The veteran forward led the resurgent Blaugrana to an impressive road win at Panathinaikos
Will Clyburn turns back the clock as Barcelona fires on all cylinders in Athens
Artículo
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 2 of 38
Regular Season
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
96103
FC BarcelonaBAR
Overview
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FC Barcelona didn’t start its EuroLeague season the way it had hoped. Conceding 103 points in a loss to newcomers Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the Catalan giant looked out of sorts. But amid that defeat, one player quietly made a statement.
Will Clyburn finished the opener with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in under 25 minutes – a performance that hinted he was ready to lead. Three nights later, the veteran forward doubled down with another standout display, helping Barcelona bounce back with a 96–103 road win at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.
Clyburn matched his scoring total from the first game, again putting up 23 points, while adding 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in a complete two-way performance. The 35-year-old showed no signs of slowing down, fitting seamlessly into a Barcelona side that bolstered its experience this summer with the additions of both Clyburn and Toko Shengelia from Virtus Bologna.
“The team came out adjusted from the first game,” Clyburn told EuroLeague TV. “We fought, we played defense and we played together. That’s how you get a win on the road.”
Barcelona shot the lights out at Telekom Center Athens, hitting 16-of-34 three-point attempts, the most of any team in a game this season. Clyburn himself went 4 of 5 from deep, while the team’s ball movement and offensive spacing generated a string of open looks. The visitors finished with 23 assists, led by Nico Laprovittola (9), Tomas Satoransky (5) and Kevin Punter (4) as they dictated the tempo throughout.
“We are a team and we showed that today,” Laprovittola said after the game. “We followed the plan. That’s the key: playing together, not individually. We still have to improve, but with this energy and confidence, we’ll keep getting better.”
Eight different Barcelona players hit at least one three-pointer, with Clyburn, Laprovittola and Punter each draining a pair in the decisive final quarter. Joan Penarroya’s side will now look to carry that momentum into their first home game of the season against Valencia Basket.
And in Clyburn, they have a player who’s already proven he can shoulder the load – twice in the space of four days.