Aris 'refused to lose' in 'emotional game'

Things did not look promising for Aris Midea Thesssaloniki on Wednesday night at the end of the third quarter. In a clash with huge playoff implications, Aris was down 54-63 going into the fourth quarter.

Aris trailed by 11 points earlier in the third and that was not the first game in which Aris had a big deficit when facing Buducnost.

Earlier in the season, Aris trailed by as many as 16 points in the second quarter before using a 0-12 fourth-quarter run to rally and then make just enough free throws to pull out a 63-65 win.

This time around, Aris again rallied, but it needed a small miracle, and it came in the form of Roberto Gallinat's put-back dunk with 0.8 seconds to go for a 76-75 victory.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THE PUTBACK FOR THE WIN😱<a href="https://twitter.com/ARISBCgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ARISBCgr</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/t95Gefu1B0">pic.twitter.com/t95Gefu1B0</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1747711917408329872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"I knew he could jump but I did not know he can go that high", one of Aris heroes Vassilis Toliopoulos said. "I have no words."

After making a defensive stand down 74-75, Aris had 8 seconds to go the other way. Ronnie Harrell, who hit both of his three-pointers earlier in the fourth quarter, went the other way, shook off a defender and fired a three-pointer. His shot hit the front of the rim and went up, only for Gallinat to elevate and slam a one-handed put-back dunk for a win, as fans went nuts at Palais de Sports.

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"I cannot describe this game, how emotional it was how emotional everyone was. One of the best games I ever played in", Toliopoulos, who finished with 20 points and himself hit two triples in the fourth quarter, explained.

"\[The\] crowd was insane and the players refused to lose," Aris coach Ioannis Kastritis said. "We played with pride from the beginning of the season and that brought us here."

Where that approach and this win brought Aris is a 7-8 record, fifth best in Group B. With three regular-season games to go, Aris now has its playoff destiny in its own hands.

With games against group leader Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, and playoff-chasing rivals ratiopharm Ulm (8-7) and Dolomiti Energia Trento (7-8), Aris will need to keep playing with the same 'refuse to lose' attitude the rest of the way.

Game News

For the second time this season, Aris beat Buducnost in a thriller after overcoming big deficit.

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2024-01-17T18:00:00.000Z)

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul needed overtime to beat Veolia Towers Hamburg 83-94 on the road and qualify to the BKT EuroCup Playoffs. It needed a monster performance from its centers, and an denuable go-to guy in overtime. 


Big Three leads Besiktas to playoffs

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul needed overtime to beat Veolia Towers Hamburg 83-94 on the road and qualify to the BKT EuroCup Playoffs. It needed a monster performance from its centers, and an undeniable go-to guy in overtime. 

Big men Angel Delgado and Kerem Konan carried Besiktas throughout the game. Delgado needed just 16 minutes to record a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds until that moment. He finished the game with 17 points and a club record 17 rebounds, which was also the most boards by any player in a game this season. He helped Besiktas outrebound Hamburg 40-50. Those 50 boards are also a season high: Paris Basketball, U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Prometey Slobozhanske each grabbed 49 at some point this season.

"I am a tough guy and that is what I always put on my mind. They played with a lot of energy and fought a lot and that's what I like. Games like this, I love them," Delgado said after the game. "Jonah \[Mathews\] did an unbelievable job and our coaches, too. I give them a lot of credit."

Jonas Mathews had 9 of his 22 points in overtime to lead Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul to a 83-94 victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg.

Mathews's OT heroics lead Besiktas past Hamburg

Delgado mentioned Jonah Mathews, who made the difference in overtime. He started overtime with great energy and aggressiveness, attacking the rim three times to get as many baskets. Mathews added a three-pointer that sealed the outcome and found Delgado for a three-point play which allowed hundreds of Besiktas fans in the stand to start celebrating. Mathews had 9 of his 22 points in overtime.

Kerem Konan played over 16 minutes for the first time this season and did a little bit of everything, including a huge dunk in traffic. He finished the game with career-highs of 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 fouls drawn and a PIR of 20. He also made the first three-point shot of his EuroCup career. At age 19, Konan proved to be a prospect to keep an eye on.

Thanks to their efforts, Besiktas grabbed its ninth win in Group A, which guaranteed Coach Dusan Alimpijevic's team a shot to keep fighting for EuroCup glory after the regular season.

Besiktas relied on trio of stars in playoff-clinching win

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (2024-01-17T18:30:00.000Z)

Cluj's defense shut down Ulm's three-point shooters - again

U-BT Cluj-Napoca knew ratiopharm Ulm is one of the most dangerous three-point shooting teams in the BKT EuroCup and it looked like Cluj was going to be in for a long night. But the Romanian champs' shut down the Ulm shooters for the second time this season and earned a big victory in its fight for a bye in the playoffs.

