What the hosts did in the final 28 minutes of the game differed greatly from the first 12.
Telling numbers: Fenerbahce improved everything in time
Stats
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 20 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul improved to 12-8 by downing Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 91-76 in Round 20. It looks easy, but it wasn't, as Partizan led 19-36 early in the second quarter. What happened?
Up to that point, Partizan had dominated almost every aspect of the game, making 5 of 6 three-pointers and 9 of 9 free throws. Coach Zeljko Obradovic's teams had excelled on defense and took really good care of the ball, getting 5 assists, 5 steals and just 3 turnovers. On the other hand, Fenerbahce had the same number of assists, 5, but no steals and 7 turnovers. The hosts had buried just 1 of 5 three-point shots up to that point.
Everything changed once Tyler Dorsey and Nate Sestina found their scoring rhythm off the bench. Fenerbahce gradually trimmed the deficit in the second quarter, took the lead late in the third period and broke the game open midway through the fourth quarter. The hosts' numbers in the last 28 minutes had nothing to do with that Fenerbahce had shown in the opening 12.
After Partizan's biggest lead, Fenerbahce went on to make 13 of 22 three-pointers (59.1%) and outrebounded Partizan 28-19. After those 7 turnovers in the opening 12 minutes, Fenerbahce had just 4 in the rest of the game, collecting 4 steals and dishing 14 assists. Nick Calathes was particularly effective with 7 assists and just 1 turnover.
As for Partizan, everything went wrong after that, as it shot the ball with very poor percentages. In the final 28 minutes of the game, Partizan made just 9 of 23 two-pointers (39.1% 2FG) and 4 of 16 three-pointers (25.0% 3FG). It had 7 assists, 2 steals and 10 turnovers after its biggest lead of the night. Partizan star guard Kevin Punter had 12 points and a PIR of 15 in the first quarter, making 4 of 6 two-pointers and 4 of 4 free throws. After that, Punter had 6 points on 1 of 7 two-point shooting and a PIR of -1.
Above all, Fenerbahce showed great ability to react, which often separates good from great in high-level basketball. Fenerbahce improved its defense, found its rhythm on offense, showed great resilience and cruised to a comfortable victory that looked unlikely at one point.