FC Barcelona outscored FC Bayern Munich 29-15 in the third quarter to overturn a 6-point halftime deficit and take control of the game.
Telling numbers: The third quarter made the difference
Barcelona trailed 31-37 at the break and was not shooting well. Even if its first-half defense was up to par, the home team made 8 of 21 two-pointers (38.1%) and 5 of 13 threes (38.5%) in the first half. And then it made 4 of 6 twos, 4 of 6 threes and, after not shooting a single free throw in the first half knocked down 9 without a miss in the third quarter. Barcelona did not commit any turnovers in the third, either.
On defense, Barcelona forced 3 third-quarter turnovers, limited Bayern to 2-for-6 shooting on two-pointers and 3-of-8 on threes. The home team also controlled the boards 8-4.
Related Videos
Leading the way was Nicolas Laprovittola, who didn’t miss in the quarter. He sank 2 triples and 7 free throws in the quarter. Nikola Mirotic added 6 points, Nick Calathes 5, Alex Abrines 3 and Brandon Davies 2.
Calathes, who finished the game with 5 assists, climbed into third place in EuroLeague Playoffs history in that category with 151. He leapfrogged Dimitris Diamantidis and Theo Papaloukas, who are now tied for fourth with 147. Calathes will have to wait till next season to make a run at second place, which is occupied by Real Madrid’s Sergio Llull with 160.