By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
In the opening game of the AdmiralBet ABA League Semifinal series, Partizan Mozzart Bet have prevailed over Cedevita Olimpija (85-70) at home in their Štark Arena in Belgrade. In front of 15,527 black and white fans, which is the fifth-highest single-game attendance of all time in the regional competition and second-highest of all-time in the Playoffs.
The Belgrade squad have been in front of their opponents throughout the game and deservedly grabbed a 1:0 lead in the series. They now only need one more win in order to advance to the Finals, where Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet are already waiting for the winner of these Semifinal series.
Partizan Mozzart Bet have done the majority of their job as early as the first quarter when they limited the scoring performance of the Ljubljana squad to only 8 points, thus taking a 10-point lead after the opening quarter (18:8). As it turned out later in the game, the visiting side did not manage to recover after this opening blow again at the later stages of the game and these were the key moments.
James Nunnally has been the engine of Partizan Mozzart Bet squad this time yet again, as he led them to the win with game-high 18 points (16 of which he made in the crucial first half), 1 rebound, and a valuation of 14 on his record. He is our man of the match.
Even though Cedevita Olimpija won the rebounding battle with an impressive 50 rebounds versus 28 of Partizan Mozzart Bet, they are leaving Belgrade empty-handed, as they had 17 turnovers compared to only 11 of the winning side and a poor field goal percentage (30.7%), unlike Partizan Mozzart Bet, which had 48.3%. This is what decided the outcome of the game.