Defending champions the Liaoning Flying Leopards defeated the Shandong Heroes 116-102 to return to the top of the standings in the seventh round of the 2024-2025 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season on Saturday night.

In the first half, the two sides were neck and neck. Guo Kai scored 18 points for Shandong on 7-7 shooting. Liaoning actively defended to keep the scores at 60-60. However, Shandong players seemed to lack physical fitness in the second half, and Guo failed to score any more points. In the third quarter, Liaoning asserted their dominance over Shandong 30-20, paving the way for their win.

Kyle Fogg had 35 points for Liaoning with ten assists and four three-pointers, while Jarmar Gulley got 27 scores and nine assists.

Also on Saturday, something similar happened in the Zhejiang Golden Bulls's away game against the Qingdao Eagles. The first quarter was tied at 20-20, and Zhejiang nosed out Qingdao 25-22 in the second quarter. Zhejiang's outburst began in the third quarter with a 33-20 run, building a 16-point advantage by the end of the quarter, and held on for a 98-86 win.

Elsewhere on the same day, the Sichuan Blue Whales eased past the Shenzhen Leopards 111-93, and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers smashed the Shanghai Sharks 127-105.

Also on Sunday, the Fujian Sturgeons lost to the Guangzhou Loong Lions 112-101. Jiao Boqiao had 28 for Guangzhou with 11 rebounds, while his teammate Davion Warren scored 23 with four assists and nine rebounds. Fujian's Joe Young added 22 points with seven assists and five rebounds.

Other games on Sunday saw all home teams emerge triumphant. The Ningbo Rockets narrowly beat the Jiangsu Dragons 114-110, the Jilin Northeast Tigers secured a hard-fought victory over the Beijing Ducks 96-86, the Guangdong Southern Tigers crushed the Nanjing Monkey Kings 128-88, the Shanxi Loongs defeated the Beijing Royal Fighters 125-105, and the Zhejiang Lions got past the Tianjin Pioneers 107-86.