Ognjen Dobric, Zvezda: 'It wasn’t easy, but we found a way'

### Dusko Ivanovic, Crvena Zvezda Merdianbet Belgrade head coach:

“I think we played very good for 35 minutes. The last 5 minutes, like some games before, we had some problems with offense, but our defense was good."

### Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach:

"We lost the game in the first half. They really took control of the game on both sides. From down 16, we showed character to come back, but sometimes you lose the game in the first half.

“We were not patient enough in the first half. We were too nervous and they totally controlled the first half. We knew exactly what they do on defense and came with a game plan, but we couldn’t really execute. They forced us into 16 turnovers and made a lot of easy baskets out of it. They also punished us with offensive rebounds in the second half and that was the game."

### Nemanja Nedovic, Crvena Zvezda Merdianbet Belgrade guard:

"We don’t know how to win a normal game! We always have some drama in the end and we have to work on that. It’s a big win for sure. It will help us get back on the winning track and catch the train for the top eight. I’m a much better shooter than \[season average for three-pointers\] 23%, I hope I will catch my rhythm after this game. The most important thing is we got the win. If I played good, even better."

### Ognjen Dobric, Crvena Zvezda Merdianbet Belgrade guard:

"We played really good from the start and found a way to win the game. It wasn’t easy, but we found a way. We had to build our confidence back after some losses and this was the way. We played as a team for 40 minutes. We had ups and downs but we played as a team and that’s the most important."

Game Videos

Game News

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-02-09T19:05:00.000Z)

Punter leads Partizan to 71-82 win in Munich

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade grabbed its fourth consecutive win by downing FC Bayern Munich 71-82 at Audi Dome on Thursday. Partizan improved to 13-11 in the standings to remain in the playoffs zone. It grabbed its second victory against Bayern this season. Bayern dropped to 9-15 and is on a three-game losing streak.

Kevin Punter paced the winners with 19 points. Mathias Lessort added 16 and 7 rebounds, James Nunnally scored 15 points and Dante Exum 11 for Partizan, which was pushed by hundreds of fans at Audi Dome. D.J. Seeley led Bayern with 11 points and Corey Walden and Nick Weiler-Babb each added 10 for the hosts.

Punter buried a couple of jumpers to give Partizan an early 2-6 lead. Zach LeDay and Lessort each dunked, and Nunnally struck from downtown to boost the guests' lead to 5-13. Augustine Rubit and Ognjen Jaramaz stepped up for Bayern, Gillespie hit a jump hook and Niklas Wimberg's buzzer-beating basket tied it at 19-19 after 10 minutes. 

Isaac Bonga and Walden each buried a triple for a 29-28 Bayern lead. Punter stepped up for Partizan and got help from Nunnally and Exum to give the visitors a 33-39 lead at the break.

Punter kept pacing Partizan with a couple of jumpers and Yam Madar buried a three-pointer for a double-digit lead, 35-45. Partizan found a new go-to guy in Exum, who scored in the low post and fed Nunnally for a three-pointer in a 0-9 run that Lessort capped with a layup that caused Bayern to call timeout at 39-54. Lessort's three-point play soon broke the game open, 40-58, late in the third quarter. Andres Obst and Niels Giffey got Bayern within 45-60 after 30 minutes. 

Danilo Andjusic had 7 quick points early in the fourth quarter as Partizan boosted its margin to 47-67 and never looked back.

FC Bayern Munich v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-02-09T19:30:00.000Z)

In a recent wide-ranging interview with DAZN, the broadcasting partner of Euroleague Basketball in Spain, coaching great Zeljko Obradovic explained why he is so thrilled to be back where he started his career, with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.

 Obradovic, thrilled to be in Belgrade again 

In a recent wide-ranging interview with DAZN, the broadcasting partner of Euroleague Basketball in Spain, coaching great [Zeljko Obradovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/obradovic-zeljko/) explained why he is so thrilled to be back where he started his career, with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.

"Serbia is a country where there's a lot of passion for basketball," Obradovic tells the DAZN interviewer, Piti Hurtado. "I'm very proud how our fans have been this year and last year. The arena is always full; it's a tremendous help. In 32 years as a coach and 15 as a player before that, I  haven't seen anything like this year in Partizan."

