New Victory for Barça Basketball, This Time at the Expense of Zalgiris Kaunas. The visiting team already defeated Barça on their court in the first round of the EuroLeague. Because of this and the Lithuanians' season, Barça knew the game was of maximum difficulty and also of crucial importance.
Zalgiris Better at the Start
Peñarroya opted to start with Satoransky, Abrines, Anderson, Parker, Fall. The point was at a premium in the first minutes of the game. Justin Anderson was the most active player from the start, contributing in defense and attack, as is usual for him.
Brizuela, Punter, and Metu were the first substitutes, and immediately after, Parra and Willy came in. The first quarter ended with a score of 16-20 in favor of the visitors. Barça needed to react, and they did so with Parra, who scored a three-pointer in the first action of the second quarter.
blaugrana Reaction
This led to a favorable run for Barça that forced Trinchieri to call a timeout (31-24). A sharp Sirvydis, with three three-pointers in the first half, kept Zalgiris in the game. On the blaugrana side, Punter was the man keeping the culé team ahead (9 points at halftime).
All this happened while in the stands, the Dracs and Sang Culé, the main cheering groups of the Palau, left the venue. They did so in protest because the stands were filled with visiting fans, a fact that is becoming recurrent in recent European rounds. Despite this, Barça completed a great second quarter (especially on a defensive level) and reached halftime ahead (36-31).
In the second half, the trend of the first half continued, with both teams struggling to score easily. A basket by Parra put a +9 (52-43) on the scoreboard in favor of Barça and opened the blaugrana hope of closing the game, but Zalgiris did not want to give up. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 59 to 51 in favor of the locals.
Once Again, Darío Brizuela
Barça entered the last quarter with a bit more energy than Zalgiris. Two practically consecutive three-pointers by Brizuela set the maximum on the scoreboard (+13; 71-58) with 5:15 remaining. The Basque was the best of the game in attack and finished the match with 20 points and a valuation of 21.
The last minutes were an exercise in control, with the aim of maintaining the lead and securing the victory definitively. A long-range three-pointer by Kevin Punter would seal the game, which ended with a score of 82-70. With this victory, Barça has a 17-13 record in the EuroLeague and is in fifth place.
Four finals remain, and the first of them will be next Tuesday, also at the Palau, against Bayern. As if the importance of the game were not enough, the German team will arrive at the match with the same record as Barça. The winner will gain ground in the race to qualify for the Play-Offs.