Unicaja Malaga missed a huge chance to beat Baskonia
Yesterday, Unicaja Malaga hosted Baskonia in a terrible clash between two of the most important Spanish clubs. The Andalusian squad had the first chance over the visitors but in the end, they missed the opportunity to seal the victory. It was a perfect time for Unicaja to win because:
- they rested this week in Malaga because the game they had to play in the Basketball Champions League was suspended due to the earthquake in Turkey. So Unicaja Malaga had an entire week to recover and prepare for the game against Baskonia.
- The visitors were in a different situation. They travelled to Kaunas, in Lithuania for the Euroleague game against Zalgiris. The round trip was large and Baskonia had to be tired, especially because there were less than 48 hours between the end of the game in Kaunas and the encounter played in Malaga.
Anyways, Unicaja led the first part of the game, having also a 7-point advantage before the last stanza and they collapsed allowing the Basque team to tie for the overtime. What happened in overtime was a completely embarrassing situation with the host scoring only 3 points in 5 minutes, while receiving 11 from Baskonia.
Unicaja Malaga had a great roster and they are the main title contender in the Basketball Champions League, but they need more focus in games like this. They can have amazing encounters where they smashed by 20-30 points many teams this season, offering a great basketball show, but still, they need to win some derbies. When they meet true opponents Unicaja Malaga had to struggle more in order to win those battles.
The article was written by Gratian Cormos, a Romanian journalist, book writer, life coach and mentor currently living in Barcelona, Spain.
If you are interested in collaborating with his website brainbasketball.net, in order to publish articles, interviews or other features related to basketball, feel free to contact Gratian Cormos by Whatsapp or Telegram at this Spanish number: +34 612414486.
Photo credit: Basketball Champions League
