After three consecutive defeats, Barca celebrated a win at WiZink Center. In an evenly matched game, the guests managed to build a lead in the final stages, which they played much better than the hosts. Dončić began the game in top form, scoring eight points – including two three-pointers -- in just over six minutes. This gave Madrid a lead of 17:12.
Then, Ante Tomić had a good run for Barcelona. He caused the Madrid player Walter Tavares considerable trouble in his debut. The Croatian center was the man most responsible for a Barca rally, which resulted in a 31:31 tie. The teams were still tied when they headed to the locker rooms.
Even though Barca rallied in the third quarter, it never managed to increase the lead to more than six points. At the end, Real made sure that the two basketball giants entered the last ten minutes of the game tied at 61 points. The game was still tied five minutes later. Ten seconds before the end of the game, Thomas Heurtel scored a bank shot over Felipe Reyes to make it 78:81. After a minute-long timeout, Rudy Fernandez made a poor play, while Heurtel remained cool at the free-throw line, giving Barca the team’s sixth win of the season.
The first scorer and jumper at El Clasico
Dončić exceled in the first part of the game, when he scored 16 points in just more than 12 minutes. His rally included four jump shots. But his run ended in the second half. He scored only four points after missing a few shots and losing the ball several times. However, he managed to get ten rebounds, which gave him his second double double of the season. The EuroLeague’s best player was the top scorer of the game. Among Real’s players, only Fernandez managed a double-digit score; he scored ten points. This was not Anthony Randolph’s day. After scoring just one out of attempted eleven shots from the court, he ended up scoring four points. Among Barca’s players, the Frenchman Adrien Moerman was the top scorer with 19 points. His compatriot Kevin Seraphin scored 15 points, while Rakim Sanders scored 13.
Despite its first loss, Real continues to lead in the Spanish national championships. Second-place Valencia, which is defending the national title, also has one loss. Barcelona is third with two losses. Fuenlabrada, where Luka Rupnik is among the players, is fifth with two losses. Jaka Blažič’s Andorra has three wins and is currently 13th, but Blažič, a member of the Slovenian national team, is playing superbly. In the most recent round, he contributed 27 points to his team’s defeat of Betis (96:68) and remains the fourth-best scorer of the Spanish championships.
