By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Three days after handing Real Madrid a EuroLeague win at Zalgiris Kaunas with a long-range shot at the buzzer, Gabriel Deck sank the winning 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to push his team past Joventut Badalona 95 – 92 in an ACB game.
It was a quite dramatic finale overall. In the previous play, Andrew Andrews penetrated to the basket and earned a 3-point play when the referees ruled via Instant Replay that Mario Hezonja committed a goaltending violation after fouling the Joventut guard on the drive. Real Madrid coach Chus Mateo challenged the call and the officials overturned their decision because the ball touched the rim after the backboard before Hezonja swatted it away.
Andrews went 2-2 and then Deck called game from the corner, in an almost identical manner with his winning bucket in Kaunas.
Deck finished with 13 points while Hezonja posted 20 points plus six rebounds. Edy Tavares contributed 14 points and eight boards.
Ante Tomic led Badalona with 19 points and six rebounds. Andrews and Yannick Kraag scored 13 apiece.
2023-24 ACB Round 29 Results:
Monbus Obradoiro 86 – 94BAXI Manresa
UCAM Murcia 90 – 77 Zunder Palencia
Lenovo Tenerife 101 – 84 Surne Bilbao Basket
Unicaja 83 – 72 Casademont Zaragoza
Baskonia 76 – 74 Río Breogán
Bàsquet Girona75 – 81 Barça
Dreamland Gran Canaria 97 – 92 MoraBanc Andorra
Real Madrid 95 – 92 Joventut Badalona
Coviran Granada 81 – 88 Valencia Basket
Standings: Unicaja 24 – 5, Real Madrid 24 – 5, Barca 20 – 9, Murcia 19 – 10, Tenerife 19 – 10