Zvezda beat Cibona and get one step closer to securing the top spot in the regular season

2023/24 AdmiralBet ABA League Round 23, Sunday, 17 March 2024:

Cibona - CRVENA ZVEZDA MERIDIANBET 59:82 (14:21, 16:21, 20:20, 9:20)

PHOTO GALLERY

POST-GAME COMMENTS

Game recap: Crvena zvezda Meridianbet scored another convincing win in the ongoing season as they defeated Cibona on the road by 82:59.

Despite playing without all of their 3 point guards (Teodosić, Topić, Dos Santos), the Belgrade troops showed today that they still have enough quality in their roster to seize important road wins even when they are missing some key players.

Crvena zvezda Meridianbet have therefore fulfilled the goal for this weekend which was to keep their distance from 2^nd placed Budućnost VOLI and 3rd placed Partizan Mozzart Bet and the red-and-whites are now very close to definitely seal the 1^st place in the regular season.

On the other side, Cibona can be satisfied with some moments of the game in which they showed teeth to the much stronger opponent. This defeat won’t affect their situation on the standings as the Wolves are still placed right between the Playoffs zone and the relegation zone.

Key moments: Crvena zvezda Meridianbet gained a 12-point lead in the 1^st half – 42:30, while they have kept that gap until the end of the 3^rd period – 62:50.

After that, the visitors decided to give some extra push at the start of the 4^th quarter in order to avoid any thriller endings, so they opened the last period with the key 14:3 run that extended their lead to 23 points – 76:56.

Man of the match: With their 3 point guards sidelined due to injuries, Crvena zvezda Meridianbet needed someone to take the role of the team leader and Nemanja Nedović stepped up for his team in Zagreb. Nedović was the top scorer of the game with 16 points, while his overall index rating was 20.

Can’t trick the stats: Cibona could not fight back against Crvena zvezda Meridianbet centers and the home side completely lost the battle inside the paint as they had 10 rebounds less than the visiting side.