Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Liga ACB match.
La Laguna Tenerife held onto second place in the regular season for most of the campaign, only to slip to third in the final round. As a result, they now face Joventut Badalona — a side that recently caused real problems for several of the league's top teams.
La Laguna Tenerife
The final stretch of the regular season was a let-down for Tenerife. They managed just two wins from their last seven outings, and both of those came against clear relegation candidates: Bàsquet Girona (93:84) and Forca Lleida (84:72). When it mattered most, the islanders fell short — first losing the head-to-head against Valencia Basket (99:102), then suffering defeat to mid-table BAXI Manresa (83:86) in the final round. It appears their main players are simply running on empty. That’s hardly surprising considering Marcelo Huertas is 42 and Giorgi Shermadini is 36.
Joventut Badalona
Joventut, by contrast, are peaking at the right time. They've won four of their last five games, including a statement 90:70 win over Baskonia — one of the ACB’s heavyweights. In the final round, they even took down reigning champions Unicaja Málaga (83:78). What’s particularly notable is that in those victories, Joventut averaged 87.3 points per game, clearly having shaken off their earlier scoring woes.
La Laguna Tenerife vs Joventut Badalona Prediction
These sides have already faced off twice this season. Joventut won the first meeting at home (93:86) and then pushed Tenerife all the way in the return fixture, losing by just a single point. With the hosts in woeful form, the visitors have every chance to make this a real contest once again.
