The two-time B. League champion Alvark Tokyo set the pace at both ends of the floor as they cruised past the Kawasaki Brave Thunders 85-79 in front of a home crowd at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi in the opening game of the 2020-21 B. League campaign on Friday night.
The two teams had the night to themselves, with the rest of the top division beginning play on Saturday.
American center Alex Kirk had a double-double to start the year, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while point guard Seiya Ando scored 18 and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range for the Alvark, who led B1 with a .780 winning percentage during the 2019-20 season, which ended prematurely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.