Betis Basketball exhibition on a placid morning without reply (89-59)

The game did not take long to reveal its keys and the direction it would take, that of Betis Baloncesto at cruising speed towards victory. They barely suffered in the opening quarter on the defensive rebound until Valladolid, innocuously, stopped biting in that aspect as well. The virtue of the green and white It was to be applied from the beginning, with due defensive tension and a sense of collective play in attack that first exploited the route of direct blocking with the centers until the Pucelana defense sang and proved to be of the consistency of puff pastry. A triple from Hughes opened the first gap (17-8), Cvetkovic made it 20-10 from the free kick and the best play of the quarter was the last one, invalidated: the rebound of a missed triple by Cvetkovic was caught by Pablo Marín, who opened the perimeter for Kasibabu to unload the shot. The ball was absorbed by the basket, but the referees ruled that it was out of time.

With 25-16, Benite Finally he scored after offensive rebound, penetration and soft layup marking the times. Betis was going smoothly, managing all the possibilities of attack and defense, suffering little against a disorderly Valladolid that kept making changes without the engine starting. I had the flu. He responded to a triple from De la Fuente with the same medicine Ruben Lopez (31-19) in a game that accelerated the pace and also the scoring of baskets. The Pucelana defense was already a Gruyere cheese: holes everywhere. Many mismatches, inattention and absence of help that Betis exploited by moving the ball, finding the freed man and making money. Over and over again, with every attack. At 33-21, Lolo Encinas stopped the game. After that pause, Cvetkovic sprained his left ankle in a bad position after bending the ball outwards. Cries of pain from the Serbian, who could not step and needed the help of his teammates to be able to get off the track. He stayed behind the bench until half-time, calm but worried.

Hughes stands out

Not even that distorted Betis, who expanded to fifteen (36-21) against a harmless Valladolid, without ideas, disoriented. He collapsed and did not score anything against an antipodean Betis that repeated again and again under the basket (38-21). Hughes was playing with his tailcoat, adding up silently. Betis was already flirting with two tens (44-25). At this point in the footage, with more than half the game left, the morning was summed up in the contrast of the numbers: Hughes valued more (18) than all of Valladolid (17). Dry from the perimeter, the visitors anchored without Betis, that feeling really gave, having to rack their tactical brains or press the accelerator to the maximum. Radoncicfrom the free kick, made it 20 (45-25) while Valladolid continued wasting perimeter bullets (2/14). At halftime, 49-25, with Gonzalo García’s men tyrannically dominating all records: he accumulated nine more rebounds, had already distributed twelve assists, added fifteen points from the free throw and nailed 50% on the field goal (15/ 30).

A highway to the basket

With a free throw that opened the third quarter, DeBisschop doubled the difference again (50-25). With 20 minutes left, Betis would have to make life very difficult for them not to add their ninth victory. Without detracting from the merits of the Verdiblancos, who were extremely focused, the Valladolid defense, so spongy, seemed to be on strike. You can’t play at the elite level with that intensity. Betis maneuvered with excessive ease, grateful for the help and scoring or scratching shooting fouls. A connection between Rubén López and De Bisschopwith a chipped pass from the first and a dunk from the second, the difference went up another step, up to 31 (60-29). Valladolid called for a timeout, but the Blanquivioleta team had been on the canvas for many minutes. No air, no pulse. With Cvetkovic absent, Pablo Marín increased his quota of minutes and Radoncic moved to three with Rubén López at four. With the score broken, the third quarter already seemed like the last. And Betis continued to put more nerve, physicality, defense, hunger and desire than Valladolid. The scoring flow slowed, but the third quarter also scored: 19-16 for 68-41.

Hughes reached 20 points with a triple after a gift with a bow, in the form of an assist, the fifth in his locker, from Radoncic (74-27). The Montenegrin, from there to the bench, also collected eleven points and eight rebounds. Benite returned the 30 (77-47) in another acceleration from Betis, who did not settle and continued to draw blood. At 79-47, with five minutes remaining, Valladolid visited the free throw line for the second time in the match. Betis, then, had 28 attempts from 4.60. An overwhelming difference like the one there was in all the parameters of a match that Betis Baloncesto resolved without blinking or suffering, working at all times and also having fun, expanding against a rival with his arms down (86-50, after Kulishenko’s basket). Benite was smiling after nailing a three-pointer with the possession horn blaring (89-52) as the final seconds of a game drew to a close that revalidated the authority with which the Betis handle themselves on their court.