Amazing round in Spain, with thriller games, young prospects rising up, and some bad news too. Laprovittola was named the MVP of this round.

UCAM Murcia 82 – 84 Iberostar Tenerife

A thriller took place in Murcia, with the visiting team taking a narrow win with a late basket by Sasu Salin, who was the top scorer with 20 points. Fitipaldo and Shermadini helped with 18 points each. For Murcia, Frankamp led the team with 21 points. Many good things were expected from this player, and he has been delivering so far. Lima added 11 points and 13 rebounds for the local team.  

Movistar Estudiantes 84 – 86 TD Systems Baskonia

Another close game took place in Madrid, with Baskonia getting its third straight win after a circus basket by Henry. The young local team had its best players in Robertson, with 26 points, and Avramovic, who netted 21. For Baskonia, Giedraitis scored 22 points, proving that things like “adaptation period” have no meaning to him. Jekiri was again a dominant force under the boards with 20 points and eight rebounds, proving that his amazing season last year in ASVEL was not a coincidence.

Barcelona 82 – 64 RETAbet Bilbao Basket

Barcelona had no problems to defeat one of the weakest teams in the competition so far. Fun fact is that Nikola Mirotic did not score a single point, shooting two times only. It was a day for Hanga and Higgins to lead the team with 13 and 12 points respectively. For Bilbao, Jaylen Brown was the only player to score more than 10 points, netting 15.

MoraBanc Andorra 78 – 81 Unicaja Málaga

Unicaja finally managed to get a win, and it was a valuable one against a tough team like Andorra at their home court. It was a close game where the visiting team had a 14-27 run in the last quarter, with 20 points scored by Brizuela. Add to this the surprising help of youngster Nzosa. We have a center here who became the third U-17 player to ever score 10 points in an ACB game, alongside current NBA stars like Ricky Rubio and… Luka Doncic. Not a bad feat at all. For Andorra, Hannah scored 19 points and Palsson helped with 13 in the losing effort.

Monbus Obradoiro 87 – 80 Coosur Real Betis

It was tougher than expected, but Obradoiro managed to get the win against a poor Coosur Real Betis. Lithuanian center Birutis, well established after three games as the leader of the team, scored 17 points and grabbed eight boards. Up to other four players scored 10 or more points for the local team. For Betis, Ryan Harrow scored 23 points in 18 minutes in his first game of the season, giving new hopes for the Andalusian team. Nick Kay helped with 13 points and eight rebounds. Still no wins for Betis, as they will be facing Valencia at home next week.

Acunsa GBC 77 – 90 Hereda San Pablo Burgos

Newcomer GBC is still trying to get its first win this season, but playing against an experienced San Pablo Burgos is not an easy task. Still, the game was decided in the last quarter, which gives you an idea of the possibilities of this team assembled in just a few weeks, once they got the green light to participate in the league this year. Rookie Jaime Echenique played great again with 18 points and three rebounds, while Magarity and Dee scored 14 each. However, veteran Thad McFadden was really inspired with 22 points, well supported by Rivero and Horton in the paint, who combined to score 33 points.

Joventut Badalona 64 – 87 Real Madrid

Massive win by powerhouse Real Madrid in Badalona. The visiting team managed to get a 31-point lead by the beginning of the last quarter. Laprovittola proved against his former team why he was chosen the MVP of the year playing for them. Causer added 12 points and Campazzo and Tavares 10 apiece. For Joventut, only young Spanish forward López-Aróstegui managed to score in double digits, with 12 points.

Casademont Zaragoza 88 – 71 Herbalife Gran Canaria

Zaragoza had an easy game against Gran Canaria, which suffered a big defeat for the second time in a row. Guards Ennis and Seeley combined to score 41 points, while Hlinason added 16 and grabbed seven boards. Gran Canaria had a horrible shooting chart from behind the arc, and that made it difficult for them to get the win at a tough court like Zaragoza. Bad news for the local team is that young prospect Vit Krejci is confirmed to have injured his ACL and is expected to miss the rest of the season at this early stage. All our support goes for this player, who has a bright future ahead.

BAXI Manresa 74 – 82 Valencia Basket

Valencia managed to steal a win from competitive Manresa in the last quarter. Veteran center Eulis Báez and newcomer Scott Eatherton supported the local team wth 19 and 14 points respectively. However, Dubljevic (scoring even on his knees), San Emeterio and Sastre made sure that the visiting team went back home with a well-deserved win. No news yet from Derrick Williams, who is taking some time to adjust to the team. He is one of the main stars who arrived to the league this year, so we are sure he will play up to the expectations.

Urbas Fuenlabrada did not play this round.