BarcelonaBarça lost to Zalgiris (91-84). The Barça team blamed the 22 balls lost and the 35 points received in the last quarter against a rival who did not play anything and went from strength to strength. “Our match has been horrible. I don’t like the momentum we have had since we won the Copa del Rey,” said Sarunas Jasikevicius. The Lithuanian coach was replaced by Cory Higgins and Pierre Oriola. Nikola Mirotic added 26 points and 8 rebounds, but lost 7 balls in one night in which the Catalan team lost concentration with the referees.
Zalgiris and Barça took advantage of the match to send a message of peace. The local players wore a special outfit with the colors of the Ukrainian flag and the visitors jumped on the floor with the inscription “Stop war“taking the place of their names on the T – shirt.
Barça took advantage of their success from the three-point line to build a nine-point lead against a Zalgiris who took almost six minutes to score their first points. The locals missed their first ten shots. The Barça team, on the other hand, scored five triples in a very effective first quarter (9-17). The Lithuanian team hardened its defense and was able to turn the score around during a very different second quarter in which it tripled its offensive production (31-26). The match ended in a draw at halftime (35-35).
Nikola Mirotic boosted Barça’s chances during a third quarter in which the visiting difference was again nine points (54-63). Led well by Lukas Lekavicius, who scored 22 points, Zalgiris managed to turn things around and complete a much more effective final stretch of the match than the Barça team, who conceded a 35-21 run. “We have beaten the best team in Europe,” said Jure Zdovc, coach of the Lithuanian team.
La Penya, solidarity
The Joventut de Badalona hosts the Valencia Basket this Saturday (6pm, Movistar Deportes). Ferran Bassas will be out and Ante Tomic’s participation is not guaranteed due to a neck contracture. Penya players will wear a warm-up shirt with the message “With UKR people”To support the Ukrainian people. In collaboration with the Red Cross, the proceeds from the sale of these T-shirts will go entirely to humanitarian aid to the population affected and sheltered by the conflict in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
