By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona let its offense flow in the first half and then implemented some of its tough defense in the second to beat Khimki Moscow 87 – 75 on the road. The Blaugrana, that led up to 20 in the fourth period, dominated all aspects of the game and especially the rebounds (22-44) despite the absences of big men Nikola Mirotic and Brandon Davies.
Kyle Kuric set the foundations for his team’s win with 16 points out of his 18 overall in the first half on some top notch shooting (4-4 triples). Cory Higgins then took over to finish with 18 points as well while Nick Calathes distributed the ball for everyone, finishing with 15 assists, a new club record in EuroLeague. The previous record of 14 had been set also by Calathes, earlier this season.
“Ultimately it was a good win for us,” Higgins said. “It was all defense. They have a very talented team, a lot of good players. As long as we have that defensive mindset, we usually play pretty well.”
Alexey Shved had 23 points (7-18 shots) and six assists and Devin Booker dropped 13 points for Khimki that suffered its 10th loss in a row and dropped to 2-17. Rimas Kurtinatis’ team hasn’t won a game in EuroLeague n November 17.
“There are a lot of games ahead, but it is clear that we can no longer think about the EuroLeague Playoffs,” Khimki guard Dairis Bertans said.
Khimki, that was minus Janis Timma, Greg Monroe, Stefan Jovic and Jonas Jerebko, failed to stop Barcelona’s attacking efforts in the first half with the visiting side going to the locker room up 54 – 48. Barca’s production wasn’t as potent after the break but, this time, Khimki struggled to score and fell behind more and more as the game progressed.
Defense uber alles
Barcelona produced the lot in the first half but it was the second half’s defense that pleased coach Sarunas Jasikevicius.
“We were playing so bad defensively and in the second half, we really changed the game from defense,” Jasikevicius. “We started getting some stops. I think they didn’t score 30 points in the second half, which against a Khimki team that has so much offensive talent is such a good performance. I am happy that the guys woke up and in the end, we controlled the game in the second half. I think [rebounding] was one of the biggest keys
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball