Baskonia wants to take advantage of the Buesa Arena for its last ‘bullet’
The Baskonista team receives Virtus with the eighth and final ticket for the Euroleague ‘Playoff’
MADRID, 18 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Baskonia will face this Friday (8:30 p.m.) the decisive duel to access the 2023-2024 Euroleague ‘Playoff’ against the Italian Virtus Bologna, against whom the last available ticket will be played and for which they want to take advantage of the fact to have the support of the Fernando Buesa Arena.
Real Madrid awaits a rival and this will come from the winner of a match between the last two survivors, who meet in Vitoria after taking two different routes. Dusko Ivanovic’s team took a tough defeat at the start of the ‘Play-In’ against the Israeli Maccabi in Belgrade (113-85), while Luca Banchi’s team gave the surprise by attacking Sinan Erdem (64-67) Istanbul Arena and knock down a Turkish Anadolu Efes that seemed launched towards the ‘Playoff’.
But none of this will theoretically influence this Friday’s clash at the Zurbano Street fiefdom, which will wear its best clothes and its best atmosphere to help the Baskonista team return to being among the best eight five years later. Nor does it seem that it will have much weight that both teams faced each other just a week ago, in a duel where eighth place was at stake, a prize for Baskonia, winner by 91-95.
Dusko Ivanovic’s men thus earned the right to have two opportunities, the second also with a ‘home court factor’ that they hope to take advantage of against a Virtus team, reinforced above all emotionally by breaking a bad streak of seven consecutive defeats against Efes. . The Italian team came to be second in the Regular Phase, but little by little they lost steam until they were even left out of the ‘Top 6’.
Baskonia’s main mission will be to try to be more intense in defense, its liability against a very successful Maccabi. Without being able to stop the offensive capacity of his rivals, he is forced to respond in the same way and that makes him depend above all on the inspiration of Markus Howard.
The American point guard was left with 14 points at the Stark Arena where the best was also the explosive Codi Miller-McIntyre, who added a PIR of 45 with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, although he was also erratic in direction like his compatriot. In fact, between them they accumulated nine of the 12 losses of a team overwhelmed by the physicality in the Maccabean rebound, an aspect that on this occasion seems to be superior to those of Luca Banchi, although this could be equaled by the loss of Chima Moneke, injured in Belgrade.
The Virtus was already able to win in the Regular Phase at the Buesa Arena (81-91) supported by the good work of a former player like the Georgian Tornike Shengelia and the good night (27 points) of the veteran, but always dangerous if inspired Marco Belinelli. Banchi was already able to ‘deactivate’ Shane Larkin and the Efes attack last Tuesday and will make every effort to ensure that his team does the same again on Howard and Miller-McIntyre.
DATASHEET.
–EQUIPMENT.
BASCONY: Miller-McIntyre, Marinkovic, Rogkavapoulos, Sedekerskis and Kotsar (4) –possible starting quintet–; Howard, Costello, Chiozza, Raieste, Theodore and Ten.
VIRTUS: Hackett, Cordinier, Belinelli, Shengelia and Dunston –possible starting quintet–; Mickey, Lundberg, Pajola, Dobric, Polonara, Zizic and Abass.
–REFEREES: Belosevic, Difallah and Nedovic.
–PAVILLION: Fernando Buesa Arena.
–TIME: 8:30 p.m./Movistar Deportes.