After an excellent regular season, Barça wants to close the first position. With the field factor already under his belt, now it remains to secure first place, something they will achieve if they beat Fenerbahçe today. Obviously the important work has already been done, but finishing first is always a moral plus and, a priori, it allows for a more favorable quarter pairing. Something, that in such an even competition, is always to be seen.
The victory against Alba Berlin only confirmed that Barça is a very solid team. Probably the most, because he perfectly handles all the records of modern basketball. They are the best defense in the EuroLeague and the team that shoots the best three. Alba of Berlin suffered. With Laprovittola at an excellent level and Kuric always reliable, Abrines has joined the outside shooting party. And there is always Mirotic.
Fenerbahçe’s options for tonight are obviously slim. They have lost the last five games against Barça and the last four in the Euroleague. On Tuesday, at the Buesa Arena, they only scored 22 points in the second half. They’re not mathematically out of the playoffs, but their chances are slim. His options for tonight’s match are in the paint, where Jan Vesely should dominate. With a Mirotic always open and with Smits surpassed in centimeters, that is where his advantage lies. It remains to be seen if Sanli participates, yesterday he trained, something that would give Barça more consistency inside. Oriola and Higgins, meanwhile, are still out. If the Turk does not recover in time, it will be Nnaji who replaces him. The one who will surely not be on the floor of the Palau is Rokas Jokubaitis. The Lithuanian suffers a sprain in his right shoulder that will at least keep him out of tonight’s game.
