The Serbian team beefed up its game in the paint and long-range shooting in the second half.
Strong defense propelled Partizan to gritty win over ALBA
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Regular Season
Round 9 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade shook off a formidable challenge from ALBA Berlin to prevail 89-74 in their Round 9 clash in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Following this win, Zeljko Obradovic’s charges improved to 4-5, while the German side dropped to 1-8 after yet another loss in Europe’s premier club basketball competition.
The visitors looked capable of staging an upset after outrebounding Partizan 9-18 in the first half, having racked up 6 offensive boards while they only allowed 1 at the other end. But, Partizan led 43-40 at halftime largely thanks to forcing 11 turnovers from ALBA, which nosed ahead 45-46 early in the third quarter.
A different Partizan in the second half
At that point, the hosts found another gear and gained the upper hand as they carved out a 65-55 lead at the end of the third quarter on the back of much-improved perimeter shooting. Danilo Andjusic nailed a third-chance three-pointer and Perry Dozier also sank one from long range, with Partizan swinging the momentum in the paint.
ALBA fought hard to stay in touch, but the writing was on the wall for the visitors after they fell behind 74-61 early in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, a rampant Partizan had more firepower when the chips were down, with Aleksa Avramovic leading the charge on 20 points while Andjusic added 16. James Nunnally chipped win with 14 to underline a potent backcourt performance and forward Zach LeDay netted as many.
The tale of the tape
In the end, the two teams were tied 29-29 on rebounding, while ALBA committed 17 turnovers to go with 19 assists. Partizan had as many assists but only 13 turnovers, while nailing 11 three-pointers to ALBA’s 8. The hosts also prevailed from two-point territory, having shot 19-of-27 from inside the arc while ALBA managed 16-of-30.
Partizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic credited the win to a strong second-half performance and passionate support from the home fans, who got behind their team when they needed to most.
“It’s obvious that we played better in the second half,” Obradovic said during the post-game press conference. “I know the players can’t always be at their best because of the tight schedule, but dips in form have to be kept down to a minimum.
“We played better offense and defense in the second half with the in-and-out passing, which created a lot of open shots. We also stopped their quick transition and fastbreaks, which was the key.”
Asked how much of an impact new signing Bruno Caboclo has made since he joined Partizan, Obradovic said: "He is adapting quickly, although there are some tactical details we are still working on his defense. There’s no doubt Caboclo will be a major boost, he’s a good lad and he’s been well accepted by the team. Last but not least, I thank the fans for their support once again because they are like an extra man on the court.”
Having conceded that he and the rest of the team were feeling the effects of a busy schedule comprising the 18-team EuroLeague and the 14-team regional ABA League, Avramovic said Partizan was sorely missing its injured captain, Kevin Punter.
“It was a demanding contest after the loss in Munich and it’s always good to get back to winning ways,” he told Serbia’s Sport Klub television. “Kevin can’t come back soon enough and we are really missing him. We know injuries are part of the game and we have to soldier on amid a torrid schedule, but we’re not going to cry about it. We always knew it was going to be tough.”