Barça wants to take advantage of the Palau to be in the playoffs
Grimau’s men, in their penultimate home game, face Partizan with that mathematical option
BARCELONA, 13 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça faces Partizan this Thursday (8:30 p.m.) on matchday 29 of the Euroleague, the penultimate of the regular phase that will be played at the Palau Blaugrana, with the aim of maintaining the good line in the top continental competition and leaving the tie already tied. ticket to the playoffs.
Roger Grimau’s team maintains a good performance in Europe, with four wins and one loss in the last five games. Despite losing last Sunday against Baskonia in the Endesa League, the Catalan team keeps faith in a good final show of the season, with its duties on track in the Euroleague.
With six games left until the end of the regular phase, Barça has almost made its ticket to the playoffs, which could end against Partizan. In addition, Grimau’s team maintains a cushion of two victories with the fifth place, so the second objective, being seeded in the quarterfinals, is feasible.
In the first leg against the Serbians, the Blaugranas emerged victorious from the demanding Stark Arena (83-92) with 20 points from Nicolás Laprovittola. The Zeljko Obradovic team has the opposite streak to the Catalans, one victory and four defeats in the last five days, but they are in the fight for the ‘play-in’.
Partizan is eleventh, but tied with tenth, the door to seeking one of the two tickets between seventh and tenth that will complete the ‘playoffs’. Thus, those from Belgrade will try to change their course in a Palau where they have accumulated eight consecutive defeats, although the Euroleague is entering a period where anything can happen.
Those from Grimau trust that the adaptation of Ricky Rubio, who was decisive in the final minutes against Valencia Basket last day, will continue. Meanwhile, a former Partizan like Jan Vesley is at the best level of his career, something that Frank Kaminsky and Bruno Caboclo will try to stop, without forgetting Willy Hernangómez or Jabari Parker.
Avramovic, Perry Dozier Jr. and Kevin Punter are fearsome players for the Serbians, but Barça, even without the support they sought a month ago in the Copa del Rey after losing against Real Madrid, wants to maintain a high level in their performances and , in the heat of the Palau, secure the ‘playoff’ with a secured second place.
DATASHEET:
–EQUIPMENT:
BARÇA: Satoransky, Laprovittola, Kalinic, Parker and Vesely –possible starting quintet–; Brizuela, Rubio, Hernangómez, Abrines, Da Silva, Nnaji and Jokubaitis.
PARTICIPATE: Punter, Dozier Jr, Smailagic, Leday and Caboclo –possible starting quintet–; Jaramaz, Nunnally, Kaminsky, Vukcevic, Andjusic, Ponitka and Koprivica.
–REFEREES: Latisevs, Pastusiak and Sukys.
–PAVILLION: Palau Blaugrana.
–TIME: 20.30/#Let’s go.