


FC Barcelona earned a well-deserved 85-71 home win against Valencia Basket that ensured it closed the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with the second seed in the playoffs. But the final double-digit margin was not an accurate way of describing how the game went, as Valencia resisted Barca's attempts to pull away throughout the whole night. In fact, the game as close as 6 points in the last quarter.
Despite Valencia’s resistance, Barca never lost control and showed confidence, even though the visitors were breathing down its neck. One of the keys to building that confidence was Alex Abrines, who came to the fore as a deadly weapon on Friday night. He finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 from behind the arc, with all of those points coming in the second quarter. He hit his first when Valencia trailed just by 5, 34-29, and from there on, Abrines went into trance.
He added 4 more triples in as many attempts, scoring all but 2 of Barca's points in the last 6 minutes before halftime. Abrines helped his team build a double-digit lead, 51-41, right before the break, which proved to be a key foundation for the hosts to stay in front for the remainder of the game.
“I think we played a little bit hard [in the second half], and on offense we were excited today,” Abrines admitted after the game. “Everything was going in and we were having fun. I think it’s a good way to end the regular season, and now we want more [in the playoffs].”