NBA D-League Select Team Defeat Japan In Scrimmage

NBA D-League 105, Japan 74

The NBA D-League Select team came out hot, opening up an 8-2 lead in the game's opening minutes. But, the Japanese National Team battled back, tying the score at 15 and 19 as the teams traded baskets. Kurt Looby put an exclamation point on the first quarter for the Select team, throwing down a bucket as time expired. The Select team was up 26-21 after one.

The NBA D-League Select team outscored the Japanese National Team 24-14 in the second quarter, and owned a 15-point lead, 50-35 going into halftime on the back of Johnson's buzzer-beating jumper to end the period.

Moving into the second half, the Select team never looked back, extending their lead to as many as 23 points, 73-50, when Johnson connected on a quick layup with under a minute to play in the third quarter. At the end of three, the Select led 74-52, having outscored the Japanese National Team 24-17 in the quarter.

In the game's final stanza, the Select team led by as many as 32 points when Jasper Johnson drained a three-pointer from the corner to put his team up 105-72 as time expired. The Japanese National team sank a quick jumper as time expired, ending the game 74-105.

The Japanese National Team was led by Kousuke Takeuchi's 17 points, while Takehiko Orimo tallied 10 and Takumi Ishizaki contributed nine points in the loss.

Kurt Looby had a game-high six rebounds and also scored 15 points for the NBA D-League.

The teams meet again in a second scrimmage on Tuesday, July 14.

The Select team begins its official Summer League schedule tomorrow at 4pm ET when the team faces the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Cox Pavilion.