Barça 83-88 Real Madrid: Super Cup defeat

The Spanish Super Cup goes to Real Madrid in cruel fashion after a great game all went wrong in the final ten minutes.

No side picked any meaningful lead in the first period, which ended 23-22, but Barça were the first team to click as they broke to +9 in the second, and a fine display from Davies and Calathes ensured that the half-time lead of 46-40 was still solid.

In the third period, Barça were on fire. Mirotic and Higgins were totally plugged in as the Catalans went +19. It could have been game over at that stage, but a Sergio Llull rival meant there was still a chance for the all-white going into the final quarter (71-62).

But it was then than Madrid truly started doing right what they had been doing wrong to that point. Not even fine threes from Higgins and Kuric could prevent Madrid from gradually cutting away at the deficit, to the extent that they were eventually in the lead (81-83).

Davies got Barça back level but the late surge was a Madrid one. Just 12 points in the final period proved to be Barça’s downfall and they ended up losing a game that had looked as good as won at one stage.

MATCH STATS

Barça: Calathes (11), Higgins (16), Hayes (5), Mirotic (12), Oriola (11), Laprovittola (-), Kuric (8), Rolands Smits (4),  Davies (13), Abrines (3), Sergi Martínez (-), Rokas Jokubaitis (-).
Real Madrid:  Heurtel (7), Hanga (3), Taylor (4), Yabusele (7), Poirier (16), Alocén (11), Williams-Goss (9), Vukcevic (3), Tavares (-), Llull (24), Causeur (4), Ndiaye (-).
Periods: 23-22 / 46-40 / 71-62 / 83-88