Barcelona triumphs in ACB playoffs opener
Game 1 of the ACB playoffs saw Barcelona make a dominant performance and crush Badalona on Friday night (87-61).
After a balanced first half (35-31), Barcelona took over. The “Blaugrana” played very well both offensively and defensively.
Thanks to a 25-15 run in the third quarter, they earned a double-digit lead (60-46). City rivals Badalona never threatened after that and Barcelona cruised to an easy victory. Barcelona outscored its opponents 52-30 in the second half
Thomas Heurtel (17 points), Chris Singleton (15 points) and Victor Claver (15 points) combined for 47 points for Barcelona. Nobel Boungou-Colo stood out for Badalona with 13 points.
Game 2 of the ACB playoffs is scheduled for Sunday (02/06). If Barcelona wins, they will qualify for the semi-finals. Otherwise, Badalona will force a decisive Game 3.
In the other match of the ACB playoffs, Dragan Milosavljevic led Unicaja Malaga past Valencia in Game 1 (78-85).
The Serbian guard was tremendous and scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half.
As a result, he helped his team take a double-digit lead and never look back (60-72). Unicaja Malaga outscored Valencia 35-45 in the second half and sealed the deal.
Milosavljevic was the top scorer for the winners (28 points). In addition, Adam Waczynski scored in double figures as well (16 points). On the contrary, Sam Van Rossom had a team-high 15 points for Valencia.
Game 2 of the ACB playoffs is set for Sunday (02/06). Unicaja Malaga will attempt to win the game and eliminate the 2019 EuroCup champions.
For their part, Valencia will want to claim the road win and even the series. If they do so, they will force a must-win Game 3.
The quarter-finals of the ACB playoffs officially started on Thursday (30/05). Real Madrid made an excellent start and decimated Manresa at home in Game 1 (98-75),
Concurrently, Zaragoza stunned Baskonia (81-91) and brought the Basques on the brink of the elimination.
All four of the aforementioned ACB playoffs series are best-of-three. Moreover, Game 2 will take place on Sunday (02/06).