Can Joventut keep the winning streak at Tenerife?
Tenerife will host Joventut Badalona on Wednesday evening in the Pabellon Santiago Martin in a game that counts for Round 30 (it was supposed to be played 10 days ago, but the game was postponed) of the current ACB League season.
The two teams are neighbours in the standings, but 2 wins separate them: Joventut has a 19-11 record and has played one game fewer than Tenerife, which has 17-14, so the team from Catalunya has an important advantage and is almost certain of their playoff participation. Meanwhile, Tenerife is 7th and has just a slight advantage ahead of Bilbao (the two teams will meet in the last round in the Canary Islands) and Unicaja, so they really need a win tomorrow.
The hosts are on a slump lately as they are on a 6-game losing streak in all competitions: they lost both games in the Basketball Champions League Final Four, and on Sunday, they lost their fourth straight game in the ACB against Barcelona in a close battle (97-102). 43-year-old point guard Marcelinho Huertas was again the leading scorer for Tenerife, but his 20 points weren’t enough to avoid the defeat.
Meanwhile, Joventut comes after an impressive win against Real Madrid. The ‘’Penya’’ were trailing by 3 points entering the last quarter, but they scored 30 points in the last 10 minutes, which in the end gave them an 89-81 win in the Movistar Arena. Ricky Rubio starred again for Badalona with 21 points and a 27 PIR, the best in the game. The Spanish superstar has 13.5 points per game and 5.2 assists this season as he is a huge part of Joventut’s success this season.
After tomorrow’s clash, Tenerife will head to Granada for another must-win game for them, while Badalona will host San Pablo Burgos. With the new addition, Yannis Morin, the Catalans can hope for a great playoff run, and why not reach the semifinals of Liga Endesa
Imre Halasz
Photo: Joventut Badalona