His own passion for European basketball, in which he is the undisputed heavyweight champion with nine continental crowns, is among the reasons that Obradovic says he has not pursued a coaching position in the NBA.

"One time, my manager called me because one NBA team wanted to have an interview with me. And I said, 'Look, interviews I give to journalists. If someone doesn't know who I am and what I can do, this isn't serious.' I said it like that. Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe. But I am who I am, and I am very, very happy in Europe," Obradovic says. "And after returning to Partizan and Belgrade after all my adventures in Europe, living practically 27 years out of Belgrade and Serbia, I don't think I can ask for more in life."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🗣️ &quot;Un equipo quería hacer una entrevista conmigo y dije: &quot;Si no sabes quién soy yo o lo que puedo hacer entonces esto no es serio&quot;&quot;<br><br>Zeljko Obradovic desvela por qué no ha entrenado nunca en la NBA en el &#39;The Coaching Experience&#39; con <a href=https://twitter.com/PitiHurtado?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@PitiHurtado</a> 🎙 <a href=https://t.co/HrihkE1ZYw>pic.twitter.com/HrihkE1ZYw</a></p>&mdash; DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) <a href=https://twitter.com/DAZN_ES/status/1622990550608580608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>February 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset="utf-8"></script>`

Obradovic also explained that the greatest decision of his life was to stay at Partizan after his first year as a coach ended with the team winning the EuroLeague, so that he could continue learning from the late, great Aca Nikolic, who was at his side that season for his transition to the bench. Obradovic had previously played for Nikolic and even studied under him at university to learn from the master.

"He was my professor. He taught me everything," Obradovic said. "I was a point guard but a scoring point guard. After talking with him I understood the game more and became a real point guard. We always had a special relationship... I didn't want to leave \[Partizan\] because I wanted to work with him one more year."

Many of Obradovic's own players have gone on to become successful head coaches, with names like Pablo Laso and Sarunas Jasikevicius, not to mention his former assistant Dimitris Itoudis.

"I spoke to someone who counted that more than 100 players I coached became coaches themselves," he said. "More than 100, at different levels."

One thing remains the same along his 32-year-career, Obradovic said: talent by itself is not enough.

"Talent is nothing if you don't work. It's only useful if you understand you have to work and improve. That's your opportunity," he said.

"Alongside the players, there are a lot of people: many friends, family, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, fans, media. And everyone, when they make an important shot, says 'Man, what a talent. They need to play more.' But it's not like that. To reach a certain level, you have to work a lot, very hard, and know it's not easy."

Obradovic, thrilled to be in Belgrade again

When Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade visits FC Bayern Munich for their Round 24 encounter, one of the key clashes on the floor of the Audi Dome will be the one between the two playmakers, Bayern's Nick Weiler Babb and Partizan's Dante Exum. The two are important cogs for each offense, but also among key pieces for what Bayern and Partizan try to do defensively.

Head-to-head: Weiler-Babb, Bayern vs. Exum, Partizan

When Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade visits FC Bayern Munich for their Round 24 encounter, one of the key clashes on the floor of the Audi Dome will be the one between the two playmakers, Bayern's [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) and Partizan's [Dante Exum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dante-exum/011302/). The two are important cogs for each offense, but also among key pieces for what Bayern and Partizan try to do defensively.

Interestingly, even though Exum made his competition debut in December of last season with FC Barcelona, this game will mark already the eighth time that the two will face each other.

These two players first went head-to-head exactly a year ago, in Round 24 last season, when each player scored 9 points, pulled down 5 rebounds and had 1 assist as Barcelona beat Bayern 71-66.

Then, in last season's playoff series, in which Barcelona ousted Bayern in five games, Weiler-Babb had a lot larger role than Exum, albeit in defeat.

Bayern guard averaged 10.0 points on 46.2% three-point shooting, and had 5.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds for an average PIR of 14.6 in those five playoff games. He starred in Bayern victories in Games 2 and 4, with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in each, and played more than 25 minutes per game for the series.

Exum, on the other hand, contributed with 5.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists to Barcelona's 3-2 series win. He had an instrumental role in Game 1 win with 12 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, and posted 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in Game 3 road victory, but Exum scored 2 points in each of the other three games.

