Barça fails to repeat miracle in Madrid

BarcelonaBarça failed to repeat their miracle against Real Madrid and suffered a clear defeat at the Movistar Arena (80-61). The Madrid team caught up with the Blaugrana in the Euroleague standings and, moreover, secured a basket-average Favorable in case of a tie (2-0). Having learned his lesson from the last Clásico, Sergio Scariolo imposed his game plan. "Madrid was much better than us," lamented Xavi Pascual. Toko Shengelia, Nico Laprovittola, and, at times, Darío Brizuela were among the few visiting players who competed at their usual level. Kevin Punter, well defended, missed all six of his shots. Lacking discipline in covering good spaces, Barça's shooting percentages were very low.

Real Madrid started the Clásico with more offensive inspiration. Edy Tavares dominated the game near both baskets. The Whites built an 8-point lead in the first six and a half minutes (10-2). Barça turned to Nico Laprovittola and Toko Shengelia to improve their performance and avoid falling behind (21-14).

Scariolo intelligently used Chuma Okeke. The home team's lead grew during a second quarter in which Barça struggled to score consistently. Kevin Punter, who missed all four of his shots in the first half, burdened his teammates with anxiety, as they struggled to find open spaces. Without accuracy from beyond the arc and with too many turnovers that facilitated fast breaks for the opposition, the Blaugrana team failed to impose their rhythm and went into halftime trailing (43-31).

Pascual used the halftime break to remind his team of the non-negotiable aspects of being competitive, but Barça couldn't turn things around (55-40). Struggling on offense, the Catalan team only managed five shots during a third quarter that exposed their weaknesses. Real Madrid's dominance on the boards was devastating, and the home team entered the final ten minutes with their morale sky-high (63-47).

Unexpected Executioners

Real Madrid used players like Gaby Deck and, above all, Usman Garuba to punish Barcelona's defense, which was less effective than usual. Lacking confidence, the Catalan side made uncharacteristic mistakes. For example, they missed more free throws than ever before. The home team's superiority was evident.