Barça faces Cazoo Baskonia tonight with clear ideas, a clear mind and gasoline in the tank. They have had one more day of rest than the Baskonistas (who have also had to travel to Barcelona), they have just won Partizán in a good collective performance and have clear and concise instructions from their coach to beat the Basques. And it is that this Baskonia is beginning to resemble a lot what the club has been in the last 20 years: a great Spanish basketball. Joan Peñarroya’s men arrive with one victory less than Barça and being one of the best teams in the competition. Nobody trusts Barcelona.
Jasikevicius has placed special emphasis on defense for tonight’s game. They cannot afford another performance like the one they did in ACB, conceding 51 points in half. And it is that Barça obviously was not well that day, but it is that Baskonia’s offensive potential is immense. They lead much of the offensive stats in the EuroLeague and have plenty of players with points in their hands. Stopping them is one of the keys to victory. Against Anadolu Efes, the azulgranas tried to play by exchanging baskets and, despite 28 points from Laprovittola, they fell. Against Partizan they focused on defense and won.
With a Mirotic already recovered, it is highly likely that he will not have minutes today. The Spanish-Montenegrin obviously lacks rhythm and, before games, he has to pick it up in training. It is not absolutely ruled out that he could have minutes, but it is unlikely. Kuric will be there, who already played against Partizán, and the group of players who have become important at the start of the season. Da Silva especially stood out against the Serbs, who with ten rebounds helped a lot to close the Barca defense. If they defended well against Partizán, against Baskonia they will have to do better. Joan Peñarroya’s men are the team that scores the most in the competition, who attempts the most three-pointers and who hits the most three-pointers. Howard is also the player in the entire Euroleague with the best percentage of three. The threat from the perimeter is evident.
THIS IS HOW THEY ARRIVE
barca
saski baskonia
