Tianjin vs Guangdong Preview: Barton & Bazley Displaying Skills – Who Will Secure Two Consecutive Pre-season Wins?

On September 21, the pre-season games of the new CBA season continue, with Tianjin Pioneers facing off against Guangdong Dongyangguang.

Last season, Tianjin Pioneers only managed a record of 22 wins and 30 losses, ranking 14th in the league and missing out on the playoffs. After entering the off-season, there weren’t many adjustments made. They brought in Lavine as a foreign player, who averaged an impressive 34.3 points per game last season in the NBL. The other two foreign players remain David James and Hamlet. In their first pre-season game, Lavine failed to showcase his scoring ability, playing for 23 minutes, shooting 0 out of 5, and scoring 4 points through free throws, while contributing 5 assists, indicating he still needs some time to adapt.

Despite Lavine’s poor performance, Tianjin still won their first game, thanks largely to Lin Tingqian’s excellent showing, scoring 21 points with 9 out of 15 shots, alongside 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Additionally, Shi Deshuai scored 15 points, Zheng Haoran added 10 points, and Lai Junhao contributed 12 points. The domestic players performed well overall, helping the team secure their first win of the pre-season. Previously, in the summer league, Tianjin had a dismal run, ending with five consecutive losses. However, their performance in this pre-season has been better, starting on a positive note.

Guangdong Dongyangguang underwent significant changes during the off-season. Firstly, Zhou Qi chose to leave and join Beijing Shougang, with the team selecting Wang Shaojie to fill the void in the frontcourt. In terms of foreign player combinations, they also made adjustments, with both Weems and Waters leaving, replaced by Barton and Bazley, both of whom have NBA experience. In their pre-season debut, both players demonstrated considerable skill, with Barton scoring 28 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing out 6 assists, while Bazley added 20 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks. The only downside was that both players committed 6 turnovers each, suggesting they still need to improve their chemistry with their teammates.

Guangdong’s squad is still somewhat stretched thin in the pre-season, with key players such as Hu Mingxuan and Xu Jie currently training with the national team and expected to return soon, at which point Guangdong will truly display its full strength. In their opening match against Guangzhou, besides the impressive performances from the two foreign players, domestic player Zhang Mingchi scored 12 points, Zhang Wenyi added 10 points, and Zhang Hao contributed 9 points and 6 rebounds, providing decent support overall.

This is the second pre-season game for both teams, both having won their opening matches. It remains to be seen who will secure two consecutive victories.

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