After his arrival to the Serbian capital, however, things have changed in Exum's favor this season

When they faced off in Partizan's 83-77 victory in Round 16, Exum scored 19 points in fewer than 18 minutes on the floor, making 6 of 9 two-pointers while knocking down 1 triple on 5 attempts. Meanwhile, Weiler-Babb played more than 31 minutes, but only had 1 point on 0-for-5 shooting from the field, along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Exum has been having more and more impact as the season goes on. He is averaging 13.4 points, converting on 60.2% of two-point shots and 40.7% from long range. He is averaging 2.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 23 minutes per game, and enters Round 24 ranked in the top 25 in average PIR (14.0).

Weiler-Babb is scoring a career-high 8.2 points, but not with impressive shooting percentages. He is also contributing with 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

With so much recent familiarity between the two in such short period of time, it will be interesting to see what Weiler-Babb and Exum will do on Thursday night, with Exum poised to help Partizan keep rolling and Weiler-Babb hoping he can help Bayern get on a winning run of its own.

On Thursday morning, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv announced that star guard Lorenzo Brown has signed a contract extension to 2025. Brown (1.96 meters, 32 years old) joined Maccabi last summer after becoming a EuroBasket champion with Spain. In 20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances this season as a starter, Brown has averaged 16.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists, with his team currently among the top eight teams in the standings after going 12-11 through the first 23 rounds. 

Lorenzo Brown commits future to Maccabi until 2025

On Thursday morning, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv announced that star guard [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) has signed a contract extension through 2026. Brown (1.96 meters, 32 years old) joined Maccabi last summer after becoming a EuroBasket champion with Spain. In 20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances this season as a starter, Brown has averaged 16.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists, with his team currently among the top eight teams in the standings after going 12-11 through the first 23 rounds.

Lorenzo Brown Top Plays from 09/30/2022 to 02/09/2023

Maccabi Lorenzo Brown agree for three more years

Brown is in his fourth EuroLeague season, having also played for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and UNICS Kazan. He made his EuroLeague debut in 2019 with Zvezda and he instantly became one of the most productive backcourt players in the competition. Since his debut, Brown has played a total 108 games in the EuroLeague, amassing a total 1,343 points, 321 rebounds, 519 assists and 131 steals and recording an average PIR of 13.2. He earned MVP honors in Round 11 of the 2021-22 season and Round 5 of this season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">מכבי החתימה את לורנזו בראון ל-3 עונות נוספות! <br>לידיעה המלאה &gt;&gt; <a href="https://t.co/KB8OgqEbt7">https://t.co/KB8OgqEbt7</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Zo26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Zo26</a> <a href="https://t.co/toGASoC70d">pic.twitter.com/toGASoC70d</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1623630768680345601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lorenzo Brown commits future to Maccabi until 2026

Over four seasons with four different clubs, do-it-all combo guard Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has proven to be one of the most dangerous players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Wade Baldwin, Maccabi: 'It's amazing to be here'

Over four seasons with four different clubs, do-it-all combo guard [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has proven to be one of the most dangerous players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Since he became a full-timer after moving from Olympiacos Piraeus to FC Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020, continuing to Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and now Maccabi, just four other players have scored more points than Baldwin's 1,297 and just nine others have distributed more assists than his 369 over the last two-and-a-half seasons.

Baldwin's upward trajectory made him a centerpiece of Maccabi's rebuild last summer. He feels the setting is perfect for his goal of returning to the EuroLeague Playoffs, where he had led Bayern two years ago in a first for that club.

"It's amazing to be here: it's the place for me," Baldwin says of Maccabi. "It's one big team trying to accomplish the ultimate goal."

One key to making that goal achievable, Baldwin said, is the chance to play alongside another established star, Lorenzo Brown, in Maccabi's backcourt:

"Playing with another great guard here in Europe is essential. You look at some of these  that are going far in the EuroLeague, the blueprint is there of having two playmakers that can really run your team."

Baldwin is well aware of how tight the standings are and how hard it is to make the playoffs, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Every night, it's a battle," he says. "My goal is to be in that top eight... And once that happens, a new season begins."

