PARTIZAN DEFEATED IN MADRID: The black-and-whites erased a big deficit, then fell short in the final minutes! (VIDEO)

Partizan’s basketball players played a rather strange game in Spain, where they were defeated by Real Madrid 93:86 after a dramatic finish that seemed to come out of nowhere. The black-and-whites were practically written off, but they came back and forced a thriller.

From the very start of the game, something was off with Partizan’s team. It was clear they came to Spain weakened, but that cannot be an excuse for yet another uninspired performance by Željko Obradović’s players. Much of it resembled their first-round game, when they also played without ideas against Dubai.

Partizan entered the match nervous and rushed. The black-and-whites wanted everything right away, forcing unnecessary plays and looking for solutions that weren’t smart. From time to time, though, they played like a mature, intelligent team, cutting down the opponent’s lead. However, that did not last until the end. There is great regret that they managed to reach just a four-point deficit despite being down by double digits.

It seems Madrid has become the “place of heartbreak” for Partizan fans, recalling the famous Top 8 duel.

What’s evident is that Jabari Parker is almost nonexistent on defense, while the rest of the team doesn’t shine in that area either.

That frustrated Željko Obradović, who was furious during the first quarter, where his team committed only one foul in the first 10 minutes. During that span, Real Madrid built a double-digit lead that they held until the end.

Partizan will have to find some new solutions, and Obradović will need to organize a lot if he wants to get the maximum out of this team. As they say – this game is already in the past…

Although, there are still some lessons to be learned from it.

Partizan didn’t start the game well, missing two shots right from the opening. Real punished that quickly through Gabriel Deck and Chuma Okeke, who gave their team a 5:0 lead, followed by a three-pointer from Isaac Bonga. That was the beginning of the worst stretch for Partizan, realizing they lacked a true big man, as Walter Tavares scored four straight points – 9:5.

1/4 | EuroLeague round 04 | vs. Real Madrid ⚫️⚪️@RMBaloncesto 24 – 12 #KKPartizan pic.twitter.com/w0BLbMi9zo
— KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) October 15, 2025

Throughout the entire first quarter, Partizan took difficult, ill-advised shots. Sterling Brown and Carlik Jones led the way in that, while the ball simply wouldn’t go in. Partizan stayed stuck at five points, while Feliz and Gabriel Deck scored for Real, giving them a comfortable 13:5 lead.

Partizan continued to rush, and after a TV timeout, Tyrique Jones made a great move, drawing a foul on Tavares and hitting both free throws. But Tavares responded immediately, scoring over Parker. Jabari Parker tried to do it all by himself but failed, while Tavares dunked again and Bonga added more points.

Sterling Brown and Jabari Parker managed to score before the end of the quarter, but Sergio Llull hit a three-pointer – 24:12.

The second quarter was nearly identical, full of confusion in Partizan’s play. Lyles hit a three-pointer, and Osetkowski made both free throws, then scored again. Dwayne Washington struggled, lost the ball, and Lyles scored over him with a foul. Osetkowski stayed hot, hitting another shot.

Vanja Marinković came in and hit a three-pointer, trying to shake up his team, but nothing changed. Carlik Jones took over for a while, scoring several baskets on his own. Mario Hezonja then nailed two straight three-pointers – 40:23.

Partizan tried to find rhythm, tried to improvise, but nothing worked. Vanja Marinković hit another three, but it didn’t help either, as Chuma Okeke drained two consecutive threes at the end of the half – 52:33.

In the third quarter, Partizan managed to close the gap a few times, especially when they went on a 6:0 run, cutting the deficit to 12 points – their smallest margin since the first half.

Partizan had a chance to make something happen, but they couldn’t sustain their momentum or capitalize on Real’s mistakes. Madrid responded with a 14:7 run, rebuilding a massive lead heading into the final 10 minutes – 75:56.

Then, in the last quarter, true drama unfolded. Real Madrid controlled the game for the first five minutes, holding a 14-point lead, but the gap started to melt away.

Dwayne Washington hit two threes, followed by Jabari Parker and Dylan Osetkowski, cutting the deficit to just four points.

However, Partizan ran out of energy for a full comeback.