ACB day 10
Real Madrid beat Unicaja (90-77) with a serious game in defense and the choral performance of Gabi Deck, Facu Campazzo, Sergi Llull and Alberto Abalde. The people from Malaga arrived at the Wizink Center as leaders of the ACB League, with only one defeat, a very painful one by 40 points difference at the hands of Manresa a little over a month ago. But Ibón Navarro’s men, in fact, had only lost that match in the entire season, victorious in the Super Cup precisely against Real Madrid in September and undefeated in the Champions League. The game behind Madrid against the Malaga team had merit, as they came in as the third highest scorers in the competition (89.6 points per game). With this victory, Chus Mateo’s men approach a victory at the top of the table, still led by Unicaja, pursued by Valencia Basket and La Laguna Tenerife, both with only two defeats and one game less, which they have to recover. next Friday (and which will face the two teams), suspended a month ago due to the Dana tragedy in the Valencian Community.
The start of the game was brilliant for the whites, with an initial 8-0, and a first quarter with a blurred Unicaja (18-13). The Málaga team battled in the second and, despite losing by 12 points, they were reduced until they were only 5 at halftime (39-34). In the third, more of the same in both teams, with Deck and Abalde commanding the attack (60-52). But it was in the fourth when Madrid definitely accelerated and a three-pointer by Llull with 6:27 left put them in the biggest lead, with +16. From there, the feeling and the faces in Unicaja were bad, the team blurred against a Madrid that is completing, for the moment, a somewhat irregular course. The negative note was given, with 49 seconds remaining, by Serge Ibaka and Dylan Osetkowski, hooked by the neck when they were fighting for a rebound after a free throw by Unicaja. Ibaka ended up disqualified, as well as Tyson Carter and Melvin Ejim, on behalf of Unicaja, for coming off the bench to help his teammate Osetkowski.
Victories for Barça and a needy Baskonia
At the Palau Blaugrana, Barça beat UCAM Murcia (86-79) in an even match, where the locals had Kevin Punter and Jan Vesely as their most outstanding players (18 points for the first and 20 for the second, with 20 and 19 rating respectively). The Czech was the one who put his team ten points ahead at the start of the match, although Sito Alonso’s men showed in that first quarter that they were not going to settle or get carried away (23-20 in that quarter). In the second quarter, the Murcians gained a small advantage of one point (32-33, minute 17), but finally the Blaugrana went into the break leading the score (45-40). Upon returning, Willy Hernangómez vindicated himself (11 points, 6 rebounds, 17 PIR), but, as had happened in the rest of the match, UCAM did not give in and with 2:36 left, they achieved the tie : 77-77 and new game. It was there where the figure of Punter appeared, and also that of Jabari Parker. Two triples from the Barça players got the match back on track, and with a final score of 9-2 the victory remained at home.
Another heart-stopping match was the one played in Miribilla, between Bilbao Basket and Baskonia. The Vitorians reached the limit in the domestic competition, only three wins and six losses until today, exactly the same balance as their neighbors. The duel, dominated by Pablo Laso’s men in the first three quarters, led to a +15 advantage for the visitors. But Bilbao Basket little by little eroded Vitoria’s income until it was almost wiped out. But then the best of the game, Chima Moneke (24 points, 8 rebounds, 34 efficiency) came into action with a triple and a basket of two in a row that put the ball in the way. With seven games left for the first round to end, Baskonia is 2 wins away from eighth place, which gives the ticket for the Copa del Rey, a goal set by the club for this season and which still seems distant.
