Barca's late surge not enough to take down Real in Game 1 of ACB finals / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix

Real Madrid kicked off ACB League finals on a high note by defeating FC Barcelona 88-75 (30-17, 19-14, 25-20, 14-24) and grabbing a 1-0 lead in the series up to 3 victories.

Player of the Game EFF 20 Gabriel Deck Points 18 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 5 Assists 3

Game 2 is scheduled in Barcelona on 15 June, at 21:00 CEST.

Gabriel Deck was the top performer for the winners, accumulating 18 points (5/9 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 5/7 FT), 5 rebounds, and 20 PIR.

On the opposing side, Nicolas Laprovittola was the high-scorer for Barcelona, ending with 15 points (4/7 2PT, 2/2 3 PT, 1/1 FT).

Real forward Anthon Randolph suffered a serious injury during the game. He tried to take over the ball from Nikola Mirotic, but set his foot on the ground incorrectly and left the game immediately.

Real Madrid started the game better and build a comfortable lead (30-17) after the first quarter, while playing solid defense and keeping finding the basket with consistency. Adam Hanga and Guerschon Yabusele were really hard to stop for Barcelona.

The start of the second period did not predict good trends for hosts as well. The Royal club opened the quarter with a 9-2 push and their lead grew up to 17 points (39-22). Real were leading by 18 at the half (49-31).

It was a different story in the fourth quarter though. When it looked that the game is over, the hosts went on a huge 12-0 run to trim the deficit to 11 points (63-74) with 7:13 to go. Rokas Jokubaitis scored 7 points during that stretch.

Despite all the efforts Barca showed during the last quarter, Gabriel Deck made a layup and a foul, Fabien Causeur added a three-pointer and Real brought back a more comfortable lead (88-75) with 1:35 left. That was enough to finish the game comfortably, grabbing a victory on road.

Real Madrid: Gabriel Deck 18 (5 REB), Adam Hanga 16 (6 AST), Fabien Causeur 15, Guerschon Yabusele 11 (9 REB).

Barcelona:Nicolas Laprovittola 15,Nikola Mirotic 13 (6 REB), Kyle Kuric 12 (4 REB).

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.