Brilliant performances and an embarrasing win in the 31st round of the regular season in Spain.
Real Madrid 84 – 76 Lenovo Tenerife
They were close, but in the end Real Madrid prevailed thanks to the forever-young Jaycee Carroll. Nothing to be surprised after all, considering that this makes the 15th straight win in the Spanish league for Real Madrid. Laprovittola had another great game with 21 points and 9 assists. Looks like he finally found his place in the team. Unlike the game against Barcelona, this time the referees allowed Tavares to play more tan 10 minutes, and he delivered 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Shermadini could do not much against him, but it was Cavanaugh who had a horrible night, finishing the game scoreless. Huertas helped with 23 points, but it was just not enough.
Hereda San Pablo Burgos 79 – 90 GBC
Surprising win for the visiting team, GBC, after losing big against Coosur Real Betis in the previous round. This team managed to beat Tenerife, Valencia and Burgos this season, but still they are place at the bottom of the standing. Maybe a problema with focus? Who know. Whatever the reason, this time the victim was Burgos, one of the best teams in the league so far. Vinny Okouo had a great game with 18 points and 9 rebounds, well supported by Dino Radoncic, who added 17 points and 6 rebounds. What a couple of young players to lead this team. For he local team, only Benite and Rivero scored in double digits in the losing effort.
Herbalife Gran Canaria 74 – 92 Barcelona
Barcelona started the game like a storm, killing the local team from behind the arc. Mirotic was especially inspired (he finished the game with 26 points). Adam Hanga had a good game with 13 points and 8 assists. Up to 16 three-pointers they scored. It was clear that Gran Canaria was going to be the scapegoat after the defeat against Real Madrid. However, they showed a few good things, like the performance of Khalifa Diop, dominant in the paint in spite of barely being 19 years old. The future looks bright for him.
Coosur Real Betis 55 – 84 UCAM Murcia
In Seville, the guy writing this report experienced one of the most embarassing moments of his life as a basketball fan. After a convincing win against GBC just a few days before, what happened today was not to be expected. The visiting team arrived had five starters injured. Yes, five, including their star players Conner Frankamp and Jordan Davis. A brilliant second quarter by the visiting team broke the game, with Taylor and the newly arrived Vasileaidis scoring easily. The whole second half was just useful to bet on how big the difference would be. The gap even reached 31 points (51-82).
The feeling was the same as when you go to an exam, but you did not study at all. It was like Betis´ players had just arrived from holidays. Amazing. One wonders whether this team is really serious about playing in ACB next year.
Baskonia 96 – 92 Estudiantes
Great game by Estudiantes, giving a hard time to a big team like Baskonia, playing at home. It is to be noted that Baskonia has a lot of injured players, but the visiting team played great, especially thanks to an outstanding Angel Delgado, with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Nemanja Djurisic had a great performance too, with 15 points and 6 rebounds. However, Rokas Giedraitis had the game of the year, with 34 points, well supported by Henry with 15 points and 10 assists, and the local team managed to win at the end.
Unicaja 88 – 74 RETAbet Bilbao Basket
The end of the season looks bad for Bilbao. It was expected a defeat against a big team like Unicaja, a team reaching closer to the target to join the playoffs, but the upcoming games look no better for them. It was a close game until the last quarter, when the local team simply destroyed their rival. Darío Brizuela scored 31 points, supporting his team throughout the game, and against this Bilbao could do not much. Only Brown, with 16 points, gave a hard time to Unicaja´s defense.
BAXI Manresa 92 – 82 Casademont Zaragoza
Fun game played in Manresa, where the local team, one of the most interesting teams to watch this season in Spain, outscored their rival in a close game. Mason, Ferrari and and Eatherton combined to score 52 points, while for Zaragoza Dylan Ennis scored 22 points, in the losing effort.