The 32-year-old scored 27 points against Valencia, his former team.
Nemanja Nedovic caught fire to keep Crvena Zvezda’s playoff hopes alive
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 24 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Each game is a must-win for Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade right now, so Nemanja Nedovic’s season-high 27 points in an 82-64 win against Valencia Basket in Round 24 certainly came at just the right time.
Nedovic has blown hot and cold for Zvezda this season, but there was no stopping him on Tuesday night. Despite not playing at all in the first quarter, the 32-year-old scored 11 second-quarter points to lead all players in the game at halftime. After the break, Nedovic picked up where he left off by netting 13 points in the third quarter to take his tally to 24. In the fourth, with Zvezda holding a relatively comfortable lead, Nedovic got some rest before making his sixth three-pointer on 7 attempts, moving to 27 points in the process.
Round 24 was the fifth time that Nedovic has netted 20 points or more across 21 appearances for Zvezda this season, having had 26 – his best mark before Tuesday night – on two occasions: in Round 9 against Olympiacos Piraeus and in Round 20 against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.
Nedovic gave Zvezda a huge boost
Notably, against Valencia, Nedovic was the reason why the visitors were never able to turn things around. Despite leading 11-12 at the end of the first quarter, that would prove to be the last time that Valencia was ahead. After a Milos Teodosic inspired start to the second quarter, Nedovic started to get going halfway through the period as he made a three-pointer – his first points of the game.
In fact, that basket lit a fire under Nedovic as scored Zvezda’s final 11 points to end the second quarter. Importantly, he made sure the hosts held on to their lead as it finished Nedovic 11-14 Valencia in the second half of the second period. Without his points, Zvezda’s lead would have surely been trimmed further before the break.
Once the action resumed, Nedovic scored a layup off the glass with the first make of the second half. Again, his 13 third-quarter points proved crucial as Zvezda outscored Valencia 22-19 in the period. If it wasn’t for the heroics of Nedovic on the night, Zvezda may have been looking at a surprise defeat to a Valencia side missing its two main centers, Brandon Davies and Boubacar Toure.
But, luckily for Zvezda fans, that wasn’t the case as Nedovic kept going and going. Just a couple of days after beating archrival Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in the Adriatic League, Tuesday’s triumph over Valencia allowed Zvezda to keep up its momentum ahead of a tricky fixture at FC Barcelona in Round 25. Nedovic will no doubt be hoping his red-hot shooting continues at Palau Blaugrana on Thusday night.