Regular Season
Round 30 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Zvezda flipped a defensive switch to throttle Baskonia
Artikel
3 Lesezeit
It was almost as if Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade had lulled the top-scoring team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague into thinking everything was going to be easy before stealing away to a 74-63 win on Thursday.
Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz not only sped to a 23-35 advantage in less than 13 minutes, but did so by practically waltzing to the basket again and again for open layups. It was so quiet at normally raucous Aleksandar Nikolic Hall you could almost hear the fans wondering if their team of defensive pitbulls had been replaced by imposters.
And then Zvezda flipped a switch. Hassan Martin blocked a shot with two hands. Luca Vildoza got a steal. Facundo Campazzo got another and back-passed to Martin for a dunk. Baskonia obliged by missing shots and throwing the ball away. A full 7 minutes passed before the visitors saw the bottom of the net again. Not even a free throw.
Zvezda's offense was hardly on fire, but it moved forward normally, enough for the hosts to take their first lead at 37-35 on scoring that was fueled by 8 turnovers forced on Baskonia in the second quarter.
Zvezda boss Dusko Ivanovic was quite prophetic at halftime, saying: "These last 7 minutes, how we played aggressively on defense, this is the way to win the game."
And so they did. Nothing that Baskonia tried in the second half broke the spell. A couple of three-pointers in a row was the only glimmer of life in the visitors, but that was extinguished quickly. All told, Zvezda would hold a team that had averaged a league-high 86.3 points until then to just 28 in the game's final 27 minutes and 29 seconds. Barely over 1 point per minute from the early second quarter until the buzzer.
"Once we started playing defense – our guards, especially, put great effort on the defensive part of the court – we started playing better," team captain Luka Mitrovic said after. "To keep Baskonia on 63 points is really hard. They're an extremely talented and offensive-oriented team."
Baskonia's shooters suffered through a 6-for-25 night on three-pointers, their second-worst performance of the season. Their worst had been a week before, also on the road, in a loss at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. And Mitrovic hinted that Zvezda was aware that Baskonia's shooters could be stopped, and were, as evidenced by the league's top marksman in terms of volume, Markus Howard, going 1-for-10 from the arc on Thursday.
"[Howard] is for sure one of the most dangerous shooters in Europe, not just on their team. So one of our focuses was to stop him," Mitrovic said. "But, you know, Baskonia is a great team. We had to do the job on other players, too."
Game Videos
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/1_Qk0wxpo9c/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Play-In Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4867c1bd-35a3-42c2-8835-0aebd34b479e.jpg?crop=1182%3A665%3Anowe%3A168%3A125]()
Petrusev with a ferocious dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/d2db2da2-5747-4a2c-85d5-6c3fce493ffc.jpg]()
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/3bd110f1-e5a3-4be3-91c0-960ae1097c4d.jpg]()
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:48
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/04/04/eVbbnCDf3jhyQwa2WP5LE2LKgfZYV9sj-1743810729618.jpg]()
Markus Howard: 'We owe everything to our fans'
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/eae90e2f-283b-4f30-8710-e932ba4945d7.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:32
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/04/04/5vEODYqKzI31WuEZJimu53PBc2OkNQYP-1743799962575.jpg]()
Donta Hall posterizes Neal Sako! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/6183de28-f75a-4657-9218-b3ef7593c469.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:21
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/c462d065-2283-4665-a778-75333fb5bb7b.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A87%3A58]()
Howard, Hall link up for alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4e6163ad-c9e6-4045-a9a3-367d1346ba0f.jpg]()
Forrest extra effort results in Howard three! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:26
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d355f318-55e9-452c-adbe-7584093bec58.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A106%3A147]()
An audacious three-pointer from Yago! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/75dca313-715c-4a46-b331-1df1132187f1.jpg?crop=732%3A412%3Anowe%3A315%3A0]()
Donta Hall posterizes Neal Sako! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/47da6a23-06db-4374-ab02-7bbf831369a6.jpg?crop=893%3A502%3Anowe%3A0%3A26]()
Forrest rejects Maledon on the first play! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/041f0c0d-cade-4273-89dc-df4e12877a44.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A270%3A257]()
Petrusev with a sublime alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/wLO48bJC4Yw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Trent Forrest: 'EuroLeague fans are very into the game'
- 00:36
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/28/Vl7fI61cbOhYq6UyRX4s8h8LOQfcHe76-1743201056387.jpg]()
