Red-and-white night in Belgrade - Crvena zvezda mts beat their arch rivals Partizan Mozzart Bet to get a sweet derby win

AdmiralBet ABA League Round 8, Monday, 28 November 2022:

CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS - Partizan Mozzart Bet 90:74 (20:18, 29:30, 21:17, 20:9)

PHOTO GALLERY

POST-GAME COMMENTS

Game recap: The red-and-white part of Belgrade will have lot of reasons to celebrate this Monday evening as Crvena zvezda mts have defeated Partizan Mozzart Bet in this week's NLB Match of the Round. 

This was the 13^th consecutive home-court win for Crvena zvezda mts against their arch rivals in the regional league, while they have also become the first team in this season to beat Partizan Mozzart Bet in the ABA championship.

The red-and-whites have therefore improved their season score to 6-1, while the black-and-whites dropped to 7-1.

Key moments: Both teams were pretty impressive offensively in the first half after which Crvena zvezda mts had a 1-point lead – 49:48. But, despite such a good shooting night, each side knew very well that whoever improves its defense in the rest of the match will take the win.

In the 3^rd quarter, the home team slightly increased their lead as they entered the final 10-minute period with a 5-point advantage – 70:65. And then, the reigning champions showed off their well-known defensive power. Crvena zvezda mts let Partizan Mozzart Bet score just 9 points in the 4^th quarter, while on the other side, led by their deadly duo Luca Vildoza - Nemanja Nedović, the red-and-whites made 20 points in the same period. Not just that the score in the 4th quarter secured the win for Crvena zvezda mts, but it has also provided a 16-point gap that might be important for the head-to-head score at the end of the season. 

Man of the match: It is really hard to decide between Vildoza and Nedović, but considering that the Argentine point guard spent more time on court in that decisive 4^th quarter, we will say that Vildoza is the MVP of this game. In his first Belgrade derby, Vildoza scored 19 points, while he also delivered 5 assists.

Can’t trick the stats: Zvezda’s excellent defense in the 2^nd half forced Partizan Mozzart Bet players on many mistakes. Therefore, the visitors finished this match with 14 turnovers, while at the same time the home side had just 7.