By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Taking over the fourth quarter, Aleksa Avramovic drove Partizan Mozzart Bet on Thursday evening.
Tallying 11 of his 14 points in the last ten minutes, he was a catalyst for the win, 88-86, against archrival Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in Round 5 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Partizan jumped to 2-3 despite trailing by a margin of 13 points in the second half in Stark Arena. On the opposite end of the European edition of the Eternal Derby, Zvezda was forced down to 1-4.
Zeljko Obradovic enjoyed his players leading 17-2 with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. However, the advantage evaporated and eventually turned into a 13-point deficit in the second half. The plan for the designated visitors, guided by Giannis Sfairopoulos, was working, forcing Partizan to tough shots with improved defense.
Avramovic was responsible for spoiling the return of the experienced coach to Europe’s premier club continental competition with clutch plays on both ends down the court in the fourth quarter. The 29-year-old Serbian combo guard combined his 14 points with two rebounds, two steals, one block, and one assist over 20 minutes.
“All the players deserved to be called top performers. All the staff and the crowd that supported us when we were down 13,” Avramovic rejected being labeled as the man of the night.
“He stepped up big in the second half,” Zach LeDay praised his teammate, sharing in the team effort discussion. The Dallas native recorded a game-high PIR of 20, including 13 points. Ognjen Jaramaz chipped in 12 points. Frank Kaminsky followed with 11 points, including nine in the first quarter.
“We played excellent in the beginning. They played much better in the second half. We found the way and energy thanks to the players and the crowd to come back and win a very important game,” recapped the winning head coach. Tristan Vukcevic and Balsa Koprivica did not get playing time from Obradovic, and Mateusz Ponitka (shoulder) remained on the injury list.
“We believed in each other. We knew that was a very very tough moment for us. For our season, honestly,” Avramovic mentioned referring to avoiding a drop to 1-4 early in the 2023-24 installment of EuroLeague.
The Belgrade rival eventually settled with a 1-4 record, following the head-coaching change with Sfairopoulos coming in to replace Dusko Ivanovic.
“We should not focus on the end of the game. I think that when we were in control and were up, we gave up some easy points. They came back. And this is what happens,” noted the Greek tactician on his first EuroLeague game since leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv in February 2022.
Joel Bolomboy posted a game-high 16 points with 6/8 field goals in the losing effort. Shabazz Napier had 14 points. Nemanja Nedovic (hamstring) and Branko Lazic (rib) were sidelined along with Ognjen Kuzmic, while Stefan Lazarevic, Marko Simonovic, and Dalibor Ilic did not play.
“It was not easy for the players to adjust in this transition period, come here and play such a demanding game,” commented Sfairopoulos.
Another meeting on Monday
The next matchup between the Belgrade rivals will be played on Monday, in Round 5 of the AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season. Tied with Buducnost VOLI on top of the standings with a 4-0 record, Zvezda leads Partizan by one point, 8-7.
Round 6 of the continental campaign sends the team coached by Sfairopoulos to a home game versus FC Bayern Munich on Thursday and Obradovic’s side on the road opposite Baskonia on Friday.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net