By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Going back and forth against the team coached by legendary Zeljko Obradovic, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne edged out Partizan Mozzart Bet, 91-87, Tuesday.
Using his experience masterfully, Nando De Colo went up to 32 points in a brilliant shooting showing, falling slightly shy of his individual scoring best for the 2022-23 season. Delivering a couple of free throws with 9.1 seconds left was paired with effective team defense on the opposite end to seal the win in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 13. “It was one ball,” was the brief immediate reaction of Obradovic referring to James Nunnally’s costly turnover against the determined ASVEL defenders.
De Colo, 35, ended up with 11/15 field goals, including 6/8 from beyond the arc. Three assists and two rebounds helped in the team-high PIR of 30. “We just focus on what we need to do on the court. We never give up,” he focused on the French outfit and team effort, instead of his individual contribution, “We just played as a team. We always try to stay together. And this is why we won tonight.”
Building the biggest lead of the contest at seven points, late in the third period, T.J. Parker’s side did not knock out Partizan, instead was entangled in a free-throw battle to determine the winner at Astroballe, the first EuroLeague meeting between the two clubs since 2003. De Colo missed a free throw with 41.5 seconds on the clock but his former Fenerbahce teammate Nunnally was also 1/2 tying the game at 87-87. De Colo then tucked in the game-winning free throws and in conclusion Jonah Mathews hit two more shots from the charity stripe upping his total to 14 points.
Dante Exum nearing his career-high produced a 26-point effort to go along with six assists, three steals, and two rebounds in the losing effort in Villeurbanne, Lyon. The Australian guard fired in 17 of his points in the second half. But the team based in Belgrade fell to 4-10 with a fifth consecutive loss in Europe’s premier club competition and seventh in the last eight games across all competitions, including the AdmiralBet ABA League.
Back in France for the visiting team, Mathias Lessort went for 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Packing a double-digit PIR for the 13th straight game fell shy of snapping the losing streak. Aleksa Avramovic (hand) and Balsa Koprivica (hand) were out along with Slovenian Gregor Glas.
The French champions jumped to 5-8, after improving to 7-6 in France’s Betclic Elite LNB Pro A Sunday. Anthony Polite sat out alongside Joffrey Lauvergne (knee). Up next is Olympiacos Thursday. Partizan is set to play host to Anadolu Efes Friday.
“In general, our offense has been much better. We have been sharing the ball much better in the last games,” said the winning tactician, Parker, “Let’s keep going. We can still get better, keep improving, and keep winning.”
“We got to stay ready and take it one game at a time,” added David Lighty off his nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals over 26 minutes.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net