B.League Finals: Nagasaki Wins Game 2 to Keep Title Hopes Alive

YOKOHAMA ― Facing elimination with a loss in Game 2 of the B.League Finals, the Nagasaki Velca erased a 9-0 deficit in the game's opening stretch and earned a 66-60 victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings.

On Sunday, May 24, Nagasaki coach Mody Maor's squad, which had a B.League-best 47-13 record during the regular season, seized control in the third quarter.

Outscoring the Golden Kings 21-9 in the third, the Velca took a 52-38 lead into the final period.

Ryukyu, playing in its fifth consecutive B.League Finals, mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Golden Kings, who outscored the Velca 22-14 in the fourth, pulled to within 64-60 after Vic Law sank three foul shots with 15.6 seconds remaining.

Former NBA forward Stanley Johnson, who finished with a game-best 25 points, sealed the win with two free throws with 11.5 seconds left.

Ryukyu missed a 3-pointer on its final possession.

Maor, in his second season at the helm, commended his players' spirited performance in a must-win game.

"Incredible effort, incredible heart," he said, describing their play in Game 2 at Yokohama Arena before an announced crowd of 13,240.

Bouncing back from a 71-69 loss in Game 1, a game in which Ryukyu outrebounded Nagasaki 50-33, showed the collective pride of the Velca organization.

The Velca played a more aggressive game on defense than they did in the championship series opener. What's more, the Golden Kings' rebounding advantage (40-37) was significantly reduced.

Game 3 is set for Tuesday. Tipoff is 7:05 PM.

B.League — *Nagasaki forward Stanley Johnson shoots a layup in the third quarter. (©KYODO)*

Johnson Ignites Nagasaki in the 3rd Quarter

The Velca, who led 31-29 at halftime, opened the third quarter on a 13-2 run capped by a pair of Johnson free throws.

Longtime Golden Kings starting point guard Ryuichi Kishimoto picked up his fourth foul at the 8:48 mark of the third and went to the bench. He didn't return to the game until the fourth quarter.

Nagasaki heated up on offense in the third, making 7 of 14 shots from the floor.

At the same time, Ryukyu struggled to make shots, going 4-for-16, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

The Golden Kings had six of their 15 turnovers in the momentum-changing third quarter.

In a quick snapshot of his overall play this season, Johnson displayed his athleticism in a sequence that thrilled Velca fans. He made a steal and a slam dunk to extend the lead to 39-31 during the aforementioned run. And he scored 12 points in the third quarter.

"We had our own game plan, and I'm really glad we were able to execute it effectively in the second half," said Johnson, who was the B.League's second-leading scorer (22.8 points per game) in the 2025-26 season.

"Going into today's game, I believed that if we could stick to the game plan and do what the coach told us to do, we'd win, so I'm glad we were able to do that."

Fourth-Quarter Action

Johnson sank two free throws for the first points of the final period, and the Golden Kings faced a 54-38 deficit.

Kishimoto, back in the game after a long spell on the bench, knocked down a 3 to cut the lead to 13.

Johnson answered with a layup to extend the lead to 56-41, giving him 23 points with 6:52 left.

Thirty-one seconds later, Nagasaki took its biggest lead of the game (58-41) on a Yudai Baba reverse layup.

Ryukyu pulled to within 60-52 on a Ryo Sadohara 3-pointer at the 1:46 mark. Kishimoto made it a six-point game, draining a pair of free throws with 1:09 left.

Korean star Hyunjung Lee, who had a 16-point performance, pushed the lead to 62-54 with two clutch free throws.

Although time was running out on the Golden Kings' comeback hopes with only 46.3 seconds remaining, they still gave themselves a shot at winning Game 2.

Law buried a 3 with 34 seconds left in the fourth. Nagasaki now led 62-57.

Four seconds later, Baba made two foul shots.

Law, who scored 10 of his team-best 17 points in the fourth, was fouled by Baba while shooting a 3-pointer, sending him to the line. He converted all three attempts, and it was 64-60 with 15.6 seconds to play.

With 11.5 seconds remaining, Johnson returned to the foul line and he scored his final two points. That made it 66-60.

On the ensuing possession, Kishimoto's 3 was blocked by Velca forward Jarrell Brantley and his teammate Hayato Yamaguchi grabbed the defensive rebound. Game over.

Perspectives on Game 2

Commenting on Nagasaki's overall performance, Baba said the players were focused on Maor's tactics.

"It was a do-or-die situation, but in a way, I felt like we were able to play with a really good sense of tension," said Baba, a former NBA G League player.

"Rebounding is a key part of Ryukyu's game, and since we were clearly getting outplayed there yesterday, the head coach told us that improving that area was our top priority," added Baba, who played on the Alvark Tokyo's back-to-back B.League title-winning squads in 2017-18 and 2018-19. "So we were all able to stay focused and make it our main priority."

Maor noted that Nagasaki had a stronger showing than it did in Game 1.

"I think we played with incredible heart, and the first 90 seconds didn't go the way we wanted," the American-Israeli bench boss said. "But the guys responded and played absolutely the way the Velca want to play."

Not surprisingly Sunday's game was a physical duel between the two Western Conference powerhouse teams, a game in which Ryukyu big man Jack Cooley contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds.

"The battle for rebounds was even more intense than in Game 1, and I felt that Nagasaki made the necessary adjustments," Golden Kings coach Dai Oketani said. "Although we ran into foul trouble, I think we were able to play the kind of basketball we aim for in every other aspect."

A Look Ahead to Game 3

Representatives of both teams said they expect another intense challenge in the winner-take-all B.League championship series finale.

After Game 2, Oketani said: "All sorts of things can happen in the Finals, but the players fought hard until the very end today."

Looking ahead to Game 3, he added: "We see this as another opportunity to play the kind of basketball that defines the Kings. And we'll come together as a team and give it our all for the full 40 minutes. We'll fight until the end in this final game of the season."

Cooley said his team is determined to rebound from its loss and capture the championship.

"We know what we need to do," the Notre Dame alumni told reporters, citing several aspects of the game.

He added, "We need to do better than today."

To win the title, Cooley said the key is to "play as hard as we can for 40 minutes and lay it all on the line."

For the title-chasing Velca, team unity and executing their offensive and defensive plans are connected to Maor's leadership.

"Of course, I trust the coach completely," Johnson said after Game 2. "He does a great job of organizing the team."