The Red-and-Whites were defeated by Barcelona away with a score of 80:72 (29:21, 18:12, 16:18, 17:21).
Saša Obradović’s men repeated the result from last season, when they finished tenth and subsequently dropped out in the first round of the play-in.
Thus, the Red-and-Whites remained without a place in the playoffs, but also without the dream of the Final Four in Athens, which was openly discussed throughout the season.
Ambitions were high, that was no secret, neither in the corridors of the Arena and Pionir, nor during the statements of the players and coaching staff. Nevertheless, reality was harsh, so Zvezda ends the European season as the tenth team of the elite competition.
The start of the match did not suggest anything good for Saša Obradović’s team. Although Joel Bolomboy, who was a doubt, started the match in the starting five alongside Kalinić, Moneke, Nwora, and Miller-McIntyre, Zvezda struggled to find a rhythm. Unlike the game in Madrid, where three-pointers were the trademark, this time the offense only clicked midway through the first period.
However, the biggest problem was the defense. Will Clyburn played an unreal first quarter, hitting six three-pointers from as many attempts and scoring 18 points by then, practically carrying Barcelona single-handedly.
Jared Butler connects with Ebuka Izundu ↔️@kkcrvenazvezda I #RivalrySeries pic.twitter.com/WOOc0SzFaj
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Despite that, Zvezda managed to keep pace thanks to good three-point shooting and a motivated Codi Miller-McIntyre, so the score after the first 10 minutes was 29:21.
In the continuation, the hosts found additional solutions, primarily through Willy Hernangómez, who further burdened the Red-and-Whites’ defense with a quick series of points.
At one point, Zvezda managed to slow down the rhythm and reduce the deficit, but as soon as Barcelona picked up the tempo, defensive weaknesses surfaced again. Kevin Punter punished this with several consecutive points and led his team to a double-digit lead – 47:33.
The second half began furiously for Barcelona, who pulled away further with a 7:0 run. Zvezda tried to find solutions, often through improvisation, but without a real team response, they could not seriously threaten.
Particularly worrying is the fact that the Red-and-Whites had only seven assists through three quarters, which clearly speaks to the problems in the organization of the game.
Midway through the third period, Punter hit a three-pointer for a massive “+22,” which practically settled the question of the winner. Still, Zvezda did not give up; they managed to reduce the gap in the closing stages and bring a glimmer of uncertainty, but without stable defense and patience in the attack, they could not achieve a total turnaround.
In the final quarter, the Red-and-Whites came within ten, and then eight points, but they could not do more than that. Barcelona routinely maintained the lead and deservedly celebrated in the end.
The most efficient in Zvezda’s ranks were Codi Miller-McIntyre with 19 and Jared Butler with 16 points, while Barcelona was led by Kevin Punter and Will Clyburn with 22 points each.
In the end, the lack of team play and weak defense decided the fate of Zvezda, who will have to draw lessons from this season and try to return even stronger to the European stage next year.
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Source: Telegraf.rs, Photo: Rodolfo Molina / EuroLeague