Barcelona holds on and defeats Valencia in a thrilling final

The Barcelona arrived at the clash on Sunday at the Palau carrying the weight of a painful defeat to Zalgiris in the Euroliga just forty-eight hours earlier, with a defensive disaster in the last quarter that affected the team's morale. Facing them was a Valencia Basket that was basking in glory with its 4-0 record in the continental competition, enjoying positive feelings and the confidence of one who has not tasted defeat in these opening rounds. However, even in moments when the Valencias dominated the scoreboard during this Sunday's match, Sekulic's team never lost sight of the duel, visibly concerned about the possibility of suffering another setback on their home court.

An absolutely balanced first half

The first half was a reflection of the equality between both contenders. With a score of 39-40 at halftime, the game experienced no less than nine lead changes, indicative that neither team could impose its pace definitively. Valencia managed to take a nine-point lead at one point, but Barcelona responded promptly. The initial sequence saw the game start with a 9-8 advantage for the locals, only for the visitors to suddenly take clear control of the game, reaching 13-20. A buzzer-beater basket from Shorts, benefiting from a screen, established a 19-26 score by the end of the first quarter.

In the second act, the Valencia point guard scored to extend the lead to nine points, but the Blaugrana response was immediate. A three-pointer from Martin tied the game at 28 points. Robinson put Barcelona ahead by two points, although Valencia equalized again with a partial run that brought the score to 34-35. With fourteen seconds left in the half, the score was 39-37 in favor of the visitors. A Valencia timeout allowed Brooks to launch a three-pointer that left the score at 39-40 going into halftime.

Barcelona breaks away in the third quarter

The resumption was radically different from what was seen in the first half. A much more energetic and accurate shooting Barcelona raced ahead in just three minutes to 49-41. The lead progressively expanded with the visitors clearly overwhelmed, reaching 55-44. Brizuela established the maximum lead with two consecutive free throws, achieving 64-51 in the 28th minute. At that moment, everything seemed directed towards a comfortable victory for the Blaugranas.

However, basketball is a game of forty minutes, and Valencia Basket was not willing to give up. A small run by the Valencias brought the visitors back into the contest, reducing the difference to 68-60 with a quarter left to play. Martin scored another three-pointer that seemed to clear the way for a Blaugrana victory at 75-64, but appearances were deceiving. Sekulic's team, despite their shooting issues from three throughout the afternoon, had compensated for their offensive deficiencies with steals and offensive rebounds that kept them in the fight.

Valencia comes back in the decisive fourth

As had happened on Friday against Zalgiris, the final quarter was a nightmare for Barcelona. As Valencia Basket began to close the gap on the scoreboard, fear and doubt were palpable in the home team's ranks. With four minutes still to play, the scoreboard showed 79-76 in favor of the Blaugranas. Three minutes later, a three-pointer from Osetkowski made it 82-79, keeping the visitors in the hunt.

A turnover by Punter was offset by a block from Evboumwan. Poor shots from Robinson and Osetkowski contrasted with an excellent three-pointer from Joel Parra in the corner that seemed to certify the Blaugrana victory at 88-83 with just one minute left. Mirotic, however, missed one of two free throws, leaving the door open. Martin had the chance to seal it but traveled in an absurd action that nullified his basket under the rim.

The last seconds of maximum tension

Taylor quickly scored to make it 88-86, and Gibson was fouled. He only converted one of his free throws, leaving the score at 88-86 with nine seconds on the clock for Valencia to score a three-pointer to tie and force overtime. Mirotic took a shot in a good position on the final attack, but the ball rimmed out, sealing the victory for Barcelona.

Barcelona thus avoided another stumble at home and overcame the trauma from Friday. Valencia Basket, despite their eleven-point comeback in the final quarter and having real chances to win, failed in the critical moments. With a 6 of 26 in three-point shooting and a devastating 0 of 13 from Gibson, Brizuela, and Robinson, the visitors could not capitalize on their opportunities. The nervous but ultimately effective Blaugrana team secured a win that allowed them to recover from the debacle against Zalgiris in the Euroliga.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Barcelona resiste y vence al Valencia en final de infarto