ESP – Road warriors Barca, Madrid stay unbeaten

VALENCIA (ACB) - Regal Barcelona and Real Madrid won tough games on the road and Fuenlabrada prevailed at home as all three sides remained unbeaten at the start of the ACB season.
 
Playing before a sold-out La Fonteta on Saturday night, Barca grinded out a 78-69 victory over Power Electronics Valencia.
 
Beaten last season 60-59 by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Rafael Martinez just 0.7 seconds from the end, Barcelona left Valencia happy this time.
 
Spain veteran Juan Carlos Navarro wasn't at his best but still buried four of eight shots from long range and finished with 22 points for the visitors.
 
Fran Vazquez (16pts, 8rbs) and Erazem Lorbek (12pts, 4rbs) were terrific for Barca.
 
Valencia have a very good team and should be formidable this season on their return to the Euroleague.
 
They got 21 points and 11 rebounds from Ukraine national team center Serhiy Lishchuk and Martinez finished with 14 points.
 
Kosta Perovic scored four points and grabbed three boards his return to Valencia, where he spent the previous two seasons before moving to Barcelona in the summer.
 
"After our loss to Bilbao, the team reacted well," Martinez said. "Barcelona is at a very high level but we had our options. We missed a few free-throws that would have allowed us to remain in the game but it was not to be.
 
Also on Saturday, 8,534 showed up to watch as Real Madrid beat Bizkaia Bilbao Basket, 75-73. Madrid had a balanced attack with Croatia center Ante Tomic pouring in 14 points and Carlos Suarez, Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez contributing 13 apiece.
 
"It was a great game between two teams that left it all on the court," Real Madrid coach Ettore Messina said.
 
"Either team could have won. It was even throughout and decided by the small details.
 
"I am very pleased with the outcome, the way my team played and the attitude with which it played."
 
In Sunday's action, Fuenlabrada won 84-74 over Unicaja Malaga.
 
Uruguay center Esteban Batista finished with 11 points and 11 boards for the winners, who also got a game-high 22 points from Xavi Rabaseda.
 
Unicaja lost despite Great Britain center Joe Freeland's 14 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Argentina shooting guard Paolo Quinteros poured in 19 points and Australia's David Barlow 16 as CAI Zaragoza won 89-75 over CB Granada.
 
Lagun Aro GBC travelled to Menorca and claimed a 96-87 triumph.
 
Blancos De Rueda Valladolid scraped a 76-72 win at Assignia Manresa.
 
Cajasol Sevilla won 65-49 over Meridiano Alicante.
 
DKV Joventut gave boss Pepu Hernandez a 77-66 victory at his former club, Asefa Estudiantes.
 
Caja Laboral had won 82-61 over Gran Canaria 2014 earlier in the week before travelling to the United States and playing in two NBA Europe Live games.
 
The Basque club fell to Memphis and then San Antonio in the United States.
 
FIBA