Barcelona did what was needed at the Palau and secured a Play-In spot. Xavi Pascual's side claimed victory after defeating Bayern Munich 95-69 in a match that was decided after halftime. With this win, the Blaugrana finish in ninth place in the EuroLeague and will play the Play-In against Red Star Belgrade, seeking their ticket to the playoffs for the title. A very balanced performance from the Catalans tonight. Bayern, meanwhile, was no match. Svetislav Pesic sat on the sideline for the last time in a EuroLeague game and received a thunderous ovation from the Palau crowd. It should be noted that the Serbian coach achieved Barcelona's first EuroLeague title and is greatly beloved by the Blaugrana.
The match started slowly. Both teams were erratic with their shooting and were not showing their best form in these opening moments. Bayern appeared to be the better team. Thanks to a fast break finished by Andreas Obst, the German squad led on the scoreboard (7-10 at the 6-minute mark).
Barcelona's start had not been their best. Xavi Pascual looked for solutions from the bench and brought in Youssoupha Fall, seeking size in the paint. Svetislav Pesic's team was clearly dominating the boards (4-9).
Past the midpoint of the first quarter, Will Clyburn took the team on his shoulders. His eight consecutive points, combined with a three-pointer at the buzzer from Darío Brizuela, put the Blaugrana ahead on the scoreboard (20-19 at the 10-minute mark).
The San Sebastián native was playing beautifully (10 points). His offensive actions got the Blaugrana flying, and they extended their lead (32-21 at the 15-minute mark). Svetislav Pesic called a timeout trying to recover the good minutes Bayern had at the start of the game, but couldn't manage it. A fast break finished with a spectacular dunk by Toko Shengelia put the hosts at their largest advantage (36-24 at the 17-minute mark).
Will Clyburn (13 points) continued doing his thing trying to get Barcelona going, but in the final stretch of this second quarter, an in-form Isiaha Mike (8 points) appeared for Munich and contained the Catalan onslaught. At halftime, 42-31 for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona's second-half start turned into a three-pointer festival. Vesely, Clyburn, and Tomas Satoransky all scored from beyond the arc, extending the home team's lead (55-36 at the 25-minute mark). Xavi Pascual's side appeared to have the game under control. The Play-In was getting closer.
The Palau fans were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Jan Vesely (11 points) joined the party. After hitting a three-pointer and a spectacular dunk, the hosts surpassed the 20-point mark (61-38 at the 27-minute mark). Pesic's attempts to reactivate his team were fruitless. At the end of the third quarter, 68-48 for Barcelona.
In the final quarter, Bayern completely gave up. Only Neno Dimitrijevic (15 points) showed any character, and that wasn't enough. Will Clyburn (19 points) continued his hot streak and, after hitting another three-pointer, put the game completely out of reach (80-54).
From there until the end, there wasn't much more to tell. These final minutes allowed Youssoupha Fall to cap off a great performance with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Barcelona claimed the victory 95-69 and secured a Play-In berth. On Tuesday, they will face Red Star Belgrade at the Palau.