Barcelona defeated Partizan 92-83 in a game they controlled practically from start to finish in the third round of the EuroLeague.
The home team was without the lightly injured Mateusz Ponitka for this match.
Balsa Koprivica had a dominant start, and thanks to him, Partizan was the first to strike against their opponents. Barcelona quickly recovered from a somewhat slower start and turned the tide with long-range shooting. The entrance of Aleksa Avramovic contributed to a better performance by the black-and-whites, who came back from a nine-point deficit to tie the game. However, there was a significant drop in performance at the end of the first half. Once again, the visitors were accurate in their three-point shooting, crowned by a shot from Nikola Kalinic that gave them a 10-point lead.
Partizan had a momentum in a part of the third quarter when P. J. Dozier and James Nunnally scored consecutively. However, it was short-lived as the Catalans quickly reestablished a double-digit lead. Despite this, Partizan never gave up, constantly closing the gap to within six points. But it was the precise long-range shooting of Nicolas Laprovittola and Willy Hernangomez that ultimately sealed the fate of their opponents.
The top scorers for the winning team were Laprovitola with 20 points and Hernangomez and Oscar da Silva with 15 points each. Nunnally led the home team with 14 points.
In the next round, Partizan travels to face Olympiacos, while Barcelona hosts Bayern.
Balsa Koprivica opened the game in a fantastic manner. With a deceptive move, he outwitted the rival defense, signaling the good minutes that would follow. He scored six points in a short period and was the primary reason Partizan took an 8-4 lead. However, things quickly started to change as the black-and-whites turned the ball over repeatedly. Defensive transitions were also lacking, which Barcelona capitalized on, taking control with long-range shooting. Oscar da Silva stood out during this period, scoring nine points in the first quarter.
Two consecutive unsportsmanlike fouls hindered the home team’s efforts to catch up until Aleksa Avramovic entered the game, injecting much-needed energy into Zeljko Obradovic’s team. Barcelona scored only two points in four minutes, allowing Partizan to come back from a nine-point deficit to a tie. Avramovic hit a three-pointer and then scored with a foul, bringing the home team level. Poor shot selection by Obradovic’s team led to new problems as Barcelona, thanks to Nicolas Laprovittola’s fourth three-pointer, took an eight-point lead. The lead even stretched to a double-digit advantage after Nikola Kalinic hit a shot from beyond the arc at the buzzer.
P.J. Dozier scored five consecutive points at the beginning of the third quarter, cutting the deficit in half. However, a significant problem for the “Steamroller” was the lack of defensive rebounds during those moments. Everything Dozier did positively was negated by his fourth personal foul, after which Barcelona managed to pull ahead by 10 points again with another three-pointer from Laprovittola. Not even an excellent sequence by James Nunnally helped, as the visiting team maintained a substantial lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Obradović’s team didn’t give up until the end, but it became increasingly challenging as time passed. Inaccurate free-throw shooting didn’t help their cause, putting the black-and-whites in a very difficult situation. Whenever Partizan attempted to close the gap, Barcelona responded. The final blow to the opponent came first from Willy Hernangomez and then from Laprovittola with a three-pointer, extending the lead to 10 points. After that, the Belgrade team couldn’t muster the strength for a comeback.
PARTIZAN – BARCELONA 83:92 (16:23, 18:21, 26:25, 23:23)
Arena: Stark arena, Beograd; Referees: Rocha, Pastusiak, Sukys.
Partizan: Vukcevic, LeDay 12, Avramovic 11, Koprivica 8, Punter 11, Smailagic 9, Jaramaz, Nunnally 14, Trifunovic, Andjusic, Dozier 13, Kaminsky 5.
Barcelona: Da Silva 15, Vesely 12, Brizuela 2, Kalinic 7, Satoransky 4, Hernangomez 15, Laprovittola 20, Abrines 5, Parker 9 (11sk), Nanji, Jokubaitis 5, Parra.