Barça finds an unexpected ally
The Barça team's defense dries up Milan in the decisive stretch.
BarcelonaA Barça team that committed more turnovers than assists survived against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (74-72). The Blaugrana team achieved victory with more courage than brilliance against a rival that had taken the win in its last two visits to the Palau Blaugrana. Czech players Tomás Satoransky (11 points and 7 assists) and Jan Vesely (14 points and 5 rebounds) propelled the home team in a game that wasn't decided until the final shot. Shavon Shields missed, and the Catalan team breathed a sigh of relief.
"We improved our defense. We missed simple shots, but we kept playing and only conceded eleven points in the last quarter," analyzed Joan Peñarroya. The coach was still without Nico Laprovittola. The Egarense coach used Darío Brizuela to relieve Tomás Satoransky of playing time at point guard.
Barça started the game again without concentration. The Blaugrana team, which gave up a 7-point lead (0-7), needed almost four minutes to score its first basket. Shavon Shields set the pace for much of a first quarter dominated by the Italian team (14-19).
EA7 Emporio Armani of Milan took advantage of Barça's poor shooting from outside and the points of Armoni Brooks, a player new to European basketball, to open a bigger gap on the scoreboard (30-41). The nine lost balls in just twenty minutes were a burden for the home team. Two three-pointers from Norris and Clyburn softened a negative scenario before the break (36-41).
As the minutes passed, Barça gained consistency. He also improved his accuracy from the 6.75-meter line, allowing him to score 28 points in just 10 minutes. The Barcelona team's acceleration was remarkable. The Catalan team took advantage of Tomás Satoransky's three-pointers to turn the score around and begin to see light at the end of the tunnel (64-61).
Exciting finish
The game was tied in the final stretch, with Jan Vesely playing a key role. Ettore Messina found the tactical tools to keep the scoring low and keep his team in control of a Barça side whose lack of consistency is their main strength (69-69). The Blaugrana team only managed 10 points in the final 10 minutes.
Two individual plays by Shengelia and Clyburn left the opposition on the back foot with half a minute left, but a three-pointer by Brooks added uncertainty. The last possession went to Milan, but Shields missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.