By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In a surprising turn of events in the 2025-26 Liga Endesa Regular Season, FC Barcelona suffered a 90–80 defeat against fellow Catalonia outfit Hiopos Lleida in Pavello Barris Nord, fueled by a stellar performance from their former player Oriol Pauli.
The Lleida captain was unstoppable, shooting 7/10 from the field with two triples, while adding seven assists and six rebounds to his career-high scoring showing. Despite Dario Brizuela netting a team-high 21 points for the visitors, the Blaugrana fell short on Sunday.
The Blaugrana must immediately shift their focus toward the continental stage as they fight to keep their European ambitions alive. Seeking a ticket to the EuroLeague Playoffs as the eighth seed, Barca starts the Play-In Showdown against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in Palau Blaugrana this Tuesday.
After 31-year-old Pauli punished his former team, Xavi Pascual’s side moves on to navigate the continental challenge without injured Nicolas Laprovittola, looking to initially set up a best-of-five series opposite top-seeded Olympiacos, and from there battle for a spot in the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four Athens, presented by Etihad.
ACB Round 27
Surne Bilbao – BAXI Manresa 80-84
MoraBanc Andorra – UCAM Murcia 89-95
Asisa Joventut – Kosner Baskonia 81-69
Dreamland Gran Canaria – Casademont Zaragoza 74-78
Hiopos Lleida – FC Barcelona 90-80
Coviran Granada – Unicaja (12:30 CET)
Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos – Rio Breogan (17:00 CET)
Girona – Valencia (18:00 CET)
Real Madrid – La Laguna Tenerife (19:00 CET)
STANDINGS: Real Madrid 24-2, Valencia 20-6, UCAM Murcia 20-7, Kosner Baskonia 19-8, FC Barcelona 18-9…