By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes has the heart of a champion and wanted a big road win. On the other hand, however, Partizan is in danger of missing the play-in games and that contest was a battle for survival.
And when all was said and done, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade survived the day, getting the 100-90 win.
Aleksa Avramovic with a career-high of 30 points, Zach LeDay with 21, and Kevin Punter with 16 made things happen for the hosts, who felt pressure until the closing minutes but closed the game correctly. Danilo Adjusic added 15 crucial points.
“It’s always an honor to represent my country, to represent Partizan, and to give my best every single minute”, said Avramovic who didn’t rest during the FIBA window break, playing for the Serbian national team.
Partizan now has a 13-14 record, good enough for a tie at the 10th spot with Valencia while Efes dropped to 11-16 and a two-win distance from the play-in line.
Will Clyburn scored 19 points for the losing side which was not enough.
Everything decided in the last five minutes
After a balanced first half which started with Efes leading 20-17 at the end of the first period and Partizan having a three-point advantage at halftime (43-40), the hosts managed to build a 55-44 lead after a Punter shot.
However, Efes reacted, made a three-point game (58-55), and entered the last period trailing by five (64-59).
The guests didn’t give up and got the lead back (73-72), however, with big shots by LeDay, Avramovic, and Punter, the hosts managed to get an 83-76 advantage with four minutes left.
Efes couldn’t get into striking distance after that. “Small little details made a difference, some big shots from Avramovic, some missed box outs”, admitted Efes coach Tomislav Mijatovic speaking about the things that decided the game and costed him his first defeat after taking over from coach Erdem Can.
“There are ups and downs in the season, the important thing is to have the trust of your teammates and that’s how you will get to your goals”, added Avramavic.
No rest for LeDay
Zach LeDay played all 40 minutes of the game and was one of the most important players for the win. As he said: “This is my mentality, I want to do everything my team needs to win and I am glad we got the win”.
On the game, he added: “We simplified things, we moved the ball and when we did this, we scored 100 points”.
Coach Zeljko Obradovic wanted to thank his players, but also the fans: “They are very important for us and for the club, they push us and also my players found the way to play like this. We played very smart”.
Photo credit: KK Partizan