ACB: A derby without color and the heroic copera of Bilbao against Barcelona | ACB 2019

Retabet Bilbao gave the double bell: not only assaulted Bara in the Palau (92-94), but thanks to that victory he managed to qualify for the Copa del Rey in his year back to the Endesa League

The Movistar Students took advantage of the derby to present their new equipment. A multicolored fantasy to match the decoration that urban artist Okuda He has done in the Magarios under the motto 'Feel the kolores'. Nice for the summer, not so much for a game, but for tastes … That, colors. And if you talk about basketball, there was only one color. Real Madrid won with authority a derby that the second quarter already had sentenced (72-87) and remains as a solo leader of the Endesa League thanks to the defeat of Bara against the surprising Bilbao Basket (92-94).

The duel underlined the distance that separates the two teams from the capital. In the classification, where some are leaders and others, colistas. In template, where nor the casualties of Rudy Fernndez, Anthony Randolph, Sergio Llull or Gabriel Deck they put whites behind. And at stake. Some, greased. Others, at times even without soul, mortal sin when what is at stake is no longer a derby, but permanence.

Few Estu players seem to understand the emergence of the team, which closes the first round with only four victories in 17 games. The schoolboys only endured an assault face to face. On the second, Real Madrid fell on them: a 31-11 partial in which the overwhelming success outside (7/8 in triples) was as important as the difference (another ms) in defense intensity.

The biggest if possible was that triple post they form Trey Thompkins, Jordan Mickey and Edy Tavares. The reborn Thompkins continues to fill the deficit of points that leave the losses of Randolph and Llull. Only in the first part download 17. De Mickey, top scorer with 20 points, it is often forgotten that, although it measures what an eave (2.03) has a pvot wingspan (2.20) and there is no ball that does not reach; and the impact of Tavares speaks more all those shots that never come to be done out of fear.

Students only threw Kenny Kadji (19), Juan Palacios and a newcomer, Aleksa Avramovic. Little, almost nothing, to get out of that 25-point hole where he got to see each other. If it was not deeper, it was not for an improvement, but because Real Madrid dosed efforts and distributed breaks thinking about next Thursday's visit to CSKA in Moscow, or perhaps in the extra wear that is assuming weathering the casualties. The next one, by the way, may be that of Jaycee Carroll, who goes straight to the locker room with a sprained ankle.

And in spite of everything, for the Students perhaps the most worrying thing was not the defeat, not even the colista square, but the image of arms lowered in the second part. And while facing a Real Madrid who had the pleasure of finishing the game with three teenagers on the court: Usman Garuba, Mario Nakic and a debutant, Boris Tisma.

The bell of the Bilbao Basket

Retabet Bilbao Basket gave the double bell on Sunday: not only assaulted Bara in the Palau (92-94), but thanks to that victory he managed to qualify for the Copa del Rey in his year back to the Endesa League. A basket of Jonathan Rousselle at 19.5 seconds left and two free throws by Rafa Martnez sealed the feat. The defeat of the Pesic team, the second at home in three days, also leaves the leadership alone in the hands of Real Madrid.