By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Another great game in the packed Stark Arena, another late drama, but this time around, Partizan Mozzart Bet didn’t prevail.
With Sylvan Francisco hitting the triple with 0.8 seconds on the clock, Bayern Munich took down Željko Obradović’s side with a final score of 78-79 in Belgrade. Kevin Punter managed to take a solid shot with the buzzer but missed, and the German side improved to 11-15, while Partizan fell to 12-14 in the EuroLeague standings.
FRANCISCO!!!pic.twitter.com/udA4BREr2q
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Bayern’s hero, Francisco, finished the match with 20 points, 19 of them coming in the second half. He was the top scorer and also the MVP of the winning side with a PIR of 25.
“To be honest, I wanted to drive and force overtime initially, but I noticed Kaminsky trying to anticipate my drive. As soon as he flipped his hips, that’s when I opted for a step-back, shot the ball, and thought if it’s going in, it’s going in. If not, at least I took the shot. I don’t regret anything,” Francisco explained the winning shot.
Serge Ibaka followed with 14 points, Carsen Edwards added 12, while Danko Brankovic scored 11 with six rebounds. Nick Weiler-Babb also had a solid game with nine points, six assists, and four boards.
“We stuck together. Coming here, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, especially with them playing in front of their fans; it’s crazy. I’ve never seen something like that before in my 18 years playing professional basketball,” Ibaka said after the match.
As for Partizan, Kevin Punter scored 22 points and finished the match with a PIR of 21, the same as Frank Kaminsky, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. James Nunnally and P.J. Dozier added 10 points each, with the former Denver Nuggets player scoring some big shots in the final moments, but those weren’t enough because Francisco had different plans.
“The beauty of basketball”
Partizan’s head coach Zeljko Obradovic commented on the crucial moment in the game and addressed why his team didn’t make a foul:
“How do you know I didn’t ask for a foul? Take a look at the footage. I called Kevin and said ‘foul.’ How did Virtus get three points? What do you do with a two-point difference? The only thing you can’t allow is a three-pointer. Foul, and you decide your fate. Even this atmosphere isn’t enough for some, but what can I do? When the team is in such momentum, then the coach is responsible,” Obradovic said.
Pablo Laso was pleased with how his team performed in Belgrade and commented on the last two possessions.
“Congratulations to my players; they played well from the beginning. We knew it would be tough because of the fans, who give them additional energy. Kaminsky played brilliantly in the first half; the game was dramatic, but he was the reason we were behind. We stuck to the plan, and even when it seemed like we weren’t there, we came back. We played very good defense; Francisco’s shot was tough, Punter’s too, but they didn’t succeed. That’s the beauty of basketball. Very happy for the win, and we will continue to look for opportunities in the rest of the competition and keep fighting,” said Laso.
Photo: euroleaguebasketball.net