Real Madrid suffered a defeat at home against Manresa by 72:83, while Gran Canaria was better than Valencia by 79:71.
It was a big surprise in the Spanish capital. Real Madrid experienced only their fourth loss of the season in the Liga Endesa. Mario Hezonja was absent from the court, but that cannot justify such a loss. The visitors took a seven-point lead after 20 minutes of play and absolutely controlled the game.
The Madrid team didn’t look any better in the second half. The defense appeared weak, and the offense was also lacking, which is unusual considering the offensive talent they possess. The hosts attempted to come back early in the final quarter, but Manresa repelled that surge as well and secured a crucial victory in the playoff race.
The top scorer for the winning team was Brancou Badio with 20 points, while Devin Robinson added 16 points and five rebounds. On the other side, Vincent Poirier scored 19 points with nine rebounds.
Another surprise we witnessed today was Valencia’s loss to Gran Canaria. Especially considering the great start by the visitors, who had an eight-point lead after 10 minutes of play. However, there was a significant drop in performance in the second quarter, and Gran Canaria went into halftime with a one-point lead.
Valencia managed to recover and enter the final quarter with a five-point advantage, but another downturn occurred there. The defense was uncharacteristically poor, allowing the opponent to score 28 points while they managed only 15, resulting in their 11th loss of the season.
Ethan Happ scored 20 points for the winning team, while A.J. Slaughter contributed 13. On the other side, Brandon Davies scored 24 points.