By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nemanja Nedovic made just one three in seven attempts, but it was the one that decided the game. With two seconds left, Nedovic completed a big game with 20 points and gave Crvena Zvezda the 76-73 win over cross-town rivals Partizan in their first-ever EuroLeague game.
Yam Madar had one last chance to send the game to overtime for Partizan but missed it and Zvezda has a five-game winning streak having a 6-6 record, while the hosts dropped to 4-8.
“I heard people saying we were going to be the main dish tonight, but we are not tasting good”, said Nedovic after the game referring to a sold-out arena with the vast majority of the fans rooting for Partizan.
“It was a big shot for me, but also we had a Luca making two big threes earlier and an assist to me”, added Nedovic for Luka Vildoza who also had a big night with 14 points, six assists, and four steals.
“To play here and win against those fans it’s amazing, they are crazy”, stated Vildoza himself about the atmosphere of the game.
Partizan started the game leading 20-11 after the first quarter, but Zvezda had a 40-33 halftime advantage. Still, the second half ended up being a dogfight. Yam Madar tied the score to 44-44 for Partizan, Zvezda entered the last ten minutes with a 54-52 lead, and with five minutes left Partizan was up by three (67-64) after a two-pointer by Tristan Vukcevic.
Dante Exum stretched the lead to four (69-65), Vukcevic blocked Vildoza, and Kevin Punter with a two-pointer (71-65) gave to Partizan a solid advantage with three minutes left in the game. That was not the end of it.
Hassan Martin with a two-pointer and Vildoza with a three made it a one-point game (71-70) with two minutes left. Ioannis Papapetrou hit his shot for Partizan and Vildoza with one more three tied the score at 73.
Partizan couldn’t score again and Nedovic decided the outcome. “We got five open shots, in the end, we lost them, they made it and they won”, said Partizan coach Zeljko Obradovic.
Punter had 15 points for the losing side, Madar had 14, Papapetrou added 13, and Mathias Lessort had a double-double (11 p. 10 r.) but it was not enough.
“In the end, it was a 50-50 chance and we got lucky”, admitted Zvezda coach Dusko Ivanovic.