Spain

opened the second qualifying round for the 2023 World Cup with a very comfortable win over

Iceland

(87-57).

With an effective basketball, without glitter but without major cracks,

Scariolo

's team dispatched the Nordic team before the break.

After a demanding preparation and a week before the Eurobasket, the Spanish team took advantage of a gift from the calendar to let themselves fly.

[Narration and stats]



That they were a conducive opponent to pick up momentum was clear in the first few possessions, in which Spain found the basket with amazing ease.

18 of his first 19 points came in the paint, with special prominence for

Willy Hernangómez

, who in this preparation has been confirmed as the main offensive reference of the team.

The center from Madrid was the top scorer with 19 points and 8 rebounds in just 14 minutes

.



It was a night of positives.

So that

Rudy Fernández

, the day he was ranked as the third player with the most caps as an international (237), reminded once again that intelligence in any case is refined with age;

or to check that Lorenzo Brown

's adaptation to

the group is on the right track (9 assists).



Also to confirm that in a summer in which Spain needs something different in attack,

Darío Brizuela

is a good candidate;

that

Jaime Pradilla

(14 points), at 21 years old, he has a place in the future of the national team, with or without transition;

or that

Sebas Saiz

is a sure thing to complete the inside game (11 points, 9 rebounds).


necessary victory


After the double duels against Greece and Lithuania made clear the ceiling of this team, it was good for Iceland to see the good side too.

The temptation is to call her 'balsamic' because she reached a week of the Eurobasket and after four friendlies where she sowed more doubts than she found certainties, but she can remain 'necessary'.

While she is outlining her new identity, she sets her sights on next summer.



Spain remains co-leader of Group L, level on four wins with Italy, and will close this window on Saturday in the Netherlands against the bottom team.

Another propitious rival to lift the spirits before embarking on the Eurobasket.


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