Second-Half Defensive Shift Sends Chiba Jets Past Gunma in Dramatic Game 3

This decisive Game 3 became a story of two entirely different basketball games.

In the first half, Gunma played almost exactly the type of game they wanted.

The pace was controlled, the floor was spaced effectively, and the ball movement repeatedly exposed Chiba’s defensive rotations. Kelly Blackshear Jr. orchestrated the offense from the interior while dominating the glass, finishing with 15 rebounds and 7 assists. Around him, Gunma’s shooters found rhythm early, knocking down timely three-pointers and forcing Chiba into uncomfortable half-court possessions.

Chiba’s offense struggled to find continuity. The Jets were unable to establish transition opportunities, their outside shooting lacked rhythm, and the overall flow favored Gunma’s physical style. At halftime, the game felt firmly tilted toward the Crane Thunders.

But the second half became a completely different contest.

Everything changed with Chiba’s defensive intensity in the third quarter.

The Jets aggressively pressured the ball, rotated faster on the perimeter, and cut off the passing lanes that had hurt them in the opening half. Gunma, which had looked composed offensively before halftime, suddenly found every possession contested. The result was a stunning third quarter in which Gunma managed only six points.

That stretch fundamentally flipped the momentum of the game.

While Chiba never became overwhelmingly efficient offensively, they began generating the type of possessions that mattered most in playoff basketball: paint attacks, free throws, and second-effort plays. Nasir Little attacked downhill relentlessly on his way to 20 points, repeatedly creating contact and forcing Gunma’s defense to collapse.

At the same time, Yuta Watanabe brought calm to the game’s most chaotic moments. Beyond his scoring, his rebounding, defensive communication, and late free throws stabilized Chiba whenever Gunma threatened to retake momentum.

Even after being held to six points in the third, Gunma still refused to break.

Late three-pointers and second-chance opportunities cut the margin back to a single possession in the closing minutes, and the physical tension of the game remained until the final seconds. Yet unlike the first half, Chiba consistently won the critical defensive possessions late.

Statistically, the contrast between halves told the entire story. Gunma’s ball movement and perimeter execution controlled the opening 20 minutes, but Chiba’s defensive pressure and free-throw advantage dictated the final 20.

In the end, this was not simply a comeback victory. It was a game where one team controlled the first half, and the other completely reshaped the identity of the contest after halftime.

That transformation ultimately sent Chiba forward.