Nile Murry provided the heroics in crunch time.
The veteran guard nailed a buzzer-beating jumper from the top of the key to shatter a late tie, and the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix outlasted the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings 71-69 in overtime in Game 1 of their bj-league Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday in Okinawa City.
Murry didn't have the best game of his pro career, but he made the biggest shot of the afternoon for the third-seeded Phoenix. He finished with 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting.