Joventut Badalona beats Baskonia 96–84 to reach first Supercopa final since 1987
Host team Asisa Joventut secured a 96–84 victory over Kosner Baskonia in Badalona on Saturday, advancing to the Supercopa Endesa final behind 27 points from Nico Laprovittola.
Veteran backcourt leads semifinal turnaround
Asisa Joventut advanced to the final of the Supercopa Endesa on Saturday with a 96–84 win over Kosner Baskonia at the Pavelló Olímpic in Badalona. The host club overcame an early deficit behind a backcourt pairing of Nico Laprovittola and Ricky Rubio. Laprovittola finished the contest with 27 points, 10 assists, and a 28 performance valuation rating in his return to Badalona after leaving FC Barcelona. Rubio, 35, maintained his personal two-decade unbeaten record in Supercopa fixtures, directing the offense alongside the 36-year-old Argentine guard. Both squads entered the semifinal without starting centers, as Joventut played without Ante Tomic and Baskonia competed without Alex Len. In the absence of Tomic, frontcourt minutes for the hosts fell to Emir Sulejmanovic and Simon Birgander, who defended the interior against early pressure from Paolo Galbiati's squad.
- 3-pointers made in a single game
- 7
- Assists in a single game
- 14
Baskonia controls early pace
The home side started with a 4–0 opening run following an early bucket from Rubio and a steal by Alex Reyes. Baskonia countered quickly through a 3-pointer from Chris Duarte to finish a 7–0 response. Laprovittola entered from the bench and scored five quick points, but Baskonia retained a 23–20 edge at the end of the opening quarter behind offensive contributions from AJ Lawson and Matteo Spagnolo. Baskonia extended their advantage during the second period as Joventut struggled to convert perimeter opportunities. Kobi Simmons scored to create a seven-point buffer before a technical foul assessed against Joventut coach Dani Miret enabled Duarte to stretch the gap to eight points at 31–23. Laprovittola halted the run with a 3-pointer and distributed several assists to keep Joventut in contention. A three-point play from Rubio in the closing seconds of the second quarter reduced Baskonia's halftime lead to 41–38.
Decisive third-quarter offensive shift
Joventut took control of the contest immediately following the halftime interval by increasing defensive pressure and quickening offensive execution. Sulejmanovic converted a three-point play after securing his own offensive rebound, and a 3-pointer from Boogie Ellis capped a 7–0 run to hand Joventut the lead. Perimeter shooting from Reyes, Kwan Cheatham, and Yannick Kraag steadily expanded the advantage. Laprovittola dominated the latter stages of the third period, closing out a 30–16 quarter with a 3-pointer from nearly eight meters to give Joventut a 68–57 lead entering the final period. Baskonia struggled with efficiency from the foul line throughout the evening, missing 14 free throws in total.
- Baskonia leads 23–20 following scoring from Lawson and Spagnolo
- Baskonia holds a 41–38 lead after Rubio converts a late three-point play
- Joventut outscores Baskonia 30–16 to take a 68–57 lead
- Joventut closes a 96–84 victory to advance to the final
First final appearance since 1987
Joventut maintained double-digit separation in the fourth quarter, extending the margin to 70–57. Despite physical play from Duarte and Rodions Kurucs on the wings, Baskonia could not close the deficit in the closing minutes. The victory earns Joventut their first appearance in a Supercopa Endesa final since 1987, when they were defeated by Barcelona in Vigo. The Badalona club, which last won the Supercopa trophy in 1986, will face either Barcelona or Valencia Basket in Sunday's championship match.
