NBA G League United edged Boca Juniors 79-74 in a hard-fought FIBA Intercontinental Cup clash on September 24, 2026, using a decisive third-quarter surge and a composed closing stretch to protect a five-point win at a raucous, packed arena. The visitors trailed by one at halftime but outscored the Argentine side 22-16 in the third period and then traded baskets down the stretch to close out a result that keeps their Intercontinental Cup campaign on track.

Match Overview

The FIBA Intercontinental Cup brings together continental champions and elite representative sides from around the basketball world, and this fixture delivered exactly the kind of cross-cultural, contrasting-styles matchup the competition is known for. Boca Juniors — one of South America's most storied sporting institutions, with a basketball program that has long been a force in Argentina's Liga Nacional — met an NBA G League United squad built on athleticism, pace and shot volume.

Boca started the brighter of the two teams. Feeding off a loud home crowd, the Argentines moved the ball crisply in the half court and attacked the offensive glass early, building a small cushion through the opening ten minutes. NBA G League United answered with a quicker tempo in the second quarter, pushing the ball off made baskets and hunting early three-point looks, but Boca's disciplined defense and timely perimeter shooting kept the hosts in front at the break.

Quarter-by-quarter, the game read as follows:

• First quarter: Boca Juniors 18-21 NBA G League United
• Second quarter: Boca Juniors 21-17 NBA G League United (Boca lead 39-38 at halftime)
• Third quarter: Boca Juniors 16-22 NBA G League United (G League United lead 60-55)
• Fourth quarter: Boca Juniors 19-19 NBA G League United (Final: 74-79)

How the Game Turned in the Third Quarter

Trailing by a point at halftime, NBA G League United came out of the locker room with a clear adjustment: more ball pressure on Boca's primary handlers and a willingness to switch every screen on the perimeter. The result was a string of rushed possessions for the home side and a run of transition opportunities the other way.

A 10-2 burst early in the third quarter flipped the scoreboard and forced Boca into a timeout. From there, the visitors' length on the wings made life difficult for Boca's half-court offense, which began settling for contested jumpers rather than the paint touches that had worked so well before the break. Boca's coaching staff, led by Nicolás Ferraro, mixed in a zone look to slow the tempo, and it worked well enough to keep the deficit within reach heading into the final period.

Key Moments

• Early second quarter: Boca's bench provided a spark with back-to-back scores inside, briefly pushing the home lead to seven.
• Mid-third quarter: NBA G League United's 10-2 run turned a one-point halftime deficit into a lead it would never fully surrender.
• Late third quarter: A deep, contested three-pointer at the buzzer gave the visitors a five-point cushion going into the fourth.
• Closing two minutes: Boca cut the gap to three on a corner three, but NBA G League United answered immediately with a mid-range pull-up and then iced the game at the free-throw line.

Tactical Story

The contrasts in this matchup were stark and made for compelling viewing. Boca Juniors leaned on a patient, possession-oriented offense built around high screens, interior passing and a willingness to work the ball into the post. Their bigs did well on the offensive boards, generating second-chance points that kept them competitive well into the fourth quarter.

NBA G League United, by contrast, played with the pace and spacing typical of the NBA's development pipeline: quick decisions, plenty of three-point attempts, and aggressive help defense designed to force turnovers. That aggression produced a modest edge in transition scoring and proved decisive in the third quarter, when Boca's shot quality dipped noticeably.

Boca's response — a switch to a zone, deeper bench rotations, and a concerted effort to slow the game down — was smart and nearly enough. But the hosts shot poorly from beyond the arc in the second half, and against a team that generates points in bunches, empty possessions late proved costly.

Standout Players

For Boca Juniors, guard Facundo Rivas was the engine, orchestrating the offense and repeatedly getting into the paint to either finish or kick out to shooters. Forward Marcos Bellocq was the team's most reliable interior presence, battling on the glass at both ends and finishing through contact. Iván Sotelo