Ulm was held to just 8 made three-pointers and Cluj manufactured the third-biggest comeback to win by a road team this decade, rallying from 18 points down for an 81-85 victory and an 11-4 record in Group B - the same as second-place Dreamland Gran Canaria.

Ulm came into the game averaging a EuroCup-high 10.8 made three-pointers per game and ranked fifth in three-point shooting at 37.4%.

The home side started out on fire with 7 three-pointers in the first 14 minutes - from 14 attempts. That was the end of the hot shooting night for Ulm though.

Ulm missed its final 2 three-point attempts in the second quarter and still led 51-36.

“I told my players at halftime we can play whatever strategy we want to defensively but it doesn’t matter if we don’t do it with the right intensity and the right focus. Each player needed to play harder and put in more effort in order to win this game,” Cluj coach Mihai Silvansan said.

And that is exactly what happened.

Ulm missed its first 7 three-pointers of the third quarter and only Thomas Klepeisz knocked down a triple in the closing seconds of the period. The hosts failed to convert on their final 7 three-pointers in the last 10 minutes, finishing with 8-of-31 shooting (25.8%). Ulm connected on just one of its last 17 three-pointers.

It was actually the second time that Cluj shut down Ulm’s long-range attack.

In Round 6 in Romania, Ulm made just 8 of 29 three-pointers (27.6%) and Cluj prevailed 86-75.

ratiopharm Ulm v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-01-17T18:30:00.000Z)

Reyer Venezia gave up a 20-point lead at KK Cedevita Olimpija before stepping up again to win 93-104 and give itself a shot at making the EuroCup Playoffs.

Reyer Venezia kept its playoff dream alive after almost throwing it away at KK Cedevita Olimpija

Umana Reyer Venice enters the last three games of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season with a shot at making the playoffs, but it [very nearly saw its postseason hopes come to an end at Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/reyer-venezia-comes-out-on-top-at-kk-cedevita-olimpija-93-104/).

Neven Spahija saw his team get off to a red-hot start in the Slovenian capital, going 0-12 ahead before ending the first quarter with a 15-31 lead. In fact, Reyer led by as many as 20 points, 20-40, early in the second quarter. From that point, though, it seemed that Reyer thought the game was done. The travelling fans were loving what they were seeing, too.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Family affair ❤️🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/duriibanchi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#duriibanchi</a> <a href="https://t.co/dx8SrzmAKN">pic.twitter.com/dx8SrzmAKN</a></p>&mdash; Reyer Venezia (@REYER1872) <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872/status/1747710634152677608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### A Cedevita comeback

By the time halftime came around, Cedevita had trimmed the gap to 49-56 after outscoring the visitors 34-25 in the second period. Then, in the third, the Slovenian outfit made it a 1-point ballgame on two occasions – 56-57 and 67-68 – before taking the lead for the first time on the night following a Jaka Blazic layup, 69-68. Reyer then regained the lead, but Cedevita found itself 1 point behind once more, 74-75, in the closing stages of the third. A couple of Marco Spissu free throws made it 74-77 entering the fourth.

The closest Cedevita would ever get in the fourth was 2 points behind, 77-79, after a Luka Skuca triple with 9:16 minutes to go. Reyer led the rest of the way, as Spissu’s dagger three all but confirmed the result, 91-101, with 1:52 remaining. The visitors ended up securing a 93-104 victory, but Coach Spahija was not happy with his team’s defense.

“Our offense was never a question. We played really bad defense in the second and third quarters,” Spahija stated in the post-game flash interview. “Finally, in the last quarter, we found the way to stop \[Cedevita\] and do something extra on offense. Scoring 104 points is always nice, but I don’t like to give up 93. If we want to play at a serious level, we have to play good defense consistently.”

Cedevita playmaker Justin Cobbs has averaged 19 points in the last three and could prove pivotal in their prolonged quest for a maiden win of the season. Meanwhile, Reyer's Kyle Wiltjer was the architect of an overtime gain against Besiktas and he'll strive to continue his accuracy from long-range.

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Umana Reyer Venice | Round 15 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### Having a shot at the playoffs

Speaking afterward, both Coach Spahija and Rayjon Tucker, who shined with a game-high 24 points, as well as 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, stressed that they are taking things one game at a time regarding the playoffs.

Reyer now has a 6-9 record and is two games back of Prometey Slobozhanske in sixth, the final playoff spot, so it not only needs to win its remaining games – one of which is against Prometey in Round 17 – but it has to rely on the Ukrainian side faltering, too.

