Unicaja is suspicious of an unbridled UCAM Murcia
MADRID, 27 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Unicaja receives UCAM Murcia this Tuesday at the Martín Carpena (20.30) in the first match of the semifinal series of the Endesa League Playoff, in a duel that has been seen several times this season and to which the Malaga team arrives as host and slight favorite, although the Murcians are unrestrained after beating Valencia Basket.
The champions of the Regular League beat BAXI Manresa quickly, but now Unicaja receives the only team that has reached the semifinals without being seeded. The only one capable of winning without a track factor and also doing so in the always hot Fonteta de Valencia.
Ibon Navarro’s team, without notable casualties, has been able to prepare well for this series that will open with two games at the Martín Carpena. That court factor becomes more key than in the quarterfinals and Unicaja wants to take advantage of that extra wear and tear on UCAM Murcia, who do have the absences in this Playoff of Simon Birgander and Marko Todorovic.
It is difficult to predict how difficult this series will be, but the truth is that Unicaja is not feeling, at the moment, the pressure of reaching the Playoff as the best in the Regular League. Against Manresa, who played with nothing to lose, they won 87-79 at Carpena and 63-86 at Nou Congost, in a home game recital.
Supported by their fans, who in Badalona in 2023 celebrated the last King’s Cup they won and now dream of being able to embrace the Endesa League trophy, they receive a UCAM Murcia that is somewhat physically diminished, yes, but that has just eliminated Valencia Basket in a third duel in which they attacked La Fonteta again (77-84) with a prominent role from Montenegrin guard Jonah Radebaugh.
In an unprecedented semifinal, since UCAM Murcia plays its first Playoff semifinals, the duel takes place between two teams that know each other very well, with multiple previous confrontations in this same 2024/25 season.
The first face to face was in the Endesa Super Cup (74-79), in the semifinals, and they also met in the semis of the Final Four of the FIBA Basketball Champions League (74-80), with two victories for Unicaja. And, in the acb Regular League, two more victories for Unicaja (65-88 and 96-71).
So UCAM Murcia wants revenge and to score their first goal in the direct duels against those from Málaga. In total, there are 59 games between both teams, with 42 victories for Andalusia and 17 for Murcia.
Everything seems to be looking bad for UCAM Murcia, but Sito Alonso’s men managed to have a +13 (71-84) in La Fonteta, one of the most complicated fiefdoms in the Endesa League, and they already know that they can cause surprises. They want, at the very least, to complicate life for Unicaja and not leave Malaga empty.
DATASHEET.
–EQUIPMENT.
UNICAJA: Díaz, Kalinoski, Barreiro, Ejim and Kravish –possible starting quintet–; Osetkowski, Taylor, Carter, Djedovic, Lima, Thomas and Sima.
UCAM MURCIA: Ennis, Caupain, R.Kurucs, Sleva and Diagné –possible starting quintet–; Hakanson, Flores Radovic, Radebaugh, Sant-Ross and Morin.
–REFEREES: Pérez Pérez, Perea Lorente and Padrós.
–PAVILLION: José María Martín Carpena Sports Palace.
–TIME: 8:30 p.m./Movistar+.