Basketball: Hachimura leads Japan with 29 in qualifier win over Saudis

Rui Hachimura led all scorers with 29 points as Japan overpowered Saudi Arabia 106-78 in their opening Group F game of the Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Thursday.The Los Angeles Clippers forward earlier this month made his first appearance for the national team since the 2024 Paris Olympics during a warm-up game against South Korea in Tokyo.Hachimura had 18 first-half points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the field to lead world No. 22 Japan into the main break up 56-40 over the 65th-ranked Saudis at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.The Saudis had no answer for the 28-y…READ FULL ARTICLE