Barça's tyranny in one of the most unusual matches ever played at the Palau Blaugrana

BarcelonaBarça kicked off a demanding week of three games by defeating Maccabi in one of the most unusual matches ever played at the Palau Blaugrana (93-83). The game was played behind closed doors, without fans in the stands, and with a heavy police presence. The Catalan team, who led by as many as 24 points, thwarted a comeback attempt by an opponent that had improved significantly in recent weeks.

Toko Shengelia, who scored 22 points and drew 7 personal fouls, was Barça's best player. Xavi Pascual welcomed back Jan Vesely, but couldn't count on Darío Brizuela, who is still recovering from a viral infection. His absence added to those of Will Clyburn and Juan Núñez.

Barça capitalized on Miles Norris's inspired play, scoring 11 points in four minutes, to open up an 18-point lead (32-14). The Blaugrana made seven of nine three-pointers in a high-scoring first quarter, which helped them secure the victory (32-19). The home team's lead reached 24 points (44-20), but lapses in concentration by the Barça players meant the game remained close at halftime (56-44). Turnovers proved costly.

Maccabi's comeback attempts finally paid off at the start of the final period, when Barça went more than four minutes without scoring (77-72). Distracted by the referee's decisions, the Blaugrana team lost their offensive effectiveness. Pascual was forced to turn to his trusted players, especially Shengelia and Laprovittola, to turn things around.

Peaceful protest

Around a hundred people from social, labor, and political organizations in Catalonia staged a peaceful protest against the match. "It's a disgrace that an operation to whitewash Israel is being tolerated, an operation that attempts to exploit sport to normalize the extermination of a people. The crime of genocide is the most serious of all. Furthermore, we have endured decades of occupation and racial segregation," denounced Jaume Asens, a member of the European Parliament for the Comun party. A heavy police presence cordoned off the perimeter of the Palau Blaugrana. Celia Cassanyes, spokesperson for the "Enough Complicity with Israel" coalition, emphasized that holding the match "is part of a strategy to normalize relations with a state under investigation for systematic genocide against the Palestinian people."