In a match that could serve as a springboard, a turning point against the eternal rival, Barça brought out their pride and raised their competitive level, but lost for the third consecutive time this season against Real Madrid in a tight final that was decided by details . Metu kept WiZink in suspense with the last triple shot, the one that would have meant Barcelona’s victory. The ball, however, bounced off the hoop and confirmed that the Blaugrana are still immersed in a losing dynamic, with eleven defeats in the last 17 games. Another tight ending with tails. Despite the close score and the good image for most of the minutes, the situation of the project led on the bench by Peñarroya remains critical, with its presence in the Cup in doubt for the first time in the club’s history and outside the playoff of the Euroleague after the first round.
In the Spanish capital, Barça put aside that image of an inconsistent team, which collapses with the first blow. He was solid in defense, although in attack he once again abused individual actions, with few tactical alternatives. On the Barcelona side, Parker, the match’s top scorer, Punter and Satoransky responded. But in the end the winner was a recovered Madrid. The whites, who came to the classic after overcoming a crisis of results, did not put together their best game and came out on top thanks to Campazzo, Blaugrana’s executioner in the last minutes.
“We will resist and improve. Now we lose all the tied finals,” said Peñarroya.
The initial jump gave way to a script more in line with the Madrid game: short possessions and transitions. Barça adapted to that scenario, with Abrines and Punter scoring from three. The fragile visitor scaffolding seemed to shake with Tavares impacting the area and with the streaks of Musa and Hezonja, which increased the white lead to nine points at the beginning of the second quarter (24-15). But the Blaugrana, who started with many lost balls, recovered from defense and guarding the defensive rebound.
Metu continued to be in tune, as he did in his return against Red Star, and Parker equalized the score with his first points. Barça took advantage of Tavares’ minutes on the bench to prevail under the basket, something that Satoransky especially took advantage of in his duels with Campazzo and Feliz. The Czech had more minutes due to Neto’s last-minute loss. The Brazilian has only played twice since he arrived to replace the injured Laprovittola. Madrid got out of the quagmire from the triple, their favorite distance, and reached the break ahead (36-31).
After the restart, the whites raised their defensive level and the Blaugrana’s offensive game was much more demanding. Those from Peñarroya mixed errors in forced shots with some circus successes from Punter, while the whites boasted of their better ball circulation. Mateo’s men came to like each other in a showtime transition, with a pass under Campazzo’s legs, which ended in Deck’s muscle injury when he attacked the rim too hard. The locals threatened to break the game, after an action by Musa (55-45), but Barça made the rubber thanks to points from Punter, Parker and a triple at the end of the third period by former Madrid player Núñez (57-51).
Both teams were caught in the tension in the final match. Errors surfaced on both teams. Madrid insisted on shooting from the perimeter, with poor percentages, and Barça rushed into numerous attacks. Until Parker, who seems to float over the hardwood, always calmly, tied the score with two three-pointers in a row. Another long shot from Punter, followed by a technical on Chus Mateo, who claimed a foul on the American’s attack, put Peñarroya’s team ahead (65-67). But Barcelona’s hopes faded in the final two minutes, starting with a possession that the referees awarded to the whites when the last one to touch the ball seemed to be Tavares. Campazzo turned the score around, from the triple and the personal line. Satoransky brought his team closer with a minute left. And Metu decided on the cruel fate of a Barça that closes a 2024 to forget.
Technical sheet:
Real Madrid, 73 – Barça,
Real Madrid (21+15+21+16): Campazzo (17), Rathan-Mayes (4), Deck (7), Musa (10), Tavares (11) -starting five-; Abalde (3), Hezonja (15), Andrés Feliz (3) and Llull (3).
Barça (15+16+20+20): Satoransky (13), Punter (12), Abrines (5), Parker (18), Vesely (4) -starting five-; Willy Hernangómez (4), Anderson (-), Núñez (3), Metu (10), Brizuela (2) and Parra (-).
Referees: Antonio Conde, Fernando Calatrava and Roberto Lucas. Vesely was excluded for five personal fouls (m.37).
Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 13 of the Endesa Basketball League played at the WiZink Center in front of 12,050 spectators. In the preview Sergio Llull received a shirt with his name, the number 620 on the back and the text “Player with the most appearances in the ACB for Real Madrid” in honor of the achievement achieved this Sunday against Barça.
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