Strong Zvezda ended Sokoli's 8-game winning streak
It was an interesting battle of a team with only one defeat so far in the season and the other one without a defeat in their last 8 home games. In the end, Crvena zvezda mts were the more successful of the two, beating Karpoš Sokoli on the road in Skopje and scoring their 22nd win of the season.
Marko Simonovic (Photo: Karpos Sokoli/Igor Panevski)
ABA League Regular Season, Round 23, Tuesday, 14.2.2017:
Karpoš Sokoli – CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS 61:98 (24:23, 13:26, 12:21, 12:28)
Story of the game: Even though Crvena zvezda mts have already secured themselves the first place after regular season a round ago, they have no intention to stop there. They have demonstrated that with a brilliant performance in Skopje, where they have became the first to beat Karpoš Sokoli at their own territory in Boris Trajkovski Arena after 8 games! This is the 22nd win of the season for Zvezda in 23 rounds. On the other side, Karpoš Sokoli keep their record with nine wins gathered so far, which still does not secure them avoiding the last place in the standings which would mean relegation.
Key moments: The home side were fired up at the start of the game and even led by 10 points midway through the first quarter (18:8 in 6th minute). However, Zvezda made a major comeback in the following 12 minutes with a partial score of 35:14. Their lead therefore was 43:32 in 18th minute and the reigning champions were simply too experienced to let this lead slip out of their hands in the second part of the game.
Man of the match: Marko Simonović did it like a boss. He finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and a game-high valuation of 21. However, the most important fact is that he was also near the top for his team in +/- statistics! His team have created themselves 29 points of advantage during less than 23 minutes that he spent on court. He is of course our man of the match!
Can't trick the stats: Crvena zvezda mts were brilliant with their 2-point shot from the field. They scored 31 out of 38 attempts and this led to their convincing victory.
