FC BARCELONA 104, PHILADELPHIA 99
BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 5 (Ticker) -- Maurice Cheeks might want to consider having the Philadelphia 76ers take some extra free throws in practice.
The 76ers put on a woeful shooting performance at the line as they lost to FC Barcelona, 104-99, in the NBA Europe Live Tour.
With commissioner David Stern in attendance, the Sixers sank just 26-of-48 free throws (54 percent) en route to becoming the first NBA team to fall to a European squad in Europe since the American franchises started visiting the continent in 1987.
By contrast, the hosts connected on 26-of-29 free throws (90 percent). Juan Carlos Navarro scored 18 points and Gianluca Basile added 17 for Barcelona, which lost to CSKA Moscow in the Euroleague Final Four last season.
Samuel Dalembert collected 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, pulling them within 91-90 on a layup with just over two minutes remaining.
But Jaka Lakovic countered with a layup and the hosts pulled away, opening a 100-91 advantage on a four-point play by Basile with just over a minute to go. Barcelona connected on 10-of-24 3-pointers, while the Sixers were just 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Yeah, I know its only pre-season, and it being the first game of the pre-season, but being the first NBA team to lose to a European team since 1987 isn't very flattering. [/quote]
