Liga Endesa Returns After Heart-Stopping Opening Round

The Liga Endesa returns a week after an opening that sent a clear warning: this season will be incredibly tight. Of the nine games in the first round, five were decided by five points or less and two by just one point, with baskets in the final possession. There were also two major surprises: Lleida won at La Fonteta and Baskonia came back from nine points down in the final three minutes at Coliseum Burgos.

The second round features three games on Saturday and six on Sunday, with two of them broadcast on free-to-air television.

Saturday, October 3

Asisa Joventut - MoraBanc Andorra · 18:00 · Palau Olímpic de Badalona

A clash between two teams that started with losses, each with different reasons to feel uncomfortable. Penya arrived as Supercopa Endesa champions and left Lugo with a defeat in a 214-point game (110-104), with Ricky Rubio posting 18 points and 10 assists without it being enough to prevent the loss. The Badalona team's main problem was a lack of defensive discipline: allowing 110 points doesn't fit anyone's game plan.

Andorra, meanwhile, let slip a thirteen-point lead at home against Obradoiro. Akinjo's debut was eye-catching—twelve assists—but the team fell apart in the fourth quarter. This is the type of game where whoever recovers defensive solidity first takes the prize, and Penya plays at home with Ante Tomic sidelined for an extended period.

Unicaja - La Laguna Tenerife · 19:30 · Martín Carpena

On paper, the best game of Saturday, and between two teams that arrive battered for the same reason: they lost by the narrowest of margins. Unicaja fell at Movistar Arena by two points and had one last chance with a three-pointer from Amine Noua from mid-court that didn't fall. Tenerife lost at home by one, with Justin Jaworski's basket coming with just 0.6 seconds remaining after two consecutive Tenerife turnovers.

Both teams also played in Europe mid-week: Tenerife opened its EuroCup campaign with a win over Türk Telekom (82-75) and Unicaja began its continental schedule. Two contenders forced to avoid starting 0-2, and Carpena is usually argument enough.

Kids&Us Manresa - Río Breogán · 21:00 · Nou Congost

Manresa had the toughest time in the first round: they lost by fifteen in Bilbao (107-92) in a game that fell apart in the second half with Darrun Hilliard playing inspired basketball. They did so without Pierre Oriola or Timmy Allen, with Ongenda as their main offensive weapon (17 points). And mid-week they suffered another defeat in the EuroCup in Salónica against PAOK (93-78). They arrive, therefore, with two consecutive losses and the need to stop the bleeding at Nou Congost.

Breogán appears on the opposite side. They beat Joventut in an offensive showcase with Francis Alonso as the key player and Danko Brankovic anchoring the paint, and they did it with a full roster, including Andersson García, who joined after resolving his visa paperwork. For Luis Casimiro's team, winning on the road this early would be an ideal start.

Read also

• Liga Endesa expands its reach and will also be broadcast free-to-air on TVG, Aragón TV and EITB
• How Real Madrid plays: 6/26 from three and 89 points
• Leyma Coruña wins Copa Galicia, crushing Breogán (102-93)

Sunday, October 4

iLERNA Lleida - Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos · 12:00 · Barris Nord · TV3 and 3Cat (free-to-air)

The game with the most cross-narratives of the round. Lleida pulled off the opening upset by winning at La Fonteta against the defending champions (100-105), with a devastating start (0-10), notable defensive control in the final quarter, and a huge James Batemon from the free-throw line: 16 of 17 and 23 points. Darius McGhee added 21. All of this, moreover, in a week when they lost Atoumane Diagne for the entire season to a torn ACL and completed the departure of Aurimas Majauskas.

Burgos arrives from the opposite extreme: they won their EuroCup opener against Cedevita (85-81) but in the league they let slip a game they had under control. They led by twelve in the fourth quarter (93-81) and ended up losing by one with a 2+1 from Damion Baugh, with DJ Steward missing the final shot. Ziga Samar (17) and Chris Sengfelder (13) were the leading scorers for a team that couldn't close it out. Two newcomers to the category facing off against the opposite sensation.

Leyma Coruña - Surne Bilbao · 12:00 · Coliseum de A Coruña · ETB1 and TVG (free-to-air)

Leyma returned to the Liga Endesa in the worst possible scenario, at Palau, and suffered a heavy defeat against Barcelona, who scored 119 points. Now they play for the first time at home, in a Coliseum that will be packed and with the reference point that their own competitive debut last summer was winning the Copa Galicia against Breogán. It's the game where the team of Diego Epifanio... let's be clear: the Coruña coach is Diego Epifanio in Santiago; in A Coruña the bench is different, and the challenge is the same: make the Coliseum an uncomfortable place.

Across the way comes the team that left the best impression from the entire round. Jaume Ponsarnau's Surne Bilbao won by fifteen with all their players available, a 4/8 from three from Hilliard and Harald Frey controlling the game. They're also a team that travels well. A game broadcast free-to-air on TVG and ETB1, giving it reach that these two teams don't usually have.

Monbus Obradoiro - Real Madrid · 12:30 · Fontes do Sar

The game of the round, for several reasons. Obradoiro won in Andorra by coming back from a thirteen-point deficit in the second half, with Brandon Childress as the most complete player and Joel Soriano contributing 15 points in the paint. Diego Epifanio's team arrives with a confidence boost they didn't expect to have so soon, and with Olle Lundqvist as their only significant absence.

