Dante Exum to miss Game 1 of ACB finals / News - Basketnews.com

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Dante Exum, who joined FC Barcelona in November 2021 and debuted with the Catalan side in the Spanish derby against Real Madrid on December 10, will be absent on Monday (June 13) night when the two teams lock horns again - this time for Game 1 of the ACB finals.

2-pointers this season

55%20,0Points made:20,0Accuracy:54,5%Place in standings:11Record max:28Record min:12Most made 2FGs:Brandon DaviesTeamACBStatisticsSchedule

Sarunas Jasikevicius, Barca's head coach, confirmed that the Australian forward will be the non-EU player ruled out, thus making room for Cory Higgins and Nigel Hayes-Davis.

Given that only two players outside the European Union can be registered in each ACB game, the 26-year-old former NBA forward will be the one sitting out this time around.

The same happened in Barcelona's last two semifinal games against Joventut Badalona. Nevertheless, head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius thinks, "it's a pity for Dante [not being included in the 12-man squad]."

"When we signed him, we already knew this could happen. So far, we have chosen Cory (Higgins) and Nigel (Hayes-Davis). It has been decided, and it has worked out well for us," the Lithuanian coach said.

In his first ACB playoffs, Exum has played three games, both in the quarterfinals against Gran Canaria, in which he scored 16 and 4 points, respectively. In the semifinals, he was registered only in Game 2, after Cory Higgins was injured and scored 12 points in his team's loss.

The ACB finals, which will take place in a best-of-five format, cannot be analyzed without remembering Real Madrid's victory in the last derby. In Belgrade, the team coached by Pablo Laso won the EuroLeague semifinal in a game that changed the mood of both teams.

However, Jasikevicius thinks that his team's home-court advantage can really help overcome some obstacles.

"The finals will be very difficult because they feature two of the best teams in Europe, two rivals who know each other very well. The Palau Blaugrana puts a lot of pressure, and having the home-court advantage is important, it's always better to play at home", he commented.

Barca's main concern is Real Madrid's inside game, as Brandon Davies is not having his best moment, and both Sertac Sanli and Pierre Oriola suffer from injury.

"Madrid's inside game will hurt us, but we have to know how to react," said Saras.

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