By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After trailing badly in the first quarter, FC Barcelona came back to claim the win, 64-59, versus Real Madrid and become the 2022 Copa del Rey champion Sunday evening at Granada.
Former Madrid star Nikola Mirotic poured a game-high 19 points, including four clutch free throws to break a 59-59 tie down the stretch. He was named Final Eight MVP.
Lithuanian point guard and New York Knicks draft pick Rokas Jokubaitis put up nine of his 12 points in the fourth quarter ending up with 4/5 field goals. Brandon Davies chipped in ten more points. Cory Higgins (foot) and Pierre Oriola (back) remained on the injury list for the team guided by Sarunas Jasikevicius.
After defeating Baxi Manresa and UCAM Murcia, Barca made it to the last game of the Copa del Rey Final Eight. The Catalan powerhouse went on to capture the title for the 27th time in team history. Meanwhile, the Whites stayed at 28 despite previously eliminating Rio Breogan and Lenovo Tenerife.
The team coached by Pablo Laso, missing both Fabien Causeur and Nigel Williams-Goss, jumped to a hot 19-3 start and retained the lead through the third quarter of the Clasico. Besides lacking the knockout punch, Adam Hanga exited with three points in 14 minutes due to an injury with 1:10 remaining, before Sergio Llull knotted the game at 59 points and Mirotic managed to separate the archrivals.
French point guard Thomas Heurtel posted a team-high ten points with 5/8 field goals against his former team. Alberto Abalde and Gabriel Deck followed with eight points apiece.
Photo Credit: ACB Twitter