19
Mar
Aussies in Euope
He's back: Patty Mills drains two threes in Tenerife debut
Australian Patty Mills lets fly from deep for La Laguna Tenerife in his first Europe Basketball Champions League game for the Spanish club. Photo: Champions League Basketball
Highlights
Patty Mills scores nine points in Tenerife debut as Trieste rally late in Champions League clash.
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Australian Boomers icon Patty Mills came off the bench for La Laguna Tenerife in his first game for the Spanish club in the Basketball Champions League on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 (AEDT).
"FIBA" Patty signed with La Laguna Tenerife on March 9, 2026
The 37-year-old free agent point guard went unsigned before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season and has spent time in Hawai'i as the general manager of the University of Hawaii.
La Laguna Tenerife, also known as CB Canarias, plays in the Liga ACB and FIBA Basketball Champions League. It’s not the EuroLeague.
Mills played 1,020 NBA games (regular season and playoffs), winning a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 after being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009.
Tenerife leads Group L at 4-2 (10 points) in the Round of 16.
Pallacanestro Trieste 82 def. La Laguna Tenerife 76 (Final)
Palasport “Cesare Rubini” – Trieste, Italy
Game Snapshot
Quarter Scores: Tenerife 27–20, Trieste 17–10, Tenerife 25–18, Trieste 27–14
Largest Lead: Trieste by 10 │ Tenerife by 9
Game Flow: La Laguna Tenerife set the tone early with a strong opening quarter but Pallacanestro Trieste controlled the middle phases and delivered a decisive fourth-period surge to secure the Round of 16 win.
Mills produced scoring intent off the bench, finishing with nine points in 15:48 as Tenerife searched for perimeter rhythm. Mills hit two three-pointers while taking on shot-creation responsibility during key second-half stretches.
The veteran also added two steals through active defensive pressure, but Tenerife’s 25.7% three-point shooting and Trieste’s interior scoring edge proved decisive late.
Lead Tracker
Time Leading: Trieste 32:13 │ Tenerife 6:07
Lead Changes: 6 │ Times Tied: 5
Biggest Run: Trieste 11–0 │ Tenerife 10–0
By the Numbers — La Laguna Tenerife
FG 40% │ 2PT 54.1% │ 3PT 25.7% │ FT 75% │ Rebounds 32 │ Assists 17 │ Turnovers 10
🇦🇺 Box Score — Patty Mills
9 PTS │ FG 3–10 │ 3PT 2–7 │ FT 1–2 │ 2 STL │ 2 TO │ +/- –9 │ 15:48 MIN
