The shooting guard swung the momentum with 14 points in the third quarter, which had Efes reeling.
Powered by Nedovic, Zvezda produced its best half of the season
Статьи
3 Минутное чтение
Regular Season
Round 11 of 34
Group Regular Season
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At halftime on Friday evening, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade was staring at what would have been another costly home defeat as it trailed 43-49 to Anadolu Efes Istanbul in a fast-paced Round 11 clash. The visitors looked well and truly in control, with Shane Larkin pulling the strings on offense and Will Clyburn firing on all cylinders.
In addition, new signing Mike Daum rifled in 10 quickfire points for Efes in less than 5 minutes on the court after coming off the bench in the second quarter. A raucous home crowd had gone quiet in the wake of the Efes onslaught.
Nedovic swung the momentum
It all changed in the third quarter, when Zvezda’s prolific shooting guard Nemanja Nedovic took the game by the scruff of the neck. The 32-year-old poured in 14 points in the period, mixing audacious three-pointers with sizzling drives to the basket as Zvezda turned the tide and took a 70-63 lead.
“We really needed this win and I am very happy that we got it,” Nedovic said in a flash courtside interview. “Everybody stepped up today, especially in the second half. We did a good job at both ends of the floor, so let’s build on this.”
Rebounds became important, too
Efes had cut the deficit to 72-70 at the end of the third quarter but Zvezda simply had more left in the tank down the stretch, as Luka Mitrovic and Joel Bolomboy dominated the paint in the home straight, with the hosts going on to win 97-83.
Zvezda controlled the boards as it racked up 43 rebounds, 13 of them offensive, while Efes managed a mere 26.
“We were more focused defensively in the second half and to me the most important thing is that the whole team fought hard for this win,” said Zvezda’s head coach Ioannis Sfairopulous. “Offensively we had a very good game throughout, but the key was stepping up our defense in the second half,” he added at the post-game press conference.
“We played a very talented team which knows how to win tough games. We kept the turnovers down after committing 11 in the first half and we had only 3 in the second. Last but not least, I want to thank our fans for their fantastic support,” Sfairopoulos stressed.
Nedovic got the better of Larkin
Nedovic finished on a game-high 23 points, shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range, 3-of-6 from inside the arc and 5-of-5 from the foul line, and emerged as the game’s top performer after a mature display. When the chips were down, he got the better of Shane Larkin, who netted 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor.
“Nedovic’s scoring streak was crucial, Yago [Dos Santos] was excellent at both ends of the court, but overall it was a team victory,” said Sfairopoulos.
“This team has great talent on offense but today defense was the key. My priority is always how to improve the team defensively and make it more consistent.”
Zvezda visits Valencia Basket in Round 12 and then Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 13 in the double-round week to follow. The latter contest pits the Serbian side against its former coach, Dusko Ivanovic, who was dismissed by Zvezda after a 1-3 start to the campaign but soon returned to Baskonia for a fourth stint.
Efes is at home to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Round 12, with the Turkish club’s iconic former coach, Ergin Ataman, facing an emotional return to Istanbul after clinching back-to-back titles with Efes in 2021 and 2022. Efes then visits ALBA Berlin in Round 13.