“We know that if we want to qualify \[for the playoffs\], we have to win every game. If we lose, we’re out,” commented Coach Spahija.

“Every game that we have down the stretch is an important game for us to give us a chance to make the playoffs, so getting this one was very important. But we’re just taking it one game at a time,” expressed Tucker. “We know that if we want to qualify \[for the playoffs\], we have to win every game. If we lose, we’re out,” added Coach Spahija.

Perhaps it is too little too late, but Reyer’s win at Cedevita has given itself a chance to make the playoffs. And that’s all it could have asked for.

More Reyer News

Rayjon Tucker of Umana Reyer Venice makes a pass against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Round 15 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The Italian side gave up a 20-point lead before stepping up late to get the win.

Reyer kept its playoff dream alive after almost throwing it away at Cedevita

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Umana Reyer Venice (2024-01-17T17:30:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom continued playoff push behind new heroes

Turk Telekom Ankara, last year's runner-up, kept pushing toward the playoffs with a resounding 73-83 win at the reigning champion Dreamland Gran Canaria. It was Turk Telekom's first win in seven games against Gran Canaria, and for the club it is a sweet little revenge for a EuroCup Finals loss last May.

And while for Turk Telekom fans this one feels good, this win, however, has little to do with last year's finals, mostly because the only player on Turk Telekom who was also in the final game box score was Boran Guler, who did not enter that final game just like he did not play in this contest.

But what this win did for Turk Telekom is keep its playoff hopes alive. After starting the season with 1-8 record, the team has now won five of its last six games and at 6-9 is one win away from playoff places in Group B.

The protagonists in this win were not all your usual suspects. James Palmer did deliver, scoring 18 points, but Turk Telekom won this clash despite its scoring leader Tyrone Wallace finishing with 3 points, 6 assists and 4 turnovers. Also, Turk Telekom won despite losing Steven Enoch to injury in the second quarter. He had 6 points and 2 rebounds up to that point.

With Enoch in the locker room, it was Jarrod Jones who stepped up. The veteran big man who made his 10-minute, 2-point team debut last week, had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. He was the one who ignited a turnaround.

"It feels amazing", Jones said. "We knew the type of effort and energy we would have to bring. Especially losing our starting center, we knew we had to give a full 40 minutes."

With Gran Canaria up 39-31 late in the second quarter, Jones nailed a long jumper and a triple to end the first half. He then opened the second picking up a steal and racing for a dunk. He added two more close-range baskets early in the third quarter, giving the visitors a 43-44 lead, after which Turk Telekom never trailed again.

But for that to happen it was Yigitcan Saybir, Ismail Cem Uyusol and Okben Ulubay who stepped up.

Saybir scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half. Uyusol scored 5 points, including a three-pointer, to spark that key 1-15 run, and Ulubay netted 12 of his 15 points in a 7-minute span in the third and fourth quarter. He was 5-of-7 from downtown, helping lead Turk Telekom in putting the game away.

"We needed it, and survived one more day", said Turk Telekom head coach Selcuk Ernak.

His team will likely need two more wins, if not all three until the regular season to book a place in the playoffs, but the way it performed at Gran Canaria, there seems like no obstacle that Turk Telekom cannot overcome.

"As we speak in the locker room, we go step by step, game by game, inch by inch, Coach Ernak concluded.

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Turk Telekom Ankara (2024-01-17T20:00:00.000Z)

Zaccharie Risacher scored a career-high 22 points as Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse demolished 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 104-71 at Ekinox.

Risacher stood out on Bourg’s club scoring record night

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse demolished 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 104-71 at Ekinox on Wednesday night to get back to winning ways after having lost away at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica last week. The French side dominated against Lietkabelis from the tip, surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time in its BKT EuroCup history and set a new club scoring record.

Ten of the 12 Bourg players who stepped onto the floor scored at least 3 points, but the man who stood out against the Lithuanian side was Zaccharie Risacher. The French prodigy hit the ground running in the first quarter when he scored 7 of his team’s first 13 points. His first triple of the night was followed by a coast-to-coast dunk and a fading jumper to give Bourg a 13-5 lead. Risacher finished the first half on 11 points and scored as many after the break to record a career-high 22 points. He ended the game on 4-for-6 shooting from both beyond and inside the arc and a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.

Zaccharie Risacher scored a season-high 22 against Lietkabelis

“Everybody stepped up,” Risacher said after the game. “The whole team did a great game. That’s a great team win.”

