Barça is a team without Mirotic and a very different one, and much more competitive with him. The Spanish-Montenegrin star, with 15 points and 9 rebounds, It was key in a victory that was little less than forced to cut the bad dynamics of the month of December. Barça needed a win to restore their confidence and nothing better than the Monaco stadium, a team in a rage that had just won at Madrid’s stadium and was running for the lead in the tournament. With the victory, based on a solid defense and on the 14 three-pointers scored (45.2%), the blaugrana straightened out after the frustrating defeat last Friday before the Asvel Villeurbanne.
Barça recovered its more sober image, within that changing profile that it is offering this season. Against an opponent who is not too physical nor does he have too many centimeters, Jasikevicius’s team prevailed from defense and that allowed him to take the initiative at all times, although he had obvious offensive blackouts (5 points in the first five minutes of the second quarter). But from his control of the rebound, his ability to run and some more than acceptable percentages from the triple (Kuric is a plus if he comes into play), he was consolidating his confidence and opening small margins that allowed him to control the first quarter (13-16) and also go ahead at halftime (29-34) after squeezing the score at the last second, with a triple almost halfway through Mirotic court.
A decisive third quarter
Mirotic’s ascendancy continues to grow in the team after his return. And the return of the injured Sanli, Da Silva and above all, Higgins He also increased consistency, although if Barça did something well until the break, it was controlling Mike James until the break (4 points, 1 of 7 shooting). The success of Motiejuna and the ex-azulgrana Moerman they allowed Monaco to hold the pace.
The best face of Barça came at the restart with some brilliant minutes, of tremendous efficiency, which allowed Jasikevicius’s team to break the score with a 2-14 run in just five minutes that shot the difference to 17 points (31- 48). The azulgranas maintained their solvency behind, but they also added six triples in the period (two from Satornasky, one from Mirotic, one from Laprovittolaone from Sanli and another from Higgins) and that left Monaco in a critical situation to face the last set (45-60).
Tried the painting Sasa Obradovic, putting himself in the hands of Mike James, who assumed full offensive responsibility and once again demonstrated his star status, scoring up to 16 points. But Barça, despite speculating in those decisive minutes and experiencing another incomprehensible downturn in the last quarter (a vice that cannot be removed), ended up sealing a victory against one of the tournament’s weight rivals that should give it a confidence injection
