Star guard Masashi Joho's return to the Toyama Grouses lineup this weekend delivered what the team has come to expect during his tenure with the franchise: victories.

Joho, the 2013-14 bj-league MVP, scored a game-high 20 points and made three steals in the Grouses' 74-66 triumph over the Iwate Big Bulls in Toyama.

After missing seven games due to a knee injury, Joho made a big impact over the weekend, scoring 15 points in Saturday's 77-73 win.

Iwate (20-4) has dropped its past three games after a league-record 19-game win streak.

Jamelle Horne added 12 points for the Grouses (17-7), who reached the Final Four for the first time in franchise history last season. Takeshi Mito had 10 points and four assists and Keyon Carter chipped in with nine points. Sam Willard and Tatsunori Fujie both had eight points. Joe Werner finished with seven points and a game-best 13 rebounds.

Lawrence Blackledge and Masato Tsukino each had 16 points for the Big Bulls and Scootie Randall scored 15.

Toyama dominated on the boards, grabbing 59 rebounds (31 offensive) and holding Iwate to 38.

Lakestars 74, Golden Kings 71

In Okinawa City, after shooting 3-for-26 from 3-point range in the series opener, Shiga found more success taking the ball inside in a bounce-back victory over Ryukyu.

Jeff Parmer led the Lakestars with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Terrance Woodbury and Yu Okada each had 15 points.

Ray Nixon contributed nine points and eight rebounds for Shiga (12-6) and rookie guard Ryota Kobayashi had five points.

The Lakestars took a 48-42 lead into halftime against the defending champions.

Draelon Burns paced Ryukyu (18-4) with 18 points, Anthony Kent scored 14 and Anthony McHenry had 10 points with seven assists. Morihisa Yamauchi supplied eight points and three steals.

The Golden Kings' shooting numbers were below average across the board: 6-for-25 on 3s, 21-for-45 on 2s and 11-for-19 at the foul line.

Wat's 94, Brave Warriors 72

In Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, Gyno Pomare's 24-point performance on 12-for-13 shooting with nine rebounds ignited Aomori, which salvaged a series split against the hosts.

Big man Paul Williams chipped in with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the Wat's, who led 46-28 at halftime. Yuki Yamaguchi poured in 13 points and Makoto Sawaguchi and Yuki Kitamuki had nine apiece.

Aomori shot 61.8 percent from inside the arc and handed out 24 assists against 12 turnovers. Kitamuki matched Williams for the team-high total in assists.

For Shinshu (9-11), Patrick Sanders scored 18 points, Dai Suzuki netted 15, Carl Hall had 14 and DeVaughn Washington nine.

Hannaryz 70, Bambitious 64

In Kyoto, veteran poise guided the Hannaryz to their second win in as many days over Nara.

David Palmer paced Kyoto (21-3) with 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Kevin Kotzur (16 points, nine rebounds) and Reggie Warren (14 points, nine boards) also had prominent roles in the game.

The Western Conference-leading Hannaryz doled out 16 assists and turned the ball over just six times.

Chehales Tapscott had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Bambitious (7-13). Andre Murray and Ryo Yamazaki scored 18 and 11 points, respectively.

Susanoo Magic 108, Five Arrows 78

In Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, hot-shooting Shimane pounded Takamatsu to record a series sweep.

The Susanoo Magic (6-18) drained 13 of 22 3s in the series finale a day after knocking down 11 of 17.

Marquette University product Joe Chapman 4 of 5 from long range in a 22-point performance. Isiah Brown added 21 points on 10-for-14 shooting, but did not attempt a 3-pointer. Edward Yamamoto had two 3s and 19 points and dished out five assists.

Shimane's Bingo Morriex and Tatsuhiro Yokoo finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively, in the rout.

Justin Watts paced the Five Arrows (7-17) with 19 points. B.J. Puckett scored 15 and Masaaki Suzuki and Dexter Lyons both had 14, while Andrais Thornton chipped in with 13.

Takamatsu's losing streak now stands at 10 games.

HeatDevils 87, Evessa 85

In Beppu, Oita Prefecture, Taishiro Shimizu's season-high 34-point outburst, including 8-for-11 on 3s, sparked the HeatDevils, who snapped a seven-game slide by beating Osaka.

Kellen Thornton had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Oita (7-15), Todd O'Brien scored 13 points and Demetri McCamey contributed 10 points and seven assists.

The HeatDevils jumped out to a 30-14 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Jon Kreft led the Evessa (15-9) with 26 points and Shunki Hatakeyama had 21 points and nine assists. Shota Konno scored 16 points and Seth Tarver had 12. Gary Hamilton pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.

Crane Thunders 93, 89ers 88

In Sendai, Marcus Morrison made five 3s en route to 27 points and former NBA big man Melvin Ely added 21 points and 13 rebounds as Gunma earned a series split.

For Ely, it was his fourth double-double of the season, second in the past three games. And he matched his season-high scoring output.

Carlos Dixon had 15 points and Yosuke Sugawara added 14 for the Crane Thunders (6-16 overall, 4-6 on the road).

Sendai (17-7) trailed 51-34 at halftime.

Wendell White paced the 89ers with 27 points and Kejuan Johnson, a day after scoring 40, had 24 with six steals. In just under 31 minutes, big man Jeral Davis added 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks in his sixth game in a Sendai uniform. Takehiko Shimura finished with seven points.

Phoenix 77, Firebonds 53

In Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Hamamatsu held the hosts to 14 or less points in all four quarters and completed a two-game sweep.

Olu Ashaolu led the Phoenix (19-3) with 24 points and eight rebounds. Mo Charlo scored 13 points and Shingo Okada and Hiroki Furuhashi both had 10 for coach Tomoya Higashino's club.

Verdell Jones III was Fukushima's top scorer with 16 points, while Masaya Karimata and Terrance Shannon had eight apiece. James Hughes blocked three shots for the Firebonds (7-17).

Albirex BB 92, B-Corsairs 65

In Niigata, balanced scoring carried the Albirex past Yokohama.

Four Niigata players reached double digits in points: Thomas Kennedy (18), Russell Carter (17), Kimitake Sato (16) and Patrick Sullivan (13).

Veteran guard Hirotaka Kondo added nine points and six assists in the rout.

The B-Corsairs, who have lost 11 consecutive games, were held to 22 first-half points.

Warren Niles had 21 points for Yokohama (4-20), Dzaflo Larkai scored 12 and Khyle Marshall 11. Kenji Yamada dished out nine assists.

Rizing 77, Broncos 74

In Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, Arkansas State alum Kirk Van Slyke's 28-point outing on 11-for-13 shooting carried the hosts to a narrow victory over Saitama.

Josh Peppers chipped in with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists for Fukuoka (6-16) and Greg Logins scored 10 points. Yoshimasa Ohara handed out seven assists.

For the Broncos (0-20), Gary Johnson scored 27 points and hauled in eight rebounds and Nyika Williams had 19 points. Junya Masumoto and Koji Nagata finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

For the second straight weekend, Saitama head coach Kazuaki Shimoji, 38, was not on the Broncos bench after being diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis, which, according to the American Heart Association website, is "a disease characterized by inflammation or infection of the inner surface of the heart."

In Shimoji's absence, strength and conditioning coach/trainer Takahisa Yamaguchi is filling in to guide the team.