Crvena zvezda Meridianbet take 1:0 lead in the Finals after a thriller in Aleksandar Nikolić Hall

AdmiralBet ABA League Finals Round 1, Monday, 13 May 2024:

CRVENA ZVEZDA MERIDIANBET – Partizan Mozzart Bet 85:82 (17:20, 22:19, 25:22, 21:21)

PHOTO GALLERY
POST-GAME COMMENTS

Game recap: On home court in their Aleksandar Nikolić Sports Hall in Belgrade, Crvena zvezda Meridianbet have prevailed over Partizan Mozzart Bet and took a 1:0 advantage in the Final series. The red and white have therefore, in a dramatic encounter in front of 7,463 fans in their Aleksandar Nikolić Sports Hall, taken advantage of their home court and grabbed a precious first win in the Finals. They will be chasing a 2:0 lead on Wednesday, when they will host the black and white once more in front of their home crowd, while Partizan Mozzart Bet will try their best to tie the series at 1:1, before taking the series to their home court.

Key moments: It has been a tight game of several ups and downs throughout the playing time where neither of the two squads has managed to take a decisive advantage throughout the game all until the end and really the game could unfold either way. It remained so all until the final moments and when Kevin Punter made both free throws, the hosts were up only by a point (81:80) with half a minute to go in the game. It was Dejan Davidovac, who scored two free throws on the other end with 11 seconds left for a 3-point lead of Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (83:80) and repeated the move with 4 seconds to go to set the final score. This turned out to be crucial, since Partizan Mozzart Bet simply did not manage to turn the game upside-down again. Aleksa Avramović had a last-second three-point shot attempt from mid-court, that could force an overtime in the end, but he missed.

Man of the match: Yago Dos Santos has been a true floor general for Crvena zvezda Meridianbet, as he led them towards an important win. He had game-high 18 points and 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and a valuation of 21. He is rightfully our man of the match!

Can’t trick the stats: Even though the two squads have been similar in most statistical categories, it has turned out to be teamwork, that has decided the outcome of this game. Crvena zvezda Meridianbet had 18 assists and Partizan Mozzart Bet only 9.