The home team’s head coach outfoxed his more heralded Partzian counterpart Zeljko Obradovic.
Ioannis Sfairopoulos masterstroke propelled Zvezda to emphatic derby win
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 19 of 34
Regular Season
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
8872
Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradePAR
Overview
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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade celebrated a comfortable 88-72 win over traditional rival Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in an emotional city derby, gaining sweet revenge for losing the reverse fixture and rekindling its hopes of making the post-season.
Zvezda improved to 8-11 after completing a perfect double-round week, having pulled off a shock 76-85 win at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Tuesday. Partizan dropped to 10-9 with its third defeat in the last four games after head coach Zeljko Obradovic was outwitted by his counterpart Ioannis Sfairopoulos.
The Greek tactician started with a small-ball outfit including three guards and Dejan Davidovac as the power forward, with Joel Bolomboy expectably deployed as the rim protector. That unit stifled Partizan’s offense early on, allowing Zvezda to dictate the pace.
The home team pulled away when its offensive striking pins Milos Teodosic and Rokas Giedraitis came off the bench and did some damage from the perimeter, while back-up center Freddie Gillespie enjoyed a field day in the first half in only his second game for Zvezda.
Game Videos
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Donta Hall skies for the alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Bruno Fernando with the monster slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Payne’s pass finds Bonga for a slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Tyrique Jones goes sky-high! Motorola Magic Moment
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Bonga with a sweet reverse jam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Collin Malcolm with a monster slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Dan Oturu smashes the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
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Bonga rejects Edwards! Motorola Magic Moment
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What a crazy alley-oop from Tyrique Jones! Motorola Magic Moment
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Moneke soars! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kalinic does it all! Motorola Magic Moment
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Jordan Nwora hammers it home! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kalinic banks it in to beat the shot clock! Motorola Magic Moment
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Pokusevski’s brutal block! Motorola Magic Moment
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Butler finds Ojeleye for the hammer! Motorola Magic Moment
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Uros Plavsic and the fierce put-back! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Semi Ojeleye with a big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
Gillespie, who joined Zvezda from Bayern Munich last week, netted 10 points in the opening two quarters as he dominated the paint at both ends. Obradovic chopped and changed throughout but was unable to find a unit capable of holding its own in the opening two quarters, with Partizan contained to a mere 2 assists in the first half while Zvezda dished out a whopping 15 like confetti.
“We showed from the start that we wanted this win and we controlled the game throughout the 40 minutes,” Teodosic said after posting 13 points and 7 assists in the game. “We are starting to play more as a team and we are starting to grow as a team. We needed this win a lot after the one in Istanbul in order to keep boosting our confidence.”
Sfairopoulos was delighted with his team’s effort. “It was very important to win the derby and I want to congratulate the players as they headed into the game fully focused and they stuck to the plan,” he said. “The first half was one of our best halves we’ve played so far. The second half was different but we were always in control and deserved to win.”
With Zvezda seemingly in cruise control. Partizan stealthily closed the gap to 77-68 in the fourth quarter and then squandered a chance to further slash the deficit, with the visitors missing a pair of second-chance three-pointers. Seconds later, Giedraitis sank a baseline triple and it was lights out for Partizan.
Obradovic conceded the damage was done in the first half, when Partizan was trampled in every department.
“Congrats to Red Star, we tried to react but it wasn’t enough and they deserved to win the game,” he said. “The first half was probably our worst in the EuroLeague this season and I cannot explain why we were so poor.
“Gillespie benefited from playing alongside the likes of Teodosic, Nedovic and Yago, who understand basketball. Clearly, we were bereft of any creativity and the fact that we had 9 turnovers and only 2 assists in the first half showed that in no uncertain terms.”
Zvezda finished on 21 assists and 12 turnovers, while Partizan had 11 assists and 16 turnovers, demonstrating the difference in how the two teams handled the ball. Also, Zvezda made 11 of 25 shots from behind the three-point arc while Partizan was 6 of 22, with many of its sharpshooters enduring a torrid night.
Sfairopoulos lauded his team’s effort at both ends of the court. “It was very important to limit the competition’s best offense to just 72 points,” he said. “At the other end, we had free-flowing offense and six players scoring in double digits. I am very satisfied how everybody approached the game and played it. We can’t get ahead of ourselves though and we will only look forward to the next one.”