El Real Madrid staged a comeback (80-75) against UCAM Murcia this Sunday in matchday 22 of the Liga Endesa to maintain their solo leadership, while Barça suffered again at the hands of Marcelinho Huerta and La Laguna Tenerife in a loss (92-95) at the Palau.
Chus Mateo’s team found themselves 13 points down in the second quarter but bounced back at the Movistar Arena to secure their tenth consecutive victory in the domestic competition. The Whites, leading with 18 wins compared to Unicaja and La Laguna’s 17, tightened up their defense and fought in an open game until the last minute.
Edy Tavares was instrumental (21 valuation), while Dzanan Musa (15 points) and Usman Garuba (12), crucial in the tough first half for the Whites, finished as the top scorers. On the other hand, in the closing match of the day, Barça was outplayed by Txus Vidorreta’s team, just like in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
Similar to that game in Las Palmas, Huertas, at almost 42 years old, was unstoppable, scoring 19 points and providing 15 assists. The Brazilian point guard, a former Barcelona player, led the Canaries, who also received significant contributions from David Kramer (20 points) and Gio Shermadini (19). Barça, now seventh with 12 wins, stumbled against the same Tenerife team despite finding solutions along the way.
Additionally, Baskonia defeated Dreamland Gran Canaria (84-80) in a direct showdown for the ‘Top 8,’ currently closing with the same 11 victories as the Canarian team. Pablo Laso’s side trailed on the scoreboard for most of the game but showed character and relied on Markus Howard (16 points) who has been improving.
On the other hand, BAXI Manresa (13 victories) consolidated their position in the upper zone at the expense of bottom-placed Leyma Coruña, whom they dominated from the start (104-89). Furthermore, Hiopos Lleida escaped the relegation zone with a 97-91 win over Casademont Zaragoza, led by James Batemon to break a four-game losing streak.
.
FUENTE
