Barça faced the last day of the regular season of the EuroLeague, and they had their calculations very clear. The victory gave them the ticket to the Play-Off. Additionally, the combination with Efes's victory gave them the possibility of finishing fifth and facing Monaco to be in the Final Four.
Good Barça at the Start
Barça started the game with Satoransky, Punter, Anderson, Parker, and Willy Hernangómez. The first minutes had a lot of scoring. In just 40 seconds, Barça had already scored their first 5 points, courtesy of Anderson (1 three-pointer and 1 fast break).
But the ease of scoring was not only a thing for the blaugranas, as Virtus also showcased their offensive arsenal. The Italians tied the game again at 14 after the first 5 minutes. Parra and Brizuela were Peñarroya's first substitutions.
Precisely, the latter scored his first basket on the first ball he touched. With his entry, Barça continued scoring easily but improved their defensive performance. This improvement allowed them to finish the first quarter with a 7-point lead (23-16).
The start of the second quarter was very important for the blaugranas to maintain the lead on the scoreboard. Baskets by Parra and Punter extended the lead to the maximum at that moment (+12 with 28-16). Despite this, Virtus showed that they hadn't come to Barcelona for a vacation, even though the classification.
The visitors stayed in the game, largely thanks to Shengelia's points. The Georgian finished the game with 17 points. At halftime, it was 45-38 for the locals.
Vesely Returns in Style
To start the third quarter, Peñarroya decided to go with the same line-up as at the beginning of the game. Jan Vesely, returning to the court, left his mark in the third quarter with several important baskets, including a three-pointer. The Czech had been sidelined for several months, since January, due to a knee injury.
His presence will undoubtedly be of great help for Peñarroya to face the final stretch of the season. Virtus took the third quarter by 26-27, cutting one point from their deficit. The score was 71-65 with ten minutes remaining.
Everything to Be Decided in the Last Quarter
At the start of the last quarter, Virtus managed to take the lead on the scoreboard (76-81). At that moment, a dunk by Willy Hernangómez and a three-pointer by Darío Brizuela brought back the tie to the scoreboard.
Final Down to the Wire
A basket by Joel Parra put Barça ahead with 31 seconds remaining (89-87). In the next play, Cordinier committed a traveling violation, and Barça regained possession with 13 seconds left to play. Parker was fouled and made his 2 free throws, making it 91-87 with 12 seconds left in the game.
With the American's success from the free-throw line and a final miss by Clyburn, Barça was able to secure the victory. In the end, a 91-87 score and a hard-fought victory that allows the blaugrana team to be fifth in the EuroLeague standings. Peñarroya's team finishes the regular season with 20 wins and 14 losses, tied with Efes and Madrid, but with the favorable average.
The opponent in the Play-Off will be Spanoulis's Monaco, in a best-of-five series that will begin on Wednesday, April 23. The blaugranas will need to win at least one game in the Principality to steal the home-court advantage. Before that, they will have to face ACB commitments against Granada and Unicaja.