URUMQI - Defending champions Guangdong Dongguan shrugged off an 18-point deficit to hammer down a 96-91 victory against Xinjiang Guanghui on road to level 1-1 in the best-of-seven series CBA finals here on Sunday.

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Wang Shipeng was the hero of Guangdong. He scored team-high 32 points, including 19 points down the stretch in the last quarter to lead a spirited charge for the visitors.

"He lived up to his big name on our team. He is a veteran and also a national team player," Guangdong head coach Li Chunjiang said. "It's not coincident that Wang can played out his level. He has a strong nerve in the crucial moment."

Quincy Dubby had a game-high 36 points for Xinjiang, while teammate James Singleton chipped in 20.

Xinjiang looked set to win the match after they surged to 59-41 ahead on a 15-0 run midway in the third period, but Guangdong, the six times CBA champions, refused to give up easily and clawed back on the back of aggressive defence.

Guangdong made it 80 to all with five minutes to go, and then the two teams exchanged the lead before Wang buried a pair of big three-pointers in the dying moment.

"We played awfully in the fourth quarter," said Jiang Xingquan, head coach of Xinjiang. "Many unforceed turnovers and terrible defense. Hopefully we would improve in the next few matches."