By Stefan Acevski/ info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona secured a victory in the 14th round of the EuroLeague by defeating Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade with a score of 89-79.
Will Clyburn was the top scorer for the visitors with 22 points, Dario Brizuela had an impressive performance finishing the game with 17 points, while Tornike Shengelia added 15 points.
On the other side, Cody Miller-McIntyre scored 19points, and Chima Moneke concluded the game with 1 points.
Crvena Zvezda suffered their first home loss in the EuroLeague since the arrival of Sasa Obradovic. Before that, only Olimpia Milano won a game in Belgrade, but in that match Ioannis Sfairopoulos was a head coach.
Blaugrana was the better team from the start, maintaining the lead from the first minute, though Zvezda managed to get back into the game on several occasions.
Midway through the third quarter, the score was tied at 55-55, but Zvezda couldn’t take the lead. Brizuela punished them with consecutive three-pointers, giving the Spaniards the advantage.
This extinguished all of Crvena Zvezda’s momentum, and they didn’t recover for the remainder of the game. Xavi Pascual’s team secured their second victory in Belgrade this season, having previously defeated Partizan.
The two teams are now tied in the standings with nine wins and five losses each. In the next round, Zvezda will face a city derby against Partizan, while Barcelona will host Olympiacos.