Barcelona has secured a spot in the Liga Endesa final. The Blaugrana sealed their qualification with a victory over La Laguna Tenerife at Santiago Martín by 76-85, closing out the semifinal series 3-0 and returning to the title race three years later.
The victory did not come easily. Xavi Pascual's team had to survive a difficult first half, in which La Laguna Tenerife set the pace, found success from beyond the arc, and clearly dominated. However, Barcelona completely changed their approach after halftime and ultimately imposed their depth, character, and the offensive talent of their key players.
The start was demanding for the Blaugrana. La Laguna Tenerife came out with plenty of energy, led by Marcelinho Huertas and an Aaron Doornekamp who was very accurate from three-point range. Barcelona stayed close thanks to Kevin Punter, but for much of the quarter they trailed, lacking offensive fluidity and struggling to match the local intensity.
The first quarter ended tied at 19, but the second period clearly belonged to Tenerife. Txus Vidorreta's team raised the tempo, found points from Van Beck and Doornekamp, and opened up a thirteen-point lead. Barcelona, struggling from three-point range and uncomfortable on offense, managed at least to limit the damage before halftime, trailing by eight: 42-34.
Everything changed in the second half. Barcelona came out with a different attitude and put together a 0-9 run to flip the scoreboard, with Nico Laprovittola as one of the driving forces behind the comeback. La Laguna Tenerife responded and stayed competitive throughout the third quarter, but the game had already shifted to a much more favorable scenario for the Blaugrana.
With the score still close at the end of the third quarter (58-56), Barcelona found the decisive blow in the final period. Laprovittola, Punter, Clyburn, and Willy Hernangómez elevated the team's competitive level. Two consecutive three-pointers from Punter opened up a significant lead and the Catalan side began to take control of the game.
La Laguna Tenerife tried to resist, but accumulated fatigue and Barcelona's accuracy in the decisive minutes ultimately decided the semifinal. Clyburn led Barcelona's scoring with 19 points, followed by Punter with 17 and Laprovittola with 13. For the Canary Islands team, Huertas finished with 17 points and Yebo contributed 16.
Barcelona thus closed out a perfect series against La Laguna Tenerife, secured their place in the Liga Endesa final, and also earned a ticket to compete in the Supercopa Endesa in September. A qualification of enormous value for a team returning to the championship's final round three years later.