Partizan’s basketball team embarrassed themselves in the 18th round of the EuroLeague, suffering a home defeat to Maccabi with a score of 87:112. Following a loss to Žalgiris, which was the second most convincing defeat in the history of the Belgrade club, another heavy loss came, the first under the guidance of new coach Joan Penyaroya, marking the 12th overall defeat since the start of the season, while the Israeli rival continued a five-game winning streak.
After this loss, Partizan has a record of 6-12 and sits in 18th place in the EuroLeague standings.
Following the embarrassment against Žalgiris, an even greater humiliation followed, not due to the score difference, but because it occurred at home against Maccabi, which maintained its five-game winning streak. An unusual atmosphere in the unfilled Belgrade Arena, which began to empty before the end of the match, greeted the Partizan players and new coach Joan Penyaroya.
With boos for Jabari Parker and Tyreke Jones, and muted applause for the other team members, the match began in which the team appeared to do well at the start, but only at the start. By the second quarter, they faltered and fell behind by 15 points (43:58). The start of the third quarter saw a 9-0 run by the opponents, resulting from three defensive lapses, pushing Penyaroya’s team to the brink, and the deficit grew to 30 points halfway through the quarter, making it clear that the end was near. Without ideas, desire, or energy, the Partizan team awaited the end of the grueling duel.
Loni Walker was the most efficient player of the match with 20 points and five assists, while Roman Sorkin added 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Lif contributed 14 points and six rebounds.
For the black-and-white team, Cameron Payne was the best with 15 points, three rebounds, and six assists, while Braun added 12 points, two rebounds, and four assists. Isaac Bonga and Tyreke Jones scored ten points each, with four and six rebounds respectively.
After a balanced start, Partizan began to pull away with three-pointers that marked the first quarter. The Belgrade team hit six attempts from distance, three of which came from new player Cameron Payne, from as many attempts. The way the guests played defense and the number of fouls they committed contributed to the growing lead, which at one point reached 11 points, but the situation quickly turned around.
The end of the quarter was not good for the black-and-whites, who allowed their rivals to change the tempo and slow down the game, finding a way to play better under the basket and cut the deficit to just one point by the end of the first ten minutes (30:31).
Upon returning to the court, Partizan did not look the same. Their offense was completely abandoned, with no points from play, while the opponents changed their defensive approach against their attacks. The black-and-whites struggled to score while the rivals attacked in bursts. While Bonga had several missed layups, Sorkin, Hord, Walker, and Clark did not forgive. The defense of the Belgrade team varied; they were good at gathering and defending under the basket, but on the other hand, they left opponents in open positions that they exploited. A four-minute scoring drought for Partizan left Maccabi an opportunity to easily go up by 15 points at halftime (58:43).
With Fernando and Bonga, Penyaroya tried to change the dynamics under the basket, but it had no effect. Three defensive lapses from the black-and-whites allowed the guests to go on a 9-0 run, hitting three three-pointers in just over a minute, pushing the deficit to 24 points.
Two three-pointers from Braun did not change anything, as the guests continued to rain down shots from distance, exploiting the defensive errors of Partizan. Walker took command and was hitting from distance, while the hosts could not find the rhythm and energy from the first quarter, as the lead grew to 30 points in just five minutes (81:51).
Partizan did not attack mismatches under the basket, and their possessions ended with Washington’s shots. There was nothing good in the game of the Belgrade giant, who entered the last ten minutes trailing 59:92.
Tyreke tried to play, but Maccabi’s offense remained relentless. The guests crossed the 100-point mark after three and a half minutes into the last quarter (101:68). Lakić hit two three-pointers in a row, and the arena greeted him with applause and chants of “Lakić captain,” as he, along with Bonga, was the only player in black-and-white with support that evening. Partizan surrendered before this quarter, and attempts to play were merely an illusion as the rivals continued to perform better in every aspect. The Arena began to empty halfway through the quarter, and the remaining fans, like the players on the court, waited for the time to expire and the agony to end. The final buzzer sounded with a score of 87:112.
Partizan, with a record of 6-12, awaits a visit to Valencia, while Maccabi, with an 8-10 record, heads to Munich to face Bayern.
As for the top of the standings, Hapoel stands alone in first place with 13 wins and five losses, while Valencia, Panathinaikos, and Barcelona have records of 12-6. Žalgiris and Crvena Zvezda, with 10-8 records, occupy the last spots leading to the play-in.
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Source: Sportal Foto: Sportal / Aleksandar Dimitrijević