By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda grabbed yet ANOTHER stunning victory in EuroLeague this time beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 71 – 67 on the road and rising to the seventh spot of the standings with a 10 – 8 record!
Meanwhile, the “Yellows” are going downhill, being far from the playoff zone at a 6 – 12 record. It seems that right now, it’s not a matter of making it to the top four spots of the standings, but succeeding to advance in the next stage.
Stefan Jovic did some brilliant stuff both scoring and creation-wise with 14 points and 7 assists, while Deon Thompson added 10 points. They weren’t alone however since Marko Simonovic (6 points) and Branko Lazic (8 points) dropped key-three pointers in the last quarter which were vital in their team’s victory since they arrived when Maccabi was trying to build a game-winning momentum.
While coach Ainars Bagatskis’ players had gained an advantage approaching final stretch of the game thanks to some big-time shooting by Drew Goudelock (19 points) and Colton Iverson (13 points, 5 rebounds) adding his piece from close distance, Red Star hasn’t said its final word.
With the score 67 – 62 and four minutes left, the guests pulled off some excellent defenses by reading their opponents’ predictable iso game and worked patiently on offense with Jovic firing from afar or feeding Ognjen Kuzmic for easy points.
One of their cooperations led to a dunk by the Serbians’ big guy for the 67 – 70 with one minute left. Maccabi managed some open looks to tie the match but the shots went off target. That was their last chance they had, since Crvena Zvezda renewed its possession twice on the other end while time was running at its side.
The two teams had walked side by side for the first half which ended 36 – 37. While Maccabi improved in the third quarter, outscoring its opponents 20 – 15 they failed to complete what they started since the Serbians’ superior decision making in crunch hour made a difference.