The Beijing Ducks are coming to town and are going to put up quite a show against the Ningbo Rockets. The Ducks are a force to be reckoned with, mainly due to a masterclass line up led by players like Eugene German, who was an absolute powerhouse last season, recording 22.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 5.1 assists per game. Richard Solomon, Nuni Omot, Tian Qiu and Ziming Fan aren't just numbers on a roster either, they each put up some brag-worthy stats in the last season.
As for the Ningbo Rockets, well, their stats are unfortunately a blank slate for last month. But hang on, we’re not completely in the dark. Their last season's performance might provide us some insights. Players like Nick Rakocevic and Junjie Wang had a fairly solid performance with 14.8 and 14.5 points per game respectively. However, compared to the Ducks, it seems like they might just be bringing a nerf gun to a cannon fight.
Looking at the past skirmishes between these two, the Ducks have pretty much eaten the Rockets for breakfast in their last two encounters, with scores of 105-96 and 100-90. Add to this the Ducks' better regular season record, and it seems the odds might not be in Rocket's favor.
The recent results for the Beijing Ducks reveal a trend of close games, but more often than not, they come out on top. As for the Rockets, their most recent performance shows a victory, but prior to that, there seems to be a bit of a struggle keeping up with their opponents.
With a ninth-place spot in the CBA rankings, the Ducks might not be at the top, but they're certainly looking down at the Rockets, who are twiddling their thumbs down at fourth place.
But hey, underdogs have won before, right? Just, maybe not this time.
Albert’s Prediction: Beijing Ducks by 11