Barça dodges the most feared bullet: ARA's Instant Replay
The Blaugrana team moves away from Monaco's mood and defeats Unicaja
BarcelonaBarça shook off Monaco's poor performance and defeated Unicaja (83-81). The Blaugrana team was again without Jan Vesely, who is struggling with lower back pain. Joan Peñarroya called for credit for his players. "Evaluations should be made at the end, but this team, since the Copa del Rey, has a very good winning percentage. With everything that's happening to us, the team is always there. We can certainly ask for better basketball, but with the conditions we're facing, we have to give the team great credit," said the coach.
Hiopos Lleida, beaten by a direct rival
Hiopos Lleida failed to pull off a surprise on MoraBanc Andorra's court (96-79). Gerard Encuentra's team couldn't stop Jerrick Harding, who scored 23 of his 25 points in the first two quarters. The 25 turnovers became a major obstacle in their comeback attempts. "Our start condemned us. They started with more intensity, energy, and desire than we did, and that affected us. We knew it was a very important game, but I was surprised by our attitude when things weren't going well," the coach summarized.
Fontajau sweated against Real Madrid
Girona Basketball lost to Real Madrid (71-79). Dzanan Musa and Mario Hezonja salvaged an awkward match for a Real Madrid team focused on the Euroleague quarterfinals. Missing free throws and three-pointers limited the home team's chances, as they grabbed 19 offensive rebounds. "We had a chance in the final stretch and our score is excellent, but we lacked accuracy and brilliance. We can make mistakes in things that have to do with talent, but not in those that have to do with effort," recalled Moncho Fernández.
La Penya shines with collective effort.
Joventut secured a victory that strengthened their position in the standings. The green-and-black team prevailed on the Río Breogan court (75-82). Penya's top scorers were Ante Tomic (16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists for 28 PIR), Artem Pustovyi (12 points), and Andrejs Grazulis (11). "We're a team that shines even more when we put in this effort. That's why I give them a lot of credit for doing it as a team and with such high-level intensity and mentality," said Dani Miret, who was without Guillem Vives due to a hip injury.
No desire, no reward.
Baxi Manresa unexpectedly lost on the Coviran Granada court (86-80). A 26-12 run ended the visitors' chances of victory. "Granada played with much more desire than us. They kept working, and we fell behind in the final quarter because our lack of accuracy from the three-point line meant we didn't defend. I'd rather not talk about attitude because there are things that need to be discussed in the locker room, not here. Regarding the emotional aspect, when you make a mistake, it knocks you down, and you don't." Diego Ocampo.