Barça finishes off a quarrelsome Red Star
Parker and Willy lead the Barça’s sixth victory in seven Euroleague games
MADRID, 10 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça beat Estrella Roja this Friday (86-81) on matchday 7 of the Euroleague held at the Palau Blaugrana, the most suffered victory so far at home for Roger Grimau’s team, despite the fact that they came to win by 17 points in the second quarter.
The Barça team had a great performance at home, with the important highlight of the 18 offensive rebounds that the visiting team captured. Those from Belgrade, in better dynamics with the arrival of Ioannis Sfairopoulos on their bench in the last four games, clung to their options until the last minute.
Milos Teodosic (13 points and 9 assists) and Luka Mitrovic (22) were the driving force for the visitors, with a final push also from Rokas Giedraitis. Barça maintained a good line, but let themselves go when they seemed to have the game in their hands. The entry into action of Willy Hernangómez (18 points) and Jabari Parker (20) put Grimau’s team at cruising speed, but the locals did not sentence.
The first quarter already left an intense exchange, with the Serbian team in search of its first victory at the Palau after nine visits. The red and white defense was a disaster and Sfairopoulos’ team did not score a triple either, but with Teodosic they found light in the darkness. In Grimau’s team, Nico Laprovittola’s return from injury was not noticeable, while Rokas Jokubaitis was better, although from less to more. Between Willy and Parker they gave the maximum (42-25) but Red Star found their first triples before the break and went to the locker room well into the game (47-43).
The rebound continued to be a nightmare for the Catalans, as did Teodosic’s participation, with Estrella already responding to every culé attempt to leave again. Parker’s runs were answered by Giedraitis’ streak, with equality towards the last quarter (69-67). Mitrovic became great again and, with the tension of the last plays, the game was decided almost accidentally.
There was exchange, for better and for worse, until the end. The legendary Teodosic committed doubles in a vital attack in the last minute and, in the local response to the remanguillé, the ball was grabbed by Parker in the corner to seal the Barça’s sixth victory in the Euroleague. A 6-1 with which they maintain their fight for the leadership, while Red Star remains with 2-5, far from the ‘playoffs’.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: BARÇA, 86 – RED STAR, 81. (47-43, at half-time)
–EQUIPMENT.
BARÇA: Satoransky (10), Abrines (1), Kalinic (7), Da Silva (4) and Vesely (14) –starting quintet–; Brizuela (-), Laprovittola (4), Hernangómez (18), Parker (20) and Jokubaitis (8).
RED STAR: Napier (2), Nedovic (11), Davidovac (12), Mitrovic (22) and Bolomboy (4) — starting quintet–; Teodosic (13), Giedraitis (9), Tobey (6), Ilic (2), Kuzmic (-) and Two Saints (-).
–PARTIALS: 21-18, 26-25, 18-19, 21-19.
–REFEREES: Javor, Paternico and Vyklicky. Mitrovic eliminated.
–PAVILLION: Palau Blaugrana.