Motiejunas arrived on loan from Monaco in October
Crvena Zvezda keeps Donatas Motiejunas for the rest of the season
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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and center Donatas Motiejunas have reached an agreement to keep working together until the end of the season, the club announced Wednesday.
Motiejunas joined the Serbian club on a three-month loan from AS Monaco, which included an option to extend the deal until the end of the season. Zvezda is 9-2 with Motiejunas wearing the team's jersey, with the center having posted 8.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11 appearances, in addition to taking a major leadership role in the locker room.
The arrival of Motiejunas also overlapped with a coaching change at the club, as Ioannis Sfairopolous parted ways with the team and Sasa Obradovic was appointed as play-caller. Motiejunas and Obradovic previously worked successfully together for three seasons at Monaco, and have now continued to do so in Belgrade.
In addition, the 35-year-old center -- in his seventh EuroLeague season -- was a key factor when Zvezda faced major injury issues in its frontcourt. Joel Bolomboy has been out since last spring, summer addition Jasiel Rivero got hurt in the opening round, and Uros Plavsic has been out with a pair of injuries.
However, none of it prevented Zvezda from racing out to a 9-4 record, tied for the best in the league ahead of its Friday matchup against FC Barcelona, which will be played at a packed Belgrade Arena. Tickets for the game were sold out in six minutes, according to the club.