Barça have won a high-scoring semi-final against UCAM Murcia to earn passage to the Copa del Rey Final 2022 and a final against Real Madrid. The game was won on the basis of a first period in which the team could do nothing wrong, and a reaction later in the game under hostile and unfavourable circumstances. Barça managed to turn a negative situation in the second and third periods around, and fabulousness in defence and offence in the final period, with Laprovittola, Mirotic and Kuric excelling in particular, won through in the end.
Barça looked almost embarrassingly in charge of things early on. It was sublime. Nothing, just nothing, was going wrong. 32-16 up. Murcia making the simplest of errors. Barça making the impossible look easy.
Then came an 8-0 streak for Murcia. UCAM found their game and it was suddenly 43-43. Two quick threes from Barça meant it was 55-49 at the break, but this game was anything but decided.
The atmosphere in the Granada was incredible. Neither side could break free from the other… and then Murcia pounded into a 5-point lead.
Barça were playing catch-up in the final period, and that was then Kuri stepped up. Five consecutive points from him were the impetus the team needed. With a sudden breath of fresh air, Barça finally got back into the same flow as in the third period. 103-90 it ended, but what a game of basketball it had been!
MATCH STATS
Barça: Calathes (12), Laprovittola (19), Exum (4), Sanli (13), Mirotic (15), Sergi Martínez (6), Kuric (14), Davies (12), Hayes (-), Jokubaitis (2), Smits (6) & Abrines (-)
UCAM Murcia: Webb (15), Lima (2), McFadden (18), Taylor (21), Rojas (-), Cate (15), Davis (5), Bellas (5), Radovic (2), Czerapowicz (7), Vasileiadis (-) & Malmanis (-)
Periods: 32-16; 23-33 // 18-23; 30-18
