Dante Exum's all-round performance powered Partizan past Virtus
It only takes a quick look at the stats sheet to see exactly how important Dante Exum was for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in its 79-88 victory at Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Tuesday night.
The Australian guard did a lot of everything by registering 17 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, which was enough for a PIR of 33. That’s the second-highest ranking of Exum’s two-season EuroLeague career, just trailing the PIR of 35 he recorded in a defeat at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne earlier this season.
Exum, who first appeared in the competition last season with FC Barcelona, also reached a career milestone by surpassing 500 EuroLeague points, which came on his 51st appearance as he continued a fine run of form which has seen him reach double digits in scoring in 14 of the last 15 games.
This particular evening certainly did not start well for Exum, who picked up an unsportsmanlike foul for crashing down on Daniel Hackett only five seconds after he entered the game off the bench midway through the first quarter.
But that was quickly forgotten as the 27-year-old launched into a typically all-action display, and he was particularly decisive during a key phase of the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter Exum exploded back-to-back dunks and then added a spinning layup, scoring those three baskets in just over two minutes as he extended Partizan’s lead from a slender 65-67 to a commanding 65-75. That was enough to seal a hard-fought road win, which keeps the Serbian team’s playoff hopes very much alive.