The fans inside Palau Blaugrana saw a bit of history on Friday night
Barcelona breaks club record in home-opening win against Valencia
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 3 of 38
Regular Season
FC BarcelonaBAR
108102
Valencia BasketVBC
Overview
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FC Barcelona recently lost two of its point guards to injury, but its remaining backcourt stars stepped up in a big way against Valencia Basket in Round 3.
This was a highly anticipated game for several reasons. After playing three consecutive road contests across both competitions, Barcelona returned to Palau Blaugrana for its home opener. Valencia, meanwhile, came into the bout undefeated, having defeated the Blaugrana at Roig Arena in Spanish League action just five days earlier.
Facing Valencia had previously meant struggling to match the high tempo and intensity of coach Pedro Martinez’s team, but not this time. Barcelona rose to the occasion, securing a 108-102 victory. In the process, the Spanish side set a new club record in the EuroLeague with its 108 points, having never scored that many before in a non-overtime game.
So, what total did coach Joan Penarroya's men beat? Barcelona had actually scored 107 points twice in regulation, doing so against Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir (107-79) in 2015 and against Anadolu Efes Istanbul (83-107) in 2018. However, the club’s all-time scoring record remains the 111 points it scored in an 111-109 overtime home win over UNICS Kazan on December 22, 2021.
Despite missing the injured Juan Nunez and Nico Laprovittola, Barca tallied 24 assists and committed just 13 turnovers. The team’s primary ballhandlers rose to the challenge, ensuring a victorious home debut.
Kevin Punter was everywhere on Friday night, leading the way with 27 points and 7 assists. When Valencia took an 85-88 lead with just over six minutes remaining, Punter teamed up with Myles Cale and Jan Vesely to spark an 11-1 run that put Barcelona ahead for good at 96-89. Punter then nailed three more clutch shots to fend off Valencia’s comeback attempts.
“First game at Palau and obviously, it was a much-needed win. Valencia is a good team but I’m glad we were able to protect our home court in the first game of the season. We just have to keep it going,” Punter said after the game. “I try to work hard on my game and am extra confident. My team believes in me, so we have to keep going.”
All eyes were on Tomas Satoransky, who delivered a well-rounded performance with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and no turnovers – earning a PIR of 26, just shy of his career-high 28 against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on December 30, 2022. Dario Brizuela battled foul trouble throughout the game, but when Valencia closed the gap to 96-92, he hit a crucial three-pointer. Moments later, Punter ensured Barca coasted to a memorable home win.
“It was a very difficult, tough, physical game against Valencia. They play very fast, with lots of possessions, rebounds, and three-pointers. You can never feel safe with any lead. We played them six days ago in the ACB, so we really wanted this win. It was a tough game, and I think we still need to improve defensively if we want to grow as a group and as a team. That’s still ahead of us, but today our game flowed a bit better.”
Valencia fought back from two double-digit deficits and finished with outstanding shooting percentages: 71.4% on two-pointers, 44.8% from beyond the arc, and 81.3% from the free-throw line. It was a high-quality contest, as evidenced by the combined PIR of 240 (126-114).
“It was a good basketball game. Both teams played really well on offense,” Coach Martinez said in the post-game press conference. “We made a great effort to come back in the fourth quarter, but they made some unbelievable shots with a lot of quality. You always feel you could have done more on defense, but you have to acknowledge the talent and quality of your opponents, who were excellent offensively in the final stretch.”
“We’re happy with the win in our first game at Palau this season. It was important to start strong against a tough opponent that plays with a lot of rhythm and possessions,” said Barca head coach Joan Penarroya.
“They’re known for high-scoring games. It was surely entertaining for the fans—maybe a bit less so for us coaches. We know these are high-scoring affairs, and I’m very pleased with how we played offensively, how we read the game, and the balance we showed.”
Both teams have now scored over 100 points twice in just three games this season. Coming up in Round 4, Valencia hosts Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv on Wednesday, October 15. A day earlier, Barca visits Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv.
