By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
FC Barcelona got surprised by ASVEL Villeurbanne in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 12, as the French team found the 75-74 win on the road.
Nando De Colo was the hero of the black-and-white team, first being clutch at the charity stripe. Then, drawing a defensive switch to go against Mirotic, knocking down a mid-range jumper with 1.3 seconds left. He had 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists to secure his team’s victory.
He was assisted by Youssoupha Fall, who had one of the best games of his career. The former Baskonia center ended the game in Palau with a double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds.
“We started the game pretty good, with a different type of defense. In the second half, we made a huge effort defensively and we made some big shots down the road. Youssoupha Fall fought down there a lot”, TJ Parker said in the post-game press conference.
Nikola Mirotic had yet again another good night, scoring 17 points and grabbing 5 rebounds, but he wasn’t enough for the Catalans.
Nicolas Laprovittola and Kyle Kuric combined for 27 points and 8 rebounds.
“It’s a difficult loss to explain, like the ones against lower teams in the standings both in the EuroLeague and the ACB League. We’re going through a tough stretch with some injuries and players coming back, but it’s no excuse”, Sarunas Jasikevicius said after the loss.
Both teams shot badly from the perimeter, basically with the same percentages (Barcelona 8/27, ASVEL 5/17), and the home team shot better both inside the area and from free throws. They still lost, though.
After beating Partizan, Baskonia, and ALBA Berlin, Sarunas Jasikevicius’s team interrupted his winning streak in the EuroLeague and is currently tied with AS Monaco and Real Madrid on an 8-4 record.
On the other hand, ASVEL broke its five-game losing streak. The French team is on a 4-8 record, tied with Partizan, Bayern Munich, and Virtus Bologna. Only ALBA Berlin and Milan are behind.
This was Nikola Mirotic’s second game after his return, but FC Barcelona had to do without both Cory Higgins and Alex Abrines, ruled out due to low back pains. TJ Parker didn’t have Joffrey Lauvergne, who is out indefinitely due to a torn ACL.
In Round 13, ASVEL will host Partizan on December 13 at 20:00 CET, while the winners will travel to France to face AS Monaco on the following day at 19:00 CET.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague