An infernal battle in Belgrade: Partizan hosting FC Barcelona
The 31st round of the Euroleague brings us to Stark Arena on March 28 a duel between 2 powerhouses, Partizan will meet Barcelona.
I think that even the most ardent fan of Partizan did not dream that his team would occupy the 7th place after 30 stages, only 3 wins from Barcelona. After a weak start to the season, Obradovic slowly turned Partizan into a playoff team and a Final 4 contender. In the last 5 Euroleague matches, they have 4 wins and a defeat against Milan. The last 2 rounds were really a dream for the Serbs. A victory in Turkey with Efes 97-84 with 5 players in double digits: Punter 19 points, Lessort 17 points, LeDay 16 points, Nunnally 16 points and Avramovic 14 points. Then came the match with the leader Olympiakos and a huge victory 90-75, the offense being masterfully led by Nunnally 19 points, Punter 17 points and Exum 15 points. The best scorers in the Euroleague are Punter 15.7 ppg, Exum 13.1 ppg and Lessort 12.6 ppg.
Barcelona, in 3rd place with 20 wins and 10 defeats, can still finish in the first place, being only one win away from Olympiakos and Real Madrid. After 2 defeats with Olympiakos 77-70 and Fenerbahce 81-73 followed 2 victories 85-79 with Crvena, Mirotic and Vesely each having 21 points and a more convincing victory at Panathinaikos 88-74, Mirotic 26 points and Tobey 16 points. This weekend they won the 5th game in a row in all competitions 87-71, Satoransky playing the most 23 minutes and scoring 19 points.
An infernal match is announced both on the field and in the stands for Sarunas’ men. The Serbians will try to take revenge after the 79-68 defeat in Spain and consolidate their place in the playoffs, and it seems like the perfect time for them. Barcelona, although the game is not at the level of the value of the lot, manages to keep chances for first place in the regular season.
Valentin Petruta
Photo credit: EuroLeague
