The hosts outscored the Reds 28-13 in the last quarter to grab a second straight victory
Brandon Davies led the way as Partizan's defense suffocated Olympiacos
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade took to Belgrade Arena looking to build on its momentum after the derby victory against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade last week. Its task was anything but easy, as Partizan had to end Olympiacos Piraeus’s six-game winning run in its bid to capitalize on last week’s triumph. And capitalize they did, with the Serbian side showing hustle on both ends, as they put together their finest defensive outing of the season to overpower Olympiacos.
The Reds headed into Thursday’s clash as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s second-best offense with 86.5 points scored per game. No team had managed to hold Olympiacos to fewer than 79 points in the last nine games, with Coach Georgios Bartzokas’s side scoring at least 92 points in each of their previous five duels. Yet, Partizan would have none of it.
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The visitors hit the ground running and scored 21 points in the first 5:14 minutes of the game, but Partizan tightened up its defense and forced poor shooting from Olympiacos that netted just 49 in the rest of the game. Olympiacos maintained a 16-25 lead after 10 minutes, but Partizan outscored its opponent 22-11 in the second for a narrow 38-36 lead at halftime.
“I’m super proud of my guys,” Iffe Lundberg, who netted 13 points, said after the game. “The way we fought, especially in the second quarter and then the rest of the game. The key was on defense tonight.”
Olympiacos came out strong in the third and took a 50-57 lead into the closing quarter. A three-pointer from Kostas Papanikolaou gave his team a 53-60 cushion with 8:23 left on the clock. That’s when Partizan’s defense stepped up again to provide its offense with much-needed energy. The hosts went on a 12-2 surge inspired by a game-changing display from Brandon Davies who stepped up big when it mattered most.
Davies nailed a triple to bring Partizan within 60-62 before scoring twice from inside to extend his team’s lead to 72-63. The veteran center netted 7 of his 12 points in the last 6 minutes of the game, as Olympiacos didn’t manage to counteract Coach Zeljko Obradovic’s trick of playing together his two bigs, Davies and Tyrique Jones. The other Jones, Carlik, also came to the fore, netting 9 of his team-high 15 points in the last 8 minutes, including a triple to put Partizan ahead, 63-62, with 5:51 to go.
“I think it was just our energy on defense,” Carlik Jones told EuroLeague TV. “Diving on the floor for loose balls, boxing out. I think it started on that end and it gave us confidence on offense.”
A tough double-round week is around the corner for Partizan, as Zalgiris Kaunas and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens visit Belgrade. The Serbian side will look to further build on their momentum and put together a streak that could turn their season around. Defense will be the key again, but Thursday’s game against Olympiacos could serve as a blueprint for Obradovic’s men.