


Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade did a lot of things very well on Thursday night, eventually surviving a late scare to end a four-game losing run with a huge 86-89 victory at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv – enough to move within one game of the Israeli side and claim the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Not only was Maccabi the team with the best home record in the competition, but also the EuroLeague leader in offensive rebounds. Zvezda was very conscious of that fact and from the opening tip-off worked with fierce determination to protect its backboard, not allowing Maccabi to claim any offensive boards in the first quarter. And the Serbian team continued with the same spirit throughout the game, also crashing the glass at the other end. Luka Mitrovic snared 5 offensive rebounds in a team total of 14, while Maccabi was restricted to just 8 offensive boards.
Zvezda’s dynamic aggression was not restricted to rebounding, as the visiting team also worked tirelessly to make Maccabi uncomfortable in possession, eventually grabbing 13 steals and forcing the home team into 16 turnovers while only committing 10.
The plus 6 differentials in both offensive rebounding and turnovers in Zvezda’s favor played a key role in the outcome, because all those boards and steals allowed the visitors to take far more shots at the basket – 68 field goal attempts compared to 52 for Maccabi.
And when the game became tight in the closing seconds, Zvezda did one more thing very well: shooting free throws. Specifically, Luca Vildoza held his nerve to make all 6 of his attempts from the foul line, ensuring his team took a priceless victory back to Belgrade.