The German forward posted a career-high 28 PIR in a very impressive individual display
Isaac Bonga stars as Partizan outguns Paris, 92-86
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade made it three wins in a row in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague – following back-to-back road triumphs last week – by downing Paris Basketball 92-86 in an outstanding offensive battle at Belgrade Arena on Wednesday night. Zeljko Obradovic’s men improved to 12-11 on the season and have also won their last three home games, while Paris dropped to 13-9 and has now lost its last four games on the road. By emerging with a six-point win, Partizan made up for its three-point defeat (74-71) to Paris back in Round 8 and thus secured the tiebreaker.
Carlik Jones led Partizan in scoring with 17 points, and Isaac Bonga had an excellent all-around game with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Sterling Brown also had 15 points, Brandon Davies netted 13, and Iffe Lundberg poured in 11. Paris had four players finish in double figures in points: TJ Shorts (19 points), Tyson Ward (14), Nadir Hifi (13), and Collin Malcolm (10).
Game Videos
Paris was the team that started the game the better, with Shorts, Malcolm and Ward all combining to put the visitors 4-14 ahead. Bonga’s corner three out of a timeout provided a boost to the hosts, and scores inside by Tyrique Jones and Lundberg were followed by another corner three, this time by Carlik Jones, as Partizan trimmed the gap to 14-16. Hifi and Maodo Lo joined forces for Paris to give Tiago Splitter’s side some breathing room, but Bonga – who had a 17 PIR at the end of the first period – finished the quarter with a three to pull Partizan within six points at 26-32.
Brown started the second quarter with a block on Shorts and then followed that up with a three-pointer, resulting in a loud roar from the Partizan faithful. A couple of minutes later, Bonga continued his impressive first half with a floater, a towering defensive rebound and a layup in quick succession to make it a one-point ballgame, 35-36. When Arijan Lakic ended up draining a three to put Partizan 40-38 ahead, the crowd went crazy. From there, the wind was in Partizan’s sails as Lundberg, Davies and Tyrique Jones gave Partizan a 52-45 edge, yet Shorts and Malcolm made it a one-possession affair at 52-49. Tyrique Jones’s poster dunk on Mikael Jantunen gave Partizan a 54-49 lead at halftime.
Brown and Lundberg helped Partizan fight off Paris, which was getting contributions from Shorts and Hifi, in the opening stages of the third frame as Partizan led 63-57. An 8-1 Paris run that was capped by a Yakuba Ouattara tough score inside restored the advantage to the visitors, 64-65, but Davies scored five points for Partizan to make it 69-67. A big fast-break dunk by Brown and a Lakic three allowed Partizan to hold a 74-69 edge after 30 minutes.
Carlik Jones scored four points in the opening 70 seconds of the fourth quarter to put Partizan up by eight, 78-70, but then it was the turn of Aleksej Pokusevski – who hadn’t played through the first three quarters – to come into the game and bank in a three, 81-74. Paris refused to go away, getting baskets from Shorts and Hifi to pull within four at 83-79, but Pokusevski banked in another three at 86-79. Partizan managed the game the rest of the way, with Brown and Carlik Jones putting the icing on the cake in the final 20 seconds as the hosts ran out to a 92-86 victory.