This was Bourg’s eighth win from eight home games, meaning that the French side is the only team in the competition that has yet to record a home defeat. Bourg improved to a 12-3 record after taking revenge from Lietkabelis, which is one of the just three teams to have celebrated a win over Coach Frederic Fauthoux’s men so far this season by beating them 100-96 back in Round 6.

“We lost last week, but we are undefeated at home and it was important to defend our home court,” Risacher added. “The most important thing is to stay on the top.”

Having positioned itself in the upper echelons of the standings, Bourg will look to cap off its superb regular season by clinching one of the two top spots and a playoff bye. The French side will play away at Aris Midea Thessaloniki and Turk Telekom Ankara before it hosts ratiopharm Ulm in its last game of the regular season.

The teenage sensation scored a personal-best 22 points to lead the way.  

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2024-01-17T18:30:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom sinks Gran Canaria, 73-83

In a re-match of a last year's EuroCup Finals, Turk Telekom Ankara went on the road and made 12 three-pointers on 21 attempts to beat defending champion Dreamland Gran Canaria 73-83 on Wednesday night. It was Turk Telekom's fifth win in its last six games, improving the playoff hopeful to a 6-9 record in Group B, while Gran Canaria dropped to 11-4 and a share of the second-best record in the group.

After trailing at halftime, Turk Telekom took control in the third quarter behind Jarrod Jones, Yigitcan Saybir and Okben Ulubay. The visitors put together a 1-15 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to open a 15-point lead and the hosts never got closer than 8 points the rest of the way. Saybir finished as the top scorer with 19 points and also had 7 rebounds. James Palmer netted 18 points, Ulubay had 15 on 5-for-7 three-point shooting and Jones collected 13 points plus 7 rebounds. Nicolas Brussino scored 18 for Gran Canaria, Ethan Happ 13, and A.J. Slaughter had 10 in a losing effort.

Gran Canaria had it going from downtown in the early going, with Brussino, AJ Slaughter and John Shurna each knocking down a three-pointer to make it 12-8. Saybir and Palmer kept Turk Telekom close, but another three from Brussino helped open a 19-14 advantage after 10 minutes. 

The visitors had a better start to the second quarter, with Ulubay and Palmer each hitting a corner triple to give Turk Telekom a 21-22 lead. Palmer scored 5 more points, including another three-pointer, to make it 23-29, but after a timeout, Gran Canaria took over. Brussino and Slaughter scored back-to-back threes, before Ethan Happ scored twice from close range in an 18-2 run. But Jarrod Jones ended the first half by hitting a long jumper and a buzzer-beating triple to make it 39-36 at the break.

Jones scored 6 more points in the opening 2 and a half minutes of the third quarter to put Turk Telekom in front 43-45. On the other end, Happ also kept having success scoring inside, but the visitors continued holding the lead thanks to a long jumper from Ismail Cem Ulusoy. The same player followed by knocking down a three-pointer that sparked a 0-10 run, which also included a pair of baskets from Saybir and was capped by a corner triple from Ulubay that made it 48-59 in the final minute of the third.

The visitors took a 10-point lead into the fourth and another Ulubay triple made it 49-64. A corner three from Sylven Landesberg snapped a 1-15 run and Roko Prkacin came into the game to score 5 points and close the gap to 59-67. But Palmer had a three-point play and Ulubay his fifth three-pointer as the visitors entered the last 3 minutes up 59-73. Back-to-back threes from Saybir opened a 16-point margin in penultimate minute, as Turk Telekom closed out the game.

Paris Basketball had too much firepower for Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in an 86-104 over the Israeli side, which allowed the French team to clinch first place in BKT EuroCup Group A with three games to spare.

Ruthless Paris marched into quarterfinals with another clinical display

Paris Basketball had too much firepower for Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in an 86-104 over the Israeli side, which allowed the French team to clinch first place in BKT EuroCup Group A with three games to spare.

The result means that Paris, which improved to 14-1, will be able to afford a week off when the business end of the competition starts in March, as the top two teams from each group are assured of a bye in the eighthfinals.

The outcome pleased Paris coach Tuomas Iisalo, who praised his team’s clinical performance and stressed that having a week off while other teams battle it out for quarterfinal berths could be crucial.

“Our offense was free-flowing, we made it easy for ourselves for the most part on that end,” IIsalo said after seeing his men brush Hapoel aside. “Defensively we have to do a better job because we had errors due to lack of concentration. If we want to compete for something special, we have to improve in that department,” he added.

“We beat a very good team, we secured the top spot in a very tough group so we can be very satisfied with our performances. It will be very important to get that bye week.”

