It proved to be a comfortable night for Coach Mitrovic's men, who bounced back from three straight defeats in style
Cedevita Olimpija coasts to 95-68 win against Hamburg
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana ended its three-game losing streak in perfect fashion on Thursday night, erupting for 95 points in a 95-68 triumph over Veolia Towers Hamburg, which is now 0-5 on the road this season. The Slovenian side is now 5-4 on the season and the German outfit is 2-7. This game marked Zvezdan Mitrovic's return to the bench after a spell away due to illness.
Devante Jones led six Cedevita players in double figures with 16 points, followed by DJ Stewart (15 points), Andrija Stipanovic (14) on his second debut for the club, Jaka Blazic (12), Devin Robinson (12) and Brynton Lemar (11). Hamburg's Jordan Barnett netted 23 points in a losing effort, while Johnathan Stove – on his debut – and Niklas Wimberg had 12 apiece.
Game Videos
Hamburg got off to a good start by taking a 0-4 lead thanks to Osaro Rich and Brae Ivey, but a couple of scores by Stewart got Cedevita off the mark before Robinson stepped up to give Cedevita a 10-8 edge. Stipanovic netted 4 points, then four straight points to close the period saw Cedevita hold a 20-14 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes.
Blazic was able to capitalize on a Hamburg turnover to score the first points of the second quarter, 22-14, but the visitors fought back through Ivey, Stove on his debut and Barnett to make it 26-24. Cedevita then went up a notch, with Robinson and Blazic combining to put the hosts in a comfortable position, 34-24. Hamburg could not reduce that deficit before the break, with the score 42-32 after 20 minutes.
The start of the third quarter saw Cedevita put its foot on Hamburg's throat, outscoring the visitors 18-7 to take a commanding 60-39 lead on multiple scores by Jones and Stipanovic. When Lemar netted Cedevita's first triple of the night to make it 63-41, it was already clear which way this game was going. A couple of three-pointers by Barnett inside the final minute of the quarter put some gloss on the score, but it was 71-50 entering the final frame.
There was no slowing down Cedevita in the fourth quarter, with Aleksej Nikolic getting his first points of the night and helping Cedevita go 76-52 ahead. In fact, Barnett was the only Hamburg player to score through the first four and a half minutes, netting 7 points in that time, as the visitors trailed 84-59. He started to get a bit of help, but it was too late as Cedevita coasted the rest of the way en route to a 95-68 win.