Partizan basketball players lost to Virtus basketball players in Belgrade Arena in the 5th round of the Euroleague with a score of 69:70.
The black-and-whites did not start this year’s Euroleague season in the best way, as they recorded two defeats at the start of the competition. However, Željko Obradović’s team managed to rise from an unpleasant situation and tie the same number of victories in the elite competition.
The black-and-whites achieved both victories in the previous double round of the Euroleague, as first Bayern fell, and then Maccabi. And today, the only team that had not achieved a single victory in the Euroleague until this evening arrived in Belgrade Arena, so the role of the favorite quite understandably belonged to the Steamroller.
And, unfortunately, Željko Obradović’s chosen ones failed to justify that role in front of their fans. Many had already seen that after this match Partizan would have a score of 3-2, which did not happen.
He just can't stop attacking the rim👀
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) October 23, 2024
Back2back BIG dunks from Tyrique Jones💥💥#MotorolaMagicMoments I @Moto pic.twitter.com/XOR1quJeHb
The black-and-whites opened the game brilliantly, the fans believed that this would be an easy job for Partizan’s basketball players, but the brilliant minutes of the Steamroller did not last long, as it did not take Virtus long to “wake up” and return to the match.
After the violent start of the Steamroller, there were mistakes, lost balls, big problems with defensive rebounding, which the guests used and, on the wings of the inspired Klajburn, managed to match Partizan.
The three-point shot, which had served Željko Obradović’s chosen ones perfectly from the beginning of the season, was not a very strong weapon for them in the first half, as in the first 20 minutes only Brown, Pokuševski, and Lundberg hit threes, who tore the net in the last minute of the first half and thus gave his team a +5 point advantage.
Tyrique Jones rises high for a put-back slam!😤@PartizanBC #FlightTime I @TurkishAirlines pic.twitter.com/1Hdai6zrVi
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) October 23, 2024
A huge battle was also seen in the third quarter, which the guests opened better, but thanks to the threes of Vanja Marinković and the points of Tajric Jones, the home basketball players did not allow the rivals to break the game in their favor, and the black-and-whites constantly had a slight advantage.
It already “smelled” of drama in the final quarter, which then happened. The Steamroller failed to break the game in its favor, Virtus parried excellently, and it was uncertain until the very end, while four minutes before the end, the Italian team took the lead for the first time. The black-and-whites played catastrophically in the final quarter, as evidenced by the fact that Partizan scored only four points in seven minutes of play!
Two minutes before the end of the match, with the score 65:66, Ife Lundberg hit a three-pointer that “ignited” the Arena, but Klyburn scored after an offensive rebound in the next attack and returned the score to a draw. A seesaw ensued, and Klajburn scored 12 seconds before the end and gave his team a new advantage (60:79). In the last attack for the Steamroller, the ball was taken by Lundberg and he started a drive, but was stopped by the opposing players.
The referees did not call a foul, which infuriated the Belgrade Arena. The guests brought the ball out, Nilikina somehow managed to “steal” it and in the last seconds fired a three-pointer, but missed the entire basket, after which the visiting basketball players celebrated.
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Source: Kurir
Photo: Mileta Mirčetić