Barcelona triumph in 'clasico' over Real Madrid as Kuric-Sanli make the difference / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

FC Barcelona (12-3) exited the Wizink Center with an 85-75 (18-24, 24-16, 21-14, 22-21) win over Real Madrid (16-2) in the Spanish derby for the ACB League.

FC Barcelona / Schedule

UNIKS Kazan FC Barcelona70-64 FC Barcelona LDLC ASVEL VilleurbanneThu20:00

The guests took a double-digit lead in the third quarter and despite Madrid's comeback midway through the fourth quarter, they were able to close the game smoothly.

Kyle Kuric and Sertac Sanli were Barca's first scorers with 17 points apiece. The American sharpshooter went 5/8 from the field, while the Turkish big man hit 7/13 and grabbed 5 rebounds.

However, it was Nicolas Laprovittola who won MVP honors thanks to his all-around game (9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists).

Walter Tavares scored 12 for Real Madrid in a losing effort, with Sergio Llull adding 11.

Despite the fact that Barcelona got the upper hand early in the game (7-12), the hosts quickly picked up, and thanks to the Yabusele-Tavares-Taylor trio, they managed to close the first quarter with a six-point lead (24-18).

On the other side, Nikola Mirotic was obviously influenced by his COVID struggle and only stayed on the court for 23 minutes overall.

Kyle Kuric got off screens to execute with precision, scoring a total of 11 points in the first half. Barca forced Real to bad decisions and broken plays, while Brandon Davies became a dominant figure inside the paint.

The American center scored 8 points, dished out 3 assists in the second quarter alone, causing a lot of damage to Poirier and Tavares. As if Davies were not enough, Sertac Sanli took the reigns scoring 11 points in the second quarter. That was maybe the game's decisive point.

No matter what the hosts did, their pick n' roll defense didn't allow them to get any closer.

Points this season

49%83,0Points made:83,0Accuracy:48,5%Place in standings:1Record max:111Record min:64Best scorer:Nikola MiroticTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Roland Smits gave the guests their biggest lead in the derby (68-56) with less than seven minutes left. That was Barca's first out of two field goals in the fourth quarter but it didn't hurt one bit in the long run.

However, Real reacted instantly since the Catalans were unable to capitalize on their overall superiority. Williams-Goss scored an and-one to cut down the deficit and Poirier dunked it, putting pressure on Jasikevicius' men.

Barca went scoreless for almost three minutes, allowing their rivals to go on a 0-10 run (66-68). From then on, the game turned into a thriller.

Alberto Abalde took a couple of three-point shots that missed the mark, while committing an offensive foul on Laprovittola, mistakes that Barca players punished. The Catalan side drew fouls scoring easy points from the charity stripe. In fact, Barca didn't even need a field goal in the contest's final stretch in order to build a clear advantage (76-69) going into the last minute.

Nikola Mirotic put his signature with a game-ending three-point shot in front of Gabriel Deck, making it 73-81 with only 20 seconds remaining.

Seconds after the buzzer and during the customary handshake, coaches Pablo Laso and Sarunas Jasikevicius had a quarrel which was captured by cameras.

The game was interrupted at the ninth minute in order to pay an emotional tribute to Felipe Reyes.

The former Real Madrid big man, who won 23 trophies with the club, took the centre stage, thanking fans for their support throughout his 17-year-long tenure.

"It's been an incredible 17 years, where we managed to accomplish many goals and make the dreams of many fans come true. You will always part of my family and I ask you to keep supporting the best club in the world," he said.

Real Madrid: Walter Tavares 12 (6/6 FG, 3 REB), Sergio Llull 11 , Vincent Poirier 8 (4 REB), Alberto Abalde 8 (3 REB, 3 AST), Guerschon Yabusele 7.

FC Barcelona: Kyle Kuric 17 (5/8 FG, 3/3 FT, 3 REB), Sertac Sanli 17 (7/13 FG, 2/2 FT, 5 REB), Nikola Mirotic 13 (3/7 FG, 4/5 FT, 4 REB), Nicolas Laprovittola 9 (3/8 FG, 3/3 FT, 5 REB, 6 AST).

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