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Spain’s Liga ACB is heading to the homestretch with the Best of Five championship series between defending champions Real Madrid and 2nd seeded Barcelona already halfway played. Real Madrid lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled for Friday, June 21st at Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona.
Real Madrid finished the regular season with the best record in the league at 28-6 while Barcelona came in a second at 27-7 or just one game behind. In the quarterfinals, Real Madrid swept 8th seed Baxi Manresa in two games by an average winning margin of 19 points. Likewise, #2 Barcelona blanked 7th seed Divina Seguros Joventut 2-0 by an average winning margin of 23.5 points per game.
Then in the semifinals, the #1 and #2 seed also swept their respective rivals in a Best of five series. Real Madrid swept 4th seeded Valencia Basket 3-0 and won by an average winning margin of 14 points per game. Meanwhile, Barcelona was just as dominant in sweeping the upset-minded 6th seed Tecnyconta Zaragoza. Barca Lassa won their games by an average of 21 points including a monster 42-point win in Game 1.
What Has Happened In The Finals?
In Game 1 of the Liga ACB final, Real Madrid raced to a 29-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. They would hold on the lead and outscore Barca in every quarter of the game to win with the final score of 98-75. Anthony Randolph led Real Madrid with 15 points on 4-6 shooting while Sergio Lull handed out 8 assists and scored 8 points for the winners.
Game 2 was a different story as Barcelona started out strong after a lackluster effort in Game 1. After taking a five-point lead at the half, Barca extended their lead to as high as 12 in the third period. They even took a 9-point lead late in the 4th quarter before the “Whites” went on a 12-5 run to cut the deficit to a solitary basket with 19 seconds left to play. After Sergio Lull missed the back end of two free throws, Real Madrid grabbed the offensive board and the ball eventually found its way to Jaycee Carroll who sank a three-pointer that gave Real Madrid an 81-80 win and a 2-0 lead in the series. Carroll scored a team-high 25 points for Real Madrid.
With the series shifting to Barcelona in Game 3, Barca needed a win to stay alive in the series and they got one but it wasn’t easy. Real Madrid took a 49-38 lead in the second half before the home team responded with a 12-0 blast that swung the game to their favor at 50-49. But Real refused to go away and took a 77-71 lead late. However, the Catalans closed out with a 7-0 run that sent the series to a Game 4 at “Palau Blaugrana”. This time around, Lull and company could not deliver the death blow in the end game. Thomas Huertel scored a game-high 21 points to lead the winner.
Liga ACB Championship Betting
With a 2-1 series lead, Real Madrid is the basketball betting favorites to win the 2019 Liga ACB title. According to betmaker Titanbet.com, the “Whites” are a -600 favorite to win back-to-back championships. On the other hand, the Catalans are a +400 underdog to win the next two games and dethrone the defending champions.
As with the other major basketball leagues around the world, there are plenty markets for game betting for this series which means you can bet on the money line, spread and total for Games 4 and 5 (if necessary). But for this article, let’s just focus our attention on the bet for who wins the title and the odds are the ones I mentioned above.
Barcelona’s win in Game 3 snapped a two-game losing streak for them. On the other hand, Real Madrid had won 20 out of their last 21 games before losing to the Catalans in Game 3. In 8 head to head meetings this season, Barcelona has won five games including the last one. The Catalans are 3-0 at home against Real Madrid. They won the first two games by an average of 12 points while they won Game 3 by a solitary point. For the season, Barcelona is 18-2 SU overall at their home court while Real Madrid is 15-4 on the road this season.
Who Wins?
Real Madrid led ACB with 88.7 points per game while Barcelona was the #2 scoring team at 86.9 points per game. On defense, Barcelona is better but not by much as the Catalans allow 76.2 points per game this season. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s defense is at 78.8 points per game allowed. When you look at both teams, they are evenly matched in many statistical categories. Games 2 and 3 also proved that these teams are a good match with both games being decided by just one point.
Expect Barcelona to come up with a strong effort in Game 4 again and expect the crowd to pump up their home team again. The key for Real Madrid will be to contain Thomas Huertel who is averaging 21.67 points in the series. Breaks have decided Games 2 and 3 and it could decide Game 4 as well. But when it comes to championship experience, you have to give it to Real Madrid who was at this same spot last year. I think the veterans like Campazzo, Randolph, and Lull will step up and close out the series for Real Madrid, whether it’s in Game 4 or Game 5. Prediction: Real Madrid
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