A loss to end the year in the ACB, as Unicaja defeated FC Barcelona 91-71. A good second quarter by the side from Malaga ensured the win and the blaugranes are now three wins behind them in fourth place.
7 up to 12 down
A strange start to the game saw Unicaja and Barça uncharacteristically ineffective at scoring, with the first points taking three minutes to come. Roger Grimau's side downed two three-pointers in a row to get things going, Laprovittola stepped up and the gap opened up, ably assisted by an effective Joel Parra. 19-26 at the end of the first.
The home crowd roared in the second quarter as their side clawed back the difference to come through and take the lead (31-30, min 13). The blaugranes were no longer scoring, enabling Unicaja to go +9. It was also becoming tetchy on court and the home side took advantage to win the quarter +12 and go in 48-37 at the break.
Trailing in the second half
Unicaja opened up the gap to +15 in the third, but Roger Grimau's side reacted to bring it back to 60-51. However, the home side reacted to every threat to the score from the visitors, such as when Kalinic scored a three-pointer to take the blaugranes to within seven at one point. 69-60 going into the fourth.
Turnovers really punished FC Barcelona in the last, as they went 15 points down to Unicaja, which became almost insurmountable when they went +19 up after a three-pointer. Ultimately, poor scoring from the visitors saw the lead stretch to +20 and Barça lost 91-71.
Still one game left for Barça in 2023, as they visit Monaco to play in the EuroLeague on 29 December at 9pm CET.
GAME STATS
Unicaja, 91
Barça, 71
Unicaja: Osetkowski (15), Taylor (12), Djedovic (-), Kravish (6) and Perry (6) - starting five - Carter (8), Ejim (5), Alberto Díaz (4), Sima (7), W. Thomas (16), Lima (-) and Kalinoski (12)
Barça: Vesely (11), Satoransky (5), Laprovittola (10), Jabari Parker (8) and Joel Parra (11) - starting five - Brizuela (5), Jokubaitis (4), Willy Hernangómez (9), Da Silva (-), Kalinic (8) and Nnaji (-)
Quarters: 19-26; 29-11 // 21-23; 22-11
Referees: Emilio Pérez, Rafael Serrano and Rubén Sánchez
