Barcelona stays alive in the EuroLeague. They won convincingly in the first Play-In game against Red Star Belgrade 80-72. Led by the class of Will Clyburn and Kevin Punter (both with 22 points) and excellent three-point shooting (13 of 28), they defeated Belgrade, who had no chance in the game. A very strong performance from the Blaugrana tonight, showing excellent attitude. Now Xavi Pascual's team will play everything on Friday against Monaco. The winner will face Olympiacos in the Playoffs as the eighth seed.
Barcelona started the game very focused and motivated. With strong defense and an in-form Will Clyburn, who scored 9 points, the small forward from Detroit gave the Blaugrana their first leads (17-11 at the 6-minute mark). Xavi Pascual's team had started in the best possible way.
The three-point shooting from both teams was remarkable (7 of 10 for the home team and 4 of 5 for the visitors). In this exchange of blows, Barcelona benefited. Will Clyburn (18 points) was putting on a true exhibition from three-point range (6 of 6), with the Palau erupting in joy at his performance. The Barcelona onslaught led 29-21 at the end of the first quarter. The points from Codi Miller-McIntyre (11 points) kept Red Star Belgrade in the game.
In the second quarter, as expected, the game slowed down. An in-form Willy Hernangómez (7 points) took over from Clyburn in the Barcelona attack, maintaining the lead (38-30 at the 15-minute mark).
Past the midpoint of the second quarter, Red Star closed the gap (40-33 at the 18-minute mark), but it was a mirage. Xavi Pascual called a timeout, and on the resumption, Barcelona accelerated again. A 7-0 run, with an excellent Kevin Punter (14 points), sent the Blaugrana flying again, heading into halftime with a clear advantage (47-33 at the 20-minute mark).
https://youtu.be/Xb_eXfY2Ec8?si=YGA8LrgHeTNw9B5e
The second-half start began with a spectacular dunk from Will Clyburn (22 points), undoubtedly the player of the game. The Blaugrana had the game under control. Sasha Obradovic called a timeout and got his team in order, who hadn't come out with the intensity needed for a comeback.
The timeout had no effect. Another three-pointer from Kevin Punter (17 points) gave Xavi Pascual's team their biggest lead (54-33 at the 24-minute mark). The game threatened to get out of hand. Barcelona dominated the boards clearly (28-19).
In the final stretches of the third quarter, the Blaugrana lowered their intensity. Red Star took advantage, going on a 9-18 run. A late three-pointer from Semi Ojeleye left it 63-51. Ten minutes remained and Barcelona couldn't afford to lose focus if they wanted to stay alive in the competition.
Red Star gave everything in the opening moments of the final quarter. Nigerian Ebuka Izundu (7 points) was strong in the paint and, after a three-pointer from McIntyre (20 points), Belgrade closed to within nine (68-59 at the 35-minute mark). Sasha Obradovic's team hadn't said their last word.
However, that's where Serbian resistance ended. Barcelona closed out the game from the free-throw line and won 80-72. Next stop Friday at the Gaston Médecin in Monte Carlo. A playoff spot is on the line. Almost everything.