Nedovic held his nerve to swing Belgrade Derby

Nemanja Nedovic has blown hot and cold for club and country over the years, but Belgrade’s first-ever Euroleague derby brought out the best in the 31-year-old guard, who sank a baseline three-pointer with 2 seconds left on the clock to give Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade a 73-76 “road” win at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.
Cheered on by only several hundred fans among a sellout crowd of 17,000 at Stark Arena, the visitors came out on top as Nedovic overcame a poor shooting night when he delivered the knockout blow after missing his previous 6 shots from three-point range.
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He finished with a game-high 20 points, with his mesmerizing runs through Partizan’s paint producing a barrage of spectacular layups after the hosts had raced into an early 16-4 lead.
Nedovic’s fine individual performance was complemented by a mature display from playmaker Luca Vildoza, who amassed 14 points, while an instrumental cameo role by center Hassan Martin also played a vital part.
Martin was outmuscled and overpowered by Partizan’s Mathias Lessort in the opening stages but Zvezda’s big man, who had 8 points and 7 rebounds, produced several telling blocks and contained Lessort at key moments as the visitors found their momentum.
But at the end of the day, it was the unpredictable Nedovic who swung the gripping contest Zvezda’s way as he and Vildoza won the battle of the guards against the home side’s Kevin Punter and Yam Madar, who misfired down the stretch after Partizan gained what appeared to be a decisive 71-65 advantage with 3:02 left on the clock.
"What can I say? I think it’s the best feeling ever for sure,” an elated Nedovic said in a courtside interview after silencing Partizan’s passionate fans.
"We got the chance to win with the last shot of the game and we took it. I couldn’t make a shot all evening but I was 100 percent sure I would make the last one,” he added.