BarcelonaSame scenario and protagonists, different script. Twenty days after losing against Baskonia at the Palau Blaugrana, Barça took revenge against the Basque team (91-68). With the lesson learned, the Blaugrana team dominated the game with concentration from the first minutes. Jan Vesely (17 points, 10 rebounds and 3/3 on 3-pointers) and Kevin Punter (15 points and 4 assists) were the best local players in a more comfortable night than anyone had imagined.
Joan Peñarroya left Willy Hernangómez out of the call to bring in Joel Parra. The coach made up for his absence by using Chimezie Metu as a five and giving minutes to Youssoupha Fall. BJ Armstrong, a three-time NBA champion with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, and Kyle Korver, another former player who now works for the Atlanta Hawks, did not miss the culer triumph.
The first five minutes of Barça were very good. The Blaugrana team imposed their rhythm and their aim to open a gap in the scoreboard (15-2). Baskonia’s defense, which only committed six personal fouls in 20 minutes, facilitated the mobility of the ball for a team that kept the difference stable (44-33).
The third half was less brilliant, but Barça managed to maintain a stable score and reached the last ten minutes with an eleven-point lead (62-51). As if being coached by Hansi Flick, the Barcelona team led a new acceleration that left the opponent out of the game. The difference grew to over 20 points and the match was doomed, as the opponent traveled to Barcelona with little desire to put in any effort in defense and too many turnovers.
Madrid, in crisis
Real Madrid lost against EA7 Armani of Milan on Thursday and accumulate five defeats in eight games. If the regular season ended now, the white team would be out of both play-off as of play-in. “It wasn’t the best defensive game we could have played. We probably didn’t have the full energy and early on we saw that the legs weren’t moving as fast as the game,” analyzed Chus Mateo.
