UCAM Murcia needed a victory in Barcelona to continue aspiring to get into the playoffbut from the first bars it was already seen that this was going to be very complicated. Barça returned to the comfort of the Endesa League, to the comfort of playing at the Palau and to the results they get when they play the basketball they know. Without pressure, against a lesser rival, Barça is devastating. But the titles are disputed under pressure and against rivals of the same category. And that’s where Jasikevicius’s team has to improve.
The first unknown was knowing how Barça was. After the European setback and in a game where nothing was at stake, he ran the risk of letting himself go. Nothing of all that. The azulgranas entered the game on the right foot, with the necessary competitive tension so longed for in Kaunas and finding solutions to all the problems that UCAM raised.. They ran more than usual, but mostly brought out the offensive potential of a multi-weapon squad.
The first, the inner game. Disappeared against Real Madrid, powerful against UCAM Murcia. Vesely had ten points in the first quarter, finding his shots from midrange but also baskets under the rim. A slow point in the changes, those of Sito Alonso suffered for the tall men of Barça. It was not a gale either, rather they played in gusts, but enough to open a notable gap already in the first minutes.
The offensive ease, with numerous assists, continued at the beginning of the second quarter. They almost doubled their rival (29-15), maintaining an advantage of around ten points until the break. When the triples came in, the difference widened. Murcia’s problem was also offensive. They probably fit too much into the break, but above all they scored little. Only Chiozza and Radovic reached five points (41-26).
The game continued along very similar paths, with Barça comfortable and UCAM Murcia in tow. The visitors made some timid gesture of coming back, but Barça nipped in the bud any hint of equalizing the game. The Catalans ran, more than usual, and combined well in attack. The triples did not enter, but they found other solutions. Murcia, despite needing victory to stay alive in the fight for the playoff, was manifestly inferior to the locals. Despite McFadden’s three-pointers, it simply wasn’t enough to beat Barça (65-44).
The end of the game was nothing but the achievement of everything seen in the previous minutes. An impotent Murcia, a comfortable Barça, in another placid victory for the Catalans. Surely what they needed after the defeat in the Final Four and before facing the playoff.
| 23 Mike Toby |
| 13 Thomas Satoransky |
| 6 Jan Veseley |
| 10 Nikola Kalinic |
| twenty Nicholas Laprovittola |
| 24 Kyle Kuric |
| 31 Rokas Jokubaitis |
| twenty-one Alex Abrines |
| 33 Nikola Mirotic |
| 5 Sertac Sanli |
| 46 james naji |
| 8 Sergi Martinez |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Mike Toby | twenty | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 3 | 1 | eleven | |
| 13 Thomas Satoransky | twenty | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 23 | 0/1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |
| 6 Jan Veseley | 16 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2/2 | 6/9 | 0/0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | |
| 10 Nikola Kalinic | fifteen | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4/4 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| twenty Nicholas Laprovittola | fifteen | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/2 | 1/4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 24 Kyle Kuric | 22 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/5 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 31 Rokas Jokubaitis | 22 | eleven | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3/4 | 4/4 | 0/1 | 3 | 1 | 17 | |
| twenty-one Alex Abrines | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| 33 Nikola Mirotic | 17 | eleven | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/1 | 2/2 | 2/5 | 2 | 1 | 13 | |
| 5 Sertac Sanli | 14 | fifteen | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/4 | 4/6 | 1/2 | 3 | 3 | 16 | |
| 46 james naji | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 8 Sergi Martinez | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 Thad McFadden |
| 1 Chris Chiozza |
| 23 James Anderson |
| 3. 4 Danilo Nikolic |
| twenty-one ilimane diop |
| 13 Artem Pustovyi |
| eleven nemanja radovic |
| 7 Thomas Fine |
| 25 David Jelinek |
| 27 Sadiel Rojas |
| 18 jordan sakho |
| 35 Rati Andronikashvili |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Thad McFadden | 24 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/3 | 1/4 | 3/8 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| 1 Chris Chiozza | twenty | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 4 | 2 | 13 | |
| 23 James Anderson | fifteen | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 1/5 | 0 | 2 | -2 | |
| 3. 4 Danilo Nikolic | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/2 | 2 | 2 | -2 | |
| twenty-one ilimane diop | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 13 Artem Pustovyi | 24 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 23 | 0/2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| eleven nemanja radovic | 22 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 3/10 | 1/1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 7 Thomas Fine | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 25 David Jelinek | 19 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/5 | 0/1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 27 Sadiel Rojas | 14 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| 18 jordan sakho | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 23 | 0/1 | 1 | 5 | -2 | |
| 35 Rati Andronikashvili | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | |