Red Star rout Maccabi 100-78, Koloko perfect on debut

An alley-oop, then a jumper from mid-range: that is how Christian Koloko’s debut in a Red Star jersey began. The new center opened the game in Belgrade Arena with four straight points, and within minutes Red Star was well on its way to settling the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Red Star beat the Israeli champions 100-78 last night, October 27, in Round 8 of the EuroLeague. Koloko finished without a missed shot, and according to B92 he had 6 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block in 16 minutes.

How did Red Star decide the game in the first quarter?

Midway through the first quarter the hosts went on a 14-0 run. Before that the score after three minutes was only 12-5, so the real turning point came then. After eight minutes Red Star led by 20, and the first quarter ended 34-15.

Tyson Carter was the game’s top scorer with 24 points, 14 of them in the first quarter, and according to B92 he hit four of four three-pointers in those ten minutes. According to Sportklub, he finished 6 of 10 from three. Chris Jones handed out seven assists in that stretch and ended the night with 8 points and 9 assists.

The second quarter ended 21-15 for Red Star, making it 55-30 at halftime. Another 10-0 run late in the first half produced the biggest lead, 28 points. Maccabi made just one three-pointer in the first half.

Jared Butler scored 21 points, according to Sportklub in only 15 minutes on the floor. Sources differ on Jordan Nwora: Sportklub has him at 18 points and 3 assists, B92 at 16 points. For Maccabi, Jimmy Tre Clark led with 19 points and Roman Sorkin added 13.

Why was the second half calmer?

Red Star lost the second half 48-45, so a drop in intensity with such a big lead was to be expected. Maccabi opened the second half with two three-pointers from Clark, but Red Star kept a safe cushion: 72-50 with two minutes left in the third quarter, 86-61 with six minutes left in the game and 91-71 with three minutes to go.

Red Star played without Stefan Miljenovic, who is dealing with an ankle injury, and also without Jonathan Motley, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Nikola Djurisic. Maccabi was missing the injured Gabriel Ife Lundberg. The crowd also gave an ovation to Nikola Kalinic, who is now a Red Star assistant coach.

What did Navarro say after the game?

Head coach Ibon Navarro first praised the start at the post-game press conference:

Congratulations to the team on the win. With an incredible first half, above all the first quarter, we won.

Navarro said Red Star had ten three-pointers at halftime and finished the game with 16, and explained it with a single line: “Life is better when you hit threes, simply.” Still, he put defense ahead of shooting: “Again I say, the defense was at a high level, a team like Maccabi scored 15 points in the first quarter and 15 points in the second.”

In an answer that, in context, refers to the new center, Navarro said: “He took things on very well, he paid attention to everything, I had a short talk with him, he said he is ready.” Asked what the team will need to fix, the coach said: “Nothing will be at the highest level in November, that is impossible. We have to find solutions in the future too, but we will do it.”

After the game Koloko said it is “always good to start with a win.” He added:

We had a great first half, I am proud of the guys because we put the coach’s ideas into action.

Of the fans he said: “It was my first time playing in front of them and I am really excited about everything the future brings.”

What is next for Red Star and Maccabi?

Red Star now stands at 5-3 in the EuroLeague and Maccabi at 2-6. The team coached by Oded Kattash has lost three straight games in all competitions.

On Thursday, October 29, at 8 p.m., Red Star hosts Bayern in Round 9. Navarro said of them: “Bayern is a team that controls the ball, even though they have minuses in the roster.” Red Star will play in front of the same crowd before which Koloko first stepped onto the floor in its jersey.