentum Xu Jie created.
Hu played 35 minutes, went 3/11 from the field, 2/8 from three, and 2/4 at the line for 10 points and 4 assists, with a -5 plus/minus. He also missed multiple chances that Guangdong absolutely needed: open threes, free throws, and even a 3-on-1 fast break that failed to convert. Those missed opportunities slowly erased Guangdong’s advantage.
Because Hu handled the ball so much, Xu Jie’s playmaking role shrank—he finished with only one assist. Hu had four assists, but also three turnovers, so the assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t strong. Guangdong also had chances to win in regulation: in one key moment, Hu received a wide-open look with virtually no defender within two meters, took an extra adjustment, and still missed. As a core player, that’s the type of shot you’re expected to punish—especially when his season three-point percentage has reportedly been as low as 23.6%, which has become a glaring weakness in crunch time.
In the end, it was the kind of game Guangdong “almost won” — Xu Jie emptied the tank, but late-game execution and shooting efficiency collapsed, and York’s miracle three delivered the final blow.
