Gunma Crane Thunders — Altiri Chiba: 76:74, B League

Gunma Crane Thunders secured a narrow 76:74 victory over Altiri Chiba in the B League on Wednesday evening. The result keeps the home side in third place with 42 wins from 60 games, while the visitors remain 11th on 19 victories.

The match carried weight given their recent history. Gunma had lost both previous meetings with Chiba earlier this year — 68:72 and 79:85 — before edging 87:68 in the third encounter. This time they closed the game out by two points in what proved decisive.

Altiri Chiba have struggled since their last win against San Rockers Shibuya on 26 April. They lost to that side 69:79 the following day and then fell 66:79 to Ibarak Robots on 22 April, leaving them with three straight defeats heading into this fixture.

Gunma showed resilience after their two losses to Chiba in May. They had bounced back with consecutive wins over Sendai 89ers — 87:86 and 83:82 — before returning to face their division rivals once more. The margin this time was razor-thin.

The result extends Gunma's unbeaten run to two games since their defeats in May. They remain 22 points clear of 11th place, while Chiba's gap to the teams above them has not shifted significantly.