Real Madrid undone by Partizan’s long-range artillery

Real Madrid outfought Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in many departments of their Game 1 matchup in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, but crucially, the visitors outgunned their more illustrious rivals with some superb three-point shooting in an 87-89 road win on Tuesday.
It was only fitting that Partizan team captain Kevin Punter dealt the knockout blow with a sweet shot beyond the arc, with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock, as the Serbian side buried 13 of its 26 shots from downtown. Real, in contrast, struggled as it went a mere 7-for-22 from long range.
The visitors also shot 24-for-27 from the foul line while Real made 18-of-25, hence the home team's superiority in rebounding (35-30) and assists (16-13) failed to bear fruit in the end. Real also made its physicality count from two-point range (24-for-42), as Partizan only sank 13-of-29 efforts from inside the arc, but when the chips were down it was Punter’s audacious three-pointer that settled the rip-roaring contest.
Punter, who scored a game-high 26 points, won his personal battle against Real’s Gabriel Deck, who netted 24 and must have thought he’d won it for Real with a three-point play on the home team’s last possession. But Punter was not to be denied, nailing a superb shot over Guerschon Yabusele to silence the home crowd in Madrid and ensure that Partizan walked away a crucial Game 1 victory.