Benfica Lisbon kept Sporting at bay with an 84:71 win in the LPB on 2026-10-03, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches. To be fair, the hosts made life difficult for themselves early on, but they found their rhythm when it mattered. By then the gap had opened up enough that Sporting could only watch from behind.
Benfica pulled down 41 rebounds to Sporting's 32, with 14 on the offensive end. That second-chance work helped them convert 28 field goals against 24 from the visitors. And here's the thing — they did not let the game flow away when Sporting tried to push back.
From distance the numbers tell a different story. Sporting went up 26 times from three-point range but hit only six, while Benfica managed seven from 19 attempts. The free-throw line told a similar tale, with Benfica converting 21 of 26 attempts compared to Sporting's 17 of 23.
We called for a home win with 64 per cent confidence and it came good. Benfica's ability to protect the ball mattered — they committed 11 turnovers to Sporting's nine. The visitors tried to stay in it through steals, picking up seven to Benfica's six, but it was not enough.
The table reflects what we saw. Benfica sit top with 20 wins from 22 games and only two defeats. Sporting remain second with 17 victories, but they have not won since before the season truly started. The gap is small, but the momentum is clear.
Benfica's recent form had been uneven — losses to Vekta and Porto in their last five outings. This result changes the mood, if only temporarily. They have the deeper squad and they showed it when the pressure came.
Sporting's run of defeats to Portuguese opposition is worrying. They lost to Porto four times in May and only beat Eshgeira in that stretch. Against a side that knows how to close out games, those mistakes cost them.
