In the opening part of the game, both teams took turns scoring, and neither side managed to establish a significant lead. The standout player of the first quarter was undoubtedly Karlo Matkovic. In addition to four points and four rebounds, he recorded an impressive three blocks. This accomplishment brought his total number of blocks in the ABA League to over 100, as he entered the game with 99. Cedevita Olimpija pulled ahead in the closing minutes, leading by the largest margin of five points at the end of the first quarter, 19:14.
The second quarter offered a fairly similar scenario to the first period. Cibona staged a comeback, taking a 22:19 lead fueled by the in-form Tomislav Buljan. However, Jaka Blazic then took center stage as the key figure in the game. The Slovenian national team player scored nine consecutive points, and thanks to him, Cedevita Olimpija led 42:36 at halftime. Both teams had an impressive three-point shooting performance (7/15 and 6/11).
At the start of the second half, Justin Cobbs brought Cedevita Olimpija to their first double-digit lead (48:38), but Ivan Majcunic and Aleksandar Aranitovic managed to narrow the deficit to just three points with three-pointers. Then, Blazic ignited once again, creating a significant lead of 13 points. Heading into the decisive ten minutes, Cedevita Olimpija led 69:57.
Cibona did not surrender in the fourth quarter, staging a 22:11 run in seven minutes to bring the deficit to just one point (80:79). Domagoj Vukovic shone during these moments, proving to be an unsolvable puzzle for the Slovenian representative. They had an opportunity to take the lead but couldn’t capitalize. Cobbs scored, and Buljan equalized with an and-one. Matkovic responded in kind, and Aranitovic brought it to 87:85 with a three-pointer.
Despite Aranitovic’s new three-pointer after Cedevita Olimpija’s additional four-point lead, the game concluded with free throws, securing the triumph for the Slovenian team.
After this game, Cedevita Olimpija holds a record of 10-3, while Cibona stands at a negative 5-8.