Preview of Guangsha vs Shandong: A Second Clash Within Days, Carlton’s Injury a Key Uncertainty

On October 17, the CBA League enters its third round with Zhejiang Guangsha hosting Shandong High-Speed. The two teams have met 44 times in history, with Zhejiang Guangsha holding a 27-17 advantage. In the last season, Zhejiang Guangsha won both encounters, and in the first round of this season, they defeated Shandong High-Speed away 113-102. In the previous round, both Shandong High-Speed and Zhejiang Guangsha secured victories on the evening of October 15. Zhejiang Guangsha beat Nanjing Tongxi 115-112, while Shandong High-Speed triumphed at home against Du Feng’s Guangdong Hongyuan 115-105. During the game against Tongxi, Zhejiang Guangsha once led by over 20 points, but they were outscored 43-27 in the final quarter, reducing their lead to just one point. Fortunately, Sun Minghui and Hu Jinqiu performed exceptionally well in the fourth quarter, contributing 24 of the team’s 27 points. Hu Jinqiu scored 27 points, foreign player Brown contributed 29 points, Sun Minghui had 19 points and 9 assists, and Knight added 10 points. Carlton, making his league debut, injured his ankle early in the fourth quarter and left the game, having contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds before his injury. In their victory over Guangdong Hongyuan, Shandong High-Speed secured the win with a rebounding advantage of 44-32. All three foreign players scored in double digits, with Wigginton contributing 26 points, Gale scoring 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals, and the temperamental Chris adding 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. On the domestic front, Chen Peidong contributed 19 points and 4 steals, Tao Hanlin scored 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Gao Shiyang, despite only scoring 4 points, had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Led by Hu Jinqiu, Sun Minghui, and Zhao Yanhao, Zhejiang Guangsha has been a top-four level team in the CBA in recent years. In contrast, Shandong High-Speed, who failed to make the playoffs last season, has become increasingly unpredictable. While their defense is solid, their offensive performance, especially in three-point shooting, has been poor. Zhejiang Guangsha has significant advantages both domestically and internationally, particularly with Hu Jinqiu in peak form, scoring 64 points in the first two rounds. However, a concerning factor for Zhejiang Guangsha is the injury to foreign player Carlton in the previous game. If he cannot play, it will have a notable impact on their frontcourt rotation.