Anhui Wenyi VS Hong Kong Golden Bulls Preview: Jones vs. Johnson, Who Will Secure the First Win of the Finals?

On the evening of September 14th, Game 1 of the NBL Finals will commence, with Anhui Wenyi hosting Hong Kong Golden Bulls. The finals will follow a best-of-seven format.

Anhui Wenyi finished the regular season in first place with a record of 23 wins and 3 losses, while Hong Kong Golden Bulls secured second place with 22 wins and 4 losses. In the first round of the playoffs, Anhui Wenyi swept Hefei Wild Storm 2-0, and then defeated Shijiazhuang Soaring Blues 3-0 in the semi-finals. On the other hand, Hong Kong Golden Bulls swept Jiangxi Ganqi 2-0 in the first round and beat Changsha Yongsheng 3-1 in the semi-finals, both teams advancing to the finals with dominant performances.

Firstly, let’s take a look at Anhui Wenyi. Their performance on both offense and defense has been excellent, with their offensive output being particularly explosive, averaging 101.9 points per game, leading the league. Notably, Anhui Wenyi also boasts a high efficiency in three-point shooting, with an average three-point field goal percentage of 37.8%, which is also the highest in the league. On the defensive end, they are experienced, committing an average of only 18.2 fouls per game, the fewest in the league.

In their last game, Anhui Wenyi defeated Shijiazhuang Soaring Blues 103-98 at home. This victory was not easy for Anhui Wenyi as Shijiazhuang Soaring Blues showed great resilience, even threatening to tie the score in the final quarter. Fortunately, Anhui Wenyi held up well under pressure. Besides the key contributions from Johnson and Gillenwater, Yang Wenbo, a local player, had an outstanding performance, hitting 8 out of 9 shots including 2 out of 2 from beyond the arc, scoring the second-highest 22 points and grabbing 7 rebounds, making him one of the best performers for Anhui. Gillenwater made 7 out of 14 attempts, scoring a team-high 29 points and 3 rebounds, while Johnson added 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assists. Four players from Anhui scored in double digits, with these three combining for 72 points.

As for Hong Kong Golden Bulls, they have done exceptionally well in controlling ball possession this season, averaging only 11.3 turnovers per game, the second-lowest in the league. They show a very high level of focus in games. Additionally, their scoring is also adequately secured, averaging 99.8 points per game, just behind Anhui Wenyi. The offensive efficiency of Hong Kong Golden Bulls is also high, with an average field goal percentage of 50.6%, ranking second in the league.

In their last game, Hong Kong Golden Bulls defeated Changsha Baytian Yongsheng 98-90 at home. In this game, Hong Kong Golden Bulls had a 61% shooting percentage from inside the paint and a clear advantage in rebounds, especially capitalizing on opponents’ turnovers to score 31 points. The overall state of Hong Kong Golden Bulls was excellent. Four players scored in double digits, with Jones making 10 out of 24 attempts to score a team-high 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 14 assists, Ma Qi contributing 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, Zhu Songwei adding 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, and Lu Duwei scoring 13 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.

In the past five meetings between the two teams, Anhui Wenyi has won 4 out of 5 matches, holding a clear advantage. In their most recent encounter, Anhui Wenyi defeated Hong Kong Golden Bulls away from home, overtaking them to claim the top spot. For this finals match, both teams will bring their best, but the true determinant of the game’s direction will be the performance of the foreign players. Who will secure the first win of the finals? Let’s wait and see.

>>”>For more predictions on this game, click >>>