Baskonia in crisis: six consecutive defeats

The Baskonia's negative streak dates back to Sunday, October 11, when the team from Vitoria defeated Joventut 93-73 at the Buesa Arena under the direction of Paolo Galbiati. Since that victory in the third round of the Liga Endesa, seventeen days and six games have passed without a win, a drought not seen in Vitoria since the winter of 2014, when Sergio Scariolo was in charge.

Six defeats in fifteen days: the series begins in Dubai

The first setback came on Tuesday, October 13, in the EuroLeague when Dubai won 93-79 in a match that turned out to be Galbiati's last in charge. Since then, Velimir Perasovic has coached five games without achieving a single victory, thus completing a series that puts the club in a delicate situation both domestically and in Europe.

The results of this streak are as follows: on October 16, Virtus Bologna won 86-78 in the EuroLeague; the following day, Laguna Tenerife took an 82-77 victory in the Liga Endesa; on October 22, Panathinaikos triumphed 85-79 in Europe; on October 25, Valencia Basket defeated them 84-75 in domestic competition; and finally, on Tuesday, October 27, Real Madrid thrashed them 104-86 at the Buesa Arena.

In these six games, Baskonia has scored 474 points while conceding 534, averaging 79 points in favor and 89 against. Four of the six defeats were by margins of less than ten points, although the most significant was against Real Madrid, where they trailed by eighteen points. Coach Perasovic had already requested reinforcements after the loss in Valencia, as reported by Solobasket, while El Correo highlights the physical issues of Duarte, Sedekerskis, Kurucs, and Simmons, in addition to a schedule that has led to four away defeats out of a total of six.

Critical situation in EuroLeague, resilience in Liga Endesa

The impact of this crisis has been particularly severe in European competition. The Baskonia is in 20th place in the EuroLeague with a record of one win and seven losses after the eighth round. Their only continental win came on October 2 against Armani Milan (86-76), after which they suffered five consecutive defeats, the first against Besiktas (92-84).

In contrast, in the Liga Endesa, the Vitoria team maintains a record of three wins and two losses. The season began with three consecutive victories against San Pablo Burgos, Girona, and Joventut, before falling in Tenerife and Valencia, demonstrating that the crisis has hit harder on the European stage.

A historic precedent: Scariolo in 2014

To find a comparable series, one must go back to the 2013-14 season, when the team led by Sergio Scariolo endured eight defeats across the EuroLeague, ACB, and Copa del Rey. That squad included players such as Nocioni, Heurtel, Causeur, Hanga, and San Emeterio, and the streak lasted from January 24 to February 20, 2014, when they lost to Barcelona 80-64.

During that period, Baskonia lost to Olympiacos 89-70 at the Buesa Arena, Fuenlabrada 74-73, Anadolu Efes 72-66, Gran Canaria 84-81, Valencia Basket 74-73 in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, Fenerbahçe 98-64, Real Madrid 90-74, and finally Barcelona. The streak was broken on February 22 with a victory of 84-67 against Valladolid. According to El Correo, since the turn of the century, Baskonia had not suffered such consecutive defeats, although there were streaks of five losses at the end of 2019, in the autumn of 2021, and in October 2023.

Negative records in the EuroLeague: up to eight defeats

If only the European competition is analyzed, Baskonia has experienced even longer streaks. Their negative record in the EuroLeague is set at eight consecutive losses, a figure that has occurred on two separate occasions. The first was under Neven Spahija from January 14 to March 3, 2022, and the second occurred with Paolo Galbiati last season, from February 3 to March 25, 2026.

These precedents illustrate the magnitude of the problems the club faces in its continental participation, even though the current streak of six defeats combined between both competitions remains the worst in Liga Endesa and EuroLeague in over a decade.

Protests in the stands and a path to recovery

The loss to Real Madrid was marked by fan protests. According to Noticias de Álava, there was a loud booing and a waving of handkerchiefs directed at the club president, Josean Querejeta, as he entered the box at the start of the match, with protests recurring seven minutes before halftime. Part of the crowd also chanted the name of Paolo Galbiati, the former coach.

Baskonia has two immediate opportunities to stop this bleeding. On Friday, October 30, they will visit ASVEL in Villeurbanne in the ninth round of the EuroLeague at 8:00 PM, followed by a match against Kids&Us Manresa at the Buesa Arena on Sunday, November 1, in the sixth round of Liga Endesa at 5:00 PM. Both commitments will be crucial in attempting to break a streak that has returned the club to the worst moments of its recent history.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Baskonia en crisis: seis derrotas sin tregua