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EuroLeague 07/03/2013, 22.52

Barcelona outlasts champs, clinches playoffs berth

Big win in Greece for Barcelona

EuroLeague

FC Barcelona Regal became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs by topping reigning champions Olympiacos Piraeus 77-90 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Greece on Thursday. Barcelona improved to 9-1 in Top 16 Group F and will lock up home court advantage in the playoffs with its next win. Olympiacos dropped to 6-4. Barcelona grabbed its eighth consecutive triumph and stopped the Reds' five-game winning streak. Erazem Lorbek paced the winners with 21 points on near-perfect shooting. Pete Mickeal added 20, while Ante Tomic and Juan Carlos Navarro each scored 10 for Barcelona. Vassilis Spanoulis led Olympiacos with 23 points. Georgios Printezis added 16 and Josh Powell had 15 for the Reds. The first quarter featured six lead changes, but an outstanding Printezis gave Olympiacos a 20-17 lead after 10 minutes. A dunk by Pero Antic soon boosted the Reds' lead to 26-22. Five different Barcelona players scored in a 4-17 run that put the visitors ahead 30-39. Navarro followed a three-point play with a 'bomba' to make it a double-digit game, 36-46, at halftime. Printezis and an unstoppable Spanoulis shined after the break as Olympiacos regained the lead, 55-54, late in the third quarter. Mickeal and Nate Jawai helped Barcelona to a 62-63 edge after three quarters. Mickeal and Lorbek took over early in the fourth quarter, as Barcelona grabbed a 69-78 lead and never looked back.

E. Carchia

E. Carchia

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