FC Porto beat Sporting (94-86) and reach the final with Benfica | OneFootball

FC Porto won the fourth game of the basketball championship semi-final against Sporting 94-86 and secured a place in the final, where they will face Benfica, also in a best-of-five series.

The Dragons came flying out of the gates and kept piling up points, taking advantage of Sporting’s lack of offensive efficiency. The Lions got themselves organised and improved defensively, but the home side kept their shooting sharp. Beran, with several three-pointers, helped the blue-and-whites build a 14-point lead by the end of the first quarter (30-16).

In the second quarter, Sporting managed to level things out and found their shooting touch on offense. Luís Magalhães’ side put in a strong display and cut the deficit, which had been as much as 20 points, down to ten by half-time (57-47).

If FC Porto started the first half well, Sporting responded in kind at the start of the second. An excellent third quarter allowed the Lions to cut the gap and they even drew level when the clock showed seven minutes played (70-70). The Dragons’ poor spell forced Fernando Sá to call a timeout to reorganise his troops, who, still struggling, reached the final quarter with a lead of just one point (76-75).

In the fourth and final quarter, Sporting came out fired up and took the lead for the first time in the game (76-78). As time went on, FC Porto were able to withstand the Lions’ attacks and do damage on the fast break. Despite their poor start to the second half, the home side managed to come out on top and win the game.

With this result, FC Porto won the semi-final series (3-1) and qualified for the basketball championship final where, it should be remembered, they will contest the title against four-time reigning champions Benfica.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.