TLC slams it home in transition! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c2eb8757-5c14-4166-8495-23fb6c979f50.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Real Madrid | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a37c2565-38a1-4ae2-9562-84dc02e6496e.jpg]()
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul - Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:10
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/26/NYiJRPm8Nh7tnFnAIzyOfan0mEwP8a6e-1743024108602.jpg]()
Filip Petrusev: 'We had great energy all game'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9238fe42-4c6e-40c6-b57e-646ef163709f.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 31 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bac1f674-abce-4ae8-9f55-1739e8f1523b.jpg?crop=1156%3A650%3Anowe%3A58%3A142]()
Miller-McIntyre steals and dunks! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/1b30c0c0-b546-4c20-a562-c140663c88f9.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 31 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/175505a8-1f24-4faa-ab1c-4accb614d721.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A48%3A91]()
Howard and Diop team up on the break! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:01
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/20/pY6bLQrQhNhvJ17uQuFObup8D5yYYvVr-1742506751891.jpg]()
Markus Howard: 'Baskonia needed a night like this'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/90fd35c7-86f5-414b-9f7c-d3515f50b4ab.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3ec88de8-873d-44c6-a2c4-2399b548302a.jpg?crop=1231%3A692%3Anowe%3A52%3A97]()
Forrest beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/20/mCp4HpqBHc8CrD1WYhDzg7ZntUIKyGvq-1742501226435.jpg]()
Rokas Giedraitis: 'We fought all game and that was the key'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4fd3ed4b-eef6-4df8-9eb3-10155baf9ac2.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9506af53-73c2-4d73-b91a-a9650e14caf2.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A158%3A44]()
Kalinic rejects Fournier! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:34
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/18/WoEqhAZMFOSknSGvCIGpglW6ZH9X1Ou4-1742335612387.jpg]()
TJ Shorts: 'We will carry this momentum for the rest of the season'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0b920160-ae17-44ad-9c9a-eba7a0a20425.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5f588c6d-cb8b-4b08-8e35-6c371bcfeecf.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A153%3A59]()
Shorts with a rare block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a5cd636a-77b8-4e40-9dcd-a9221b568988.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A23%3A234]()
Caruso comes across to block Ward! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6578bffc-3d51-44b2-9957-6f21b4499bf8.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A225%3A85]()
Causeur sends up a prayer… and it drops! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/922b2794-1041-4bff-8841-2cd476b1e523.jpg?crop=1913%3A1076%3Anowe%3A475%3A563]()
Mathis Dossou-Yovo opens his EuroLeague account in style! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/02f9ee7a-ba86-4913-b03b-637a938f4916.jpg?crop=1920%3A1080%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
Centers are the center of attention in this week's Fantasy Challenge Podcast
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f9c369a6-bb37-44b3-83a7-e89d921cd234.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/de04a8a0-1263-40b3-88c7-ae640b9a833d.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6002849b-1806-4c17-9371-f910ecd15d90.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A136%3A78]()
Diop swats Wetzell! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b79ab40f-e270-4836-9030-83c088d91768.jpg?crop=1217%3A684%3Anowe%3A82%3A60]()
Howard flashes his passing for Diop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/72151e19-c6b7-49f4-99e7-d1ddb3532db3.jpg?crop=640%3A360%3Anowe%3A38%3A25]()
Sweet Howard assist for Hall hammer! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a80df3ac-2d91-472e-bcfb-5844846a811d.jpg?crop=4000%3A2250%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
Chima Moneke co-hosts this week's Fantasy Challenge Podcast
- 01:04
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/03/06/pLBsyFs5HlgbZW12ur650RGuFbsh9TUp-1741300390545.jpg]()
Markus Howard: 'This time of year, it's so important to close games'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e0fa80ee-8cb7-4406-9226-a53e66774730.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e7f1f129-ec3a-497f-9e6c-65c4ac9c9d06.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Crvena Zvezda Meridanbet Belgrade | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3c191f79-13e1-4b77-ad8c-a57d19b93b31.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A83%3A45]()
Rogkavopoulos ends the first half in style! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9c935e40-57a8-46b4-8d3e-a902d73185f8.jpg?crop=1164%3A655%3Anowe%3A128%3A181]()
An almighty rejection from Bolomboy! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/08e757ad-6be1-4fae-9f0f-76231fca9cb9.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 27 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3c5e7350-5e5b-4f28-952d-efcc090d35de.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 27 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f4e873b6-a151-44b9-a4c9-2e51ed46cc45.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A122%3A70]()
Kalinic with the slam-dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
