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James Nnaji came back from injury to inspire Barcelona to victory against Valencia
Barcelona recorded an 81-75 victory against Valencia in a Spanish ACB league fixture played on Sunday, February 5, 2023.
The Catalan side returned to domestic competition after two Euro League games in midweek.
At home against Valencia, Barcelona struggled in the first quarter making shoots and stopping the opposition in the interior.
Valencia came out hot to establish a 10-point lead as Barcelona were not able to respond in a tighter second quarter.
Following a back-and-forth second quarter, Valencia added a one-point lead to their advantage as Barcelona went to the break down 11.
The turnaround for Barcelona started in the third quarter as Head Coach Šarūnas Jasikevičius made changes to his second unit.
At the end of the third quarter, Barcelona were only down one point and the fans in the arena were already into the game.
Barcelona were able to continue their dominance into the fourth quarter holding off runs made by Valencia to eventually take the lead.
Down the stretch, Nicolás Laprovíttola made some big shots as Barcelona created separation to take a six-point victory.
James Nnaji returns against Valencia
Nigerian basketball star James Naji made his return from injury against Valencia.
The youngster missed the Euro League games in midweek against Bayern Munich and Maccabi Tel Aviv,
Down in front of their home fans, Barcelona boss Jasikevičius introduced Nnaji as part of the second unit that led the comeback against Valencia.
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Nnaji was a game-changer in just seven minutes of action as he contributed six points from three of four shots and one rebound.
The 18-year-old one of the potential bigs set for the 2023 NBA Draft continues to improve when given a chance.
Nnaji returns for Barcelona when they take on Virtus Bologna in their next Euro League outing scheduled for Thursday, February 9, 2023.
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