Rui Hachimura had the hot hand for the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter of their NBA first-round playoff game against the Houston Rockets on Friday, April 24.
While playing all 12 minutes of the opening quarter in Houston, Hachimura was 6-for-6 from the floor. He knocked down all three of his 3-point shots in the first quarter.
Hachimura led all scorers with 16 points in the first quarter, and the Lakers led 39-22 at the end of the quarter. For Hachimura, it was a career-best scoring total for one quarter, in the regular season or the playoffs.
LA went on to beat Houston 112-108 in overtime to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Hachimura finished with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting. He grabbed four rebounds and added two assists and a steal in nearly 44 minutes.
In overtime, Hachimura had a key offensive rebound and seconds later converted a layup to put the Lakers ahead 107-103 with 2:35 remaining.
LeBron James paced the Lakers with 29 points, including 13 in the second half. Marcus Smart had a stellar all-around game to help lead the Lakers, chipping in with 21 points, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks.
Game 4 is on Sunday in Houston.
The Lakers’ Rui Hachimura attempts to save a ball during overtime in Game 3 on April 24. (©Troy Taormina/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTRS)
Rui Hachimura Comments on Game 3
The Toyama native noted that the Lakers wanted to capitalize on his matchup with Rockets guard Reed Sheppard. Houston’s Kevin Durant (knee injury) missed the game, giving the 188-cm Sheppard the early defensive assignment against Hachimura.
“We talked about it in film [sessions] and practice, and that’s what we did exactly,” Hachimura told reporters after the game.
The Lakers’ mental fortitude was another factor in the win, according to Hachimura.
“It was the mentality,” he said, citing a key to victory. “We never gave up.”
Houston, the Western Conference’s No 5 seed, led 75-70 entering the fourth quarter.
“Especially in the playoffs, we’ve always got to fight through [adversity],” said Hachimura, whose team is the No 4 seed.
Hachimura said his team is focused on performing well in the most critical moments of playoff games.
“We’ve been in a lot of close games and we always finish strong,” he said after Game 3.
In Game 1 of the Lakers-Rockets series, Hachimura had 14 points, three steals and two blocks in LA’s 107-98 win. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in Game 2, a 101-94 LA victory.
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NBA House Holds Public Viewings, Basketball Contests
In conjunction with the ongoing NBA playoffs, a variety of fan-friendly activities were scheduled in Tokyo for Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26. Held at City Circuit Tokyo Bay, NBA Japan organized public viewings of Game 3 of the Lakers-Rockets series and Sunday’s Game 4 of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets series.
The weekend activities were promoted as “NBA House Japan” as the Odaiba racing circuit was transformed into a centralized hub for basketball-related events.
Other activities included 3-point shooting contests, 3×3 exhibition tournaments, freestyle basketball performances, slam dunk contests and a basketball talk show with former NBA player Chris Bosh.
Nagasaki Velca swingman Yudai Baba runs the offense against the Fighting Eagles Nagoya on April 25 in Nagoya. (©KYODO)
Velca Clinch Western Conference Title
The Nagasaki Velca, who have a B.League-best 45-12 record, have wrapped up the Western Conference title.
Nagasaki, which has a 22-7 road record during the 2025-26 season, won its fourth consecutive game on Saturday, April 25, topping the host Fighting Eagles Nagoya 83-73.
Jarrell Brantley led the Velca with 23 points.
“I think our defense was excellent today,” Nagasaki head coach Mody Maor said during a postgame press conference. “We had a few issues in the first half, but I feel we defended very well in the second half. To be honest, our offense wasn’t that great, but I believe our ability to dominate defensively led to this result.”
The Nagoya Diamond Dolphins and the SeaHorses Mikawa, who have identical 41-16 records, trail the Velca in the West as the end of the 60-game regular season approaches.
FC Machida Zelvia fans root for the team before the start of the Asian Champions League Elite final on April 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (©Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/via REUTERS)
Soccer
Al Ahli Beat Zelvia in Asian Champions League final
Al Ahli Saudi FC defeated FC Machida Zelvia 1-0 in extra time to capture the Asian Champions League Elite title on Saturday night, April 25.
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, substitute Feras Al Brikan scored the winning goal in the 96th minute for 10-man Al Ahli.
Al Ahli’s Zakaria Hawsawi was ejected from the final for headbutting Zelvia’s Tete Yengi in the 68th minute.
