With Yu Dehao's three-point whistle, Xinjiang completed a big reversal in the last quarter, beating Shenzhen 116-115, retaining the hope of impacting the playoffs.
Xinjiang center Mertrey played almost the whole game, killing red-eyed people on the inside, he scored 44 points and 18 rebounds. Shenzhen's big foreign player Salinger paled in comparison, contributing 18 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes.
Salinger and Moretree were both NBA draft picks, with Salinger being selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round 21, and Morel was selected by the Miami Heat with the 27th pick in the first round before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The two-man rookie season quickly hit each other. On November 10, 2012, the Celtics lost 100-106 at home to the 76ers. In this game, Salinger formed the interior line as the Celtics starting center partner Garnett, along with Pierce, Rondo and Cattney Lee. Salinger played 19 minutes and had four points and four rebounds. Moretree played as a 76ers bench forward, playing six minutes without scoring and grabbing 2 rebounds.
After coming to the CBA, Mertrey played for three teams, Beijing Control, Tongxi and Xinjiang, and Salinger played only for Shenzhen in his resume in China.
Since Salinger has not played in China in the past two seasons, this game is the first time the two have met in the CBA. Salinger's highest single-game score of 55 points in his CBA career was exactly what he got when he faced Xinjiang in the 17-18 season.
Six of the NBA's 2012 first-round shows have played in the CBA. At present, in addition to Salinger and Mertrey, there is another person in the NBA's 2012 draft who plays in the CBA, he is Hamilton who plays for Beijing Shougang, but he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the year, and was immediately traded to the Miami Heat.
Attentive viewers may have noticed, yes, hamilton and Moretree swapped owners in the post-draft 76 deal with Miami this year, and the Heat also got a second-year first-round pick from Philadelphia.