Barça survives Patty Mills’s 36-point outburst to move within one win of the ACB final
Barcelona moved to the brink of the Spanish ACB finals with a 97-89 home victory over La Laguna Tenerife on Thursday, surviving a spectacular 36-point display from opposing guard Patty Mills.
Game summary
Barcelona took a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five ACB semifinal series, following up their 100-67 demolition in Game 1 with a tighter 97-89 win at the Palau Blaugrana. The hosts trailed after a high-scoring first quarter (25-27) but used a 23-11 second period to seize control. Tenerife rallied in the second half, closing to 73-73, but Barça closed on a 24-16 run, with Will Clyburn contributing eight points in the final quarter to secure the result. The win means the Catalans can clinch a finals berth as early as Saturday on the island of Tenerife.
Mills’s scoring clinic
Patty Mills erupted for 36 points, including eight three-pointers, keeping the visitors in the contest almost single-handedly. He scored 13 in the first quarter alone, hitting three early triples that forced Barça coach Xavi Pascual to switch defensive assignments after Kevin Punter struggled to contain him. Mills later added another flurry in the fourth to draw Tenerife within a single point, but his supporting cast could not sustain the push. Marcelinho Huertas added 14 points and orchestrated the offense, yet the frontcourt was overwhelmed.
Interior dominance
Barça’s twin towers proved decisive. Jan Vesely, playing his final season before retiring, delivered 19 points and controlled the glass, while Moussa Fall added 16 points and 6 rebounds, feasting on mismatches in the paint. Nicolás Laprovittola provided the bench spark with three triples during a 9-1 run in the second quarter that stretched the lead to 42-31. The home side’s balanced scoring (five players in double figures) contrasted with Tenerife’s reliance on Mills and Huertas.
- Q1 – Barcelona
- 25 points
- Q1 – Tenerife
- 27 points
- Q2 – Barcelona
- 23 points
- Q2 – Tenerife
- 11 points
- Q3 – Barcelona
- 21 points
- Q3 – Tenerife
- 25 points
- Q4 – Barcelona
- 28 points
- Q4 – Tenerife
- 24 points
Turning points
After Tenerife tied the game at 73-73, Barcelona responded with a decisive sequence. Clyburn’s scoring, a triple by Shengelia, and steady free-throw shooting rebuilt the cushion. Txus Vidorreta, the Tenerife coach, was assessed a disqualifying foul late in the game, symbolizing the visitors’ frustration. The 5,985 fans at the Palau celebrated a victory that leaves the Catalans one win away from a finals berth and a chance to salvage a disappointing season.
