The unexpected evolution of a 35-year-old player rescues Barça: the Instant Replay of ARA

BadalonaBarça overcame Unicaja and avoided a third consecutive defeat in the Endesa League (97-91). The Catalan team squandered an 18-point lead, but knew how to react in time. Jan Vesely had a key impact in the decisive minutes. The 35-year-old Czech center scored 10 points with two three-pointers in the last period. "Every year I try to improve and now I'm feeling comfortable with three-point shots," he said. "We held on for 15 minutes at a good level, but then we diluted and survived as best we could. The wear and tear from Friday was very great," admitted Xavi Pascual.

Bitter triumph in Badalona

Three days before disputing the most anticipated European tie, Asisa Joventut defeated Dreamland Gran Canaria (92-84). La Penya complicated a game they had well under control. The bad news came from the infirmary. Simon Birgander will be out for a few weeks due to a problem with the fascia of his right foot and Ante Tomic relapsed with his physical problems. "The context has made the game especially complicated," acknowledged Dani Miret.

Moncho Fernández requests three press conferences

Bàsquet Girona had Real Madrid within reach at Fontajau, where they couldn't complete the feat due to two errors in the final seconds (93-95). The Catalan team, which never gave up, recovered a 12-point deficit in the last five minutes. "When you lose by such a small margin, some mistakes come to mind, but I would need three press conferences to congratulate my players on the game," summarized Moncho Fernández.

Saturday full of bad news

Bax Manresa and Hiopos Lleida did not have a good Saturday. The team from Manresa, which is considering new signings to cope with the multiple absences it is suffering from, lost on the court of Río Breogan (91-78). The team from Lleida reacted too late and could not avoid defeat against Coviran Granada, bottom of the league (92-89). James Batemon missed the final three-pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.