10/29/2023 at 08:00 CET
After losing in the Wizink against Real Madrid, Roger Grimau’s men seek to return to the path of victory
The blaugranas will look for their fourth consecutive win in ACB against a Valencia that arrives in a great moment of form
The demanding schedule facing the Barça no room for regrets. After narrowly escaping the classic Euroleague before him Real Madrid, Roger Grimau and their players close the week by visiting the always complicated Fuente de San Luis, where they face a Valencia Basket (18:30h CET) who arrives at a great time, and who is signing a huge start of season.
The ‘orange’ team signs up to now the same balance of wins and losses as Barça in both the Endesa League (5-1) and the Euroleague (4-1), and they arrive after defeating Zalgiri at home by 72-87. Furthermore, after losing on the opening day of ACB against Bàsquet Girona by 85-89, they have chained five consecutive wins in the domestic championship, adding prestigious wins at the Santiago Martín de Tenerife and the Martín Carpena in Málaga.
Demanding rival
Despite finishing last year with doubts, after falling at the first opportunity in the Cup, in the ACB playoff, and not getting a ticket for the quarterfinal playoff of the European competition, Alex Mumbrú He is managing to squeeze all the talent out of a renewed squad with familiar faces for the Barça fans. Next to Victor Claver, who is experiencing his third season since leaving Barça in 2021, is also Brandon Davies.
Reunion with Davies
The American center, who wore the Barça shirt for three seasons (19-22), has arrived at Valencia Basket this year after separating from Olimpia Milan. Davies signed two seasons with the Italians, but the team’s poor performance in the Euroleague, failing to qualify for the playoff prior to the Final Four, and the high signed record at the time, which made him reject the Barça renewal proposal, were compelling reasons for Ettore Messina to give him open the doors the last summer. So far, their records are 13.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in ACB and 10.2 points and 2.4 sacks in Euroleague.
Brandon Davies against BAXI Manresa ????
15 points
10 rebounds
5 assists
5 plugsRecords like this have not been seen since Arvydas Sabonis. pic.twitter.com/JaCTwC872K
— Gigantes del Basket (@GIGANTESbasket) October 23, 2023
Along with Davies, the successful start of the course has two other ‘culprits’. On the one hand, a Chris Jones that he is performing at a high level and that he is executing in the decisive moments of matches, and a Semi Ojeleye who arrived last summer from Virtus, and whose numbers are already confirming that the incorporation of the Nigerian forward was a great success.
Sin Laprovittola
In Barça key, and after accusing his absence in the third classic of the season, the situation will not change for Roger Grimau who will not be able to count on Nico Laprovittola for the duel. The Argentine did not train yesterday with the rest of his teammates and is still recovering from some discomfort in the adductor of his left leg. From the club, they are not going to take risks to accelerate a possible return to the courts, taking into account the importance of ‘Lapro’ for the team, since a more significant injury would be a bigger problem. Therefore, everything indicates that Oriol Paulí will be in charge of completing the call.
El factor Willy
For its part, Willy Hernangomez He will try to maintain his good form and punish the rival paint. The Barça center has just added 20 points and 7 rebounds in the last ACB victory against Bilbao Basket, and despite the defeat, he was able to contribute another 13 goals in the Euroleague classic.
The duel against Valencia Basket is special for a Nikola Kalinic who wore the ‘taronja’ shirt in the 20/21 season, and whose arrival at Barça, in 2022, had to be resolved in the offices to resolve the issue of the player’s rights.
The setback against Real Madrid is already part of the past, and Barça has at its disposal to achieve the sixth victory in seven ACB games and consolidate the great start in the domestic championship. To do so, they will have to overcome a Valencia team that, in front of its fans, will look for a victory that will allow them to surpass the Blaugranas in the standings.
2023-10-29 09:16:47
#Barça #recover #sensations #demanding #Valencia #Basket
