Euroleague: Mirotic holds Bara to knock Red Star down | Euroleague 2019

The Balkan player signs 25 points and is decisive for the Catalans to sign a suffered victory at home

Bara had to suffer to finally win the victory against the Red Star in the Palau Blaugrana. The group led by Svetislav Pesic, with a Nikola Mirotic unleashed in the first period and recovered just in time for the Barcelona cause when his people most needed it, was largely complicated by life alone. On the one hand, he showed himself excessively lukewarm in defense during the first three quarters and a scoring scoop in the second charge to his opponent of reasons to embolden. His reaction in the last and final period, despite everything, allowed him to score a 86-82 victory from which his technician, surely, take good note to insist to his players on the importance of defensive strength. Something clearly vital if the team wants to make their wishes come true again with the Euroleague.

The Bara gave the lime and the sand in the first part. On the one hand, I signed a bright first room, with a Nikola Mirotic then in command. Not surprisingly, the Montenegrin Hispanic scored 14 of the 29 points that Pesic achieved in the first 10 minutes. His defensive baggage, however, led through the street of bitterness to the Barca coach. That allowed the Red Star to initially get on the scoreboard and reach the end of the first period with 19 points to his credit. An annotation that, apparently, fill them with confidence, no matter how much the locals will eventually sign up for a partial victory by 29-19.

The visitors maintained their scoring effectiveness in a second quarter in which Bara added to his already shown defensive weakness one more than worrying lack of success in offensive tasks. Very especially, from the hand of a Hanga that did not hit the key when it came to commanding the Barcelona attack correctly. Even Mirotic, brilliant in the first quarter, was carried away by an inertia that condemns the Catalans to leave to rest one point below in the light (41-42). Only Higgins, in large part, he managed to keep the swords high in a room that resulted in a partial victory of the Red Star 12-23 with an eminently choral game. No stars, but no fissures.

The decisive basket of Nikola

After the break, they exchanged triples in what seemed like an attempt by Bara to resurface from his ashes. In part, they succeeded. They resumed a little the effectiveness in attack, in this case, above all, by the hand of Brandon Davies, but his defensive performance remained far from the one who always wants to see Svetislav Pesic. The Red Star was not only able not to lose face at any time to the game, but also managed to reach the last and final period with four points ahead on the scoreboard (64-66) thanks to two consecutive three-pointers of Punter and two free throws transformed by Jokanovic that Tomic rinsed in part after receiving Jenkins staff.

The Red Star had once again imposed itself on a Bara who, at least, partly regained his good scoring sensations (21-24). To win the victory, the Pesic desperately needed to meet again with their best version in defense. And they found her. A solidity to which they also added a lethal success in the triples, by the hand of Pierre Oriola, Abrines, Pau Ribas and a Nikola Mirotic who scored, in their sixth attempt, a completely vital launch for their own. Bara had to grit his teeth, but finally managed to win a final victory by 86-82, with a partial score of 24-16, against a rival who put him in much more trouble than he seemed to indicate his position in the table.