Chiba, which lost the last two finals to the Alvark Tokyo, put down feisty Utsunomiya in Tuesday's decisive Game 3 to claim its first-ever league championship.
May 31, 2021
Yokohama – The Utsunomiya Brex and Chiba Jets Funabashi are the last two teams standing in the top-tier of Japanese professional men’s basketball this year.
After Sunday night, the two popular teams are going to need all three games of the B. League Finals to determine which is left when the dust settles.
One day after suffering a crushing loss, the Brex rebounded with an 83-58 victory over Chiba in Game 2 to avoid being swept out of the finals, which is being played as a three-game series this year after previously being contested as a one-off game.
The teams will return to Yokohama Arena for the decisive third game on Tuesday. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
May 29, 2021
Yokohama – Offensive rebounding and second-chance scoring propelled the Chiba Jets to an 85-65 win over the Utsunomiya Brex in the opening game of the 2021 B. League Finals on Saturday, bringing the Jets to within a win of an elusive first title.
Chiba dominated the offensive boards by a 16-10 count and racked up 24 second-chance points against Utsunomiya’s six in front of 4,678 fans at Yokohama Arena.
After holding a slight 36-35 lead at halftime, the Jets dictated the second half, outscoring their opponents 49-30.
The Jets, who have come up short twice before in the finals, will look to close out the series Sunday at Yokohama Arena, with the opening tipoff set for 3 p.m.