Justin Robinson leads Barça Basket to 76-74 comeback win over Panathinaikos

Barça Basket defeated Panathinaikos 76-74 at the OAKA pavilion in Athens. The Spanish side erased a 14-point deficit in the final quarter to secure an away victory. Barça joined the EuroLeague’s leading group with a record of eight wins and three losses. The win extended Barça’s winning streak to eight consecutive games across all competitions.

Match context

Panathinaikos arrived at the OAKA pavilion as league leaders after recording seven consecutive victories. The Greek side was hampered by injury, with Kevin Punter and Evbuomwan unavailable after being injured against Breogán on Sunday, in addition to the already missing Makoundou and Núñez.

The good news for Panathinaikos was the return of Gibson, despite his lack of match sharpness. Barça were also without Punter and Evbuomwan, while Makoundou and Núñez were missing.

First half

In the first half, parity was the dominant theme. With contributions from across the squad and no single player taking over, Barça matched every attempt by the Greeks to pull away.

A three-pointer from Nkamhoua, followed by another from Umude, ensured the score was level at the end of the opening quarter, 17-17.

For Panathinaikos, Nunn led the offensive charge, while Barça stayed very much in the game thanks to outstanding defensive minutes from Minaya and three-pointers from Robinson and Parra, which helped improve their perimeter shooting.

Despite their struggles from long range, Barça went into the break with everything still to play for, trailing by just one point at 33-32.

Third quarter

However, it looked as though the game was slipping away in the third quarter, which belonged to the home side. Barça’s offense managed only 11 points during the period, while Brizuela and Parra found themselves in foul trouble. By the end of the quarter, Panathinaikos had built their largest lead of the night, leaving Barça facing a 14-point deficit at 57-43 heading into the final period.

Final quarter and what happens next

With an incredible Justin Robinson performance in the closing minutes, the blaugranes were able to overturn the 14-point deficit. Justin Robinson delivered an incredible performance in the closing minutes, finishing with 24 points.

His shooting helped Barça improve their perimeter shooting after a difficult night from long range. Barça have now joined the EuroLeague’s leading group with a record of eight wins and three losses.

The team will look to extend its eight-game winning streak across all competitions in its next fixture.

Sources

• fcbarcelona.com

• socblaugrana.com