By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Snapping a four-game losing streak by becoming the second team to win in Menora Mivtachim Arena so far in the 2022-23 edition of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet triumphed, 89-86, over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv Thursday.
Paving the way, Nemanja Nedovic dropped 28 points, a new individual high for the season. The experienced guard, a former player of the Golden State Warriors, connected 11/16 from the field, including 6/9 from beyond the arc. Remarkably, he played only 22 minutes in the Regular Season Round 24 fixture.
The game-high belonged to Wade Baldwin IV by a fair distance. The former Vanderbilt standout set a new personal best and a new Maccabi record for the most points in a single EuroLeague game with 38 points. He shot 6/10 triples in a total of 11/19 field goals to go with five assists and five rebounds. Bonzie Colson followed with 16 points in the losing effort.
Controlling the rebounds and especially behind 14 offensive boards, the visitors got plenty of confidence to retain a big lead for most of the second half. The advantage grew to 16 points midway through the third period but fell to one single point in the last minute of what became a crazy battle. Despite the crowd back in the equation, they repelled the late comeback bid fueled by Baldwin’s 15 points in the last ten minutes.
“We don’t know how to win a normal game. We always have some drama in the end. I think we have to work on that,” commented relieved Nedovic, “It’s a big win for sure.”
“In the last five minutes, like in some previous games, we had a little problem in our offense. But our defense was good,” added head coach Dusko Ivanovic to immediate reactions.
Ognjen Dobric and Luca Vildoza were clutch
Delivering the dagger for a three-point lead with 12.2 seconds on the clock, Ognjen Dobric ended up with 13 points to his name. Switching to a free-throw contest from there, Luca Vildoza staying calm sank four shots from the charity stripe went up to ten points, and secured the win in Tel Aviv.
“We played as a team for 40 minutes. We had ups and downs. But in the end, we played as a team. That’s the most important,” said Dobric.
Luka Mitrovic recorded six out of his 14 points in the fourth period before fouling out with 7.6 seconds remaining. Filip Petrusev chipped in 12 points more points. Nikola Ivanovic was held to three points but dished out seven of his side’s 21 assists. Hassan Martin (knee) dressed but did not play after spending two months on the sidelines.
Reducing the distance from the Playoffs zone, the team coached by Ivanovic improved to 11-13. Banking in the fifth win on the road, following three straight losses, also completed a sweep in the two-game series of the Regular Season, thus securing the advantage in a potential tiebreaker.
“We lost the game in the first half. They took control of the game. From down 16, we showed some character to come back but sometimes you lose the game in the first half,” summarized losing tactician Oded Kattash.
The Yellows have now lost five straight games against Red-Whites stretching back to the 2020-21 season and dropped to an even 12-12 in the current season.
Facundo Campazzo nearing EuroLeague comeback
Besides Facundo Campazzo yet to be registered due to the sanction on adding new players, John Holland, Miroslav Raduljica, and Stefan Markovic did not suit up for Crvena Zvezda. The Argentine guard will miss one more game before the ban expires to formally return to Europe’s premier club continental competition.
On track to be cleared and face his first EuroLeague team, Lorenzo Brown (ankle) instead stayed on Maccabi’s injury list with Austin Hollins (knee) and Alex Poythress (hand). The American-born naturalized Spanish guard inked a contract extension, as announced a few hours before tipoff.
Both sides rolling into domestic cup week, battling for Israel’s Migdal State Cup and Serbia’s Triglav osiguranje Radivoj Korac Cup covers EuroLeague’s break. Over the weekend, the Belgrade outfit travels to Zadar in AdmiralBet ABA League action Sunday.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net