One of the stars of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season has been Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov, who had another exceptional performance in his team's 60-93 win on the road at ALBA Berlin in Round 24 on Wednesday night.

Sasha Vezenkov enhances MVP credentials in Olympiacos's win at ALBA

One of the stars of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season has been Olympiacos Piraeus forward [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/), who had another exceptional performance in his team's 60-93 win on the road at ALBA Berlin in Round 24 on Wednesday night.

In just over 32 minutes on the floor, Vezenkov scored a season-high 28 points on impeccable shooting, going 6-of-7 (85.7%) from two-point range, 4-of-6 (66.7%) from behind the arc and 4-of-5 (80%) from the free-throw line. What's more, the 27-year-old grabbed 13 rebounds, dished 1 assist and had 1 steal.

But, it was not just his numbers. For the majority of the game, it felt as though Vezenkov was Olympiacos's 'get out of jail free' card.

ALBA Berlin - Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 23 | Highlights

Starting in the first quarter, Vezenkov knocked down a triple to put Olympiacos up 0-7 after 2:20 of play. Shortly after, Tarik Black fouled Christ Koumadje, meaning that both he and Moustapha Fall – Olympiacos's two centers – were now on the bench with 2 fouls. The Reds went to a small lineup, with Vezenkov taking on an even greater leadership role.

After going 1-for-2 from the charity stripe, Vezenkov scored a two-pointer to take his tally to 6 and keep the visitors comfortably ahead, 5-10. ALBA soon looked come back, 10-12, but 5 straight points from the Bulgaria international allowed Olympiacos to breathe again, 10-17. Then, to close the first quarter, Vezenkov took his tally to 13 points with a dunk, 13-28.

In addition to his 13 points, though, Vezenkov already found himself on 5 rebounds after the opening 10 minutes of play. ALBA was having a lot of trouble containing Olympiacos on the glass, and Vezenkov – together with Bolomboy, who grabbed 4 – had caused all sorts of problems for the hosts. In particular, 2 of Vezenkov's rebounds had come on the offensive end, while 3 of Bolomboy's had also come under ALBA's basket. Together, they were destroying ALBA.

Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas chose to sit Vezenkov for the first 5:30 of the second quarter, but he only added 2 points and 1 rebound to his tally before the break. After the interval, however, Vezenkov helped put the dagger into ALBA, as the hosts saw the game quickly get away from them.

ALBA had cut the deficit to 10 points at halftime, 35-45, yet while Fall scored the Reds' first 5 points of the second half, Luke Sikma's layup helped pull the hosts to within single digits, 41-50. That is when Vezenkov appeared once again, this time to hit a three-pointer that reestablished his team's double-digit lead, 41-53. He then grabbed the defensive rebound that resulted in Thomas Walkup seeing a triple fall, as the gap extended to 15 points once again, 41-56.

Vezenkov finished the third quarter with another rebound and two-pointer to his name, taking him to 20 points and 9 rebounds, just shy of a double-double. In the fourth quarter, Olympiacos extended its lead to as many as 37 points, 49-86, with 6:11 to go before the final buzzer, as Vezenkov added 8 more points and 4 more rebounds to take his final totals to 28 points and 13 rebounds.

The best highlights of Sasha Vezenkov during Olympiacos Piraeus's 60-93 win at ALBA Berlin.

Sasha Vezenkov's highlights vs. ALBA

With a PIR of 40, Vezenkov is on course to secure his fifth MVP of the Round accolade this season; the only players that have earned this honor more than once in 2022-23 are Johnathan Motley of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Dzanan Musa of Real Madrid, both of whom have done so on two occasions.

What's more, the statistics show just how dominant Vezenkov has been during this campaign. The 27-year-old is comfortably the leader in average PIR at 23.5, while he also leads the way for rebounds with 7.4 per contest and is second in scoring at 18.4 points per game.

When it comes to the MVP race as a whole, though, there are plenty of players that will do their all to make sure that it goes down to the wire, such as the reigning MVP and FC Barcelona forward Nikola Mirotic, AS Monaco guard Mike James, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade center Mathias Lessort and Anadolu Efes Istanbul duo Vasilije Micic and Will Clyburn.

However, one thing is for sure: if Vezenkov keeps playing like this and Olympiacos keeps winning, it's going to be hard to argue against him winning his first EuroLeague MVP award.

