An unexpected eclipse does not overshadow Barça's note

BarcelonaFirst box or stripe overcome. Barça debuted the play-in with a good grade. The Catalan team eliminated Estrella Roja (80-72) and will play for a ticket in the fight for the title against Monaco, who lost to Panathinaikos (87-79). Despite an unexpected eclipse when they were winning by 22 points, the Barça team played with personality to secure the victory at the Palau Blaugrana.

Xavi Pascual won the battle of the benches. The Barça coach was clearer than Sasa Obradovic about what his team needed to secure the victory. The Serbian coach alternated approaches and took time to find the most suitable one to win at the Palau Blaugrana.

Will Clyburn's start to the game was sensational. The forward scored six three-pointers without a miss in just eight minutes (29-18). The American tried to spread his accuracy to a Barça team that made seven of the first eleven three-pointers they attempted during the first quarter. This, naturally, boosted optimism at the Palau Blaugrana (29-21).

Will Hernangómez's emergence added more diversity to Barça's attacks, building an eleven-point lead (37-26). Dominance in rebounding was key for the blaugrana team to impose their rhythm during a stretch of the game. Estrella Roja believed their chances involved doing well in offense and neglected a defense that conceded 47 points in just 20 minutes. The home team's shooting percentages were very solid (47-33).

As if expecting a second leg that didn't exist, Estrella Roja let go and opened the second half with a 22-point deficit (60-38). Obradovic tried to tactically rescue his team with alternative defenses and found the cooperation of some of his players, who reacted to adjust the score (63-51).

When everything seemed lost, the best version of Estrella Roja emerged, reducing the deficit to under 10 points (75-68). Czech players Jan Vesely and Tomás Satoransky, and Kevin Punter played a key role in keeping the situation under control.

Panathinaikos, in the quarterfinals

Monaco did not have enough with Mike James to surprise Panathinaikos (87-79). Their 25 points were surpassed by a Greek team that made home-court advantage count to reach the quarterfinals. TJ Shorts scored 21 points. The team coached by Ergin Ataman will face Valencia Basket.