In a game for the ages, the Blaugrana beat Baskonia after three overtime periods
Barcelona, Baskonia make history at Palau Blaugrana in triple-overtime epic
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 17 of 38
Regular Season
FC BarcelonaBAR
134124
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizKBA
Overview
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It was a night to remember at Palau Blaugrana, one that those lucky fans who were in the building will never, ever forget. FC Barcelona needed three overtimes to beat Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 134-124 in epic fashion, against all odds, rallying several times during the game behind spectacular performances from Kevin Punter and Tomas Satoransky.
Let's start with the obvious records. Barca broke the EuroLeague's all-time scoring record, which belonged to Real Madrid in a 130-126 quadruple-overtime win against Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Indeed, Baskonia's 124 points is also a new club record and the fifth-best scoring mark in EuroLeague history. Punter finished the game with 43 points, a new club record and the fourth highest-scoring mark in competition history, only behind Nigel Hayes-Davis (50), Shane Larkin (49) and Sasha Vezenkov (45).
The special thing, however, is not what happened, but how it happened.
Barca trailed for the majority of the game. Baskonia led 47-53 at halftime and boosted its margin to 51-64 midway through the third quarter. Right after that, Will Clyburn left the game with an injury and didn't return. Remember, Barca was already without injured big men Toko Shengelia and Jan Vesely. In desperate need of a go-to guy, Punter and Satoransky put their team on their backs and started to make things happen on offense.
Satoransky had two points in the opening 25 minutes and finished the game with 23, a new career high, while he also posted 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Punter had 29 points in the final 28 minutes of the game, finding good looks from all angles. Baskonia still led 89-94 with less than 2 minutes left in regulation but Satoransky hit a three-pointer, Punter scored around the basket and Nico Laprovittola soon gave his team a 97-94 lead. There was more drama, though, as Markus Howard nailed his sixth three-pointer from as many attempts to send the game to overtime. He was 11 of 11 from the field at that point.
Punter was Barca's hero in the first two overtime sessions. He scored seven of his team's nine points in the first extra period for a 106-106 tie. Baskonia managed to get a 107-116 lead with less than three minutes left in the second extra period, but Punter had other ideas. He exploded with 13 points in less than 3 minutes, including a driving layup that sent the game to triple overtime, 122-122, with 0.1 seconds left. Punter eventually found help from Satoransky and Willy Hernangomez, who combined for all of Barca's points in a 12-0 run that sealed the outcome. Exhausted, Baskonia was limited to just two points in the final 5 minutes.
"At the end of the second overtime, we were nine points down and it looked like we had lost the game," coach Xavi Pascual said in the post-game press conference. "We had that great moment of Kevin, who brought us back into the game and tied it. During this whole process, I thought about one thing: what I would tell my players in the locker room, win or lose. And what I would tell them is that I am proud of them of everything they have done, of all the effort, of everything."
As in every good story, Barca had some unsung heros. Laprovittola returned from injury to get 7 points and 4 assists in 19 minutes. Youngster Sayon Keita saw extended playing time at center and made the most of it, finishing the game with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block and a PIR of 15. Barca ended up amassing a team PIR of 152, a new club record. Its previous best was a team PIR of 140 in a 67-103 road victory over ALBA Berlin on Nocember 5, 2020.
After the game, Punter and Satoransky were ecstatic, knowing they had played some of the best basketball of their careers.
"This goes fast, but I think today was an amazing game," Satoransky said. "I don't think in regular time it was our best performance overall on defense, but I think in the toughest moments we knew how to play with character. When we were down by nine, KP went into God mode, so that I think inspired everybody.
"And the fans were amazing today. Really one of the best in my six years [here]. I think it's probably one of the best that I have experienced, so a big thanks to them, and big respect for Baskonia for the way they played today. Obviously, it's cruel to lose like this, but I think we were a little fresher in the last overtime and the shots that they usually hit during the game, they didn't fall."
"What to say? We never gave up," Punter declared. "I think we were down nine with 2.37 to go. We just kept chipping away, kept chipping away. And that's it. I think it was triple overtime. We didn't stop fighting and we kept making plays."
When Punter was asked if it was one of his best performances ever, he had no doubt: "Yeah, I would say. For sure."
Like Satoransky, Coach Pascual was eager to heap praise on the Palau Blaugrana crowd for the role they played on the night.
"At the end of the game, it is an explosion of emotions, of something more than a game," he said. "Above all, what is most exciting is to see the Palau deliver in this way, to be close to the players, applauding at the beginning of each overtime, acknowledging the effort. Today, what happened is what I said before the game: that our fans had to help us win this game, and our fans have been key to winning it."
Barcelona play two more EuroLeague games before the end of 2025: on the road against defending champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, led by former head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, and at home against AS Monaco. Baskonia, meanwhile, visits Valencia Basket on December 23 before hosting Fenerbahce on January 2, 2026.
