By Stefan Djordjevic / sdjordjevic@eurohoops.net
Kevin Punter had a big performance against his former team in Crvena Zvezda and led Olimpia Milano to a 93-72 road win in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Kevin Panter je u prošloj sezoni nastupao za Crvenu zvezdu i za kratko vreme osvojio srca mnogih navijača. Njegovi potezi neretko su odlučivali pitanje pobednika i podizali publiku na noge.
Dobro došao @KPJunior_ i hvala za sve!#kkcz #CrvenoBelaPorodica #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/nYJqUdC9OA
— KK Crvena zvezda (@kkcrvenazvezda) March 30, 2021
“We had to come out with energy. It’s playoff time now, it’s crunch time. We wanted to clinch, so we had to control our energy and just come in and stick to the game plan and play hard. We had to set the tone and that’s what we did,” Punter said.
The American guard banked in 23 points on 5-9 shooting from long range while Zach LeDay and Shavon Shields added 14 each. Kyle Hines scored 11 points.
For Crvena Zvezda, Jordan Loyd answered with 22 points in 9-13 shooting in the duel of the two elite scorers. Ognjen Dobric was the only double-digit scorer besides him for the host with 14 points.
The Italian team showed a better offensive display with great ball movement and aggressiveness on the offensive boards which resulted in more shots and more open shots at that. They attempted seven three-pointers more than Zvezda and made five more which makes up for the majority of the margin in the final score.
Milano improved to 20-12 and has secured a playoffs spot since Anadolu Efes got the better of Real Madrid. Zvezda now holds a 9-23 record.
Coach Ettore Messina was quite happy with teh way his team performed. “I’m so happy for all of us. My players came out extremely focused with a lot of energy. We had a couple of tough losses before this game. I think to come here and play with this energy against Crvena Zvezda was really rewarding for all of us.”
Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague