Barcelona handles Galatasaray, extends win-streak

FC Barcelona is entering playoffs on an 8-game winning streak after a comfortable 65-88 road win over Galatasaray Liv Hospital on Friday. Barcelona led for majority of the night, but broke the game open with a 0-10 at the start of the fourth quarter to open a 51-71 margin and cruise to victory for 11-3 record in Group E. Barcelona previously secured second place finish, and a home-court advantage that comes with it, but can finish first in the group if Zalgiris Kaunas beats Real Madrid in the last game of the Top 16. Ante Tomic led the way with 20 points, and Tibor Pleiss amassed 12 points and 12 rebounds in victory. Brade Oleson added 9 points for Barcelona, while Vladimir Micov scored 10 for the hosts. Patric Young, Kerem Gonlum, Ege Arar and Zoran Erceg each scored 9 in defeat.

First quarter: Tomic paces Barcelona early

Tomic scored a layup to open the scoring, and Vladimir Micov had an easy layup on the other end. Bostjan Nachbar knocked down a triple for Barcelona, but Zoran Erceg answered right back from downtown for 5-5. Sinan Guler drove for a layup, but Tomas Satoransky countered with a runner in the lane and Nachbar had a three-point play for 7-10. After Erceg and Tomic traded baskets from close range, Patric Young hit a baseline jumper and a pair of free throws for the hosts, but Tomic strung together 6 more points and Satoransky sank a three-pointer for 13-21. Young fed Micov for an easy layup and scored one himself to cut it to 17-21 at the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter: Pleiss dominates inside, but Galatasaray stays close

Ege Arar split free throws before Kerem Gonlum made a layup and a pair of free throws to give Galatasaray its first lead, 22-21. Tibor Pleiss snapped a 9-0 run with a layup, but Kristijan Nikolov hit a triple for 25-23. Alex Abrines hit a long jumper and Pleiss added to the tally with a tip in to put Barcelona back in front. Brad Oleson beat Justin Carter to the basket on a fastbreak, and Pleiss scored another one from close range, extend it to 25-31. Oleson scored another fastbreak layup to cap a 0-10 Barcelona run, before Arar drove for a pair of tough layups and 29-33. Pleiss was unstoppable inside, and Maciej Lampe hit a baseline jumper for an 8-point margin. Micov hit a corner triple, and Martynas Pocius made couple free throws that cut it to 34-37, but Oleson’s jumper made it 34-39 at halftime.

Third quarter: The visitors pull away to a double-digit lead

DeShaun Thomas started the third quarter with a layup, but Erceg bettered it with a three-point play. Edwin Jackson hit 3 of 3 from the foul line, and Lampe scored a put-back for 37-46. Young scored inside, but Satoransky nailed one from outside and Tomic followed it with a layup for 39-51. Micov buried a three-pointer for the hosts, and Pocius made a pair of free throws, but a put-back from Thomas got the visitors back into a double-figure lead, 44-54. Pocius banked in a floater, but Tomic answered with a dunk. Gonlum had a put-back, but Tomic scored inside and had a dunk for a three-point play, 48-61. However, Guler buried a triple to make it 51-61 after 30 minutes.

First quarter: Barcelona cruises to big victory

Barcelona put it in a higher gear at the start of the fourth. Marcelinho Huertas and Oleson nailed back-to-back threes, and Nachbar raced for a fastbreak dunk for 51-69. After a timeout, Mario Hezonja broke the 20-point barrier with a jumper, before Gokturk Ural hit a shot, snapping a 0-10 run. Abrines drove for a layup and Pleiss made a tip-in that extended it to 55-76. Gonlum scored inside, before Hezonja and Arar traded corner triples. A second-chance jump-hook from Pleiss made it 60-81. Ural hit a long jumper and a triple, but Hezonja and Jackson closed the game out, making the final score also the biggest margin of the night.