By Eurohoops / info@eurohoops.net
By now, everyone knows that there are no easy games in the EuroLeague.
ASVEL proved it once again. Despite having lost Nando De Colo and their position in the standings, they made things very difficult for a team considered a title contender.
Barça secured the win by 91-98 in a game that was extremely close for 35 minutes and was ultimately decided by the outstanding performances of two of the biggest stars in the EuroLeague.
Kevin Punter delivered another scoring masterclass, finishing with 30 points and leading the offensive play of Xavi Pascual’s side—no surprise that he has even been compared to Juan Carlos Navarro.
The Bronx native was also supported by the crucial contribution of Toko Shengelia, who put on a clinic in the low post in the second half, ending the game with 22 points and keeping Barça alive when things looked bleak.
Glynn Watson’s brilliant performance—unstoppable for much of the game with 23 points—was not enough for ASVEL, who remain at the bottom of the standings (6–18), while Barça improve to 16–8.
The first half was marked by parity. Even though Barça scored with ease, Watson was unstoppable, and his great performance allowed the French side to go into halftime ahead (49–47).
Little changed after the break, with a constant exchange of blows preventing either team from pulling away on the scoreboard.
Everything shifted when Shengelia and Kevin Punter strung together several positive offensive actions.
In the final quarter, Barça built their first double-digit lead (79–93), a margin they were able to manage—despite a very improvable final minute.