By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Seemingly on track to play against Baskonia in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, Milos Teodosic was instead scratched from the lineup of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet.
Teodosic, 36, has been dealing with a strained hamstring. He reported discomfort a few hours before tipoff, forcing the team based in Belgrade to keep him on the sidelines for at least one more game. The Round 22 contest will be held today (19:00 CET) in Stark Arena.
The latest injury surfaced following the Round 21 fixture opposite EA7 Emporio Armani Milan last Thursday. Consequently, the former EuroLeague champion did not play against Borac Mozzart in Round 16 of the AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season on Sunday.
Other players on the injury list for head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos are Nemanja Nedovic and Nikola Topic, thus limiting backcourt options. An increased role for newcomer Javonte Smart is possible straight from the debut with his new team and in Europe.
“We are playing against a team that plays very well and has excellent results in away games,” Sfairopoulos referred to Baskonia’s 5-5 record on the road heading to Serbia, “We have to be focused, if we don’t approach the match in the right way then we will have problems. We want to be ready for a tough game. They have players who can cause us problems, not just Markus Howard. Players from the bench can offer them solutions and we have to face them as a team, not just individuals.”
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net