Paris thoroughly dominated two crucial departments in the game, as it racked up 39 boards to Hapoel’s 24 and the visitors also had 29 assists - 9 more than the home team. The game’s top performer TJ Shorts was particularly effective with 20 points and 10 assists, linking up superbly with big man Leon Kratzer who posted 12 points and 8 rebounds, including a pair of monster dunks facilitated by Shorts who said the victory was business as usual.

“We are just sticking to the things we do every day,” Shorts commented. “The way we practice, the way we push the tempo and make it uncomfortable for the other teams. All those things in the basics is what got us the win tonight.”

Hapoel head coach Danny Franco acknowledged inconsistency had cost his team a chance to put up more of a fight, with turnovers in key moments and the inability to hold their own in the paint undoing the hosts. He was also hopeful that Hapoel would have another shot at Paris in the knockout stages of the competition.

“We had too many ups and downs and Paris punished us every time we lost focus,” said Franco. “Being better in the next game – and I believe we will play Paris again – is all about being aware. Congratulations to Paris, they deserved the win because they were more focused than us.”

The French team dominated Hapoel in every department after an even first quarter.

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Paris Basketball (2024-01-17T17:30:00.000Z)

Andres Feliz scored a game-winning floater as Joventut Badalona beat the London Lions 80-82 in Round 15 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season.

Joventut Badalona locks up playoff spot by downing the London Lions at the buzzer, 80-82

Joventut Badalona has booked its place in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Playoffs after defeating the London Lions 80-82 at Copper Box Arena in Round 15. Carles Duran’s side has now won seven straight games to improve to a 10-5 record, while London dropped to the same mark in defeat.

Vladimir Brodziansky paced Joventut with a team-high 14 points, followed by Tyler Cook with 13, Shannon Evans with 12, and Ante Tomic and Pep Busquets on 10 apiece. For London, Matt Morgan netted a game-high 20 points. David Nwaba added 14, Donte Grantham had 11 and Gabe Olaseni contributed 10.

Joventut had a strong start and opened a 0-9 lead on the back of 5 points by Pep Busquets. London finally got on the board just over 2 minutes in as Olaseni netted from mid-range, 2-9. Evans then erupted for 5 quick points to put Joventut in the driving seat early on, 2-14. The hosts began to grow into the game, with Matt Morgan netting 5 points as London cut the gap to 11-21. After 10 minutes, Joventut led 14-23.

London began the second quarter with a Nwaba three-point play and a Josh Sharma layup, which came after an impressive steal by the London center, as the deficit was reduced to 4 points, 19-23. However, Joventut soon hit back through Cook, Brodziansky and Andrews as the visitors made it a double-digit ballgame again, 21-31. Conor Morgan netted a triple as London began to put pressure on Joventut, 29-33, but another three by Brodziansky and a floater by Michael Ruzic made it 29-38. At halftime, the score was 30-40 in the visitors' favor.

Joventut refused to let London make it a close ballgame to start the second half, with Evans scoring a floater and Brodziansky responding to a Grantham three by making one of his own, 33-45. Despite London often hitting back, with Olaseni scoring from mid-range and Matt Morgan netting a fastbreak layup, 37-45, Joventut always had a response. Brodziansky struck again from deep and Tomic got the shooter’s roll as Joventut made it a 13-point game, 37-50. That trend continued in the remainder of the period, but 4 straight points from Tarik Phillip to end the quarter saw London trail Joventut 55-63 entering the fourth.

After scoring the last 4 points of the third, London continued its momentum in the fourth by going on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 2 points, 61-63. Andrews replied from mid-range, 61-65, but Matt Morgan completed a four-point play to make it 65-65. Busquets then put Joventut back ahead, 65-67, before Nwaba’s put-back tap-in tied it up again, 67-67. However, Tomic, Feliz and Busquets all scored in a 0-7 run as Joventut regained its advantage, 67-74. London just wouldn’t go away, though, and tied the game for the third time in the quarter after a couple of free throws by Matt Morgan and a Grantham triple, 76-76. Andrews immediately replied with an off-balanced three from the corner, 76-79, but Phillips went 2-for-2 to set a 78-79 score with 1:03 remaining. Feliz later went 1-for-2 with 14 seconds left, 78-80, before Matt Morgan’s layup levelled things at 80-80 with 5 seconds to go. But, with the last action of the game, Feliz scored a floater to ensure Joventut got the win and officially booked its place in the EuroCup Playoffs.

Andrew Andrews of Joventut Badalona has possession against the London Lions in Round 15 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Andres Feliz’s floater ensured the Spanish side came away with a crucial win.

Joventut locks up playoff spot by downing London at the buzzer, 80-82

London Lions v Joventut Badalona (2024-01-17T19:30:00.000Z)