Budivelnik - FC Barcelona: Strong defence leads Barça to victory (74-84)

Barça are still not consistent throughout 40 minutes of play, but they are edging closer to their goal as the continue to secure victories. They lack solidity on defence, but when it’s needed most and the players step up, Barça rarely give up easy shots. On the other end of the court, Barça have no problems. The 74-84 victory away to Budivelnik Kiev was Barça’s third win in the regular phase of the Euroleague and it gives the Blaugrana a little peace of mind ahead of Partizan Belgrade’s visit next week.

Total basketball

The opening minutes of the match saw both teams play all-out attack basketball. The 21-24 scoreline after the first 10 minutes made it clear that it was going to be a shootout. In the second quarter the Ukrainians outscored Barça by 27 to 22, which gave them the lead at the break (48-46). Lavrinovic, who scored 14 points, was a true nightmare for Barça’s defence, but in the second half the Blaugrana managed to shut him down.

If you defend, you win

In the second half, Barça looked a championship-winning side. A team that builds its attack from a solid defence more often than not win games. Barça’s defence was so strong that Budivelnik were held to only eight points in the third quarter (56-62).

In the last 10 minutes of the game, the Catalans surged to a 14-point lead (62-76) thanks to good performances from Nachbar, Dorsey and Navarro. The 74-84 scoreline at the end of the match shows that this Barça are gaining in consistency, especially on defence.