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Kevin Punter was on fire on Tuesday against Dubai, but that was not enough for Barca to avoid their first road defeat in the new EuroLeague campaign. Can Blaugrana recover against newcomers Besiktas on Friday?
Besiktas Finally End Their Losing Run
After having disastrous shooting numbers in the Super Cup final, which they lost to Fenerbahce 72-69, Besiktas were also beaten in their EuroLeague premiere at home by Valencia 96-94, missing a three-pointer at the buzzer. Jaylen Nowell and Eugene Omoruyi were the top scorers, landing 17 points each.
Their problems continued last weekend in the Super Lig, suffering a convincing 95-81 defeat against Anadolu Efes, where Dusan Alimpijevic's side had 20 turnovers.
They were tagged as underdogs on Wednesday night against Maccabi Tel Aviv (played on a neutral court in Belgrade) but finally put their losing run to rest, claiming a 109-93 victory thanks to 60% field-goal shooting. Anthony Brown and Scottie Wilbekin landed 20 points each.
Barcelona Looking to Bounce Back on the Road
Barcelona started the new season with a dramatic 87-86 victory against Valencia in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals, where they held their opponents to just 37% shooting, but then lost the final to Joventut 101-87.
Their start to the new EuroLeague season was successful, outplaying Anadolu Efes 89-82 at home during the midweek after a big comeback in the final quarter, followed by a 119-101 win over Leyma Coruna in the ACB Liga.
Barca's two-game winning streak ended on Tuesday with a somewhat expected 94-87 defeat against Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Despite the loss, Kevin Punter had an amazing showing here with 25 points and 11/16 FG shooting.