Very interesting Round 4 in Spain with surprising wins and a few games postponed for different reasons. Better to get used to the “new normal”.
RETAbet Bilbao Basket 99 – 81 Monbus Obradoiro
Great game for Bilbao, with its first win this season against one of the unbeaten teams in the league so far, Obradoiro. One of the main reasons to win this game was a key defense by Balvin on big man Birutis, who managed to score only 5 points. Robertson tried his best with 17 points, but it was not enough firepower against the collective effort shown by Bilbao, with up to 7 players scoring in double digits. Rousselle was the best of them all with 16 points.
MoraBanc Andorra 87 – 89 Joventut Badalona
Joventut won a thriller, showing that this year it´s their turn to get these key wins in tough matches. Tomic and Tyson Pérez had a great fight under the boards, but it was the Croatian player who was the most decisive, with 19 points and 9 rebounds. At least in Europe, there is still some room for big men in this game. Not everything is “small ball”. Senglin and Hannanh combined to score 36 points in the losing effort.
Unicaja Málaga 86 – 90 BAXI Manresa
At least in Málaga they should be happy with the discovery of Nzosa, who managed to become the only U-18 player ever to score 10 points in his first two games in Spain. The bad news is that a kid just 16-year old should not be the lead center in the team. Jonathan Tabu scored 17 points in just 17 minutes for Manresa, while Jou, a young Spanish player, added 16 points and 4 rebounds. But above all, Dani Pérez was the best, with 13 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. A very complete game for him.
Urbas Fuenlabrada 81 – 82 Movistar Estudiantes
Close game played in Madrid between two very similar teams who will be competing to avoid relegation this year. Melo Trimble went far and away to help his team by scoring 28 points, but there was no-one else there to help him carry the burden. On the other hand, Avramovic and Arteaga combined to score 36 points for Estudiantes. Alessandro Gentile had a good game in his debut for the visiting team, and managed to score 12 points.
TD Systems Baskonia 75 – 83 UCAM Murcia
Big surprise in Vitoria, where visiting team Murcia managed to get an unexpected win at the home of the current champion. Somehow Lima managed to control Jekiri, who grabbed only one rebound in the whole game. Peters and Polonara had a good night on offense, but it was no enough to overcome DiLeo and Frankamp, who combined to score 39 points. To all European teams willing to sign a young and full of potential combo guard, pay attention to this name: Conner Frankamp. His numbers so far? 20.3 points and 3.5 assists per game. He was a star at college and is willing to reborn again in Europe.
Coosur Real Betis 95 – 85 Valencia Basket
The Andalusian team started the game very concentrated, up to the point that they managed to lead the score in the whole first half. A very good defense, switching whenever was required, as well as a fierce control of the rebound were the keys. On top of that, Feldeine was really inspired, with 18 points, and Harrow proved that he could be very well playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. He is a circus player, a delight to see. The first half ended with a surprising score of 47-42 for the local team. The local team did not collapse during the third quarter, which ended with Real Betis still leading 65-60, proving that today was a different story. Valencia´s players looked tired. Not sure if this is a side effect of playing a tough Euroleague game a few days ago against ASVEL, but they should have get used to this by now after last season. In the fourth quarter, an amazing 3+1 by Feldeine set the score at 81-73, and further two points by TJ Campbell gave the local team a 10-point lead which was enough to secure the win in the end. Feldeine finished with 26 points and Obi added 15. A breath of fresh air for Coosur Real Betis, that gets the first win this season.
Barcelona – Acunsa GBC and Herbalife Gran Canaria – Real Madrid were postponed due to coronavirus cases in some teams. Casademont Zaragoza – Hereda San Pablo Burgos was postponed due to Burgos playing the BCL Final Eight, which this ambitious young team managed to win. Iberostar Tenerife did not play this round.
