By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The first “clasico” of the season goes to Barcelona. The Blaugrana outplayed Real Madrid 99 – 93 and clinched their spot in the Final of Spanish Supercup where they will face Gran Canaria.
All memorable clashes between arch-rivals need their heroes and the one who shined in this battle was no other than Tyrese Rice. The American guard was simply epic for his team, finishing the game with 30 points, 6 assists and 9 fouls won.
A minor setback during the second half when he fell on his knee pretty badly after a lay-up attempt and had to go to the locker rooms, just made him… angrier.
On the other side, Sergio Llull made everything that passed from his hands in order to avert defeat, but he didn’t have the necessary help by his teammates during crunch time.
Meanwhile, coach Giorgos Bartzokas was happy to also see Justin Doellman (11 points) rising up to the occassion when the ball was hot, with four points in the last minute, plus the key basket that made it 97 – 93 for the Catalans with 20 seconds to go.
Victor Claver (16 points, 7 rebounds) and Ante Tomic (14 points, 8 rebounds) successfully filled their hands with many tasks on court.
For Real Madrid, Rudy Fernandez had 15 points plus 5 assists, and Jaycee Carroll 10 points plus 5 rebounds.