Barcelona wins overtime thriller in Spanish finals, Tel Aviv's Maccabi closes in on title
In the first game of the Spanish ACB finals, Barcelona defeated Valencia in overtime, while in Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv is one win away from the championship after beating Hapoel for a 2-0 series lead.
The first game of the Spanish ACB league finals featured an overtime thriller as Barcelona edged Valencia 112-111 on the road. Trailing late in regulation, Will Clyburn hit two three-pointers in the final 30 seconds to force overtime. In the extra period, Nico Laprovittola opened the scoring with a three-pointer, and Barcelona never trailed except for a brief tie at 110-110. The winning points came from Joel Parra on an 'and-one' play; he finished with 18 points in 22 minutes, shooting 8-of-9 from the field. Clyburn recorded 21 points and 7 assists, while Laprovittola added 20 points. Barcelona made 19 three-pointers overall, with Clyburn and Laprovittola combining for nine. Valencia's star Jean Montero led his team with 24 points, 7 assists, 6 drawn fouls, and 5 steals. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday, again in Valencia.
Meanwhile, in the Israeli Super League finals, Maccabi Tel Aviv has taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series after a 102-98 win over city rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv. Despite Hapoel starting the game with 14 consecutive points, Maccabi fought back. Hapoel's Yam Madar was outstanding with 34 points, 10 assists, 8 drawn fouls, and 6 rebounds. For Maccabi, Danish guard Gabriel Lundberg contributed 25 points and drew 9 fouls. Maccabi won the first game 96-75.
