FC Barcelona appeared more balanced from the start of the game and cruised past Bayern Munich with a 66-75 victory at Audi Dome to re-capture home advantage in EuroLeague playoffs.
The Spaniards took control of the game in the first half closing the first quarter with a 17-26 lead.
The Catalans continued to press on and made a 14-23 run in the second quarter to close the first half with an 18-point lead (31-49). Andrea Trinchieri’s team tried to find answers in the second half, as Nikola Mirotic was dominating in the offensive end.
Bayern cut the lead to 49-59 at the end of the third quarter, but, the Bavarians only shot 16.7 percent from beyond the arc. Barcelona shot 34 percent from deep and 66 percent on two-pointers.
The Spaniards were able to keep their composure throughout the fourth quarter as they remained ahead thanks to Mirotic great scoring night that kept the lead in double digits.
Mirotic finished Game 3 with 25 points along with six rebounds and three assists. Nick Calathes and Roland Smits were also crucial for the Catalans in different aspects of the game.
Calathes had a masterful performance with eight assists, seven rebounds and eight points with just one turnover. Smits finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
.@Rolands_Smits receives the pass from @Nick_Calathes15 to get the dunk 🚀 #7DAYSMagicMoment pic.twitter.com/pXS5trWqHq — Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) April 27, 2022
As for Bayern Munich, who are one loss away from elimination, Vladimir Lucic was the leading scorer with 17 points.
The teams will meet again Friday at Audi Dome for Game 4 of the series. If Barcelona secures another win, Sarunas Jasikevicius and his group will advance to the EuroLeague Final-4.
If Bayern stays alive with a victory, the series is going back to Barcelona for one final game, which will determine the team to advance to the Final-4.
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