How did Dante Exum play in his Barcelona debut? Barça Basket defeats Real Madrid

Earlier this week, Australian wing Dante Exum signed a deal with Barcelona to play in the EuroLeague and Liga ACB – two of the top professional basketball leagues in the world.

The contract is for three months, giving the 26-year-old an opportunity to get back in game-speed rhythm while also leaving a window open for a potential return to the NBA since the deal will be up before NBA playoff rosters are finalized.

Even with the deal going official on Dec. 8, Exum was already suited up for his new squad on Saturday, Dec. 11 in a huge matchup against their rival club, Real Madrid.

Barcelona came away with a 93-80 victory in the contest, winning six of its last seven games to advance to a league-best 12-2 on the season.

For more on the win, we have you covered below.

How did Dante Exum play in his Barcelona debut?

👀🦘 @daanteee pic.twitter.com/TpVj5FIzlT

— Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) December 10, 2021

👀🆕 Debut for @daanteee in a BIG game! pic.twitter.com/voGxq7mhD8

— Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) December 10, 2021

Exum was eased into the rotation, only playing 13 minutes in his first game. The Aussie wing finished with just two points on two shots, also grabbing two rebounds and dishing out one assist.

🦘 La primera de @daanteee pic.twitter.com/7dHeHn3g2o

— Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) December 10, 2021

However, a promising sign for the newcomer was that he was the only guard who played off the bench, spelling for both starters, Rokas Jokubaitis and Nicolas Laprovittola. As he learns Barcelona's system and gets more accustomed to the EuroLeague style of play, there could be more minutes available for him as the team is without typical starter Nick Calathes for about six weeks as he recovers from a foot injury.

Barcelona was carried by former NBA veteran and current EuroLeague superstar Nikola Mirotic, who went for a dominant 31 points and 10 rebounds.

👑 @NikolaMirotic33 IMPARABLE ante el Real Madrid

🤪 31 pts 10 rbs 39 PIR pic.twitter.com/ukvCw2JANZ

— Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) December 10, 2021

Real Madrid had five different players notch double figures in scoring, but it had no match for Mirotic or Barcelona's other highest scorers – Laprovittola (16 points) and Brandon Davies (16 points).

Barcelona has now won six-straight EuroLeague games, sitting atop the league in first place at 12-2.

When do Exum and Barcelona play next?

Exum and Barcelona will retake the floor for a Liga ACB game against Lenovo Tenerife on Monday, Dec. 13 (AEST). You can find its upcoming schedule below.

All dates are AEST.

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