The outfit from the Basque Country excelled offensively in the second half and delighted their head coach in his first game in charge of his boyhood club
Baskonia went up a gear to give Pablo Laso a perfect homecoming
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Regular Season
Round 1 of 34
Group Regular Season
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For three quarters, it looked like Pablo Laso would not have much to cheer about after his first game in charge of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, where the 56-year-old tactician started out as a player at the young age of 17 and spent 11 seasons at the club.
Laso also enjoyed a glorious 11-year spell as a coach at Real Madrid, where he won two Turkish EuroLeague titles before moving to Bayern Munich in 2023. With much fanfare, Laso took over at Baskonia in June this year and appeared set for a sour start in Round 1 against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade as the visitors were in the driving seat until midway through the fourth quarter.
However, Baskonia then forced the final twist thanks to ironclad defense coupled with some inspired offense.
New signing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot provided the spark in a tough 88-82 win with a flawless all-round display and the rest of the team followed in his footsteps, with five home players finishing in double digits. Crucially, Baskonia outmuscled Partizan in the paint as the hosts racked up 6 blocks to Partizan’s zero and won the battle of the boards 30-27, just enough to put a smile on Laso’s face.
“We knew Partizan was going to stay tough,” the visibly relieved Baskonia head coach said in a post-game courtside interview. “Our offensive performance was better in the second half; we were able to move the ball and get easier shots as well as better percentages. We got our rhythm back offensively and we did a good job on defense throughout the game.”
Laso could not stress enough just how much the fervent home crowd support meant to Baskonia when the chips were down.
“I know what it means to play here and without the fan support we would never have won this game. They were fantastic, the atmosphere was great and winning the first home game means a lot to us,” he added.
Luwawu-Cabarrot, who mixed long-range shooting with an audacious slam dunk to earn the player of the game award on the back of 15 points and 4 boards, hinted he had fit seamlessly after joining Baskonia from LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne this summer.
“I am feeling great, it’s a great victory for us and it’s just what we needed after the setback against Tenerife [in the Spanish League],” the versatile Frenchman said. “It was a team win and everybody contributed. My teammates are great, they give me confidence and the coach is great, too. I work every single day for big moments and it’s awesome [to make big plays].”
Captain Tadas Sedekerskis echoed Luwawu-Cabarrot’s words, having sank 14 points to go with 6 boards. “It’s a super important win because it’s a new team with a lot of new players,” noted the Lithuania forward. “They work hard and we have a great chemistry in the locker room, and that’s the most important thing.”
Baskonia visits Partizan’s archrival Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 2, while Partizan continues its Spanish tour with a daunting trip to last season’s runner-up Real Madrid.