By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Kevin Punter had 22 points, Danilo Andjusic added 15 and despite stopping playing in the fourth period, Partizan got an easy 90-77 win over LDLC ASVEL.
However, the game was much easier for the home side than the final score suggests with ASVEL ending up scoring 32 points in the last period when everything was already decided.
“That was a good way to start the new year and we have to keep it going”, said Punter after the final buzzer turning the focus directly to the next game, which is against cross-town rival Crvena Zvezda.
As he added: “It’s going to be a tough game, we have to be focused, we have to be locked in”.
Former NBA player Mike Scott had his best EuroLeague game ever with 24 points and 10 rebounds, however with ASVEL having a 2-16 record there was not much to celebrate about.
On top of that, multiple reports before the game coming from France suggested that ASVEL’s coach Gianmarko Pozzecco is on the exit door just after two months with the team. Nando De Colo missed the game, but as Pozzecco said: “We didn’t give up, but we played against Partizan and this is not enough”.
The game ended in the third period
Partizan never trailed in the game with ASVEL being kind of competitive at the start and trailing only by one point (18-17) after eight minutes of action.
However, things went downhill for them after that. Partizan closed the first period with a 5-0 run (23-17), they led by 19 at halftime (50-31) and by 29 in the middle of the third period (62-33).
The game was over, Partizan entered the last quarter leading by 25 (69-45), and they relaxed a bit, as ASVEL had a partial score of 13-5 to start the fourth quarter (74-58).
Thanks to Scott, ASVEL trimmed the lead to 12 (81-69) with two minutes left but there was no coming back for the French side at this point.
“Last quarter was normal because in our mind maybe it was already what’s coming in two days”, admitted Partizan coach Zeljko Obradovic.