The youngest coach strips the champion: the Instant Replay of the ARA
Gerard Encuentra's iLerna Lleida surprises on the Valencia Basket court
BarcelonaiLerna Lleida caused a major surprise at the Roig Arena, where they defeated Valencia Basket for the first time (100-105). The Lleida team recovered a 9-point deficit to spoil Nikola Mirotic's debut. Gerard Encuentra, the youngest coach in the Liga Endesa, moved his pieces with great intelligence. James Batemon and Darius McGhee combined to score 44 points on the court of the reigning champion.
A whim to turn a sock inside out
Fiatc Girona debuted with a victory against the uncomfortable UCAM Murcia (84-77). Jassel Pérez's intensity, who scored 20 points, was key for the Girona team to overcome a six-point deficit at Fontajau. Despite missing 12 of the 34 free throws they attempted, the home side opened the season on a good note. "The level of effort we had at the end was decisive," analyzed Moncho Fernández.
Dani Miret sings the truths
Asisa Joventut felt the hangover from the title celebrated at home and lost on the Río Breogán court (110-104). The green-and-black team had the absences of Tomic, Kraag, and Sulejmanovic, who became a father. "We cannot expect to be competitive only by playing a few minutes with a good collective defensive tone. If we concede 110 points, we cannot expect a positive result. It is impossible to win if we do not have all five players involved in defense," lamented Dani Miret.
A Pole against sick leaves
Barça got rid of Leyma Coruña (119-101). The scoring of the blue and garnet team represents its best record in an ACB game since the 2017-18 season. Olek Balcerowski covered for the interior absences with a great performance: 21 points with 9/9 from the field and 6 rebounds. Kids&Us Manresa lost on the court of Surne Bilbao (107-92). Furthermore, Hugo Benítez was unable to finish the game due to a hard blow to the ribs.