Willy Hernangómez opened up about his future: “I’ve received interest from several teams, but right now I’m focused on winning the last title we have left.”
Barcelona – FC Barcelona left no room for surprise, decisively defeating San Pablo Burgos 91-76. As in their previous league outing, Xavi Pascual’s squad delivered a solid and consistent performance, securing their sixth win in the last seven ACB games.
Five players – Kevin Punter, Youssoupha Fall, Willy Hernangómez, Joel Parra, and Juan Núñez – each scored in double figures, while the only downside was an injury to Juani Marcos, who hurt his knee in the second quarter.
**BAR 91 – 76 SPB**
**Lineups**
**BARÇA (91):** Marcos (-), Punter (17), Parra (8), Shengelia (8), Fall (16) – starting five – Cale (7), Norris (-), Brizuela (9), Hernangómez (10), Núñez (14), Keita (-), González (2).
**SAN PABLO BURGOS (76):** Neto (10), Heidegger (24), Meindl (9), Samuels (6), Happ (11) – starting five – Nzosa (-), Shackelford (3), Gudmundsson (-), Rubio (4), Almazán (-), Díez (9).
**Officials:** Martín Caballero, Iyán González, Andrés Fernández. No ejections.
**Notable:** Matchday 30 of the Liga Endesa, played at Palau Blaugrana in front of 4,192 spectators. A minute of silence was observed in memory of José ‘Piculín’ Ortiz.
Pascual was unable to recover either Tomas Satoransky or Jan Vesely, both still dealing with back and knee issues, respectively. These were significant absences, though not as critical as that of Gonzalo Corbalán for the visitors. Porfi Fisac’s top player also missed the game due to lower back problems.
**Barça Breaks Open the Game with Big Willy**
The gap between the two sides became clear early on. After an initial exchange of baskets featuring Kevin Punter and former Barça player Raul Neto (16-13), Barcelona went on a 13-0 run fueled by an outstanding Willy Hernangómez, who was unstoppable in the paint.
Willy Hernangómez against San Pablo Burgos. / Valentí Enrich
The first quarter ended 29-15 in favor of the hosts, and in the second period Youssoupha Fall took over from his fellow big man. The Senegalese center capitalized on most of the passes from his teammates, leaving Ethan Happ helpless to stop the Blaugrana tower (40-24).
**Fall and Núñez Lethal in the Second Quarter**
Dani Díez and Max Heidegger tried to keep San Pablo Burgos from getting blown out, but Juan Núñez answered on the perimeter. In the second quarter, the Madrid-born point guard posted five points, four rebounds, and three assists, displaying great all-court activity. He extended his minutes after Juani Marcos injured his knee, and with Núñez directing the offense, Barcelona went to halftime with a commanding 55-35 lead, capping 20 minutes of serious, solid basketball.
Juan Núñez against San Pablo Burgos. / Valentí Enrich
**Concern Over Marcos’ Knee**
The script didn’t change after the break. Barcelona’s players didn’t take their foot off the gas, and a play by ‘Toko’ Shengelia pushed the home lead to 23 points (59-36), the largest advantage at that point. Darío Brizuela moved to point guard once it was confirmed that Marcos’ injury was more than just a scare. Although Barça cruised comfortably, a couple of actions by San Pablo…