Despite missing two key players and losing another to 5 fouls in the fourth quarter, Barca held on for a quality win.
Barca overcame injuries, foul trouble to beat Olympiacos
FC Barcelona had to battle hard to beat Olympiacos Piraeus 86-78 in Round 20 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. It overcame adversities before and throughout the game to claim its 13th win in 20 games.
Barca started the game without center James Nnaji and shooting guard Nico Laprovittola, who joined Alex Abrines in the team's injury list. That left head coach Roger Grimau with fewer options at center and one pure shooting guard, Dario Brizuela, available for this game.
Led by an outstanding Jabari Parker, who had 11 points in a 18-7 opening run, Barca was ahead of the Reds for the best part of the game. Olympiacos rallied from that double-digit margin and took a 40-41 lead near halftime. An outstanding Willy Hernangomez allowed Barca to get a 75-61 margin late in the third quarter but the ever-resilient Olympiacos came back again.
Barca had to face more bad news: Jan Vesely, its fourth-quarter go-to guy in its wins against Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, fouled out in a critical moment, when Olympiacos had rallied within 79-76 with 4 minutes remaining. Barca improved its defense when it mattered most and its most experienced players played decisive roles.
Hernangomez grabbed a critical offensive rebound, drew a foul and made free throws. Nikola Kalinic buried a five-meter jumper from the top of the key. While the ball was in the air, Hernangomez was fouled, which allowed the hosts to get the ball back. By the time playmaker Tomas Satoransky struck from downtown, Barce had sealed the outcome.
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When the dust settled, Hernangomez finished the game with 16 points while Kalinic and Satoransky each added 13. Along with Parker, they combined for a PIR of 75, more than the entire Olympiacos team (72).
"We fought really hard against a really good team, really well-coached so a big win for us," Hernangomez said. "Great year so far, 2024, for us. We fought really hard. We must win every single game here, at Palau."
"We were a little bit short-handed and the ups and downs are normal, but I am super happy that we were able to defend well at the end because the offense didn't work for us at the end of the game and we were able to win it," Satoransky added. "It is super important to keep adding victories, especially at home."