Mineros de Zacatecas escaped the Gimnasio Hermanos Serdán with a hard-earned 84-81 road victory over Lobos de Puebla in Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) action, closing out a game that stayed undecided until the final seconds. A late three-point play and two clutch free throws in the last minute proved the difference, handing the visitors a win that will matter when the playoff picture tightens later in the season.

A Three-Point Game That Went Down to the Wire

The final margin tells the story of the night: neither team led by more than nine points at any stage, and the fourth quarter featured five lead changes. Lobos de Puebla controlled the opening period behind an aggressive, drive-first approach, but Mineros de Zacatecas answered with a decisive second-quarter surge that turned the momentum and forced the home side to play catch-up basketball for the rest of the evening.

Zacatecas finished with a more efficient shooting line, converting key looks in transition and punishing Puebla's late-game switches. Puebla, meanwhile, stayed alive on the offensive glass, generating second-chance points that kept the crowd in the building until the final buzzer.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

• First quarter: Lobos de Puebla 22 – Mineros de Zacatecas 19
• Second quarter: Lobos de Puebla 18 – Mineros de Zacatecas 24
• Third quarter: Lobos de Puebla 21 – Mineros de Zacatecas 20
• Fourth quarter: Lobos de Puebla 20 – Mineros de Zacatecas 21
• Final score: Lobos de Puebla 81 – Mineros de Zacatecas 84

Puebla won two of the four quarters outright, but the six-point swing Zacatecas created in the second period effectively decided the game. In a contest this tight, that one run was worth more than any individual statistical category.

Key Moments

The turning point arrived midway through the second quarter, when Mineros strung together a 10-2 run built on back-to-back corner three-pointers and a steal that turned into an easy fast-break dunk. That sequence flipped a five-point Puebla lead into a three-point Zacatecas advantage, and the visitors never trailed by more than two possessions again.

In the closing two minutes, Puebla had two clean looks from beyond the arc to tie the game but could not convert either. Zacatecas iced the result at the free-throw line, finishing the night with a clear edge in made free throws — the single most decisive statistic in a three-point game.

Tactical Story: Pace, Pick-and-Roll and the Rebounding Battle

Mineros de Zacatecas leaned heavily on high pick-and-roll action, forcing Puebla's big men into drop coverage and then attacking the gap with pull-up jumpers. When Lobos switched to a smaller, switch-everything lineup in the third quarter, Zacatecas responded by posting up mismatches inside and drawing fouls.

Lobos de Puebla's counter was work on the offensive boards and a steady diet of dribble penetration. It kept them within striking distance, but their half-court offense stalled whenever Zacatecas loaded up on the strong side and forced contested mid-range attempts late in the shot clock.

Standout Performers

• Mineros de Zacatecas: the backcourt pairing set the tone, combining for the bulk of the team's assists while shooting efficiently from three-point range. Zacatecas's interior presence controlled the defensive glass in the second half, limiting Puebla's second-chance opportunities when it mattered most.
• Lobos de Puebla: the home side's leading scorer carried the offense through the first and third quarters, attacking the rim relentlessly and getting to the free-throw line. Puebla's energy off the bench also gave them a spark, but the team's three-point shooting went cold in the fourth.

What the Result Means in the LNBP Standings

For Mineros de Zacatecas, the win is a valuable road result in a league where travel and altitude make every away game a challenge — exactly the kind of victory that separates playoff seeds in the LNBP's tight mid-table. It also improves their head-to-head record against a Puebla side they are likely to be competing with for position.

Lobos de Puebla, meanwhile, are left to rue a game they led early and had chances to steal late. The margin between winning and losing in this league is often a single possession, and Puebla's inability to convert down the stretch is the clear takeaway from an otherwise competitive performance at home.