


Rokas Jokubaitis has largely had to accept a more reduced role in FC Barcelona's offense this season, but on Thursday night at Buesa Arena, he was one of the key cogs as his team beat Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 78-85.
In Round 20, the winner of the 2022 EuroLeague Rising Star Award played his third-highest number of minutes with 22:55, while he also tied his season high for points with 13, which he set in Round 18 during a win at LCLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.
To close the first quarter on Thursday night, and with starting backcourt duo Nicolas Laprovittola and Tomas Satoransky on the bench, Jokubaitis scored 4 straight points to ensure that Barca was able to end the first 10 minutes level at 28-28.
Then, in the second quarter, Jokubaitis added to that by scoring 3 points, including 1 free throw, while he also grabbed 2 defensive rebounds and dished 3 assists. The Lithuanian guard proceeded to sit the majority of the third quarter before entering the final minutes, but he made his presence felt in the fourth, going 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and scoring a total of 6 points.
Satoransky is back available for Barca, which is good news, but Jokubaitis's 13-point night is also a welcome sight for head coach Saras Jasikevicius.