Historic Unicaja against Barça | Basketball | Sports

ACB day 16

UnicajaBarçaUnicaja players celebrate a triple against Nikola KalinicJorge Zapata (EFE)

Unicaja wrote a new page in its history. Against Barcelona, ​​in a packed Martín Carpena, Ibon Navarro’s men achieved their 12th consecutive victory, a new record for the Malaga club that is going through one of its best moments, second in the ACB and current Cup champions. Quite the opposite for Barça, immersed in a reconstruction that is not yet ready. Sixth defeat in nine games for Grimau’s team, which makes it difficult for them to advance to the Copa del Rey as seeds.

The atmosphere at Carpena was a great night. Nobody wanted to fall. The coach, Sergio Scariolo, the coach with whom Unicaja achieved its previous record of 11 consecutive wins, did not want to miss the match. The meeting also had the intrigue of how Carpena would receive Brizuela, who was one of its emblems, now dressed in Barça. The Malaga pavilion gave him a standing ovation at the presentation of the teams, but that was as far as the affection went. Once the game got underway, the green tide only pushed in favor of their team.

Barça started the game more firmly, driven by a fired-up Parra in the first quarter (11 points with three of three in triples). The Blaugrana took the first set with authority (19-26), but it was nothing more than a mirage. Between the doubts that the team drags and the step forward of Unicaja, the field tilted and the storm broke out. After a partial start of 10-2, Navarro’s men regained control of the game (29-28) and did not slow down until they left Barça a good distance away (48-37 at halftime). Barça’s second quarter was one to forget, with 7 turnovers and Laprovittola frustrated and penalized with a technical for a ball at Perry.

Martín Carpena was a boiler that came to a boil when he realized that his team was not collapsing, but rather was holding its own against the team that just a few months ago unseated them in the ACB semifinals. Barcelona gritted their teeth, with Willy and Satoransky pulling the car, but they never got closer than 9 points. Seeing that victory was slipping away from them, the Blaugrana lowered their arms and Unicaja made one last push to certify the beating: +20 (89-69) with one minute remaining.

Full stop for a dream 2023 for composers. Ibon Navarro’s men will take the grapes as second place in the ACB and current Cup champions. Barça, who will play on Friday against Monaco, still has a lot of work ahead of them for 2024.

Unicaja, 91 – Barcelona, ​​71

Unicaja: Perry (6), Taylor (12), Djedovic (-), Osetkowski (15), Kravish (6) – starting five – Ejim (5), Kalinoski (12), Díaz (4), Carter (8), Lima (-), Thomas (16), Sima (7).

Barcelona: Laprovittola (10), Satoransky (5), Parra (11), Parker (8), Vesely (11) – initial quintet – Da Silva (-), Pauli (-), Brizuela (5), Kalinic (8) , Hernangómez (9), Nnaji (-), Jokubaitis (4).

Referees: Emilio Pérez Pizarro, Rafael Serrano and Rubén Sánchez Mohedas

Partials: 19-26; 29-11; 21-23; 22-11

José María Martín Carpena Sports Palace: 10,681 spectators. 16th day of the Endesa League.

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2023-12-27 22:41:29
#Historic #Unicaja #Barça #Basketball #Sports