The Red and Whites defeated Panathinaikos 86:68 (20:12, 26:20, 21:8, 19:28) in the first game of the 9th round, securing their seventh consecutive victory for a 7-2 record. Zvezda played an incredible game in front of their fans.
One could even say it was their best of the season, as they controlled the match from the first to the last minute. Of course, there are ups and downs during the game, but they did not affect the final outcome, which was practically known by halftime. Somehow, before the start of the match, it could be sensed that Panathinaikos couldn’t quite compete with Zvezda, considering they were without all three of their centers.
Ergin Ataman had to search for solutions, but they were not good enough for the inspired Red and Whites who had the wind at their back from the entire Arena. The third quarter was also crucial, where Panathinaikos scored only eight points, and Zvezda once again showed the kind of granite defence played by Saša Obradović’s chosen players. In the end, Panathinaikos managed to reduce the deficit, but only when Zvezda had completely slowed down their play, aware that they would record yet another, their seventh consecutive victory in this competition.
Ebuka Izundu DETONATES the rim 😤#MotorolaMagicMoment @Moto I @kkcrvenazvezda pic.twitter.com/eCxdNIaHSW
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) November 5, 2025
Zvezda played well, practically brilliantly, and Saša Obradović also had the opportunity to give playing time to Jared Butler, who showed he needs time and that he will be a huge reinforcement for the team from Mali Kalemegdan. Cody was the main initiator of everything, as he penetrated the entire defence as if it didn’t exist and had 14 points, even though he shot 0/7 from three-point range, but he also had nine rebounds and seven assists. Jared Butler also played quite well, tallying eight points, along with four rebounds and four assists.
The most efficient player for Zvezda was Cody with 14 points, along with the aforementioned statistics. Chima Moneke had 13, and Ognjen Dobrić had 10, both in double digits. For Panathinaikos, Kostas Sloukas was the best with 16 points, Chaddy Osman added 14, and Nikos Rogkavopoulos 12.
It was evident from the start that Panathinaikos was not very confident in this game, as Stefan Miljenović managed to steal the ball from Kendrick Nunn in the very first possession, though he was then blocked. Panathinaikos took the lead through Chaddy Osman, but Zvezda made a 6:0 run and took over the lead.
Donatas scored four points, and Moneke scored two – 6:2. They waited for new points for a long time, as only eight points were seen after the first five minutes, and then the play picked up. Kalinić ran a fast break, passed to Izundu, and Ebuka scored, only for the Nigerian centre to commit a foul afterwards. Kostas made only one free throw, which is quite unusual for him, and then there was a nice alley-oop from Cody to Izundu – 12:7. Kostas Sloukas made two free throws, and first Butler, and then Cody attacked T.J. Shorts and scored, only for Shorts to score on the other end – 16:11.
Ojeleye says NO ❌😤#kkcz #WeAreTheTeam #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/KanHp6bF8X
— KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) November 5, 2025
By the end of the quarter, another defensive clinic ensued, as PAO missed many shots, and Jared Butler scored, only for T.J. Shorts to miss at the rim, and right at the end of the quarter, Davidovac scored at the rim on an assist from Butler – 20:12.
Zvezda continued the second quarter with points, Donatas scored, and then Jared Butler stole a live ball, after which Chaddy Osman hit a three-pointer, and Ojeleye also scored from the free-throw line. Cody made a mistake, after which PAO ran a fast break, but Zvezda stole the ball and Ognjen Dobrić hit a three-pointer from the corner! Immediately after, he had another shot, but missed.
Cody converted a layup for a double-digit lead – 31:17. Zvezda was making run after run, Dobrić played good defense, and then Osman missed. Zvezda carelessly lost the ball, and then Ojeleye made a block, after which Dobrić hit a three-pointer, his second in as many attempts. Grigonis missed, and then Ojeleye scored with a foul, while on the other end, Rogkavopoulos hit a three-pointer – 38:20.
Panathinaikos completely slumped in this second quarter, where T.J. Shorts finally managed to score, and Cody was cutting through the defence like a knife through butter. The defense couldn’t stop him, while Shorts missed a three-pointer, as did Kendrick Nunn. By the end of the quarter, Zvezda had stretched the lead to a massive 46:32. Zvezda practically settled the question of the winner here, and again there were a few minutes without points. In the first three minutes of the second half, only four points were seen, all from Donatas Motiejunas.
The next two minutes were not much better, as T.J. Shorts scored on one end, and Ojeleye dunked on the other – 53:33. The scoring in this game was totally low, and Jared Butler passed to Izundu, who dunked, and then nicely found Nikola Kalinić who hit a three-pointer. By the end of the quarter, Kendrick Nunn also committed an unsportsmanlike foul, Stefan Miljenović went to the free-throw line and made four, and then Chima Moneke also scored. Finally, Cody scored on a layup to end the quarter – 67:40.
Practically, everything was already decided here, so the last quarter was purely going through the motions, where Zvezda maintained their lead, and Panathinaikos tried to reduce it as much as possible. Zvezda showed that they were aware they would win, so they took their foot off the gas and allowed the Greeks to reduce the difference from 27 points to “only” 14, which in any case remained pure domination by the Red and Whites. Probably Zvezda’s best game this season, which puts them first in the EuroLeague standings.
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Source: Telegraf.rs, Foto: Dusan Milenkovic / ATAImages