The threats are multiplying for Barça in its fight to get home advantage in the Euroleague playoffs. Hence, with six days left in the regular phase, the victory achieved in Valencia is worth its weight in gold, with those of Grimau in second place. A victory with many names but with that of Ricky Rubio above the others, playing his best minutes as a Barça player in El Masnou and directing the Barça orchestra in the initial stretch of the last quarter, when the duel was decided.
The night had a two-sided start, a classic scenario in the portfolio of this unpredictable Barça. An overwhelming start, Grimau's men always connected from the initial jump, whose soufflé then drops little by little and it's time to work on it again. With Jan Vesely in MVP mode (10/10 extraterrestrial in the shot), Barça escaped as soon as it started until 6-16. Valencia were not at all comfortable and the Barça dominance was indisputable. But as if it had hit a wall, Barça suddenly stopped, for no apparent reason, and let its rival grow. Mumbrú's team smelled blood in the offensive rebound but also in the Barça's poor ball handling. Up to ten losses were committed by the visitors before the break, nine of them caused by robberies by the Valencians. Despite the fact that Valencia managed to accumulate a very poor 1/14 in triples (6/28 in the end), the scoreboard had turned orange and Barça did not seem in a position to turn it around. An imposing Ojeleye stretched the score to 32-26 before the break.
Lesson learned, the Barça team got to work in the second half, in which they imposed their superiority with great work. While Vesely continued scoring everything he threw, Kalinic was busy adding the so-called intangibles, their tactical value incalculable. Everything ended up being decided on the Barça side in a magnificent initial stretch of the last quarter, with Ricky Rubio directing the operations, enjoying basketball, and with Laprovittola finishing executing a Valencia that Ojeleye's ankle sprain left without arguments .
With the countdown to the playoffs started, this Barça continues to show its face with Berlin as a non-negotiable objective. Dreaming is free.
78 - Valencia Basket (20 22 15 21): Jones (15), Puerto (2), Anderson (6), Inglis (13), Davies (7) - starting five - Pangos (-), Harper (-), López -Arostegui (4), Robertson (-), Ojeleye (19), Claver (10) and Pradilla (2).
88 - Barcelona (20 17 22 29): Satoransky (6), Jokubaitis (2), Kalinic (13), Parker (12), Vesely (21) - starting five - Hernangómez (8), Rubio (3), Brizuela ( 2), Parra (8,) Abrines (-) and Laprovittola (13).
Referees: Lottermorser (GER), Nedovic (SLO) and Cici (ALB). No eliminated.
Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 28 of the regular phase of the Euroleague played at La Fonteta in front of 7,437 spectators.
