Jeremy Lin Drops Game Winning FTs As Beijing Ducks Honor Fallen Former Team Captain

Down by one point off an inbound miscue, Jeremy Lin took matters into his hands by connecting on three free throws with no time remaining as Beijing escapes Shenzhen Leopards, 102-100.

With two seconds remaining in the game, Lin threw up a prayer from halfcourt but was bumped by Jarrel Martin as he tried to contest the desperation shot. The referees whistled a foul on the American reinforcement which led to Lin making all three free throws at the end of the regulation period.

The former Toronto Raptor finished with 25 points, including a perfect 9-of-9 from the stripe, six boards, four assists, and a steal in 34 minutes. Ekpe Udoh leads the Ducks with a monster double-double of 37 points in an efficient 13-of-17 of his field goals, 19 boards, eight blocks, four steals, and three assists for Beijing, who won six of their seven games at home.

Xe Hining top-scored for the Leopards with 26 points, three boards, two steals, and an assist. Martin struggled to get his offense going for Shenzhen but still ended up with a double-double, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists in 41 minutes on the floor.

Beijing, who was leading 99-97, had the chance to seal the victory after a five-second inbound violation committed by Lu Yiwen with only 9.1 ticks left but Liu Xiaoyu threw an errant pass off Ducks’ own inbound play. The turnover led to a transition three-pointer by Xe, his fifth conversion from three.

With no timeouts left, Lin took the inbound pass and threw a hail mary which led to his winning free throws. With the win, Beijing raised its win-loss record to 10-4 while the Leopard went down to .500 with an identical 7-7 card.

The game was an emotional one for Beijing as they paid tribute to their former team captain Ji Zhe, who died of lung cancer on December 5 at age 33. He was part of all three championships won by Beijing in 2012, 2014, and 2015 as the Ducks put shirts around seats in Wukesong Arena with the deceased player’s jersey number 51 in it. Former teammate Stephon Marbury sent his condolences to his former teammate, as well as former competitors Yi Jianlian of Guangdong Southern Tigers and NBA great Tracy McGrady, who once played for Qingdao Doublestar.