Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen scored the game-winning basket in China’s 79-77 win over Lebanon on Monday in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers Second Round. On a side-out inbound set in the closing seconds, Yang sealed off his man on the left block, collected the entry pass and converted an easy layup to give China the decisive lead with 2.2 seconds left.
The bucket and emotion from Yang was part of a 19-point, nine-rebound, two-assist, one-block performance in 26 minutes of action. He shot 8-9 from the floor and 1-1 from behind the 3-point arc. Here is Yang’s highlight reel from the game, featuring much more offensive work around the basket:
The game remained close practically for all four quarters, and neither team held a lead larger than six points during the second half. In the end, Yang’s late layup snapped a game-tying 6-0 rally by Lebanon, and a desperation half court heave by Lebanon’s Hayk Gyokchyan came up short.
The game marked the fourth and final international appearance this summer for Yang in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. He helped China go 3-1 over the summer slate.
