Mirotic and Hezonja lead the victories against Obradoiro and Valencia Basket
MADRID, 12 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça prevailed (94-77) against Monbus Obradoiro this Friday in matchday 32 of the Endesa League to maintain the leadership and the machine greased one week before the ‘Final Four’ of the Euroleague, where they will meet in the semifinals with a Real Madrid also finished despite dosing efforts against Valencia Basket (68-79).
Sarunas Jasikevicius’s team went from less to more to return the coin to the Galician team, which was able to win the Catalan team in the first leg in Santiago. At the Palau, Nikola Mirotic (27 points, 10 rebounds and a PIR of 40) dazzled, a leader who wants to grow at a key moment by looking at Kaunas.
Before looking for the third European Cup, Barça paid for the visit of Obradoiro and on Sunday they will have a demanding commitment against Cazoo Baskonia, before the European semifinal against Real Madrid on Friday. ‘Saras” team started with a weak defense that Obradoiro took advantage of to score a lot inside.
Mirotic and Abrines changed the script in the second quarter and the Spanish-Montenegrin signed 15 points in the third quarter. Far superior in rebounding, Barça extinguished the visitor’s reaction at the start of the last set, with the option of certifying first place in the regular season on the penultimate matchday against Baskonia.
For their part, Real Madrid won at La Fonteta after their historic classification to the European ‘Final Four’. Chus Mateo’s men drew on the talent of Mario Hezonja (20 points) and a Guerschon Yabusele (25) who is vindicated in the League after his suspension in the Euroleague for the brawl against Partizán in the second game.
The whites commanded from start to finish against an erratic Valencia and without the defense in tune. Álex Mumbrú’s team left a 2/10 in shots from two in the first quarter and suffered from Hezonja’s three-pointers. The irruption of Chris Jones kept Valencia in the game, but the local attack was slow against a toned Madrid.
Within the rotations after the battle of the fifth game against Partizán, the one who made the best use of his minutes was Hezonja and a Yabusele without that wear. Webb was the only one to get rid of the local jinx of three, with a Madrid capable of finding Causeur to reach a last quarter with income that Yabusele signed up for.
The whites will play on Sunday against Gran Canaria, speeding up their chances of climbing the table towards the lead, while Valencia Basket, with a friendlier calendar than UCAM Murcia, will have to row until the end to defend the eighth and last place in the ‘playoffs’ for the title.