Hong Kong Golden Bulls vs Changsha Yongsheng Preview: Fortson vs Jones – Hong Kong Golden Bulls Aim for Big Home Win

On September 1st, the NBL playoff semi-finals kicked off with the Hong Kong Golden Bulls hosting Changsha Wantian Yongsheng. In their first semi-final matchup, the Hong Kong Golden Bulls emerged victorious and currently lead Changsha Wantian Yongsheng 1-0.

The Hong Kong Golden Bulls are one of the favorites to win the championship. They finished second in the regular season with a record of 22 wins and 4 losses. In the first round of the playoffs, they swept Jiangxi Ganchi 2-0 and advanced to the semi-finals. The Golden Bulls demonstrated fierce scoring power during the regular season, averaging over 100 points per game. In the playoffs, they scored a total of 309 points across three games, maintaining their excellent scoring ability. Additionally, they retained top-tier offensive efficiency and performed well in controlling turnovers. Besides having a strong lineup, the Hong Kong Golden Bulls also maintained impressive focus throughout the games.

Changsha Wantian Yongsheng, on the other hand, entered the playoffs with a regular-season record of 16 wins and 10 losses, placing them third in the league. In the first round of the playoffs, they also swept Jiangsu Guocang 2-0. Before facing the Hong Kong Golden Bulls, Changsha Wantian Yongsheng was in good form. In the second game of the first playoff round, Changsha defeated Jiangsu Guocang 108-102. In this game, Wells came off the bench to score an unstoppable 42 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Maric and Fortson combined for 44 points. Essentially, Changsha relies heavily on the performance of these three foreign players, as only three players scored in double digits. The condition of Changsha’s foreign players will directly impact the team’s performance.

The Hong Kong Golden Bulls have won all five of their recent games, showing great form. In the last game, the Hong Kong Golden Bulls beat Changsha Wantian Yongsheng 102-78, completely dominating in areas such as rebounding and turnover control. The only issue was excessive fouls, committing as many as 23 fouls, giving Changsha 30 free throw opportunities. Joshua Carlton and Jones combined for 43 points, becoming key to the Hong Kong Golden Bulls’ victory. Among them, Carlton scored 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Jones contributed 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Five players from the Hong Kong Golden Bulls scored in double digits, with March scoring 18 points and 5 rebounds, Zhu Songwei contributing 13 points and 7 assists, and Diao Zhanzhan scoring 12 points. On the Changsha Wantian Yongsheng side, only three players scored in double digits, all foreign players. Fortson had the highest score of 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists for the team, Wells contributed 19 points and 5 rebounds, and Maric scored 19 points and 8 rebounds. The overall performance of the domestic players was quite average.

Notably, in four regular-season encounters, the Hong Kong Golden Bulls won 3 out of 4 games against Changsha Wantian Yongsheng, holding an absolute advantage. In this crucial match, the Hong Kong Golden Bulls will certainly not let go of their 4-game winning streak against Changsha Wantian Yongsheng this season. For Changsha to break through, the foreign players need to step up. However, facing the Hong Kong Golden Bulls, who have a slightly superior overall strength, it will be challenging for Changsha to even the score.

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