Spurgin's NBL Select team defeat B.League United in game one

The NBL Select team, featuring Sydney Kings' Jason Spurgin, put in a strong showing to claim the 11-point (75-64) win in the opening game of the Global Invitational in Japan against B.League United.

The two-game series is part of the growing relationship between the NBL and Japanese basketball, and was tremendously supported by a big crowd at Openhouse Arena in Ota City, Tokyo, on Saturday night for the first of the two matches in consecutive nights.

There was a good blend of players in the NBL Select team as well under the coaching of inaugural South East Melbourne Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell.

There was the experience with the likes of Angus Glover, Kyle Adnam and Mitch Norton along with defensive specialists Sunday Dech and Sam McDaniel, emerging stars Akech Aliir and Josh Bannan, and topped off with Mason Peatling, Todd Withers, Spurgin and DJ Mitchell.

In the end, it was two men who coach Mitchell knows well having coached Adnam at the Phoenix previously and then signing Glover to South East Melbourne when he took on the role as GM basketball who shone.

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Adnam is returning to the Cairns Taipans in NBL26 for a second season and has been playing impressively in the NBL1 North at the Southern Districts Spartans. He scored 14 points on 4/7 shooting for the NBL Select team.

Then there was Glover who has been playing at the Ringwood Hawks in the NBL1 South in between South East Melbourne NBL seasons. He delivered 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.

When Glover knocked down his second three-pointer of the game with three minutes to play the NBL representative team were able to put the game to bed.

The NBL Select team did lead by two points at quarter-time and then just one at half-time, but it was 25 points to 16 in the third quarter where they opened up a gap and completed the deal on the 11-point win.

Josh Bannan will be joining the Tasmania JackJumpers in NBL26. He had eight points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals with Sunday Dech producing nine points and two assists ahead of his return to the Perth Wildcats.

Sam McDaniel is back fit and healthy after missing all but one game of NBL25 with a shoulder injury with the Brisbane Bullets star finishing with seven points, five rebounds and four assists with DJ Mitchell adding seven points and nine rebounds ahead of his return to the NBL at South East Melbourne.

Bullets captain Mitch Norton added five points, three rebounds and three assists, Illawarra Hawks championship winner Mason Peatling five points, nine boards, four assists and two steals, and another new Phoenix signing Akech Aliir four points, four rebounds and two assists.

Todd Withers was an import injury replacement at the Wildcats last season, is still playing in the NBL1 West at the Warwick Senators alongside Elijah Pepper and Cody Ellis, and had three points in his 16 minutes.

Marcus Tobin top-scored for the B.League United team with 17 points and six rebounds with Takuto Nakamura adding 12 points, four boards and four assists, and Kazuki Hosokawa 12 points all coming from behind the three-point arc.

Game 2 will be played at Openhouse Arena in Ota City, which is part of Tokyo, on Sunday night also tipping off at 8pm AEST - which can be watched here.