The Ryukyu Golden Kings boosted their championship hopes by signing Draelon Burns earlier this month, and the DePaul University product has made a seamless transition to the Western Conference powerhouse.
Coming off the bench, Burns scored 11 points and dished out eight assists on Saturday as Ryukyu cruised past host Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix 85-69.
The Golden Kings (11-2) are 3-0 since Burns, who played a major role in leading the Yokohama B-Corsairs to the bj-league title in May, joined the team and extended their winning streak to seven games. They have won nine of their last 10 games.