Following two defeats in a row, the Serbian side bounced back with two wins in a row thanks to a pair of impressive performances
Partizan firing on all cylinders again to keep postseason hopes alive
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Regular Season
Round 19 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade headed into 2025 with its most convincing win of the season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a thumping 98-75 home rout of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, after shining at both ends of the court on Friday.
It came on the back of a 90-81 victory against visiting Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the previous round and stopped a two-game skid which had threatened to derail Partizan’s bid to reach the postseason. That happened after the Serbian outfit had clawed its way back into the postseason picture with five wins on the trot, following a dreadful 2-8 start to the regular season.
The demolition of Maccabi delivered everything a Partizan fan could ask for, as the hosts dished out a club-record 31 assists which underlined its free-flowing offense, with everyone sharing the ball and looking for an open teammate. At the other end, 15 steals and 8 blocks embodied ironclad defense which also forced 19 turnovers and exceptionally poor inside shooting from Maccabi, which sank a mere 12 of 34 from inside the arc.
A team PIR of 133 ranks as Partizan’s second-best all-round Turkish Airlines EuroLeague performance, as five players posted double digits in scoring and 10 out of 12 netted for the home team, which kept its fervent supporters on fire throughout the lop-sided contest.
“We knew we had to come out with a lot of energy because we also knew they were going to come out to play strong,” player of the game Sterling Brown said in his postgame comments after pouring 21 points in a stellar individual display. “Everybody contributed and got the job done. We have to keep going and keep persisting, stand together and take it game by game.”
Playmaker Carlik Jones, who chipped in with a comprehensive tally of 11 points, 8 assists, 3 boards and 2 steals, concurred with Brown and praised a concerted team effort.
“It’s special how we played together for the full 40 minutes, how we shared the ball and defended well,” he said. “It’s a great way to start the new year and all we wanted is to get back to being ourselves. We want to keep being better versions of ourselves because we know that we can accomplish a lot this year.”
Head coach Zeljko Obradovic was also pleased with his team’s display which makes happy reading for a tough upcoming fixture list, with Partizan on the road for their next three games against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
Obradovic also showed a lot of sympathy for Maccabi, which is confined to playing its home games behind closed doors in the Serbian capital’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. The venue is located just a few miles away from the imposing Belgrade Arena, where the Israeli giant felt the full force of a Partizan’s passionate home crowd on Friday night.
“We played a good game and I am very happy for my players and for our fans,” said Obradovic, the winner of a record nine EuroLeague titles. “It was an excellent atmosphere again but I do have to say that Maccabi looks very tired as they are playing their home games a long way from home for a second successive season.”
Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash made no excuses for a crushing defeat. “I didn’t see it coming,” he said. “Right from the beginning we weren’t there in any aspect. A very bad game and a very bad night for us, not what we expected.”