The Ryukyu Golden Kings jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter and played stellar defense against the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins throughout the game in The Terrific 12 semifinals on Saturday in Macau.
With a 66-48 victory, the Golden Kings advanced to Sunday's final. Coach Norio Sassa's club will face China's Guangzhou Long Lions, which defeated South Korea's Seoul Samsung Thunders 88-74 in the later semifinal, in the tournament finale.
Fifteen seconds into the contest, veteran guard Ryuichi Kishimoto buried a 3-pointer on Ryukyu's opening possession to put his team in front. A Takatoshi Furukawa jumper increased the lead to 7-0 at the 8:41 mark.