Real Madrid arrives with a huge contradiction: they won their league opener against Unicaja (89-87) with a decisive three-pointer in the final minute, but they've accumulated three losses in three EuroLeague games, something that has never happened in their history. The latest came Thursday in Sofia against Hapoel (102-98), coming back from twenty-two points down only to collapse in the final quarter. It's a team with an offense that works inside—46 two-pointers to 26 threes in their league debut, 13 offensive rebounds—but with their head in an uncertain place. Fontes do Sar at 12:30 in the afternoon is exactly the type of matchup they don't want.

Casademont Zaragoza - Valencia Basket · 17:00 · Príncipe Felipe

Casademont took a one-point win in Tenerife with Jaworski's basket at 0.6 seconds, and with Trae Bell-Haynes as their leading scorer (19). It was a victory of character more than style, but in a league with such tight margins those count too. Jilson Bango is their only absence.

Valencia is the hardest team to read from the round. They lost at home to Lleida in their league opener and three days later dominated Baskonia in the EuroLeague (111-88). That distance between the two versions is what will be measured at Príncipe Felipe: whether the stumble against Lleida was a startup accident or if Xavi Albert's team is still searching for its rhythm. They arrive with Yankuba Sima at the center of trade rumors and with a rotation that hasn't yet been set.

Kosner Baskonia - FIATC Girona · 18:00 · Buesa Arena

Baskonia is living a week of brutal contrasts. On Sunday they came back from nine points down in the final three minutes in Burgos and won by one with Baugh's 2+1; on Tuesday they got hammered in Valencia (111-88) in the EuroLeague. Add to that the roster movement: they parted ways with Alex Len and added Marcio Santos. They return to Buesa Arena needing to leave a good impression at home and with the paint still to be resolved.

FIATC Girona arrives with their homework done. They beat UCAM Murcia (84-77) controlling the final quarter, with Jassel Pérez posting 20 points and 8 rebounds and Whittaker adding 19. They do carry absences: Maxi Fjellerup and Isaac Vázquez weren't available in the opener and Aljaz Kunc was a question mark until the end. For Moncho Fernández's team, who renewed through 2028 this summer, getting a win in Vitoria would be a statement.

UCAM Murcia - Barcelona · 19:00 · Palacio de los Deportes de Murcia

The round closes with the team that made the most noise in the opener. Barcelona scored 119 points against Leyma, the highest total by any team in a league opening round since 1990, with Olek Balcerowski posting 21 points without missing any of his nine attempts, Darío Brizuela 15 and Martin 13. A debut like that, with eleven new signings on the roster, shows that Sekulic's team found the rhythm it wanted quickly, though they still have absences: Josh Nebo, Tosan Evbuomwan and Yoan Makoundou.

UCAM Murcia is the counterpoint. They lost in Girona without finding offensive continuity and receive Barcelona in a Palacio that has historically been difficult for the big teams. Sito Alonso only has Howard Sant-Roos out. It's the classic scenario for a team that needs a big game to get going.

Key Storylines of the Round

There's a thread running through almost all the matchups: European fatigue. Real Madrid, Valencia, Baskonia, Unicaja, Tenerife, Burgos, Manresa and Joventut are already juggling league and continental competition, and six of them play on Sunday after traveling mid-week. In a league where five of nine games are decided in the final minute, that factor weighs more than it appears.

And a warning about the standings: with just one round played and margins so minimal, 1-0 and 0-1 don't mean much yet. What's starting to mean something is who maintains their level when the schedule gets tight.

Data Block

Round 2 of Liga Endesa 2026-27

Round 1 Results

With 1-0: Barcelona, Surne Bilbao, FIATC Girona, Río Breogán, iLERNA Lleida, Monbus Obradoiro, Real Madrid, Kosner Baskonia, Casademont Zaragoza.

With 0-1: Kids&Us Manresa, MoraBanc Andorra, Leyma Coruña, Asisa Joventut, Recoletas Salud SPB, La Laguna Tenerife, UCAM Murcia, Valencia Basket, Unicaja.

Round 1 stats: five of nine games decided by five points or less, two of them by one · Barcelona's 119 points are the highest total by any team in an opening round since 1990.

European action: Real Madrid, loss in Sofia to Hapoel (102-98) and 0-3 in EuroLeague · Valencia, win over Baskonia (111-88) · Baskonia, loss in Valencia (111-88) · La Laguna Tenerife, EuroCup win over Türk Telekom (82-75) · Recoletas Salud SPB, EuroCup win over Cedevita (85-81) · Kids&Us Manresa, EuroCup loss in Salónica to PAOK (93-78).

Long-term absences: Atoumane Diagne (iLERNA Lleida, ACL, entire season) · Usman Garuba (Real Madrid, Achilles tendon) · Ante Tomic (Asisa Joventut) · Rokas Giedraitis (La Laguna Tenerife) · Vlatko Cancar (Recoletas Salud SPB, meniscus surgery) · Olle Lundqvist (Monbus Obradoiro) · Jilson Bango (Casademont Zaragoza) · Howard Sant-Roos (UCAM Murcia) · Josh Nebo, Tosan Evbuomwan and Yoan Makoundou (Barcelona).