FC Barcelona (10-2) crushed Zalgiris Kaunas (2-10) 96-73 (24-17, 28-21, 23-20, 21-15) to extend their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague winning streak to 4 victories.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
25
|
| Pierre Oriola | |
| Points | 13 |
| Accuracy | 5-7 |
| Rebounds | 9 |
| Assists | 5 |
At the start of the third period, the contest went neck to neck, but Sarunas Jasikevicus' squad pushed the accelerator pedal again and built a 19-point advantage (75-56). Rokas Jokubaitis and Rolands Smits arranged an 8-0 run.
Zalgiris cut the deficit to 13 points (62-75) with Tai Webster's effort at the start of the last quarter, but Barcelona responded.
The Blaugranas went off for a decisive 13-0 spurt and sealed the deal, gaining a 26-point advantage (88-62). Nigel Hayes-Davis and Rokas Jokubaitis were the main go-to guys in a successful stretch.
"As we spoke at halftime, our defense was not exactly good. We hit a lot of shots today, and that was very important for us," Jasikevicius said after the game. "I thought we could have pulled off sooner, but we kept making mistakes like fouls before the bonus, after the bonus."
"So it seems that you are controlling the game, but you are not. It's amazing to finish the game with five guys from [our youth program]. This is what we want and, hopefully, for them, it is a big boost to continue improving and to work very hard," Saras added.
For the winners, Rokas Jokubaitis was a top scorer, registering 15 points (2/4 2PT, 3/3 3PT, 2/2 FT), 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 turnovers, 4 drawn fouls, and 20 PIR.
Pierre Oriola added 13 points (4/6 2PT, 1/1 3PT, 2/2 FT), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 drawn fouls, and 25 PIR.
Tai Webster was a bright athlete for Zalgiris, posting 13 points (3/6 2PT, 1/3 3PT, 4/4 FT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 3 drawn fouls, and 14 PIR.
Brandon Davies did not play for Barca. The club has allowed him to go to the World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers and join the Ugandan national team.
Moreover, three Barcelona backcourt players - Nick Calathes, Cory Higgins, and Alex Abrines missed the game due to injuries. Today, the Blaugranas officially announced that Calathes will miss approximately 6 weeks of basketball action.
Barcelona: Rokas Jokubaitis 15 (7 AST), Pierre Oriola 13 (9 REB, 5 AST), Nigel Hayes-Davis 12, Nikola Mirotic 11, Kyle Kuric 10, Sertac Sanli 9.
Zalgiris: Tai Webster 13 (4 AST), Marek Blazevic 10, Mantas Kalnietis 9 (4 AST), Zoran Dragic 9, Tyler Cavanaugh 9 (3 REB).
Highlights
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