A tangerine cyclone disheartens a Penya with less gunpowder

BadalonaAn Asisa Joventut with less gunpowder than Wednesday lost again against Valencia Basket (90-76) and is one defeat away from elimination (2-0). La Penya, which ended very disheartened, stumbled against an opponent who played with more speed and accuracy. The orange team placed seven players above nine points, a differential fact against a green-and-black squad that had Jabari Parker as its only credible offensive reference. "Every game is different and Valencia Basket has conditioned the game with its physical level. We have struggled to maintain our style. They have defended more and better than us," analyzed Dani Miret.

Asisa Joventut paid for Wednesday's wear and tear in a first quarter in which they could not keep up with Valencia Basket's rhythm. La Penya, which entered the game soft, could only score four baskets in the first ten minutes against an opponent who took advantage of their good shooting percentages to open a significant gap. Uncomfortable with the refereeing criteria, the green-and-black team experienced a delicate moment (30-13).

The home team's lead reached 18 points (45-27). The four three-pointers from Cameron Hunt and Jabari Parker served to prevent La Penya from saying goodbye to the game. The green-and-black defense continued to concede many points, but at least improved its offensive production (56-43).

Valencia Basket did not let up its scoring against an Asisa Joventut that remained loyal to its zone defense (73-51). La Penya lowered the game's pace, but was unable to erase the home team's lead (77-59). The green-and-black team tried one formula and a thousand to turn the result around, but the orange squad extended its possessions to secure the second victory in three days. Both coaches took advantage of the final minutes to give rest to their most fatigued players.

A fan with an estelada, expelled

A fan of La Penya, a member of La Cantonada, reported that he was expelled from the Roig Arena for displaying an estelada. Barça, for its part, visits La Laguna Tenerife (8 p.m., DAZN) with the intention of repeating a victory against the island team and securing their qualification to access the final quickly.