A round performance by Nikola Mirotic (26 points, with four three-pointers) led to Barça’s elaborate victory at the OAKA Arena against Panathinaikós, in Athens (74-88), and projected the Catalans to the Euroleague quarterfinals .
Barça’s triumph, listless at the start (23-12 at minute 8), has been taking off with points from Mike Tobey (16) and Mirotic, intractable in the battle for the rebound (18-42), and has risen in the second quarter, acceding to advantages of around ten points, before Numantina’s resistance in the third, when Panathinaikós picked up the pace to close the deficit.
Mirotic’s contribution in this section has been transcendental: he has added ten points in just two minutes and has kept the Catalans on their feet, who seemed to have overcome their critical moments against a Panathinaikós team led by Papagiannis (19).
With this victory, Barça has twenty wins in thirty games and is third in the European standings, after Olympiacos (21-8) and Real Madrid (20-9).
Real Madrid visits Virtus Bologna this Friday and Valencia, Monaco.
