[Sport] Davies and free throws save Barça against Zenit

[#Steeven.™]

The Catalans tied the series (1-1) after beating the Russian team in extra time.

The drama flew over the ancient Palau Blaugrana for many minutes, where Barcelona had to sweat ink to defeat Zenit in extra time (81-78). The Catalans equal the series (1-1), but will fly to Saint Petersburg with a ton of doubts on the plane. Only the heroic performance of Brandon Davies (22 + 😎 and an incredible car of free throws (37/44), almost half of their points came from 4.60, allowed them to defeat the Russians, who without the injured Gudaitis , but with Pangos (23) and Thomas (17) as bosses, they stood up to the end.

Jasikevicius said in the previous one that his team had worsened since the Copa del Rey. And he is not wrong. Without a compass in attack, with Mirotic missing in action (8 points with 2/8 shots), only Davies and Higgins's wrist (15 points with 9/9 free throws) saved him from burning on a day when Pau Gasol , a starter since his debut, did not play for a minute. He did not deserve the Spanish legend, and less at his age, to suffer on the court as his team did. Because the tragedy was chewed from the initial jump.

Barça perpetrated a horrifying first act. Haunted by anxiety and the great Russian defense, he only scored four baskets in play (2/8 t2 and 1/3 triples). For 13 minutes they played the tran-tran proposed by Zenit, pure chloroform by Xavi Pascual. Pangos, less lucid this time, Thomas and Black set the slow but sure pace of the Russians (15-21, min 13). Each attack by Barça was an ordeal. Neither fluency, nor shot, nor anything despite the eight changes of Jasikevicius. Collective madness.

Davies had to appear, stubborn as he alone, to attack with everything and everyone and get his team out of the flat encephalogram with nine points that fueled his team's self-esteem with a 12-0 in four minutes (27-21, min 16 ). The pivot spurred on Barça, who began to believe and took command from defense while Smits consolidated his advantage with two triples (38-29, min 20) and many free throws, 19 until halftime (15/19), for only five of the Russians (4/5).

Higgins put the maximum (41-31), but Zenit slept the game again, anesthetizing the attack of the Catalans, who only scored three baskets in play in the third quarter. Mirotic (five points until then), personified better than anyone so much nonsense. And the Russians grew with a partial of 5/15 with two triples from Hollins, one from Thomas and the percussion of Baron and Pangos (46-46, min 30).

Zenit already had the game where they wanted and the triples from Pangos and Hollins confirmed their faith (53-54, min 33). Then Davies appeared again to revive his team with 10 points (61-58, min 37). Pangos missed a technique on Jasikevicius when he missed two free throws, but a 2 + 1 from Black, two free throws from Thomas and another two from Pangos tightened the rope around Barça's neck (66-66, 40 seconds from the end). Mirotic, completing an unfortunate day, forced a bad shot at 20 ', but Pangos also did not score on the horn and the game went into extra time (66-66).

Zenit pushed in overtime, first by Black and Hollins (68-71, min 42) and then by Pangos (71-74, min 44). But Barça resurfaced with a miraculous triple by Hanga, the only Barça basket in an overtime in which he fired 12 free throws. In the face to cross, a robbery of the ball from Hanga to Baron 15 seconds from the end, and another to Pangos at the end decided the balance of the culé side (81-78).