Crvena zvezda mts pull off a miraculous comeback to beat Krka on the road

AdmiralBet ABA League Round 11, Saturday, 11 December 2021:

Krka – CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS 70:71 (16:12, 19:15, 24:15, 11:29)

PHOTO GALLERY

POST-GAME COMMENTS

Game recap: Crvena zvezda have pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in recent history of the regional league as they beat Krka on the road despite being down by 17 points before the start of the 4th quarter.

The hero of the red-and-white team this evening was Nikola Kalinić who scored 4 points in the final 10 seconds to win the game for the Belgrade team.

Crvena zvezda mts have therefore extended their winning streak in AdmiralBet ABA League which now stretches to 8 games, while their current season record is 10-1. On the other side, Krka will certainly be disappointed after losing this game and dropping to 3-8 season score, but they should be proud of the way they confronted one of the best teams in the league.

Key moments: Krka have been playing fantastic for three quarters and they entered the final 10-minute period with a 17-point lead – 59:42. However, then they ruined everything they've been working on in the previous 30 minutes. The home team made a series of mistakes in the 4^th quarter, which Crvena zvezda mts used to rapidly melt the gap… All the way until the visitors took over the lead – 66:64, with one-and-a-half minutes left on the game clock.

Zvezda had a chance to increase that lead, but Nikola Kalinić missed a 2-point attempt, while on the other side Krka’s guard Temple Gibbs shocked the reigning champions by scoring an AND-1 three-pointer! Gibbs completed his 4-point play by making the free throw and Krka were once again in front – 68:66.

With less than 40 seconds remaining on the clock, Nikola Kalinić was fouled and he had a chance to tie the score, but he made just 1 out of 2 free throws to reduce Krka’s lead to one point – 68:67.

On the other end of the court, Krka’s forward Jan Kosi made both free throws to put the home team up by 3 points – 70:67, while after that Crvena zvezda mts called for a time-out to organize their last offensive play.

The visitors had a bit less than 10 seconds to try to tie the score. The ball ended up in the hands of Nikola Kalinić who pulled up for a 3-point shot and… He made the shot – 70:70! Krka players quickly made an inbound pass, trying to get to the other end of the court in time, but Temple Gibbs made a turnover as the ball slipped out of his hands and ended up out of bounds just 1 second before the end of the 4^th quarter.

Krka’s head coach Dejan Damjanović protested against referee's decision and he got a techinical foul, which meant that Crvena zvezda mts received 1 free throw. Nikola Kalinić stepped up for the visitors and he made the game-winning free throw just 1 second before the end – 71:70.

Man of the match: Nikola Kalinić was the game hero, but Dejan Davidovac was the MVP of this match. Davidovac made a double-double performance as he made 19 points and 10 rebounds, while his overall index rating tonight was 34.

Can’t trick the stats: Zvezda’s miraculous 4^th quarter comeback included their another amazing defensive display in key moments, but it also included Krka’s mistakes. The home team eventually had 19 turnovers tonight, while many of them came in the last 10-minute period.