Nikola Mirotic missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime as the Barça basketball team defeated Valencia Basket 89–86 on Sunday at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona, ending the former player’s three-game winning streak in his old arena.
Palau Blaugrana Defeat Ends Mirotic Streak
Mirotic had emerged victorious in each of his three previous visits to the Palau Blaugrana—two with Armani Milano and one with AS Monaco—following his departure from Barcelona. On Sunday, however, that run concluded in the third round of the Liga Endesa. The forward finished with 10 points while struggling from beyond the arc, shooting 1-of-7 on three-pointers as Valencia converted just 7 of 31 long-range attempts as a team.
TJ Shorts led Valencia with 19 points and four assists, keeping the visitors competitive despite Barcelona’s defensive pressure.
First-Quarter Momentum Shift
Valencia established an early advantage by playing with high fluidity, claiming a 26–19 lead after the opening ten minutes behind Shorts and Mirotic. The visitors extended that margin to 28–19 early in the second quarter before Barcelona responded with a 15–2 run fueled by three-pointers from Joel Parra, Martin, and Punter to pull ahead 34–30. Mirotic, Rivero and Brooks, with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, reclaimed the lead for Valencia at 40–39 heading into halftime, surviving their 2-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc.
Defensive Adjustment Secures the Win
Barcelona shifted the momentum immediately after the interval, opening the third quarter with a 10–1 run to build a 49–41 lead. Valencia struggled to break down the defensive schemes as the hosts stretched their advantage to 64–51 late in the period. A three-pointer by Brooks failed to stop the bleeding as Barcelona pulled ahead 55–44, and while Moore and Shorts attempted to resolve the visiting stall, Rivero, Brooks, Puerto and Shorts had more success in narrowing the gap to 68–60 by the end of the third quarter. The start of the final period was frantic, with Punter, Robinson and Martin countering a fired-up Shorts to make it 75–64. Three-pointers from Reuvers and Brooks alongside drives from Sako and Moore kept Valencia dreaming at 79–76 in the 37th minute. Osetkowski answered a 2+1 play by Balcerowski with a three-pointer to make it 82–79, and after Mirotic neutralized a free throw by Punter to make it 83–81 with 1:30 remaining, Nebo and Shorts each converted a pair of free throws before Parra struck with a three-pointer to secure the decisive surge at 88–83. Mirotic and Taylor brought Valencia within two points with 13 seconds left at 88–86, but the forward missed his final three-pointer at the buzzer.
Match Statistics and Officials
The fixture drew 5,342 spectators to the Palau Blaugrana. The game was officiated by referee crew Carlos Peruga, Alberto Baena, and Andrés Fernández, with no players disqualified on fouls.
