BarcelonaTwo months after being fired from Barça, Joan Peñarroya returned to the Palau Blaugrana. The Egarenco coach of Partizan, who was received with applause, could not avoid another defeat of the Euroleague team (88-70). The Catalan team recovered from a seven-point deficit to add a new triumph and confirm the good dynamics since the arrival of Xavi Pascual, who is going well with all his decisions. Movement he makes, movement he hits.
Pascual recovered Darío Brizuela in a match without any clear hero. The triumph was a collective merit. Barça went from less to more and knew how to extract oil from their 21 assists. Jabari Parker went unnoticed in his return to Barcelona.
Barça did not start the night with the defensive tension of the last few weeks and Partizan took advantage of this to enter the match on a good footing. The Blaugrana team could only score six shots in a first quarter of low effectiveness and too many lost balls (13-20). Without scoring from the three-point line, the Catalan team took time to find a good offensive balance. Greater offensive patience and the opponent’s poor defensive predisposition allowed the locals to score 28 points in 10 minutes and reach the break with a favorable scenario (41-35).
Improved since the arrivals of Cameron Payne and Tonye Jekiri, Partizan displayed talent but little continuity in collective effort, a flaw that led to the resignation of Zeljko Obradovic a few weeks ago. Barça started the third quarter with more energy, and this caused a gap in the scoreboard, as the Serbian team went three minutes without scoring (48-35). When they accentuated their defense, the Blaugrana team was able to increase their transitions and impose their pace of play (62-50).
Vesely, at the key moment
After a strangely unproductive stretch of the game, Jan Vesely added his usual contribution to a team that is full of inside players. His medium-distance shots decongested the attack of a Barça that suffered more than other days to optimize the spaces. The home difference grew to 17 points four and a half minutes from the end, when Partizan ran out of options to surprise the Palau Blaugrana (77-60). The last efforts of the visiting team did not disturb the fans who, for a few weeks, have recovered their self-esteem.
