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 ...
HeatDevils pound hapless Lightning
The Hiroshima Lightning are getting outscored by 42.3 points per game this season. Which means that a 58-36 halftime deficit on Sunday is only a minor snapshot of their woes. As expected, things fell part for Hiroshima in the second half against the visiting Oita ...
Fukuoka ends 12-game slide, hands Hiroshima 35th consecutive defeat
The Rizing Fukuoka scored points in a hurry and never let up in Friday's series opener against the host Hiroshima Lightning in Yamaguchi. The Rizing snapped a 12-game losing streak, winning 108-61. As a result, Hiroshima (1-40) suffered its 35th straight defeat, a bj-league record. Joseph Taylor ...
Hiroshima loses 33rd straight game
The Hiroshima Lightning's rapid-fire 3-point shooting failed to product the desire result on Friday. The visiting Osaka Evessa dominated on the boards and handed the Lightning a 99-81 defeat, the team's 33rd straight loss. Hiroshima (1-38) made 16 of 41 3s in the bj-league series opener ...
Hiroshima suffers 29th consecutive loss
The Hiroshima Lightning's epic losing streak reached 29 games on Friday night in a 136-68 defeat to the host Oita Ehime HeatDevils. The HeatDevils (10-27) led 31-16 after one quarter and took a 58-34 advantage into halftime in Oita. The hosts pounced on the Lightning (1-34) ...
Phoenix consign Lightning to 28th straight loss
The reigning champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix used their bench early and often in a 119-57 thrashing of the host Hiroshima Lightning on Saturday. Phoenix coach Tomoya Higashino only used one player for more than 25 minutes in the series finale in Yamaguchi. Big man Atsuya Ota, ...
Akita sends Tokyo to 28th straight defeat
The Akita Northern Happinets jumped out to a 16-point lead by the end of the first quarter and cruised to a lopsided win over the host Tokyo Cinq Reves on Friday night. The Northern Happinets recorded a clinical 100-78 victory, condemning Tokyo to its 28th ...
Shiga pounds Hiroshima to complete series sweep
The Shiga Lakestars hammered the Hiroshima Lightning for the second straight day on Thursday, winning an afternoon matinee 98-56. The Lakestars (22-10) led 30-14 after the opening period in Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and extended their advantage to 27 points by halftime. Shiga out-rebounded the hosts, who ...
Kawai faces tall task in new job with HeatDevils
Will Ryuji Kawai resurrect the Oita Ehime HeatDevils' season? Will the former Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix and Shinshu Brave Warriors bench boss find a way to lead the HeatDevils to their second straight playoff appearance for the first time in franchise history? Entering the season's second half, ...
Mavunga lifts Shiga past Tokyo
Power forward Julian Mavunga had 36 points and 14 rebounds and Masahiro Kano made six steals to propel the Shiga Lakestars to a 73-63 victory over the Tokyo Cinq Reves on Friday night in the bj-league. Shiga (12-5) outscored the hosts 44-29 in the second ...
Hannaryz forward Owens done for season
Kyoto Hannaryz forward Larry Owens is out with a season-ending knee injury, the bj-league club announced on Friday. Owens, a former NBA player, sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the third quarter against the Rizing Fukuoka on Sunday. His recovery ...
Shimane trounces Hiroshima in series opener
The expansion Hiroshima Lightning faced a 24-point deficit after 10 minutes on Friday night, and never recovered. The visiting Shimane Susanoo Magic routed the Lightning 115-62 in the series opener in Hiroshima. Shimane (9-6) controlled the boards from start to finish, out-rebounding the hosts 63-24. Josh Davis ...
