By Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
Barça and Valencia Basket faced again just five days after their Liga Endesa clash.
And unlike that day, it was the blaugrana team who was victorious.
Barça defeated Valencia Basket 108-102 to get their second straight victory, while the guests lost their unbeaten status, as Pedro Martínez’s players had yet to lose a game this season.
Toko Shengelia (11 points), Tomas Satoransky (14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists), and Willy Hernangómez (11 points) had a good night, but it was -once again- Will Clyburn (21 points) and Kevin Punter (27 points) who really shone for the home team.
Darius Thompson (19 points), Brancou Badio (15 points), Neal Sako (14 points), and Omari Moore (19 points) were the best players on the guest team, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
No defense in sight
It was a very offensive and tight battle. After what seemed a terrible start of the second half for Barça, the home team grabbed a ten-point 69-59 lead thanks to a crazy Kevin Punter three-pointer. But Valencia’s reaction was as good as that 19-5 run from Barça, and they managed to go to the fourth quarter only three points down.
It was crystal clear that the game would be decided by a tiny margin, and the home team’s win wasn’t secured until the last, with Kevin Punter making sure the win stayed in Palau Blaugrana.