HLA Alicante Begins Title Defense with Demanding Home Test

Pedro Rivero's team will debut their status as the last unbeaten leaders of Primera FEB this Saturday in a challenging home matchup against deceptive bottom-dwellers Fibwi Mallorca Palma. The team will have one eye on Granada's capital, where Movistar Estudiantes will look to return to winning ways in a true battle between championship contenders against Covirán Granada.

With their focus already on the weekend, but also on the Copa España matchday arriving next Tuesday/Wednesday, Primera FEB teams are preparing for a battle that could have significant implications for their playoff positioning.

HLA Alicante defeated Palmer Basket Mallorca last Saturday in an emotional encounter in which a tribute to Pedro Llompart preceded both a thrilling overtime and the Alicante team's jump to first place as sole leaders. In this way, Pedro Rivero's team was beginning its first week as the sole leader in a league where they now face the most difficult challenge yet with their first defense of the throne. Because, from this very moment, the Alicante team is the team to beat in a league where they now face a trap game against a deceptive bottom-dweller. A Fibwi Mallorca Palma that will arrive in Alicante determined to make a statement in a game where Alex Formento's team will have plenty of concerns. Starting with Mike Torres' playmaking, continuing with Wesley Dreamer's shooting touch, and following with Macio Teague's leadership—three pillars that the Balearic Islanders will need to counter from the experience of Osvaldas Matulionis, who will return to what was once his home with victory as the objective.

A game that will occupy almost all of the league leaders' attention, though they cannot help but keep one eye on what happens in parallel at the Palacio de los Deportes in Granada. Because there, in the first game of Saturday afternoon, Covirán Granada and Movistar Estudiantes will meet. Two teams with a common objective who arrive at the matchup with negative momentum—in the case of the Granada side after losing in Palencia, and in the case of the Madrid team after losing their unbeaten status in Torrelavega. Therefore, Toni Ten's men will try to quickly return to the winning path on a court they know well and where they already won a few days ago in their Copa España FEB game against a rival that has been recovering players since then and has confirmed in recent hours the renewal of Matthieu Gauzin for one more month.

Although the leaders won't be the only ones with their eyes on Granada—Iberolea Palencia, which has accumulated three consecutive wins and, after catching up with the college team in the standings, will seek another step forward on the road against Caja Rural Zamora, will also be watching. A clash with much at stake for both teams, and one where Saulo Hernández's men hope to bring all their fight as the home team to secure a derby that could help them grow in the standings.

An objective shared, in their case in the upper part of the table, by both Cajasiete Gran Canaria and Grupo Alega Cantabria, two teams in positive form with two demanding away games on the horizon—in the case of Bruno Savignani's team visiting Grupo Ureta Tizona, which has escaped the danger zone with their last two wins, and in the case of Lolo Encinas' men, arriving at the court of Inveready Askatuak, which has added muscle with the signings of Kevin Bercy and Yaphet Moundi. Two special matchups for both coaches with the return of the Brazilian to the city where he won the double with San Pablo Burgos and with the return home of the Donostia native to face what was once his team.

Key matchups on a Saturday afternoon where one shouldn't lose sight of what happens at the Pazo, where a COB in positive form and with the roster finally complete after closing the door on the injury list prepares to host Insolac Caja87. A game the Seville team will arrive at with the desire to shake off the sting of their last home loss in a matchup where Beqa Burjanadze's participation will increase. A matchday where necessity will be very present in Vista Alegre, where Partizán de Fuenlabrada can only afford to win against Cajasol Coto Córdoba to try to escape the relegation zone they're walking through hand-in-hand with Bàsquet Menorca, which has no margin for error at home and, after bringing back Thad McFadden, will now receive Alimerka Oviedo, determined not to miss the opportunity to establish themselves in playoff positions.

A matchday that will close from Son Moix on Sunday afternoon with Palmer Basket Mallorca determined to make the definitive leap toward the upper zone with a fifth win that will come by defeating Bueno Arenas Albacete, where David Varela's men's desire will be nothing other than to break their negative streak (-2) to catch up in the standings with what will be their rival.

PRIMERA FEB - MATCHDAY 8:

Friday, November 13, 2026:
- Grupo Ureta Tizona vs Cajasiete Gran Canaria (20:45) | BalONcesto TV

Saturday, November 14, 2026:
- Covirán Granada vs Movistar Estudiantes (18:00) | BalONcesto TV
- Cajasol Coto Córdoba vs Partizán de Fuenlabrada (18:30) | BalONcesto TV
- HLA Alicante vs Fibwi Mallorca Palma (19:00) | BalONcesto TV
- Inveready Askatuak Gipuzkoa vs Grupo Alega Cantabria (19:00) | BalONcesto TV
- Ourense Baloncesto vs Insolac Caja87 (19:00) | BalONcesto TV
- Bàsquet Menorca vs Alimerka Oviedo (19:30) | BalONcesto TV
- Caja Rural Zamora vs Iberolea Palencia (19:30) | BalONcesto TV

Sunday, November 15, 2026:
- Palmer Basket Mallorca vs Bueno Arenas Albacete (18:00) | BalONcesto TV