Perfect Opening

Japan Professional Basketball League, season opener, Tokyo Thunder vs. Osaka Magic.

With Wu Yufei opening the game with a brilliant pass to assist Alexander's alley-oop dunk, the entire Tokyo Thunder squad saw its momentum surge at once.

But Osaka Magic was still Kansai's top powerhouse. They were naturally not going to be crushed so easily.

After quickly steadying themselves, Osaka Team immediately launched a counterattack.

However, Wu Yufei felt as though he had endless strength coursing through his body. The instant Date brought the ball into the frontcourt, Wu Yufei charged up to pressure him aggressively.

Faced with Wu Yufei's fierce defensive stance, Date tangled with him for a few seconds before deciding to avoid the confrontation. Seizing an opening, he immediately passed the ball to Bell, Osaka's foreign guard on the other side.

After receiving the ball, Bell took on the task of running the offense and patiently organized the team through a stretch of movement.

After several passes, no good opportunity emerged, and the ball eventually returned to Bell's hands.

Seeing this, Bell immediately decided to shoulder the scoring burden. He used a convincing pump fake to get Kikuchi Ryohei off his feet, then decisively rose for a quick mid-range jumper.

Duang!!

Unfortunately, perhaps because he had only just entered the game and had not found his touch yet, or perhaps because the roaring home atmosphere had affected him, the ball did not swish through Tokyo Thunder's hoop as he had hoped. Instead, it struck the rim hard and bounced away.

Under the basket, Sugiyama Shota had claimed the best rebounding position first. He spotted the chance, leaped up, and easily secured the defensive board.

Osaka Team's counterattack had failed, and Tokyo Team had the chance to extend its lead while the momentum was still on its side.