Jabari Parker scores 21 but Joventut fall 86-74 as Unicaja grabs top spot
Unicaja’s late run seals the win
Joventut’s challenge for first place in the FIBA Champions League group ended in defeat as they lost 86-74 to Unicaja. The Badalona side began strongly, racing to an early 11-2 lead, but Unicaja chipped away and closed the first quarter on a 13-0 run to lead 25-20.
Jabari Parker had a slow start but found his rhythm late in the first half, hitting free throws and a couple of field goals to pull Joventut level at 43-43 by halftime. The game swung again after the break: Unicaja opened the second half with a 9-0 burst, and although Parker answered with six straight points, Joventut couldn’t keep their offense going.
Joventut finished just 6-of-24 from three, and once Parker’s scoring subsided the visitors struggled to respond. Unicaja put the result beyond doubt with a decisive 17-2 run in the second half. Tyler Kalinoski led the winners with 17 points, Killian Tillie added 15, and Parker top-scored for Joventut with 21. Both teams finished the group 4-2 and will progress to the quarterfinals, but Unicaja claimed top spot and the accompanying home-court advantage.
Weekend roundup: surprises and dead rubbers
There were a few noteworthy results elsewhere in the final group round. Nymburk pulled off a surprise by beating Gran Canaria 92-82, overcoming a tie-break deficit to knock the Spanish side out. J.T. Shumate paced Nymburk with 22 points and eight rebounds, Goran Filipovic hit a big three and finished with 15, while Jaromir Bohacik chipped in with 16.
Gran Canaria will rue late defensive lapses; Nicolas Brussino led their effort with 19 points but it wasn’t enough to avoid elimination.
Two other games—Trieste’s 82-76 win over Tenerife and Wurzburg’s 84-81 victory over Chalon—had little bearing on the standings. Tenerife had already secured their quarterfinal spot, and the other sides were already out of contention.
All in all, the final round produced a mix of tight finishes and one genuine upset, setting up an intriguing knockout phase in the FIBA Champions League.
