The Barcelona basketball team steals the home court advantage from Unicaja
The Barcelona basketball team, led by an outstanding Kevin Punter, managed to secure a victory in overtime against Unicaja at the Martín Carpena. This Tuesday, in the first game of the quarter-finals of the ‘Playoffs’ of the Liga Endesa, Barcelona emerged victorious with a score of 97-101. This result allowed the Catalan team to snatch the home court advantage from the Malaga-based team and set themselves up with a ‘match ball’ opportunity to advance to the semifinals at the Palau Blaugrana on Friday.
Despite being behind until the final moments of the third quarter, Joan Peñarroya’s team rallied in the closing minutes to establish a +6 lead. However, this lead slipped away as Unicaja fought back under the direction of Ibon Navarro. Nevertheless, two free throws from American forward Justin Anderson, who missed the third shot for the win, sent the game into overtime.
The final score of 12-16 in the extra period sealed the fate of the game, giving Barcelona the home court advantage. The Catalan team played without Nico Laprovittola, Juan Núñez, Chimezie Metu, Jan Vesely, and the absent Dame Sarr. Guard Kevin Punter, with 21 points and 29 efficiency rating, and power forward Jabari Parker, with 20 points, led Barcelona’s offense in Costa del Sol.
Barcelona started with an 0-8 run, halted by a basket from American forward Kameron Taylor, causing concern among the fans at Martín Carpena. However, Unicaja quickly responded and managed to level the score at 13-13. A 19-5 run allowed them to take the lead and head into the second quarter with a 21-16 advantage.
By keeping their opponent away from the three-point line and capitalizing on turnovers, the Malaga-based team imposed their defensive prowess, relying on outside shooting to extend their lead. A three-pointer from Canadian Melvin Ejim gave them a 28-18 lead with six and a half minutes remaining in the first half.
Despite the efforts of Joan Peñarroya’s team, with 11 points from Jabari Parker and free throws from Kevin Punter, Unicaja extended their lead further. The local team, led by guard Tyson Carter with 13 points at halftime, built an 11-point lead (46-35) before it was reduced to nine by a basket from Joel Parra (46-37).
After the break, missed opportunities by Unicaja breathed new life into Barcelona, who closed the gap to 51-47 with fast breaks that prevented Unicaja’s defense from settling. Nevertheless, Unicaja’s three-point shooting kept Barcelona at bay.
Six consecutive free throws narrowed the gap to 60-59, and a depleted Unicaja squad allowed Alex Abrines to give Barcelona a lead of 60-62 heading into the final quarter.
Barcelona built a six-point lead (67-73), but Unicaja clawed back, tying the game at 73-73 with five minutes remaining. Guard Kendrick Perry scored five straight points to put Unicaja ahead at 78-74.
With 2:40 left, center David Kravish’s put-back brought Unicaja closer to victory. Kevin Punter’s free throws reduced the deficit, and a foul by Tyson Pérez on Justin Anderson with two seconds left gave Anderson the chance to win the game. He made the first two free throws but missed the third, sending the game into overtime.
The overtime period was filled with back-and-forth action, and Unicaja’s struggles from the free-throw line allowed Barcelona to pull away with a 3-8 run. Anderson’s three-pointer extended Barcelona’s lead to +7 (92-99) with 58 seconds remaining. Despite pressure from Unicaja, Barcelona held on for the win and will now look to close out the series at home on Friday.
TECHNICAL SHEET:
- RESULT: UNICAJA 97 – BARÇA 101 (46-37 at halftime).
TEAMS:
- UNICAJA: Díaz (6), Carter (13), Taylor (10), Osetkowski (5), Sima (4) – starting five; Pérez (12), Perry (12), Djedovic (8), Ejim (5), Kalinoski (3), Tillie (8), Kravish (11).
- BARÇA: Satoransky (-), Punter (21), Anderson (16), Parker (20), Fall (11) – starting five; Brizuela (12), Hernangómez (9), Parra (9), Abrines (3), Villar (-).
- QUARTER SCORES: 21-16, 25-21, 14-25, 25-23, 12-16.
- REFEREES: García González, Araña, and Martínez. No players fouled out.
- VENUE: José María Martín Carpena Sports Palace.