Euroleague Day 9
Barca
Valencia basket
Vesely enters the basket in the duel against Valencia.AFP7 via Europa Press (AFP7 via Europa Press)
Barça was disastrous and shattered in the last game against Baskonia, a defeat difficult to digest, sitting on the couch between self-help messages, conscious of forcing a clean slate, an urgent cleaning of the head. The clash against Valencia was not the best recovery and showed once again that the Blaugrana are a team full of moments, lacking wrist and character, but it served as a salve and a plaster, screwed back into the noble zone of Europe. This game is also enjoyed by Baskonia, which has its fourth win in a row (81-88 against Asvel).
In any case, nothing suits Barça better than Palau, where they count their games by wins – 9 out of 9 so far – and have not suffered a European defeat since January 13th. Valencia was no exception, even if the Blaugrana faded at times and until the end.
Laprovittola tried to explain the opposite in the starter, leader and talent of the orange ball, the postman of sweets that others cannot even imagine. Assist from the back, another bite…, the Barça presenter for a Vesely who asserted himself both in and out of the bottle, excellent in mid-range shots. A concert that adorned Laprovittola with a triple and that dampened the enthusiasm of Valencia, which had just competed fabulously against Madrid, which had Jones as conductor and Touré as first violin, as it loaded Vesely with two people in the blink of an eye. The relief was provided by Willy Hernangómez, the Hulk under the tires. Fourth round (25-16) for a Barça that beat again. It happened to be short-lived.
The Taronja were extremely competitive and found their panacea in Inglis, eating anyone who came their way. Nnaji, Parra, Da Silva… It was so important for him in the burn to be a springboard to ensure that Valencia did not drop out of the duel. Although he was also helped by Barça’s sprained wrist – regulars Nnaji and Jokubaitis; strangely Abrines and Laprovittola – who remembered with a touch of whiteness the old and new ghosts who say that when Willy doesn’t stop by the office he lacks personality and credentials. 37-33 at the break.
The script didn’t change at the restart, as a three from Reuvers and a strike from Touré were enough for Valencia to take the lead (37-38), again with Inglis as the scorer. He doesn’t go anymore. But Grimau roared, the Palau was infected and Satoransky appeared to command and finish the counterattacks, another moment of boiling seasoned with the dunks of Abrines and Willy, in addition to the feathers of the Mountebank Parker. The party was interrupted by an accidental three-pointer from Claver (he was looking for the alley) and a return to the narrow (54-52) to define the signs of life of Barça in the epilogue.
Jones and Davies said, “This is mine,” one to play and the other to run around under the basket like Pedro at home. Enough to put Valencia in the lead, while at the same time Barça was distraught, emphasizing that there are figures who squeak (Jokubaitis, Da Silva) and others who, like Parra, ask for minutes without finding an echo on the bench . Until Satoransky led the show again, Laprovittola added the spice and Vesely took care of the finishing touch. This time they arrived on time and Barça finally wheezed. But it is very fair.
Baskonia, four in a row (81-88 against Asvel)
Although the domestic league has not yet gotten the hang of things, Dusko Ivanovic’s return to the Baskonia bench in the Euroleague was a success. The most successful coach in the history of the Victorian team has achieved four wins in four games. Since his return, the numbers have turned around and the victories now outnumber the defeats in the overall balance.
After Barça’s defeat in Buesa, Asvel Villeurbanne was the next victim. There, on the outskirts of Lyon, Ivanovic showed another performance from a squad reduced by injuries. Only nine players performed and appeared on the scoresheet, but they behaved like hulks for another day. The best version of Markus Howard appeared again and scored 35 points, but above all Chima Moneke once again flew around the court, with 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, in a very complete game to which Costello also scored 16 points. It was the three that led the team to victory (81-88). Among the others who contributed their work, they only scored 18 points. After a weak first quarter and having gone into halftime with a point deficit, a powerful third quarter (16-31) turned the game around in which Baskonia knew how to master the final minutes.
From John Rivas.
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