Barça beats Maccabi Tel-Aviv 90-87 with Justin Robinson three

Barça secured a dramatic 90-87 victory over Maccabi Rapyd Tel-Aviv in the fifth round of the EuroLeague regular season, lifting the club into the sixth position and playoff territory with a 3-2 record. Justin Robinson delivered the decisive play at the Palau Blaugrana, sinking a three-pointer with just one second remaining on the clock to break an 87-87 tie.

Robinson’s Late Three-Pointer Settles the Contest

The game hung in the balance inside the final minute following a controversial foul called against Joel Parra. Iffe Lundberg was involved in a potential ‘flopping’ incident, allowing Maccabi to equalize at 87-87 with 51 seconds remaining, capping a frantic Maccabi comeback. Kevin Punter had previously pushed the advantage to 87-84 with 30 seconds left before the visiting side drew level. Left with the final possession, Robinson stepped behind the perimeter and released the game-winner, sealing the third continental win of the campaign for Aleksander Sekulic’s squad. BARÇA’s starting lineup featured Robinson (11), Punter (19), Martin (7), Parra (11) and Balcerowski (6), with contributions from Gibson (13), Umude (-), Brizuela (1), Ubal (6), Nkamhoua (5), Evbuomwan (6) and Nebo (5), while Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv was represented by players including Madar (22) and Lundberg.

Punter and Gibson Lead the Scoring Effort

The Catalan side weathered a stellar performance from Maccabi guard Yam Madar, who led all scorers with 22 points and recorded a game-high 31 index rating. To counter Madar, the hosts relied on a dominant American backcourt tandem. Kevin Punter paced the team with 19 points and a 21 valuation, while Umoja Gibson caught fire after halftime to finish with 13 points, all of them scored in the second half. The visitors had taken a 40-42 lead into halftime after shooting 9 of 18 from beyond the arc during the opening two quarters.

Zalgiris Defeat Prompts Palau Recovery

The hard-fought triumph allowed the club to restore European strength at the Palau Blaugrana following an 81-88 home defeat to Zalgiris. Sekulic’s players previously regained momentum in the domestic Liga Endesa by defeating Valencia Basket 89-86. Against Maccabi, in a fixture designated as high risk by anti-violence authorities, the hosts built early control in the paint through an initial 7-3 advantage featuring five points from Punter before the Israeli side countered with perimeter shooting, nailing five of 11 attempts in the opening period. Daniel Theis advanced the visitors ahead 14-16 late in the quarter, and a personal foul by Stanley Umude enabled Bonzie Colson to claim a 18-21 edge. A triple by Martin and a basket from Punter narrowed the gap to 23-24 at the end of the opening ten minutes. Olivier Nkamhoua pushed the hosts back in front at 26-24 early in the second quarter before defences took over, with 6.75-metre shooting serving as the primary scoring avenue. Tyrise Martin missed two consecutive uncontested three-point attempts, allowing Oded Kattash’s squad to consolidate their advantage before the intermission despite Joel Parra missing a buzzer-beating triple attempt. Three free throws by Punter, two by Justin Robinson, and a Parra triple initiated the second half at 45-42. Yam Madar scored the next ten points for the Tel Aviv side amid a back-and-forth sequence, leaving the culers ahead 67-64 heading into the final period via a buzzer-beating basket from Parra. Agustín Ubal converted free throws to extend the margin, and a perimeter shot from Punter created a six-point cushion at 74-68, prompting a visiting timeout. Umoja Gibson and Parra pushed the gap wider to 83-75 before Madar responded at 85-80, setting up the tense final minute where the hosts ran down the clock through drawn-out possessions.

Olympiacos Awaits in Next EuroLeague Test

The schedule offers no respite for the Catalan team as preparations begin immediately for the next continental fixture. Reigning EuroLeague champions Olympiacos visit the Palau Blaugrana on Friday for another demanding test in the regular-season schedule.