“We wanted to come in and show who we are,” Will Clyburn said after Barcelona's win over Zvezda
Clyburn, Brizuela shine as Barça sinks Zvezda in Belgrade Arena déjà vu
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 14 of 38
Regular Season
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
7989
FC BarcelonaBAR
Overview
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Will Clyburn and Dario Brizuela seem to like the Belgrade Arena floor. The FC Barcelona duo starred on Friday night, helping the Blaugrana to continue their dominance against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, at least when it comes to the games played in the Serbian capital.
Barcelona beat Zvezda 79-89, registering its seventh consecutive road win over Belgrade’s red-and-white club, which has not beaten the Spanish side on its home floor since October 2017.
Heading into the game, it might have seemed like a perfect opportunity for Zvezda to bring an end to this streak after seven consecutive home wins – and having won nine of its last 11 games – saw it secure a share of the EuroLeague’s best record.
However, Zvezda ran into a Barcelona side ready to battle, play physical basketball and run in transition.
“We wanted to come in and show who we are,” Clyburn said in his post-game interview with EuroLeague TV.
“Everybody showed up, everybody came to play. It didn’t matter if they were sitting on the bench for a while, they came in and did their part. Especially a guy like Miles [Norris] that’s been struggling a little bit, he came and gave us great minutes off the bench.”
Norris had 4 points but grabbed 5 rebounds, including 3 on the offensive end. Also, Kevin Punter posted 14 points and 6 assists on his return to Belgrade, while Toko Shengelia netted 15 points, with both players making key buckets in the fourth quarter.
However, it was Clyburn and Brizuela who were making the shots when the visitors needed it most.
Other than the opening basket, Barcelona never trailed in the game, but it did have to fight off multiple rallies by the energetic home team.
The visitors opened an early 4-15 lead by repeatedly scoring fast-break baskets, but Zvezda tied it at 21-21 early in the second quarter. That’s when Clyburn stepped up, scoring 15 second-quarter points and netting 20 before halftime, shooting an identical 4 for 5 on both twos and threes in the first two quarters.
It led to Barcelona restoring its double-digit lead, taking a 39-46 edge into halftime and opening a 42-52 margin in the third quarter. Zvezda replied with a 10-0 run and the hosts had all the momentum, all while Clyburn had to sit on the bench with three personal fouls.
That’s when Brizuela stepped up.
He scored 9 straight points for the visitors to remain in front. When Zvezda made yet another push, roared on by a sell-out crowd, to get within 62-63 early in the fourth, Brizuela nailed an eight-meter triple to spark a 0-11 run. Barcelona went on to hold the hosts without a field goal for nearly 5 minutes, avoiding any further drama.
When it comes to big and clutch performances on the Belgrade Arena floor, Clyburn and Brizuela have done it before.
Just over a month ago, in this same venue, Clyburn hit a game-winning three-pointer from the logo to sink Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. Meanwhile, Brizuela had one of his best EuroLeague performances in a road win over Zvezda in February 2024 when he netted a career-best 6 three-pointers in a 9-point win.
On Friday night, Brizuela spent just 14 minutes on the floor but scored 14 of his 17 points late in the third and in the fourth quarter, making 3-of-6 three-pointers. Clyburn finished with 22 points after a dominant first half.
When one stopped, the other continued, giving Barcelona a continuous offensive production.
On the other hand, Barcelona was steady on defense, forcing Zvezda into a number of tough shots, which pleased head coach Xavi Pascual.
“Defensively, we were on a good level the whole game,” Pascual pointed out. “In the second half we only had 6 turnovers and controlled defensive rebounds better.”
“We are on a good way, but there is a long way in front of us. We need at least one more month to build the level we want to achieve. But the most important is to be healthy.”