Vezenkov enhances MVP credentials in win at ALBA

ALBA Berlin v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-02-08T19:00:00.000Z)

### Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach

"We were solid for three quarters, and also our execution on offense was key for the game. In the second quarter, we had some turnovers, we didn’t protect the ball… they hit in transition. This is a typical pace team. Whenever they find open shots in transition, and when you pull down the rhythm, you can control the pace, and this is the key for the game. Our defense – and of offense, of course – was really solid for three quarters, except the second one. We are happy about this win. I have to mention that today is a big day for Olympiacos, because we lost 20 fans 42 years ago if I remember well. We miss them, and it's a special day for Olympiacos. We need Kostas \[Sloukas\] to come back because he's a fantastic player, and also Alec Peters is out. We are expecting them back very soon, because next week we have the obligation of the Greek Cup, which is Top 8. We have three games in a row, we need all our staff, all our roster, for those important games.

"First of all, I would like to thank our fans that came here to support us from Greece, from Germany, from wherever. It was important for us to have support from the fans; wherever we play, we have this kind of support and we appreciate it. Secondly, I would like to mention that today is a tragic day for Olympiacos. Forty-two years have passed since the most tragic moment in Olympiacos's history, where we lost 21 people, so we would like to dedicate this win to their memory. About the game, we controlled it through our solid defense for three quarters, especially the third one. If I remember well, we scored 28 and we allowed 10. It was crucial to finish the game the way that we finished. I would like to congratulate the players; they were really serious. I don't underestimate this win, always we have a different time here in Berlin and also in Piraeus playing against ALBA. Last year, we lost easily \[against ALBA\] and it was important for us to come here and win the game. Good luck to ALBA."

### Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach

"Congratulations to Olympiacos, they played a really, really good game. We are with a lack of confidence; the last two games at home have been very bad. We need to think and try to understand why we are playing like this at home and try to do better in the next games.

"Olympiacos are having an amazing season, playing nice basketball, and today we didn’t compete. We didn’t compete against them. The worst thing are the feelings; how the players feel right now, how we feel right now. I have to say thank you to the fans because they have been great during the game, but today we played bad. The feelings that we have are very bad, so we need to recover and do better in the next games. I'm very worried about the last two games, especially at home, because even at Fenerbahce we couldn’t make it a close game. I think we didn’t have a very bad game, but the last two games that we've played here at home have been very bad. Today, I saw things that I don't like: a lot of players with doubts, with no clear ideas about what to do. Probably this is my fault, too, but we have to be all together to solve this situation and to understand that we are not so bad. We need to come here to compete better, even if we are not going to win the EuroLeague."

### Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus forward

"Before everything, I want to dedicate this win to the families of the victims that our club \[lost as part of the Karaiskakis Stadium disaster\] 42 years ago. This win is honored to them and to all of the fans of our clubs. The key \[tonight\] was the consistency we put in the first and the third quarter, the defensive effort we had… we kept ALBA to 60 points, even though we didn’t play 40 minutes of the same energy level on defense. I'm really happy, because we won one more game, and now we have to keep going because the EuroLeague is really tough. We won in this tough gym against a really talented team, and I'm really happy about it."

### Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus guard

"We're playing great basketball, but we're definitely not complacent. It's about consistency, and that's what we've done over the last six games. It's not about how many in a row or anything, it's just about the next one and showing up each and every day and getting better at practice. We're excited to be winning games, but definitely not complacent and we can't keep looking behind us; it's always about the next one and the next one and the next one."

Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos: 'We're playing great'

EuroLeague Live Blog: ALBA vs. Olympiacos tips off Round 24

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Ognjen Dobric, Zvezda: 'It wasn’t easy, but we found a way'

Punter leads Partizan to 71-82 win in Munich

Obradovic, thrilled to be in Belgrade again

Head-to-head: Weiler-Babb, Bayern vs. Exum, Partizan

Lorenzo Brown commits future to Maccabi until 2026

Wade Baldwin, Maccabi: 'It's amazing to be here'

Vezenkov enhances MVP credentials in win at ALBA

Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos: 'We're playing great'

Wednesday Blog: Olympiacos wins big at ALBA!