The visitors were made to feel at home by thousands of fans who had stuck with the team through a patchy season
Unrelenting fans carried Partizan to lifeline road win over ALBA
One could be forgiven for thinking that Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade was the home team in an 83-94 road win at ALBA Berlin, such was the atmosphere inside Uber Arena generated by thousands of away fans which gave the Serbian team the extra gas.
A mix of Serbian expats in Berlin and die-hard fans who made the trip from Belgrade, the road contingent created the kind of atmosphere few traveling units, if any, can boast of in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Partizan’s faithful, who have supported the team with unabated passion through the thick and think of what has been a topsy-turvy season, finally got their reward after seeing the team suffer a stack of fourth-quarter meltdowns.
At one point early in the fourth quarter, they were given an almighty scare as ALBA slashed a 15-point deficit to just 69-73, but Partizan’s key players stepped up to the plate this time and held on for a vital win ahead of the regular season’s dramatic climax.
Head coach Zeljko Obradovic, who was his usual vibrant self as he got increasingly frustrated on his team’s bench whenever ALBA threatened to turn the tide, lauded the fans for their fervent support throughout the season and praised his team for keeping its nerve when the chips were down.
“Some minutes we played very well, but not the entire game,” Obradovic said in his post-game comments. “It summed up our entire season – up and down. We found a way to be calm in the crucial moments and that’s why we won the game. We used our individual quality to good effect. In the last game against Valencia [Basket] on our home court, we will have incredible support from our fans, just like we did tonight.”
A do-or-die clash in Round 34
Partizan can clinch a play-in berth if it beats Valencia next Friday, provided that one or two other results go the Serbian team’s way. Captain Kevin Punter, who claimed the player of the game accolade with 15 points and 6 rebounds, echoed Obradovic’s stance.
“A lot of composure and poise, we finished the game properly,” he said. “The fans always show up to support us, whether it’s at home or on the road. We appreciate that and now we’ve got one more game left. We need to reset our minds and bodies.”
Partizan prevailed thanks to a solid performance at both ends, having forced 18 turnovers from ALBA and restricting the hosts to just 17 assists. The visitors shot a commendable 7 of 16 from downtown while restricting the hosts to 9 of 27 from long range, having also managed 11 steals thanks to aggressive half-court pressure.
Punter aside, several other players also stood out for Partizan and one of them was James Nunnally, who paced the visiting team with 19 points. The 33-year-old was also looking forward to the do-or-die game against Valencia, having acknowledged that the matchup with ALBA panned out according to script.
“It’s a great win, we played hard for 40 minutes,” he stated. “We did a good job stopping their fastbreak, we followed the game plan and things worked out for us. We have a bit of time to rest and prepare for what should be a special game against Valencia.”