By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid saw bottom-placed Palencia coming back from down 22 points before escaping with an 86 – 78 away win to improve its ACB League record to 23-3.
Dzanan Musa scored 21 points for a Real Madrid team that led 38 – 60 early in the second half. Palencia began trimming that deficit and approached 67 – 70 halfway through the fourth period.
With the score 72 – 75, Real scored four unanswered points and Musa put his team up 74 – 81 with 1:29 to play. The hosts didn’t manage to get at a shooting distance in the remaining seconds.
Jaylen Hands led the Palencia comeback with 16 out of his 21 points in the second half. He also had six rebounds.
Apart from Musa, Facu Campazzo contributed 15 points, six assists and five rebounds to Real.
Kullamae takes down Baskonia, Valencia survives Murcia
Baskonia suffered another setback in the fight for the playoffs in the ACB League, losing to Bilbao Basket in the Basque Derby 82-80. Kristian Kullamae sealed the fate of Dusko Ivanovic’s team by hitting the game-winning three-pointer from long range with 0.8 seconds left on the clock.
The Estonian player finished the match with 13 points, but Sacha Killeya-Jones led Bilbao in scoring with 22 points and seven boards. Keith Hornsby added 13 points, while Alex Renfroe had a good all-around game with 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
For Baskonia, which fell to 14-12 and sits 10th in the ACB standings, Cody Miller-McIntyre led the way with 21 points and seven assists, while Maik Kotsar added 14 points, Chima Moneke 13, and Chris Chiozza 10. Markus Howard did not suit up.
At almost the same time, Valencia survived its encounter with UCAM Murcia, prevailing 83-82 in the final seconds. Dylan Ennis had a chance to take the game to overtime but missed a tying free-throw in the final moments.
Semi Ojeleye led the winning side with 16 points, Victor Claver added 14, and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui contributed 14 points, while Marko Todorovic had a double-double for Murcia with 19 points and ten rebounds. Five more players finished in double digits: Troy Caupain with 14, Ennis with 13, Dustin Sleva with 11, Rodions Kurucs, and Jonah Radebaugh with 10 points each.
Barcelona routs Joventut in Badalona
In what was anticipated to be one of the most intriguing matchups of ACB League Round 26, Barcelona made it a one-sided affair, defeating Joventut in Badalona with a score of 75-93.
The match commenced with a tribute to former Joventut players Ricky Rubio, Joel Parra, and Nicolas Laprovittola, who were met with ovations from the stands.
Dario Brizuela led Barcelona with 18 points, followed by Tomas Satoranski with 15 and Jan Vesely with 11 points. On the Joventut side, Vladimir Brodziansky was on the verge of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Andres Feliz added 15 and Tyler Cook contributed 12 points.
ACB League Round 26 results:
Granada – Unicaja 62-90
Girona – Manresa 83-84
Obradoiro – Breogan 83-72
Andorra – Zaragoza 85-80
Palencia – Real Madrid 78-86
Tenerife – Gran Canaria 93-92
Valencia – Murcia 83-82
Bilbao – Baskonia 82-80
Joventut – Barcelona 75-93
Standings: Real Madrid 23-3, Unicaja 21-5, Barcelona 17-9, Murcia 16-10, Tenerife 16-10, Gran Canaria 16-10, Valencia 16-10…