Zhou Qi returns as Guangdong eases past Sichuan in CBA

Zhou Qi made his first appearance on the CBA floor after a two-year career turbulence.

GUANGZHOU, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Zhou Qi made his comeback from an injury as the Guangdong Southern Tigers defeated the Sichuan Blue Whales 121-94 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) League on Saturday, extending their winning streak to four matches.

Zhou, who suffered a lumbar spinal injury during the World Cup, returned and contributed 14 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.

"Zhou played well tonight, I didn't give him too much time because I want him to find his rhythm step by step," said Guangdong coach Du Feng.

Guangdong led the game throughout, with Tremont Waters scoring 27 points and five other players making double digits.

"This was the first match for the second phase, we played a good game, especially on attacking," Du said.

In another game, David James led Tianjin Pioneers to a 95-88 victory over Beijing Ducks with a game-high 23 points. ■