EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and its head coach, Ettore Messina, gave Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade tactician Zeljko Obradovic a red-carpet birthday reception and then pulled it from right under his feet, as the home team romped to a 76-62 win – its sixth in a row – at Mediolanum Forum on Thursday to keep alive its hopes of reaching the playoffs.
Messina embraced Obradovic before the tipoff, and the Serbian revealed during the post-game press conference that he had received royal treatment from his hosts. “I got a present from Milan as a club and a separate one from Coach Messina," Obradovic told reporters in Italian on the day he turned 63. "For that, I thank them and I also want to highlight it was an incredible atmosphere. Congratulations to Milan, they deserved to win."
Having made a good start, Partizan fell apart in the last 10 minutes, and it was Milan’s steely defense throughout the contest which eventually paved the way for a smooth fourth quarter on offense. The home team racked up 18 assists against 12 turnovers, while Partizan only had 8 assists, having committed 18 turnovers to put wind into Milan’s sails.
