In a thrilling finish, Baskonia defeated Partizan 84-83 in the EuroLeague’s sixth round.
Baskonia couldn’t count on Nico Mannion, Khalifa Diop, and Nikos Rogkavopoulos, while the guests were without Kevin Punter and Mateusz Ponitka.
As expected, the opening quarter was played at a very fast pace. Initially, it seemed like the home team was handling such a role better, but Zeljko Obradovic‘s team raised their level and leveled the score after the first 10 minutes. Tristan Vukcevic then initiated a surge for the black and white, who gained a six-point lead, followed by a turnaround and a series by the home team, who built an eight-point advantage. Baskonia continued to capitalize on Partizan’s mistakes, especially in rim protection, and went into halftime with a 48-42 lead.
The second half started well for the visitors. Riding on excellent defense, Belgrade gained confidence in their offense and, with a significant run, built an eight-point lead after James Nunnally’s three-pointer. Partizan controlled the game throughout the fourth quarter, but Markus Howard woke up and provided a new spark for Baskonia, which proved decisive. The game entered an exciting finish, with the home team coming out on top, and an offensive rebound and points from the free-throw line by Chima Moneke sealed the victory.
The leading scorers for the winners were Moneke with 18 points, while Howard and Tadas Sedekerskis each contributed 14. Nunnally led the guests with 16 points.
In the next round, Baskonia will visit Olympiacos, while Partizan will host Fenerbahce.