Barça attacks Belgrade and remains unstoppable in the Euroleague
Laprovittola’s triples and a connected Parker annul Partizan
BARCELONA, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça beat Partizan Belgrade this Tuesday (83-92) on the third day of the Regular Phase of the Euroleague, after assaulting and silencing the Stark Arena, and remains unstoppable in this start of the competition thanks, on this occasion, to the triples by Nicolás Laprovittola and an inside game in which a plugged-in Jabari Parker stood out.
It is not easy to beat a Zeljko Obradovic team, especially if it is Partizan in their hot Stark Arena. But Barça, in a very complete match on a defensive and offensive level, gained a good advantage that they did not let go and managed to nullify the Serbian team, just as they did previously with Anadolu Efes and Olympiacos.
The schedule for the Blaugranas was ‘aúpa’ at this start of the Euroleague but Roger Grimau’s team continues to be sweet, unstoppable, and have three victories to place themselves at the top of the table. And with very good feelings regarding group play despite the forced and extensive renewal of the squad, including a change of coach.
This time, Nico Laprovittola was key with his exterior success. He went to 20 points with 6/10 in triples. Jan Vesely and Jabari Parker also stood out in the paint, Tomas Satoransky in the creation and rebounding and, in the end, Nikola Kalinic joined the party with two triples in the last quarter.
Barça had many active assets, too many open fronts for a Partizan that was never comfortable at home. When James Nunnally (14 points) began to lead Partizan, Barça knew how to raise the defensive level and cut off any possible reaction, although the ‘culers’ were lucky that Kevin Punter, who was close to signing for Barça this summer , was loose.
Already in the first quarter, Barça took a 9-point lead and had a maximum lead of 11 points (60-71) after the break. Although at 25-25 or 27-27 in the first half it seemed that the duel could be even, it was an oasis, a mere mirage within the clear dominance of Roger Grimau’s men, who were better in success, in rebounding and in intensity.
The 34-44 score at half-time gave some peace of mind to a Barça that did not disconnect at all. It’s early to say, but it seems that this new era of Grimau may come hand in hand with saying goodbye to those damned ups and downs of the past. Whether this prediction becomes a reality depends on the work, the pace of the games, but at the moment things are looking good for the Catalans in this sense.
And this, by not lowering their arms or leaving the game, allowed Barça to keep the Stark Arena public disconnected, always a key sixth man for their team. Based on triples, taking advantage of second plays through offensive rebounds, and with a lock behind them, Barça laid the foundations for victory and followed this recipe until the end.
Although Willy Hernangómez (15 points and 4 rebounds) was tied up by personal problems until he was eliminated in the last quarter, he ended up contributing a good grain of sand to this third consecutive victory. He was, despite being on the court for only 17:34 minutes, the team’s second highest scorer after Laprovittola (20).
But many players were important tonight, since Oscar da Silva’s overwhelming start (13 points) was decisive in opening the gap and, in the end, being able to celebrate a prestigious victory. One more in this overwhelming start to the Euroleague for a Barça that, if it adds Jabari Parker (on his best night) to the party, wins everything to remain in the noble zone and be part of the candidates for everything.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: PARTIZÁN BELGRADO, 83 – BARÇA, 92 (34-44, at rest).
–EQUIPMENT.
PARTIZÁN BELGRADO: Punter (11), Dozier Jr. (13), Nunnally (14), Leday (12) and Koprivica (8) –quinteto initial–; Avramovic (11), Smailagic (9), Jaramaz (-), Trifunovic (-), Andjusic (-) and Kaminsky (5).
BARÇA: Satoransky (4), Laprovittola (20), Kalinic (7), Da Silva (13) and Vesely (12) –starting quintet–; Brizuela (2), Hernangómez (15), Abrines (5), Parker (9), Nnaji (-), Jokubaitis (5) and Parra (-).
–PARTIALS: 16-23, 18-21, 26-25 and 23-23.
–REFEREES: Rocha, Pastusiak and Sukys. They eliminated Willy Hernangómez at Barça.
–PAVIL: Stark Arena.