All booked in the last few seconds
Leões win classic at home to FC Porto at the end of the second phase (70-71)
Sporting Clube de Portugal’s main basketball team was home to FC Porto to win by 70-71, this Saturday, in the sixth and final round of the second phase of the National Championship.
With Travante Williams and Micah Downs back as options, after an absence due to injury, but without being able to count on Tanner Omlid and Justin Tuoyo, Luís Magalhães’ team saw the duel at Dragão Arena start off very balanced from both sides. Both partial formations in front of defense one defense and, despite the partial state of the marker (12-13), the first ended up smiling at the blues and whites by 19-15.
In the fourth second, Daniel Relvão came on the scene and assumed the leading role by putting them in front again, with three open doubles (19-21), while the next one didn’t score in the first minutes. From then on, the match was played back to back, with several alternations in the lead and ties in the lineup. Ao was, despite the advantage of the men of the house by one of difference (35-34), interval everything open.
In the return for the second half, Sporting CP started better again, with a partial of 0-10 (35-44), and reached the nine points margin. On the side of 56-58 already in the last seconds.
With only two points separating the two teams, the last quarter was of great emotion. FC Porto quickly got ahead and led by seven points (66-59), but Sporting CP responded actively and returned to its previous form with a partial 0-8 (66-67). One minute from the last horn, the scoreboard marked 69-69, but two free throws by Miguel Maria Cardoso, in the last seconds, sealed the final result and the victory by 70-71.
Highlight for Joshua Patton, who was the best Leonino scorer with a total of 17 points.
Sporting thus ends the second phase in third place in group A with the same 49 points as FC Porto, who came in second, and will now face SC Lusitânia in the quarter-finals of the play-offs, which will be played at the best of five games.
The Lions will play again next Friday, May 6th, against Immortal BC, the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup.
Sporting CP: Travante Williams (13), Shakir Smith (1), Micah Downs (9), Joshua Patton (17) and João Fernandes (2); Mike Fofana (2), Diogo Ventura [C]António Monteiro (4), Daniel Relvão (11), Diogo Araújo (4), Miguel Maria Cardoso (8) and Daniel Machado.