Shabazz Napier led Milan to second-half rout of Barcelona

The addition of Shabazz Napier proved to be one of the few good news for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in a season that did not go to plan, as the Italian giants saw its playoff hopes come to an end a few rounds before the end of the regular season. Nevertheless, since joining the team ahead of Round 22, the American point guard's contribution – particularly his 14.7 points per night – helped Milan achieve an 8-3 record heading into Friday night's contest against FC Barcelona.
In Milan's Round 33 clash at home to the Spanish powerhouse, Napier had yet another great performance, leading his team in scoring with a game-high 18 points, going for 3-of-4 from behind the arc and drawing 6 fouls, which turned into 7 points from the line. He had 2 assists and 2 steals, too. It took Napier almost 20 minutes to hit his first field goal, but when he got himself going, Milan went to another level and came out with the win.
Napier's first field goal was a three-pointer that came with just four seconds remaining in the second quarter, which allowed Milan to head into the halftime break with a 39-36 lead. After the interval, Napier took over with 14 points in the second half, as he set the right tone on offense. A short scoring spark helped Milan take a 49-41 edge in the third period, and another productive run midway through the final period boosted the home team to a 73-58 advantage that all but wrapped up the victory.
“We wanted to give the fans a great game," Napier admitted afterward. “We played great together; a lot of guys played a great game. I think today was a great team effort. We didn’t want to come out here and not compete – we are professional athletes – so I think we did a great job [of just] coming out and competing as a great team, getting a great win for our home. That’s a must for us: to compete.”