Gandia secured a narrow 82-77 victory over Iraurgi SB in the LEB Plata on Saturday evening. The result shifts the momentum between two sides sitting third and fifth in the table. Both clubs have played 26 games this season with identical records of zero draws, though Gandia carry one extra defeat.
I decided to watch the entire contest rather than catch fragments on television. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the visitors had established enough of a cushion to hold their nerve. The home side pushed hard in the closing stages but could not find the breakthrough they needed.
Before the match I had backed the hosts at 62 per cent confidence. And here's the thing — the prediction missed. Gandia's perimeter shooting in the third period turned the game, something the data did not flag as likely.
The table tells a straightforward story. Iraurgi sit on 34 points from 17 wins, while Gandia's 32 points come from 16 victories. The gap between them remains tight, and this result keeps both sides in the hunt for playoff positioning.
Iraurgi's recent form has been uneven. They lost 86-93 to Cartajena last week after a series of mixed results against Albacete and Huesca. Gandia, meanwhile, beat Castellon 94-88 in their most recent outing, suggesting better consistency at this stage.
What this means is simple. Gandia move closer to the teams above them while Iraurgi face the pressure of converting home advantage into points. One more loss like this and the distance between third and fifth becomes harder to bridge.
