Regular Season
Round 24 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Zvezda and Nedovic overcame Baldwin in record-breaking showdown
Article
3 Mins read
Coming off a poor personal double-round week which saw him total just 8 points – 4 in both games – in defeats to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Virtus Segafredo Bologna, Nemanja Nedovic still had plenty of reason to feel confident when he headed into Thursday night’s game at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.
Why? Because the Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade sharpshooter’s best-ever performance in the competition came in the very same Menora Mivtachim Arena, when he netted 39 points for a PIR of 45 in an 89-81 defeat for his former team Panathinaikos in December 2020.
On Thursday night, Nedovic showed that he was again feeling comfortable in Tel Aviv as soon as he entered the game midway through the first quarter, sinking his first shot with a tough stepback three-pointer in the face of good defense. He then added another triple 90 seconds later before taking his tally to 8 points in 2 minutes on the next possession and continued to score for fun in the second quarter by sinking another pair of triples and finishing the first half with 18 points.
As if that wasn’t enough, Nedovic then returned off the bench midway through the third quarter and promptly added 8 more points in two minutes, including another pair of triples, which were crucial in stopping Maccabi’s attempts to get back into the game. Nedovic’s scoring spree took the lead to 51-67, which eventually proved enough to repel Maccabi’s spirited fourth-quarter comeback.
He couldn’t exert the same influence in the final stages with Luca Vildoza taking over the offense as the game became a test of nerves from the free throw line. But Nedovic had already done his job, finishing with 28 points on 5-of-7 shooting from two-point range and setting a new club record by sinking 6-of-9 three-point attempts – Zvezda players had struck 5 three-pointers in a game on 15 previous occasions in the competition, but Nedovic is now alone with his 6 triples.
The only reason Maccabi was able to get as close as it did, 86-89, was a sensational performance from Wade Baldwin who set a new career high and club record with 38 points, along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Baldwin was especially on fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points in the final frame to single-handedly set up a thrilling finale as his team rallied back to a single-point margin.
Indeed, Baldwin even came very close to forcing overtime in spectacular fashion as his half-court heave on the final buzzer rattled the rim before bouncing out. But he can settle for the consolation of breaking Maccabi’s single-game scoring record in the competition, finishing with 1 more point than Scottie Wilbekin last season and Sarunas Jasikevicius in 2004.