Spain closes with victory before the Eurobasket

• Narration This is how we live the game

The last drink of the Spanish team before the

was a routine victory in

(64-86).

A disastrous start, a commendable reaction and a rather calm second half, where the difference in talent prevented any scare.

's men

close the qualifying window for the 2023 World Cup with two wins out of two possible and they will be co-leaders of the group at least, waiting for what Italy does.

With these duties, another different exam arrives: next Thursday they will start the Eurobasket against

(1:30 p.m.).

[Narration and statistics]

The glass supports two readings: for those who see it half empty, it shows that Spain cannot afford relaxation, not even against such inferior rivals;

For those who see it half full, it is true that

.

In long-winded duels, or that simply start crooked, he has what to come out with.

And it could hardly have started more lopsided than this one against the Netherlands.

Faced with the overwhelming start that he signed against Iceland, he sat down.

In the first five minutes, the Spanish team added a single basket in play and five losses, three of them by

.

Scariolo, who tried to let the team find the exit on his own, ended up calling time out.

Spain lost by 11 without breaking a sweat (15-4).

The hole would reach 14 points before the improvement with the refreshment men took effect on the scoreboard.

The

and

came out with the intensity that had been lacking at the start and Spain began to gain a foothold in the match.

In the absence of more gunpowder -and even more so with

handcuffed by personal fouls-, it is back there where he has his best argument to compete.

the outside shot

The unusual thing is that the other lever with which he turned the match around was the outside shot, which in principle is one of the great shortcomings of this team:

.

In front, Rudy Fernández, who scored three without fail in less than eighty seconds.

He didn't put any in all night, but those and his role in defense ignited the comeback.

The Balearic, by the way, came out at the presentation wearing Sergio Llull's shirt, who will miss the Eurobasket due to injury.

Thanks to this success from the outside, and a defense that left the Netherlands with only 8 points in the second quarter, Spain went into the break with an advantage.

And he would never look back.

With the swirl of

(top scorer with 13 points), Brown more in tune (11) and Usman Garuba with his best minutes of preparation, the Spanish team took a much more comfortable victory than it seemed at first.

With this victory, the Spanish team ensures at least finish in the lead this first day of Group L. Depending on what happens in Georgia-Italy, it will be alone or tied with the transalpines at five wins.

Homework done, and in the absence of the last discard, heading to the Eurobasket.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

• eurobasketball