Jasikevicius comments on Real Madrid's situation, praises Laprovittola ahead of 'clasico' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: David Ramirez/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire Credit David Ramirez/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire

FC Barcelona coach Sarunas Jasikevicius expects Real Madrid's visit this Sunday to the Palau Blaugrana (18.30 CET) to be "an ugly, tough game", especially in the beginning.

"We expect a typical 'clasico'. We have to try to see what happened to us in the Spanish Cup. In those games, the most important thing is always the 50-50 balls, physical and mental toughness," the Lithuanian coach said at a press conference on Saturday.

Saras downplayed the impact of an eventual victory for his side: "The blows last a couple of days, there is a lot of noise in the press and the next day you start from scratch. Tomorrow, we will start from scratch, no matter how each team arrives at the game. If you're not ready to suffer, you will end badly."

Asked about the situation at Real Madrid, with Pablo Laso publicly stating that former Barca guard Thomas Heurtel and forward Trey Thompkins have been permanently excluded from the team, Jasikevicius admitted to having an opinion on the matter but avoided sharing it:

"I don't need to have an opinion on what's going on in Madrid. Their coach is handling the situation in the best way possible for their team. It's up to them and us to do our thing".

The 47-year-old tactician also revealed Brandon Davies will most likely not play, adding that he's tried to "give Nicolas Laprovittola and Kyle Kuric some rest."

The Lithuanian coach praised the contribution of the Argentinean guard, pointing out that "he's given us many things: game with the ball, defense on the ball, many three-point shots and this ability to break some games because when 'Lapro' is on a roll it is very difficult to stop and he's able to make three or four shots in a row in a very short period. It's been a really good thing for us."

But Jasikevicius didn't stay there. Going futher with his praise of Laprovittola, called the former Real Madrid guard "a very well-liked guy in the locker room. He started with a lot of patience, learning a system he wasn't used to, and he stepped up when we had problems with Higgins and Calathes," he said.

"For me it is very important to have these types of players who can play in two positions," explained Jasikevicius.

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