2023-11-23 23:22:02
BarcelonaAfter falling in two of the last three games, Barça reacted with a victory against Maccabi (90-92). Despite losing 17 balls and playing the last minutes without pivots, the Blaugrana team scored a victory that improves their self-esteem. “What matters is winning. We suffered a lot and had ups and downs, but we managed to take the victory because of the details,” said Roger Grimau. The Catalan coach lost Rokas Jokubaitis and Jan Vesely. The absence of the pivot was very evident in defense, where Barça is struggling to gain respect without the Czech.
Nico Laprovittola added 23 points. “We needed a win away from home like this. We still have a lot to improve, but we knew how to stay together during the game,” said the Argentine escort. For his part, despite being eliminated for personal fouls, James Nnaji (11 points) achieved his best score in the Euroleague.
The match was played in Belgrade because Maccabi cannot compete as a home team because of the war between Israel and Palestine. Without an audience in the stands of Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, the legendary Pionir, and with the strange possibility of perfectly hearing the instructions of the coaches and the complaints of the players, the duel recalled those that took place during the pandemic.
Encouraged by the words of their coach, who called for intensity from the first moment, Maccabi put on a better show. The Israeli team built a seven point difference (25-18) during the first few minutes in which they played very comfortably. The Blaugrana rival scored 31 points in a very scoring opening period (31-26).
Barça’s defense improved in the second period, when the pace of the game slowed down. The Catalan team took advantage of points from Willy Hernangómez, Nico Laprovittola and Àlex Abrines to equalize the score at halftime (51-51).
Sense pivots
The start of the third quarter for Barça was memorable. A partial 0-10 boosted the Catalan team, which took advantage of the tactical nuances introduced by Grimau during the break (51-61). The coach brought in Jabbari Parker and James Nnaji to shake up his inside game. The fourth personal foul of both Hernangómez and Nnaji eleven minutes from the end complicated the interior rotation. His eliminations forced Grimau to play the last leg with Oscar da Silva as an unexpected pivot. Oded Kattash, meanwhile, was without Wade Baldwin IV, who was sent off.
The match in Belgrade was tied in the last two minutes (89-89). A basket and a free throw from Laprovittola put Barça ahead, who defended well with Oscar da Silva on the last possession in which Lorenzo Brown missed the decisive three-pointer (90-92).
#pivot #expected #saves #Roger #Grimau #Belgrade