By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Willy Hernangomez had his best game with the Barcelona jersey, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds for a season-high 27 PIR as his team beat Bilbao 91 – 82 to improve to 5-1 in the Spanish ACB League. It’s the seventh straight victory for the Blaugrana in all competitions.
Hernangomez spent 20:11 on the floor and shot 8-11 from the field. He had 12 points by halftime to push Barca towards grabbing a 47 – 39 advantage and then put his team up 67 – 51 with 2:40 to play in the third quarter.
Bilbao trailed even by 20 points, 79 – 59 three minutes and tried to make a superb comeback, cutting that margin to 81 – 75 with 3:12 remaining. Barcelona responded with a 10 – 2 to retain control of the game.
Adam Smith dropped 20 points and Melwin Pantzar had 12 points plus five rebounds for Bilbao that fell to 4-2.
Apart from Hernangomez, Joel Parra scored 13 points, eight of them in the last period.
Barcelona will now begin to prepare for the upcoming EuroLeague Clasico against archrival Real Madrid Thursday (26/10). The Blancos just beat Lenovo Tenerife in ACB to improve their unique undefeated record to 12-0.
Valencia matches Barcelona at 5-1
Kassius Robertson and Brandon Davies fueled Valencia in the 84-79 victory against BAXI Manresa.
The Canadian guard went for 16 points, including four triples. Davies finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Brandon Taylor scored 21 points for the losing side.
Despite keeping Jared Harper (shoulder), Xabi Lopez-Arostegui (foot), and Martin Hermannsson (knee) on the injury list, the Oranges improved to 5-1.
Wrapping up Round 6 of Spain’s Liga Endesa Regular Season, Tyson Carter logged a game-high 23 points for Unicaja in the away win, 93-84, over Baskonia.
For the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague outfit, Markus Howard tallied 21 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.
2023-24 ACB Round 6 Results:
Palencia – Rio Breogan 74 – 59
Joventut Badalona – Morabanc Andorra 84 – 94
Obradoiro – Girona 85 – 79
UCAM Murcia – Gran Canaria 95 – 69
Barcelona – Bilbao 91 – 82
Lenovo Tenerife – Real Madrid 76 – 82
Valencia – BAXI Manresa 84-79
Granada – Zaragoza 78-70
Baskonia – Unicaja Malaga 84-93
STANDINGS: Real Madrid 6-0, Barcelona 5-1, Valencia 5-1, Murcia 4-2, Baskonia 4-2, Bilbao 4-2…