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may 14 2026BILBAO. Surne Bilbao Basket took advantage of Real Madrid's numerous injuries to secure an 88-82 victory at Miribilla and clinch a playoff spot in the Liga Endesa, displacing Unicaja from the top eight. Jaume Ponsarnau's team weathered the league leaders' best moments and ultimately punished a Real Madrid squad heavily impacted by absences and focused on the EuroLeague Final Four.
Real Madrid arrived in Bilbao with a completely compromised interior rotation. Sergio Scariolo was unable to count on Walter Tavares or Alex Len, both sidelined for the remainder of the season, in addition to the absences of Usman Garuba, Mario Hezonja, and Chuma Okeke. That situation forced the Italian coach to experiment with different lineups and give playing time to Izan Almansa, Trey Lyles, or even very small five-man units with Procida as a power forward.
From the start, Surne Bilbao Basket detected the enormous gap in Real Madrid's paint. Hlinason began to dominate near the basket and the Basque team found many advantages attacking the white team's interior game.
Despite this, Real Madrid managed to remain competitive thanks to Facundo Campazzo's control and Trey Lyles' offensive accuracy. The white team found solutions during several stretches of the game and even had moments of dominance, though they failed to definitively break open the contest.
Surne Bilbao Basket didn't deliver a brilliant offensive performance either, but managed to stay close throughout thanks to collective effort and the constant contributions of Darrun Hilliard. The American shooting guard punished from beyond the arc with a spectacular 4-of-7 from three-point range and ended up being one of the game's standout performers.
Hlinason was absolutely decisive. The Icelandic center dominated the paint against Real Madrid's lack of size and finished the game with 22 points, 11-of-13 from two-point range and a rating of 29, including seven dunks that caused significant damage to the visiting defense.
The white team appeared to have the game under control in the final stretch of the third quarter. A favorable run allowed Real Madrid to reach its largest lead at 54-64 with just over a minute remaining in the period.
Even in the fourth quarter, Sergio Scariolo's team was still leading 71-76 with 4:50 remaining. Campazzo controlled the game's pace and the Liga Endesa leaders seemed close to securing another victory.
However, Surne Bilbao Basket reacted at the crucial moment. Jaume Ponsarnau's team elevated their defensive intensity and found key baskets from Pantzar, Krampelj, and Jaworski to get completely back into the game.
The 76-76 tie with just over three minutes remaining definitively shifted the momentum. Shortly after, a dunk by Hlinason gave the hosts the lead back (81-80) and Miribilla began to believe in a victory of enormous value.
In the final stretch, the Basque team showed much more solidity. A free throw by Krampelj and two personal fouls shooting by Darrun Hilliard sealed the game before Krampelj's final dunk sent Miribilla into celebration.
Darrun Hilliard finished the game with 21 points and a rating of 29, while Hlinason was a constant force in the paint with his 22 points. For Real Madrid, Trey Lyles was the standout with 19 points and a rating of 22, while Facundo Campazzo contributed 10 points and 7 assists.
With this victory, Surne Bilbao Basket enters playoff contention at a decisive moment in the Liga Endesa and keeps the dream of playing in the postseason alive. For their part, Real Madrid, already champions of the regular season, continues using these games to fine-tune their pieces ahead of the EuroLeague Final Four in Athens.
