Tonight, Partizan basketball players beat Žalgiris 88:74 (26:15, 21:15, 14:24, 27:20), in the match of the 23rd round of the Euroleague.
With a score of 12 wins and 11 losses, Partizan is in seventh place in the table. Žalgiris is currently in 10th position with the same score due to a worse goal difference.
Partizan was led by Ioannis Papapetrou with 17 and Matijas Lessor and Kevin Panter with 14 points each to their third tied victory in the Euroleague. Zach Leday recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds, Dante Exum recorded 11 points, and James Nunnelli had one less point.
With Žalgiris, Ignas Brazdeikis was better than the others with 17 points.
In the next round, Partizan will host Bayern, while Žalgiris will welcome Baskonia.
Partizan entered the match much better. In the middle of the first part, the black and whites reached a double-digit advantage (20:9) with a 9:0 series.
Thanks to a good game in defense, Partizan managed to keep the advantage despite a somewhat worse part in the attack. In the middle of the first quarter, after three-pointers by Smailagić and Avramović, Partizan reached an 18-point advantage (37:19).
Two minutes before the end of the half, the black and whites increased their lead to 22 points, but after Žalgiris tied five points, Partizan coach Željko Obradović asked for a time-out.
After the time-out, Partizan managed to stop the onslaught of the Lithuanians and went into halftime with a 17-point lead (47:30).
Partizan entered the next match with less energy, primarily in the defensive phase. Žalgiris overcame the period of bad play by the black and whites and managed to reduce the difference to eight points (50:58) three minutes before the end of the first half.
Žalgiris won the third period with 24:14 and managed to get back into the match. Partizan completely stopped attacking, with a lot of mistakes and missed shots, allowed Žalgiris to get into a rhythm and, with the support of the crowd, played that period with more self-confidence.
The black and whites entered the last quarter with six tied points. Partizan managed to stop the onslaught of Žalgiris and with a series of 11:2, took a 16-point lead (72:56).
Three minutes before the end of the match, Partizan reached a 20-point advantage, broke the match and reached the third tied victory in the Euroleague.