Shanghai vs. Ningbo Preview: Waters in Hot Form Aiming for Consecutive Wins, Can Lakosevic Lead a Comeback?

On October 24, the CBA regular season continues with Shanghai hosting Ningbo.

Shanghai and Ningbo have met 8 times historically, with Shanghai Jiushi holding a 6-2 record. Last season, the two teams faced each other 3 times, with Shanghai Jiushi winning 2 out of 3. Shanghai’s current record is 1-4, falling short of expectations, especially after an upset loss to Tianjin. These were matches that Liu Peng, as head coach, expected to win. He has openly admitted in interviews that the team is under significant pressure due to its performance. With Wang Zhelin out for the season, Shanghai has urgently signed Lovett as a replacement. Coupled with Waters’ consistent performance, this home game is crucial for Shanghai to secure a victory.

The key players for Shanghai are performing as follows: Waters: In 5 games this season, he averages 36.4 minutes per game, scoring 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Wilson: In 5 games this season, he averages 37.6 minutes per game, scoring 15.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks. Liu Zheng: In 5 games this season, he averages 36.8 minutes per game, scoring 14.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks.

Although Shanghai’s core lineup is not complete, the team still holds a clear advantage over Ningbo, which is in the midst of a rebuild. Whether Liu Peng can use a rotation strategy to help the team secure another win is crucial for their first-stage performance.

Ningbo’s current record is also 1-4. Apart from their opening win against Sichuan, they have lost all four subsequent matches against Beijing, Nanjing, Shandong, and Nanjing. The system built around foreign players becomes less competitive in the fourth quarter when the single-foreigner rule applies, highlighting the lack of competitiveness among Ningbo’s domestic players. Given Shanghai’s recent struggles, Ningbo has a chance to pull off an upset in this match.

The key players for Ningbo are performing as follows: Lakosevic: In 5 games this season, he averages 29.6 minutes per game, scoring 20.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks. Howard: In 5 games this season, he averages 22.0 minutes per game, scoring 17.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 0.2 steals. Wang Junjie: In 5 games this season, he averages 30.4 minutes per game, scoring 12.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks.

Ningbo’s loss to Nanjing in the previous game was unfortunate, as Lakosevic scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. However, his overly hasty ball handling in the fourth quarter led to a missed opportunity for a tie, and Ningbo was unable to match Nanjing’s continuous attacks in overtime, resulting in their fourth consecutive loss. Lakosevic’s performance will be key to Ningbo’s chances of gaining an advantage in this match.

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