Hachioji ends 20-game losing streak behind Cleanthony Early's 42-point performance
Former New York Knicks forward Cleanthony Early scored a game-high 42 points and grabbed 22 rebounds to guide the visiting Hachioji Bee Trains past the Aomori Wat's on Friday night. The Bee Trains' 82-71 victory snapped their 20-game losing streak that began in early November. Coach ...
Brave Thunders pounce on Brex; Orange Vikings' Chehales Tapscott drops 50 on Wat's
Naoto Tsuji had the hot hand early. The Kawasaki Brave Thunders shooting guard sparked the hosts in the opening quarter and finished with a game-high 20 points in an 89-61 thrashing of the Tochigi Brex on Friday night. Tsuji sank 4 of 5 3-point attempts in ...
Shimane hopes ex-NBA forward Al Thornton can boost woeful offense
With 12 consecutive losses, the Shimane Susanoo Magic have endured a difficult stretch in a season with few tangible positive results. Shimane has a 1-22 record in away contests, which is worst among the 18 top-flight clubs. And first-year coach Yukinori Suzuki's team returns to ...
Tohoku Cup offers fans early treat
An annual tradition is growing. The Tohoku Cup, now in its fifth year, is a preseason event set up to help teams get prepared for the upcoming season. It has become a key testing ground for players as they get ready for the long grind of ...
Fate of stats from former leagues uncertain
Should statistical records from the bj-league, the JBL and its successor (NBL), the JBL2 and its successor (NBDL) be kept handy and recited frequently for the B. League? Or should the accomplishments of players and teams in Japan's men's basketball circuits be stored away and ...
Joho dials up vintage performance for Eastern Conference champion Toyama
Toyama Grouses guard Masashi Joho celebrated his 34th birthday on Sunday with a 27-point performance in the team's 98-90 win over the visiting Aomori Wat's. Joho, an enduring star throughout the bj-league's 11 seasons, helped the Grouses capture the Eastern Conference regular-season crown with a ...
Ryukyu setting pace as final season winds down
Who's hot and who's not? These trends may affect how the final two weeks of the final bj-league season shake out and how teams position themselves for the upcoming playoffs. Let's use the past 10 games as a measuring stick for each of the league's 24 ...
Aomori surges late to defeat rival Fukushima
The growing rivalry between the Aomori Wat's and Fukushima Firebonds reached another level over the weekend, when fourth-quarter offensive fireworks intensified in both games. In the series finale on Sunday, Aomori used a 30-point fourth quarter to close out a hard-fought 84-79 home win over ...
Tohoku teams part of community fabric
Men's pro basketball has thrived in Tohoku during the slow, difficult recovery from the March 11 disasters. Five years later, the sport has established a strong foothold and a tradition, laying the foundation for the future. A quick glance at the bj-league's Eastern Conference standings will ...
Ryukyu's Ravenel comes up big in victory over Kanazawa
Starting big man Evan Ravenel dominated at both ends of the court on Sunday, guiding the Ryukyu Golden Kings to an 87-83 win over the Kanazawa Samuraiz. The Golden Kings (19-7 overall, 8-4 at home) earned a series split in Okinawa City. Ravenel had a game-high ...
Soma sparks Osaka in rout of Niigata
The Osaka Evessa didn't shy away from feeding the ball to Takuya Soma on the perimeter on Saturday. Smart move. The 24-year-old swingman sank 9 of 16 3-pointers and scored a game-high 29 points, leading the Evessa to an 85-64 victory over the Niigata Albirex BB. Lawrence ...
Quietly, the Shimane Susanoo Magic have put together an impressive winning streak that's been overshadowed by other successful teams this season. The streak reached 10 games with Shimane's 78-59 victory over the host Aomori Wat's on Sunday While Western Conference rivals Kyoto Hannaryz and Hamamatsu ...
