


FC Barcelona experienced a tough battle against Valencia Basket to finish the regular season on a high. The home team managed to exit Palau Blaugrana with an 85-71 win, but despite getting ahead early in the first period, the game was not decided until the last 4 minutes. A 9-0 run at that moment turned a 6-point advantage into a 83-68 gap that the visitors simply could never recover from.
One of the reasons Barca struggled to seal the outcome earlier was due to its erratic ball retention. Barca had 7 turnovers in the first period and finished with 21 overall, granting its opponent several extra possessions.
“I think we were playing very good basketball for some monents, but 21 turnovers didn’t allow us to take off," recognized Barca head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius in his post-game press conference. “I think that to score so many points in the EuroLeague with so many turnovers is a great result. We should be happy with this win and in general with the regular season."
Barca made up for its turnover woes by having a great shooting night and dominating the boards. The hosts made 13 three-points on 29 attempts (44.8% 3FG) against Valencia’s 7-of-23 (30.4% 3FG). In addition to enjoying a better night from long range, Barca almost doubled Valencia's total amount of rebounds, grabbing 43, including 14 on the offensive end. Valencia was much weaker inside, pulling down just 17 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds.