Baskonia removes doubts from Belgrade

Baskonia lost (78-71) against Red Star this Wednesday in the second day of the Euroleague held at the Belgrade Arena, despite fighting a poor match at the end by Pablo Laso’s team, irregular in defense and attack, and always in tow.

The Basque team has only one victory in four games so far this campaign, between Europe and the Endesa League, in its new stage with Laso on the bench. The former Real Madrid player is not finding the key at the moment and Red Star was better without shining either, in intensity, basketball and success, in a well-distributed effort.

Baskonia did not find Markus Howard in a score that was always adverse, 65-49 entering the last quarter, had a poor success from three (3 of 18) and lost 15 balls. Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s men, who made it two out of two in the Euroleague after beating Paris, began with the march of triples, six in the first quarter.

With the pavilion roaring against them, Baskonia rowed to minimize damage, but that was how their entire game went, one patch after another. Chima Moneke, 19 points like Isaiah Canaan on the other side, waged war on his own, but Laso’s team did not have a clear direction. The sparks from Luwawu-Cabarrot, Donta Hall and Tadas Sedekerskis were not enough.

The visitors pressed at least in defense and began to charge the rebound to keep the distance in the third quarter, where Bolomboy emerged for the home team. However, with the clock against them, those from Vitoria conceded another tough quarter to force a comeback that was unlikely from what we had seen until then (65-49).

Rogkavapoulos gave life to Laso’s team and Baskonia battled in the rival ring to get the balls into the fight for the final exchange (66-61). There, a block and basket after Bolomboy sank the little faith that remained in a Baskonia that at the moment is not under the orders of the Vitorian coach.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: RED STAR, 78 – BASKONIA, 71. (42-34, at halftime)

–TEAMS.

RED STAR: Miller-McIntyre (7), Canaan (19), Kalinic (!2), Daum (3) and Bolomboy (15) –starting quintet– Nedovic (9), Dos Santos (3), Davidovac (2 ), Dobric (-), Mitrovic (6), Giedraitis (2), Lazic (-).

BASKONIA: Forrest (2), Luwawu-Cabarrot (8), Sedekerskis (8), Hall (13) and Moneke (19) –initial quintet– Howard (7), Diop (-), Baldwin (6), Rogkavapoulos (8), Ndiaye (-).

–PARTIALS: 25-20, 17-14, 17-15, 19-22.

–REFEREES: Difallah, Shemmesh and Latisevs. No eliminations.

–PAVILLION: Belgrade Arena.