The duo delivered their best performances of the season as the Serbian team produced a strong fourth quarter
Dobric, Butler power Crvena Zvezda to impressive win over Monaco
Отчеты о матчах
3 Минутное чтение
Regular Season
Round 11 of 38
Regular Season
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
9179
AS MonacoASM
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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade swiftly got back to winning ways with a sound 91-79 victory against visiting AS Monaco to improve to 8-3 after Ognjen Dobric and the club’s latest acquisition Jared Butler came up big in their team’s hour of need.
With seven major players absent through injury, Zvezda dug deep to brush Monaco aside on the back of an electrifying fourth quarter as Dobric matched his career-high with 22 points and Butler, who joined Zvezda three weeks ago, poured in 20 to delight a passionate home crowd inside the Belgrade Arena.
With big man Chima Moneke the latest casualty sidelined by a groin injury, a shorthanded Zvezda held its own throughout the opening three quarters and then hit top gear in the fourth, bouncing back from the previous round’s reverse at Dubai Basketball.
Trailing 42-46 at halftime, Zvezda fought back in the third quarter on the back of fantastic shooting from Dobric, and Butler took over the mantle in the fourth as he was unstoppable on offense. The hosts shot an enviable 12-of-18 from downtown and made amends for hitting a mere 15-of-27 from the foul line, having also dished out 20 assists against just 11 turnovers.
Dobric, who was cold-shouldered and almost reduced to a perennial bench warmer by Coach Sasa Obradovic’s predecessor Ioannis Sfairopoulos, seems to be enjoying a second lease of life as he served up a vintage display. Shooting 7-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line, Dobric turned the tide in the third quarter before Butler sealed the win with a combination of dazzling layups and long-range shots down the stretch.
“We put a whole lot of energy out on the court and showed a totally different face than we did in the previous game,” Dobric said in his postgame comments. “We deserved to win after putting up a great fight, it’s a big one for us and I hope we’re going to continue like this.”
Obradovic, who has rejuvenated his boyhood club Zvezda after taking over from Sfairopoulos after a 0-2 start, heaped praise on his men after they overcame adversity to stay among the top teams in Europe’s premier club competition.
“Congrats to my team, they did an amazing job, especially in the second half,” he said. “Without seven major players on the roster, we found a way to win and I am really proud of my guys. We have now raised the bar and expectations will be running high, but we’ll be up for it. I know what I’ve got on this roster in terms of talent and ability, so we just have to keep working hard and hopefully stay healthy,” he added.
