A Catalan changes Barça's mood

BarcelonaThe fewer players they have, the better Barça plays. The Blaugrana team earned a victory worth its weight in gold on the court of the Euroleague leader, a Fenerbahce that went from strength to strength (75-83). The Catalan team secured the title. play-in and will reach the last day of the regular season with options to compete in the play-off.

Criticized for months, Joel Parra led the Barça triumph. The Catalan forward added 15 points and 12 rebounds. "I only drank water," he joked. Jabari Parker (24 points and 8 rebounds) and Tomás Satoransky (15 points and 7 assists) also had differential performances on a night in which the visitors turned the game around thanks to a final partial of 16-39. From losing by 15 points to winning by eight.

"I'm very proud of my team, because it's not easy to react on a court like Fenerbahce's. We played a very complete second half. We have some absences, but we don't want excuses. It's time to compete together because the team wants more," said Joan Peñarroya. The coach from Egaro found a way to overcome the absences of Nico Laprovittola, Juan Núñez, Jan Vesely, and Chimezie Metu, who underwent surgery in the United States.

Nigel Hayes-Davis, who never scored more than 14 points in a Euroleague game when he wore the Blaugrana jersey, added 20 points against his former team. However, his shooting percentages weren't great. "We played a terrible game," lamented Sarunas Jasikevicius.

Tomás Satoransky scored 7 points in the first 6 minutes of play. Peñarroya's tactical innovation was to use a zone defense. This strategy altered Jasikevicius's game plan, which emphasized the presence of Nigel Hayes-Davis in the low post. The Lithuanian coach played for some stretches of the game without a clear inside reference (23-21).

Fenerbahce took advantage of their rebounding dominance and a pair of three-pointers to open a gap on the scoreboard (31-23). Barça's defense suffered due to limiting Wade Baldwin's movement. Furthermore, the Blaugrana team saw their collective play weaken on offense, with only Jabari Parker managing to score continuously (50-39).

The home team's lead reached 15 points (59-44). Far from giving up, Barça took advantage of a 2-13 run to close the gap (61-57). The Blaugrana team tightened their defense to suppress their Turkish opponent's scoring and have more opportunities to accelerate their offensive game. Fenerbahce's offensive output slowed down, and the home fans began to have doubts. The game was open in the final 10 minutes (66-62).

Parker's second half was crucial. The power forward found support in Parra and Hernangómez, who completed some very unusual defensive plays. The Catalan team took an eleven-point lead with two minutes left (70-81). Fenerbahce's defensive pressure added excitement to the final stretch of a game full of twists and turns.