By Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
Xavi Pascual had already warned that the situation was critical, and Barça is now beginning to pay the consequences.
The Blaugrana fell to Paris Basketball 74-85 and missed a great opportunity (at home and against a team far from the playoff spots) to keep climbing in the EuroLeague standings.
It wasn’t just a bad night in terms of results, as Jan Vesely went down injured during the game, adding to the absences of Kevin Punter, Tomas Satoransky, and Juan Núñez just days before the Copa del Rey.
With the loss, the Catalan side drops to a 17–11 record, while the French team improves to 9–18.
Darío Brizuela (15 points), Nico Laprovittola (11 p.) and Toko Shengelia (11 p.) were the only Barça players to finish in double figures in scoring.
As usual, Nadir Hifi was the game’s top scorer with 21 points.
The game began in a tense atmosphere. The clash with a football match led to a noticeable drop in home attendance, and while Atlético de Madrid’s goals kept coming, things weren’t going much better on the basketball court.
Taking advantage of the situation, Paris Basketball took control of both the game and the momentum, closing the first quarter ahead (18–21).
And although Barça went into halftime leading 43–39, the match was far from what Xavi Pascual had hoped for.
The break changed absolutely nothing. Even though Barça managed a few well-executed offensive possessions, Paris’ energy ultimately prevailed.
The 55–67 score at the start of the final quarter was anything but encouraging for the home side, and despite attempts at a comeback, Barça was never able to cut the deficit below ten points.
It even stretched to 17, allowing Paris Basketball to close out the game without any real difficulty.