Red Star Beat Olympiacos 62-57, Partizan Rout Maccabi 88-67
Both Serbian clubs won in Euroleague Round 10. Red Star led by 22 in Piraeus, Partizan ended a two-game losing streak, and Vildoza has no fracture.
Red Star led 46:24 at one point in Piraeus, and the hosts scored just 22 points in the entire first half. That picture gave no hint of how Round 10 of the Euroleague, played on November 6, would end: Olympiacos closed to within two points late on. Red Star still took the 62-57 win, and Partizan beat Maccabi 88-67 in Belgrade Arena the same day.
The sources differ on where the game was played: B92 says Piraeus, Eurohoops says Athens. The score and the flow of the game are the same in both reports.
How did Red Star stop Olympiacos?
After 46:24 the hosts came back step by step, with Evan Fournier finding his rhythm. About two minutes from the end Olympiacos was at 57:55. According to both sources, Christian Koloko and Chris Jones made the decisive plays, and Jones hit the three in the final minute that sealed the game.
Jordan Nwora was Red Star’s top scorer with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Jones added 10 points and was the only other player in double figures. Chima Moneke scored just two points, but he grabbed seven rebounds and finished with a plus-minus of +16, the best on the team.
Red Star was not sharp on offense. It had 22 turnovers and 14 assists, but pulled down 41 rebounds (10 offensive, 31 defensive) and made 8 steals. It shot 18 of 33 on two-pointers (54.5 percent) and 7 of 21 from three (33.3 percent).
Olympiacos hit just 5 of 36 from three, or 13.9 percent. Sasha Vezenkov scored 27 points and was practically the only constant threat, while Fournier added 12.
What did Bartzokas say after the loss?
Olympiacos coach Georgios Bartzokas made no excuses at the post-game press conference:
“There are no excuses. With that kind of play we did not deserve to win. We cut the gap in the second half and the game was decided on a single possession. We missed seven free throws and had a low shooting percentage. We tried to turn the game around through defense, but with those percentages we could not win.”
At the same press conference he also said one defeat should not worry the team:
“It is too early for conclusions, teams go through different phases during the season. You lose a game and tension appears, or doubt, or confidence in the team when things are going well. There are so many games in the Euroleague now, and it is not only about what you are like, but about the state of your opponent. We were certainly not good. All of this calls for analysis and we will pass it on to the players.”
How did Partizan respond after two losses?
The Black and Whites came into the Maccabi game after two straight defeats. In Belgrade Arena they led early, 23:7, the visitors pulled back to 30:26, and it was 50:35 at halftime. Partizan held that margin to the end.
Ethan Thompson was the top scorer with 16 points, going 5 of 9 from three and 0 of 4 on twos. Lamar Stevens had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks with no turnovers, Antonio Reeves scored 13, and Nikola Tanaskovic had 11 points and 7 rebounds, plus 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. Captain Vanja Marinkovic returned to the Euroleague floor with 9 points and three threes on five attempts, including the one at the buzzer that made it 88-67.
For Maccabi, Daniel Tice was the most efficient with 11 points and Yam Madar had 10. Partizan had 27 assists and only 7 turnovers, against 16 assists and 13 turnovers for the visitors. Rebounds were even at 36 each, and the difference came from three-pointers: 14 for the hosts against five for Maccabi. Kevarrius Hayes did not play.
Is Vildoza seriously injured?
Luka Vildoza was hurt in the first quarter, took a blow to the hand and did not return to the court. An MRI the same night showed no fracture, and a morning ultrasound on November 7 showed a hematoma.
Vildoza will certainly miss Sunday’s ABA League game against Studentski Centar. For the Euroleague game against Baskonia in Belgrade on Wednesday, the situation is still developing. Partizan is short in the frontcourt, and Toni Dzekiri, Kevarrius Hayes and Derek Willis have already been out.
What comes after Round 10?
Panathinaikos leads at 8-2. Red Star, at 7-3, shares second place with Valencia, Fenerbahce, Olympiacos, Dubai and Barcelona. Partizan is eleventh at 5-5, just below the play-in line, which covers places seven to ten.
Other Round 10 results:
- Real Madrid - Panathinaikos 112-115 after overtime
- Anadolu Efes - Paris 90-95
- Fenerbahce - Baskonia 84-65
- Hapoel Tel Aviv - Barcelona 90-93
- ASVEL - Bayern 95-99
- Armani - Valencia 73-84
- Besiktas - Zalgiris 67-83
- Virtus - Dubai 75-93
In an earlier article we wrote that Red Star and Partizan were left outside the first circle of Euroleague franchises. In the standings after Round 10, Red Star is two wins ahead of Partizan.
In the next round Red Star visits Real Madrid on November 12, and Partizan hosts Baskonia in Belgrade on Wednesday, November 11.
