Barcelona sweeps Tenerife 3-0 to reach Liga Endesa final

Game flow

With the series shifting to the Canary Islands, Tenerife sought to extend the semifinal on Saturday at Pabellón Santiago Martín. Barcelona, holding a 2-0 lead, aimed to close out the tie at the first opportunity. The opening quarter finished level at 19-19, with Kevin Punter's early scoring offset by Aaron Doornekamp's accuracy from deep. Tenerife then exploded in the second period, fueled by Doornekamp's four perfect three-pointers and energy from Wesley van Beck off the bench. The lead swelled to 14 points (36-22, later 40-26) before Barcelona narrowed the gap to 42-34 at halftime. Punter, who had scored 9 of Barcelona's first 11 points, sat much of the second quarter after picking up his third foul, and the interior duo of Willy Hernangómez and others struggled to control the defensive glass.

Second-half swing

Xavi Pascual's halftime instructions demanded greater intensity and collective defensive effort. Barcelona responded with a 0-9 run out of the locker room to claim a 43-42 lead, the team's first advantage since early in the game. Tenerife pushed back, with Marcelinho Huertas connecting on outside shots and Kevin Yebo providing points near the rim, and the hosts entered the fourth quarter up 58-56. Punter returned but lasted only 70 seconds before his fourth foul. Despite that, he poured in eight consecutive points, pushing Barcelona ahead 62-69 before his fifth foul sent him to the bench for good. A technical foul assessed to Tenerife coach Txus Vidorreta at the 4:45 mark compounded the home team's problems and allowed Nico Laprovittola to extend the margin at the free-throw line.

Clyburn takes command

With the game in the balance, Will Clyburn shouldered the scoring responsibility. He hit two critical three-pointers that quashed Tenerife's comeback hopes, each arriving just as the hosts had trimmed the deficit. Clyburn finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds, both team highs, and his composure at the stripe in the final minute removed any lingering doubt. Barcelona's defense bottled up Tenerife's secondary options, and Kevin Yebo's late resistance proved insufficient.

Series wrap and what's ahead

The 85-76 road win gave Barcelona a 3-0 sweep after earlier victories in Catalonia. Tenerife's playoff run, which included a quarterfinal upset of Real Madrid, ended with a standing ovation from the local crowd. Barcelona now advances to the best-of-five ACB final. Their opponent will come from the other semifinal between Valencia Basket and Joventut Badalona; if Valencia wins on Sunday, that series will end 3-0, giving Barcelona until the following weekend to prepare.