Jasikevicius enjoyed his return to OAKA: 'One of the coolest 20 seconds of my season' / News - Basketnews.com

Following Barcelona's win over Panathinaikos, Sarunas Jasikevicius expressed his feelings from his return to OAKA.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Against hosts Panathinaikos Athens, FC Barcelona racked up their 20th EuroLeague win of the season, reaching a number that allows them to once again qualify for the playoffs.

Player of the Game EFF 26 Tomas Satoransky Points 8 Accuracy 1-3 Rebounds 9 Assists 9

It was Barca's fourth win at OAKA, this time facing an injury-plagued PAO side, as Dwayne Bacon and Mateusz Ponitka were out with injuries.

But Mike Tobey and Nikola Mirotic were there for Barcelona, and their presence paid dividends, especially in the second half.

The American big man recorded a season-high 16 points, while the Montenegrin forward scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half. Mirotic also exploded at the beginning of the third quarter, when he produced 10 straight points in less than two minutes.

The two hit eight (8/14) of Barcelona's 12 made three-point shots and scored almost half (42) of their team's points (88).

The play with Mike Tobey taking advantage of his outside shot in pick-and-pop situations was one of the things Barca coach Sarunas Jasikevicius addressed in the postgame presser.

"Every time you win a EuroLeague game, you have to be happy. We found some solutions with Mike Tobey and Niko Mirotic. I think our rebounding was amazing after the first quarter. But 18 turnovers shows we were lacking some things in concentration in some situations. But here it's not easy and we found a way [to win]," Saras initially pointed out.

"We understood that [Giorgos] Papagiannis and [Arturas] Gudaitis wouldn't come out of the paint a lot. Papagiannis is a guy who sometimes switches in switch defense, but Gudaitis isn't. Papagiannis was hurting us in the first half with his pick and pops and playing in the high post, while Gudaitis was hurting us in the low post," Jasikevicius explained.

FC Barcelona / Schedule

FC Barcelona Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade85-79 Panathinaikos Athens FC Barcelona74-88 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade FC BarcelonaTue18:30 FC Barcelona ALBA Berlin03-3018:30

"They both had to stay in the game. We were expecting Panathinaikos to use different lineups [than they did], but maybe Panathinaikos couldn't play with them because of the injuries," the Lithuanian tactician argued.

Jasikevicius, who played for Panathinaikos from 2007 to 2010, and then again in the 2011-12 season, has been cheered upon and applauded by fans at the OAKA arena whenever Zalgiris Kaunas or FC Barcelona have visited Athens. On Thursday night, the crowd wasn't too big, but the reaction and the reception were the same.

"I want to thank PAO people for the great welcome.It's not the first time I say it, but probably it's one of the coolest 20 seconds of my season from the entrance to OAKA to the bench.

It obviously brings huge memories when you enter OAKA. I have a great relationship with the fans, which hopefully will continue for a long time. I'm very happy every time I come to Athens," he repeated.

Jasikevicius, 47, was asked about the pressure that Barcelona, as an organization, is feeling, as the end of the regular season is approaching.

The 4-time EuroLeague winner as a player recalled that since he was competing for European titles as a junior at 16, the pressure was always there.

"It's very welcome and a great thing to have," he commented.

"Teams that don't have pressure don't compete for anything. So, we want the pressure. Our team has experienced players and I think we're improving as the months go on. It's a good thing."

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