Regular Season
Round 28 of 34
Regular Season
Valencia BasketVBC
7888
FC BarcelonaBAR
Overview
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Barcelona's defense changed tide in the second half
Article
3 Mins read
Valencia Basket came into its Spanish derby with FC Barcelona as the team with the more acclaimed defense, but it was Barcelona that came up with a stronger defense in the second half to earn an important win.
With three teams just one victory behind in the standings, Barcelona used a strong defensive second half and good work after offensive rebounds to knock off Valencia 78-88.
“I am happy that we managed to get ourselves focused, especially in the second half. We didn’t turn the ball over a lot and we got the win. We matched their intensity and it got us a win,” said Jan Vesely, who led the way with 21 points.
Valencia came into the game allowing just 76.4 points per game - the second-fewest in the league. And the hosts ranked first in the league in defensive three-point shooting at 32.1%. Barcelona scored 88 points and made 10 of 24 three-pointers (41.7%).
“They are an incredible defensive team. We managed to find solutions in the second half and played tougher and that gave us the result,” added Nikola Kalinic, who had 13 points in the win.
Barcelona struggled to handle the ball in the first half with 10 turnovers. But just as importantly, Coach Roger Grimau’s men forced just 1 Valencia turnover, and the home side had an advantage of 13-0 in points off turnovers and 12-2 in fast break points in the first half.
Barcelona ended up with 19 turnovers - though it dished out 26 assists. But the winning team forced 11 Valencia turnovers in the second half, coming up with 14 points off those miscues.
Barcelona also controlled the boards 37-25 including 11-8 on offensive rebounds. That led to a 17-10 advantage on second-chance points.
Valencia also made just 6 of 28 three-pointers (21.4%) in an area of the game where Barcelona’s defense actually excels. The Catalan team ranked fourth in opposing three-point percentage at just 34.4%. Barcelona proved once again that it too can play some good defense - even matching one of the best defenses in the league.