The Shanghai Sharks defeated the Beijing Ducks 81-66 on the road in Game 3 of the CBA semifinals on Wednesday night, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Shanghai relied on dominant performances from Brandon Goodwin and Hassan Whiteside at both ends of the floor to seize control early and never look back. Goodwin scored a game-high 28 points, consistently attacking inside the arc while shooting 9-for-13 on two-point attempts. Whiteside added 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks to anchor the Sharks defensively.

Beijing struggled offensively throughout the contest. Eugene German finished with 22 points, but the Ducks guard shot just 8-for-20 from the field. Veteran forward Zhai Xiaochuan was the only other Beijing player to score double figures, finishing with 10 points.

Shanghai established momentum immediately, closing the opening quarter with a commanding 26-15 advantage. The visitors continued to dominate in the second quarter and stretched the lead to 48-29 by halftime behind efficient offense and strong interior defense.

The Ducks showed signs of life in the fourth quarter as their shooting efficiency improved, but the deficit proved too large to overcome.

Shanghai's defensive pressure limited Beijing's offensive rhythm for most of the night, while the Sharks also controlled the paint on both ends thanks largely to Whiteside's presence near the basket.

Despite the disappointing result at home, Beijing head coach Xu Limin remained optimistic about his team's chances of fighting back in the series.

"The performance of our bench unit proved the problem is not our strength, but our players' desire to fight for victory," Xu said after the game.

Game 4 will be played in Beijing on May 22, where the Sharks will have an opportunity to clinch a place in the CBA Finals.