Three-time Chinese Basketball Association champions Beijing Ducks dropped out of the top eight in the CBA standings after suffering a 98-84 defeat at the hands of the Liaoning Flying Leopards at the LeSports Center in the country's capital city on Sunday.

Only the top eight teams will qualify for the CBA playoffs.

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Beijing, who had won three CBA championships in the past five seasons, were down 15-5 early in the first quarter after the visiting Liaoning squad started strongly in the match. The opening period ended with the Ducks trailing by six, 31-25, according to Xinhua.

The Flying Leopards continued their attack, opening the second quarter with a 13-3 run to extend their lead to 16 points, which included a Shavlik Randolph three-point shot with nine minutes to go in the first half of play.

Five-straight free throws for Beijing near the end of the second period pulled them within eight points at the halftime break, 53-45, Sofa Score reported.

Head coach Min Lulei's squad shot poorly coming off the locker room to fall behind by 15 points in the first few minutes of the third canto, 67-52. The lead eventually ballooned to 19 points, 81-62, at the end of the quarter as Beijing team leader Stephon Marbury is having an off-night.

With the Ducks down by 20, 96-76, Marbury tried to lead a comeback with four minutes remaining on the game clock. Beijing netted eight straight points to cut the lead to 12, but Liaoning sealed the win with a two-point basket in the dying seconds as the Ducks fell to the Flying Leopards for the second time this season.

Marbury finished with only four points on 2-for-8 field goal shooting, including a 0-for-2 stint from the three-point area. He also had four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Grant Jerrett top-scored for Beijing with 17 points along with 10 rebounds, two steals, and one block.

Small forward Zhai Xiaochuan added 16 points, five boards, and three steals coming off the bench for the Ducks.

Liaoning point guard Lester Hudson scored a game-high 27 points while backcourt partner Guo Ailun had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds with four steals.

Tagschinese basketball association, Chinese Basketball Association news, 2016-2017 Chinese Basketball Association season, Beijing Ducks, Liaoning Flying Leopards