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18-year-old James Nnaji shines as Unicaja Malaga knocks Barcelona out of Copa del Rey.
Barcelona suffered an 89-87 defeat to Unicaja Malaga at the Palau Blaugrana in a Copa del Rey de Baloncesto quarterfinal fixture played on Thursday, February 16, 2023.
The Catalans came into the game against Unicaja Malaga on a six-game winning streak in the league and on the continent.
It was second against fifth from the league standings as Barcelona took n a tough Unicaja Malaga side.
There was not much to separate both teams as Barcelona were only able to take a one-point lead after the first quarter.
Barcelona Head coach Šarūnas Jasikevičius made changes to his second unit as they established a seven-point lead going t the halftime break.
In the third quarter, Unicaja Malaga were able to produce stops and cut the lead down to five.
In the fourth quarter, Unicaja Malaga executed better on the offensive end to level the score and send the game to overtime.
Barcelona and Unicaja Malaga traded buckets in overtime but it was the away side that were able to hold their nerve for a two-point victory.
The victory means that Barcelona's hopes for a treble are over as they are knocked out of the Cope del Rey.
James Nnaji shines for Barcelona in loss
Nigerian basketball star James Nnaji was in action for Barcelona in the loss to Unicaja Malaga
The 18-year-old Nnaji was given just nine minutes of action in a crucial game that saw Barcelona's Copa Del Rey hopes end.
He made all two shots to record four points, grabbed three rebounds, and was positive in his limited minutes on the court.
Nnaji had a monster dunk in the second quarter to lift the crowd as Barcelona established a huge lead against their rivals.
Following elimination from the Copa Del Rey, Nnaji returns to action for Barcelona when they take on French side Monaco in a Euro League encounter scheduled for Friday, February 24, 2023.
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