Despite playing a man down for a large stretch of the title match, Al Ahli repeated as Asian Champions League champion. In 2025, the Saudi squad defeated Kawasaki Frontale in the final.
Zelvia’s Yuta Nakayama (right) in action against Al Ahli in the second half. (©KYODO)
Machida’s Kosei Tani took home the tourney’s Best Goalkeeper award. He had seven shutouts in 11 matches.
Zelvia manager Go Kuroda said the experience of competing in the Asian Champions League is important for the J.League team’s development.
“It’s a great achievement that we became finalists,” Kuroda said at a post-match news conference. “Experience is of course important. We gained a lot reaching this stage of the competition, for us staff and the players.”
Kuroda added, “We will take this and look to step forward with this experience.”
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Hanshin Tigers infielder Teruaki Sato bashes a double in the third inning against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars on April 21 at Yokohama Stadium. (©SANKEI)
Baseball
Tigers’ Sato Leads NPB with a .384 Batting Average
Hanshin Tigers star Teruaki Sato has the best batting average (.384) among NPB players. Through the completion of play on Saturday, April 25, Sato also had five home runs, 12 doubles, two triples and 22 RBIs.
In 2025, Sato hit .277 with a career-best 40 homers and 102 RBIs, another career-high total.
Now in his sixth season as a pro baseball player, Sato has a .267 career batting average in 683 games.
Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a seventh-inning homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 22 in Phoenix. (©KYODO)
Murakami Matches MLB Rookie Homer Record
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami homered in his fifth consecutive game on Wednesday, April 22, becoming the 13th MLB rookie to do so.
Murakami, who previously starred for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, extended his streak with a two-run round-tripper in the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
The streak ended on Thursday, when Murakami went 1-for-5, hitting a single in a 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
On Friday, Murakami belted his 11th homer of the 2026 season, a solo blast to center in the fourth off Washington Nationals reliever Miles Mickolas, a former Yomiuri Giants player.
The White Sox earned a 5-4 triumph over the visitors.
Murakami hopes to remain a productive power hitter for the entire season.
“It’s still early in the season, so I just hope I can finish with good numbers,” Murakami said, according to Kyodo News.
As of April 25, Murakami and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros are tied for the MLB lead in homers.
Akie Iwai tees off in the third round of The Chevron Championship at the Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas, on April 25. (©KYODO)
Golf
Competing at The Chevron Championship
Heading into the final round of The Chevron Championship, the LPGA Tour’s first major of 2026, American Nelly Korda held a five-stroke lead over Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit at 16-under 200.
Korda, who won this event in 2024, opened the tourney with back-to-back 65s, then shot a 70 in the third round on Saturday, April 25 in Houston, Texas.
Japan’s Akie Iwai and Miyuu Yamashita were among four golfers tied for 12th after the next-to-last round at 5-under 211.
Iwai carded a 6-under 66 on Saturday in a round highlighted by her seven birdies. Yamashita had a 67.
“So today I felt everything [was] good, especially my swing tempo,” Iwai told reporters, adding, “that’s why I got many birdies.”
Iwai finished with a 72 in the second round. She said her mental approach helped her improve her score by six strokes the next day. In round two, Iwai said she was “overthinking,” but a day later “no overthinking.”
Yuka Saso and Rio Takeda were tied for 20th at 3-under 213.
Mao Saigo, winner of The Chevron Championship in 2025, has had a frustrating tournament with a 1-over 73, followed by a 71 and a 74. That put her at 2-over 218 and in 61st place.
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Quotes of the Week
“I’ve run out of things to say. Obviously, he continues to put himself in a really good spot to take good swings on good pitches. He’s making great swing decisions, making a ton of contact and when he hits it, he hits it really hard.”
―White Sox manager Will Venable on MLB rookie Munetaka Murakami’s strong start this season on offense, according to The Associated Press.
“I’m looking forward to working with all the players and support staff, and being heavily involved in one of the most exciting projects in world rugby at the moment. [The] Newcastle Red Bulls are a club intent on success, and the possibilities for the club are huge. But nothing happens in sport without hard work and quality processes being put in place.”
―Dan McFarland, on his upcoming departure as forwards coach for Japan Rugby League One club Kobelco Kobe Steelers to take over as the head coach of English Premiership Rugby squad Newcastle Red Bulls.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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