Players of Liaoning Flying Leopards and Xinjiang Flying Tigers compete during the 54th round match at the 2020-2021 season of the CBA league in Zhuji, East China's Zhejiang province, April 8, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

ZHUJI, China - With point guard Guo Ailun absent, the Liaoning Flying Leopards beat the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 96-84 in the 54th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Thursday.

Launching a 9-2 run just before the first quarter ended, Liaoning managed to establish a 27-20 lead and extended it to nine points in the second period.

Xinjiang fought back hard and promoted their field-goal percentage in the second half, but the Flying Leopards put a dampener on their rally with a series of three-pointers.

Rising star Zhang Zhenlin got a game-high 26 points and 13 rebounds for Liaoning. Kyle Fogg had 17 points and nine assists, and O.J. Mayo added 13 points.

Launching a 9-2 run just before the first quarter ended, Liaoning managed to establish a 27-20 lead and extended it to nine points in the second period

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For the Xinjiang side, Zeng Lingxu grabbed 13 points and five assists, and Ian Clark contributed 12 points.

Joseph Young, who returned from a suspension after implementing an arbitral award by the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT), scored 15 points to help the Beijing Royal Fighters smash the Jiangsu Dragons 105-70.

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Fighting for the final playoff berth, the Guangzhou Loong Lions defeated the Nanjing Monkey Kings 121-107, making Arnett Moultrie's game-high 31 points and 11 rebounds in vain.

In the other games played on Thursday, the Shandong Heroes beat the Tianjin Pioneers 106-86, the Qingdao Eagles edged the Jilin Northeast Tigers 112-111 for their sixth straight win, and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls lost to the Fujian Sturgeons 107-97.