Former NBA center Melvin Ely notched a double-double and three teammates also scored in double figures as the Gunma Crane Thunders cruised past the visiting Saitama Broncos 75-61 in Thursday's series opener.
The 36-year-old Ely had a game-high 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting, pulled down 11 rebounds and added two assists and two blocks.
Gunma (14-21 overall, 8-11 at home) led 42-28 at halftime against the bj-league's worst team.
Daniel Northern Jr. and Carlos Dixon each had 12 points. Dixon hauled in 13 rebounds and dished out five assists for the hosts and Northern pulled down 12 boards. Yusuke Kodera poured in 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Yosuke Sugawara contributed eight points.
Saitama (4-31) shot 2-for-16 from beyond the arc in Ota, Gunma Prefecture.
The Crane Thunders, who have won two straight games, dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Broncos 54-40.
Gary Johnson paced Saitama with 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Teammate Nyika Williams finished with 16 points, 19 boards and six steals. Junya Masumoto had an 11-point effort.
The Broncos had just seven assists while turning the ball over 14 times.
In the paint: Ely, whose NBA career spanned from 2002 to 2014, recorded his fifth double-double of the season. He's averaging 11.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in 33 games while shooting 60.4 percent from the field.