The Serbian team made it seven in a row and also snapped its seven-game losing streak against the Greens
Vintage Crvena Zvezda breaks Panathinaikos jinx and ties longest winning streak
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 9 of 38
Regular Season
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
8668
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
Overview
w
w
w
w
w
l
l
w
l
w
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade rolled on imperiously as it celebrated a seventh successive win in the EuroLeague, beating Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 86-68 at home as the Serbian team improved to 7-2 while the Greens dropped to 5-4.
Having tied its longest winning streak in Europe’s premier club competition dating back to the 2016-2017 season, Zvezda also ended a seven-game losing streak against the Greek side, offering its fans a sense of déjà vu with a vintage performance.
It brought back instant memories of an 81-48 drubbing of Panathinaikos on November 4, 2021. Almost four years ago to the day, Zvezda romped to its last previous win over the competition’s 2024 champs and for long spells on Wednesday night, it looked like the hosts might emulate the accomplishment.
Zvezda dominated from start to finish and having carved out a massive 67-40 lead through the opening three quarters, the hosts took their foot off the gas in the fourth as Panathinaikos closed in to make it 78-67. The home team then hit top gear again in the dying minutes and put the icing on the cake with an 8-1 run to close out the contest and go top of the standings.
Once again, versatile point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre stood out with an impressive tally of 14 points, 9 boards and 7 assists, while big man Chima Moneke posted 14 points and 8 rebounds. Ognjen Dobric racked up 10 points and 5 boards to underline Zvezda’s smooth display.
Kostas Sloukas paced Panathinaikos on 16 points and Cedi Osman added 14, but the team’s pack leader Kendrick Nunn had a forgettable night as he scored a mere 6 points, shooting 2-of-7 from the floor in the wake of Zvezda’s superb defense.
Coach Sasa Obradovic’s hailed his team’s aggressive pressure which forced Panathinaikos to shoot 0-of-10 from the floor in the first quarter, with Zvezda winning the battle of the boards 44-31 as it took full advantage of injuries to the Greek side’s big men.
“We lost a little bit of energy and focus in the fourth quarter as we had a big lead but we’re going to enjoy the moment,” Obradovic said in his post-game comments. “I am proud of the team for their die-hard attitude and as long as we play tough defense, we are always in with a chance of winning.
“We did a great job on Nunn, we deserved the win and we move on. We have to acknowledge that the schedule has so far played into our hands, hence we now face a cluster of road games and there will be no resting on laurels.”
With half a dozen key players sidelined by injuries, Zvezda made light of their absence thanks to immaculate teamwork which saw the home team dish out 21 assists while giving Panathinaikos preciously little room to operate. The frustrated Nunn looked a pale shadow of the star player who led the Greens to the 2024 EuroLeague title, as Miller-McIntyre stole the spotlights and ran the show at both ends of the floor. The point guard stayed humble as ever, though, stressing that he wasn’t entirely happy with the performance after Zvezda appeared to go through the motions in the fourth quarter.
“Honestly, my first thought is that we didn’t do enough in the fourth quarter. It’s a long season and this is the second game in a row that we had a very big lead and then got relaxed in the home straight,” he said.
“I think we need to finish games better but at the end of the day I am happy that we win. We want to prove that we are a good team in every game and every practice but like I always say, celebrate tonight and tomorrow it’s back to work.”
Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman looked strikingly indifferent as his team took a beating through the opening three quarters, showing very little emotion on the bench as Zvezda built its lead in a fervent atmosphere inside the Belgrade Arena. Ataman acknowledged that his team lacked zest and guile against a fired-up rival, having come to life when it was too late for the Greek outfit.
“Some players showed character in the last seven or eight minutes but it wasn’t enough,” he said.” We played terrible offense and made incredible mistakes in the first quarter, after which we lost control and there was no way back.”
With Zvezda firing on all cylinders under Obradovic as he keeps capturing the headlines in his second stint at the Serbian giant, one must wonder whether a degree of complacency has crept into Panathinaikos whose patchy form suggests that the team, if body language is anything to go by, is just not the sum of its parts at present.
