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jun 11 2026Two from two. Barcelona took a major step toward the ACB Finals with their second series victory, 97-89 at the Palau. Xavi Pascual's team dominated La Laguna Tenerife for the first 25 minutes and weathered the final 15 to secure an important win. A balanced Barcelona performance (5 players finished in double figures), led by Czech Jan Vesely (19 points), against an impressive Patty Mills (36 points). La Laguna Tenerife played well but it wasn't enough. The series now heads to Tenerife with Barcelona holding a clear advantage.
The game started at a breakneck pace. Both teams understood the importance of this second matchup and came out firing. In just three minutes, the score was tied at nine.
Australian Patty Mills (13 points) had started hot. The former San Antonio Spurs player, at 37 years old, was putting on a masterclass at the Palau. Whether from three-point range or attacking the rim, the Aussie was in complete control of the game. La Laguna Tenerife took advantage to grab the first leads of the contest (14-19 at the 6-minute mark).
The entry of Jan Vesely (6 points) and Darío Brizuela (4 points) added more dynamism to Barcelona's offense. Despite this, a three-pointer by Tim Abromaitis left Txus Vidorreta's team ahead at the end of the first quarter (25-27 at the 10-minute mark). Tenerife's three-point accuracy was key to their strong start (5 of 9).
Barcelona raised their level at the start of the second quarter. A mid-range shot from superstar Jan Vesely (13 points) guided the blaugranas to a four-point lead (31-27 at the 12-minute mark). Txus Vidorreta called a timeout to try to slow Barcelona's pace.
But Barcelona had found their rhythm. Three consecutive three-pointers from Nicolás Laprovittola (9 points) gave the home team their biggest lead (42-31 at the 15-minute mark). The Palau erupted. Xavi Pascual put a defensive pest like Myles Cale on Patty Mills, who cooled off in this second quarter. La Laguna Tenerife's three-pointers stopped falling, and the island team weathered the storm as best they could (48-34 at the 18-minute mark).
A timid visiting response left the game at halftime 48-38 for Barcelona. The home team's rebounding dominance was overwhelming (25-11). Barcelona seemed to have the game under control, but there was still much to play at the Palau.
After the break, Barcelona continued to dominate the paint. Youssoupha Fall (13 points and 5 rebounds) kept controlling the interior. The blaugranas, with an 8-0 run, reached their largest lead of the game (61-46 at the 25-minute mark). La Laguna Tenerife was relying on Patty Mills (20 points), but it wasn't enough. Either more players needed to step up or a 2-0 series lead was inevitable.
Just when things looked bleakest for the island team, Tenerife came alive. Thomas Scrubb (8 points) emerged and La Laguna cut it to three (66-63 at the 39-minute mark). A 5-17 run confirmed how difficult it is to close out a game. Joel Parra's three-pointer at the buzzer made it 69-63 at the end of the third quarter. There was still plenty of basketball to be played at the Palau.
The game had completely changed. Now Tenerife began to believe and after two three-pointers from the omnipresent Mills (26 points), La Laguna tied the game (69-69 at the 32-minute mark). The forces had equalized completely.
Tenerife's defense had stepped up significantly, but after Txus Vidorreta was ejected for protesting, the yellow team quickly got into foul trouble. Barcelona took advantage to get some breathing room from the free-throw line (86-80 at the 35-minute mark).
La Laguna Tenerife kept fighting, but two consecutive three-pointers from Will Clyburn (14 points) put the game out of reach (92-82 at the 38-minute mark). The final seconds saw the Palau vibrating with their team, who took the game 97-89. Xavi Pascual's Barcelona are one win away from the ACB Finals.
