FC Barcelona defeated Armani Olimpia Milan 89-81 on Thursday, October 22, using a dominant offensive rebounding performance to secure its fourth win in seven EuroLeague games and extend the Italian team’s losing streak to five.
Barcelona grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and scored 26 second-chance points at Unipol Forum, creating a decisive advantage in possessions. The visitors finished with 39 total rebounds to Milan’s 33 and attempted 70 field goals, eight more than the hosts.
Joel Parra set the tone early, opening the scoring with a corner three-pointer after Barcelona recovered the opening miss. The visitors scored on six of their first seven possessions to build a 14-7 lead within three minutes, forcing Milan head coach Giuseppe Poeta to call an early timeout.
Milan responded to make the opening quarter more competitive, but Barcelona maintained its advantage through the first half. The visitors led 23-21 after the opening 10 minutes and extended their cushion to 44-40 at halftime. Barcelona then outscored Milan 27-24 in the third quarter to take a 71-64 lead into the final period.
Josh Nebo was central to Barcelona’s work on the offensive glass. The former Milan center collected five offensive rebounds and finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Parra added four offensive boards, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds.
Barcelona’s 17 offensive rebounds came from 37 missed field goals, allowing the visitors to recover nearly half of their missed shots. The team also recorded 19 assists, two more than Milan, while committing 17 turnovers.
Tyrese Martin contributed 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals for Barcelona. Kevin Punter led the visitors with 17 points, while Umoja Gibson scored 13 points off the bench. Parra’s 12 points complemented Nebo’s contribution inside.
Milan had four players reach double figures, led by Jason Burnell’s 15 points. Alec Peters added 13, while Leandro Bolmaro and Darius Thompson scored 12 apiece. Milan shot 14-of-33 from three-point range, an impressive 42.4%, but its inability to limit Barcelona’s second chances proved costly.
Barcelona improved to 4-3 and moved into ninth place in the EuroLeague standings. Milan fell to 1-6, remaining in 19th place after its fifth consecutive defeat.
Barcelona visits Bayern Munich on Tuesday, October 27, while Milan travels to face Panathinaikos on the same day.
