The Alvark Tokyo outplayed the Shimane Susanoo Magic on Friday night and earned an 89-55 series-opening victory on the road.
Tokyo led 19-13 after the first quarter. Coach Luka Pavicevic's team increased its advantage to 35-23 by halftime in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.
The Susanoo Magic (7-15) faced a 61-42 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Center Alex Kirk paced the Alvark (17-5) with 25 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. He made 10 of 14 shots from the field.
Tokyo's Kevin Jones poured in 18 points and Daiki Tanaka had 12 points and six assists, while Seiya Ando finished with 10 points.
The hosts were held to 35.4 percent shooting from the field.
Brian Qvale was Shimane's top scorer with 24 points and Robert Carter added 19. No other Magic player scored more than four points.
Brex sign Williams
The Utsunomiya Brex on Friday announced the signing of veteran forward Jawad Williams.
The University of North Carolina alum suited up for the Alvark Tokyo from 2017 to 2019, helping the squad capture back-to-back B1 titles.
This season, Williams, 36, joined the B. League second-division's Koshigaya Alphas in mid-November. Appearing in four games for the Alphas, he averaged 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals.
A month later, the former Cleveland Cavaliers forward is back in the top flight with a chance to add another title to his illustrious career.
Williams has previously played in Italy, Greece, Turkey, France, Israel and Spain and the NBA Development League, which is now known as the NBA G League.
The Brex enter this weekend with a 17-4 record, including a 10-game winning streak.
