B92.sport scanner: The magic of the derby for Partizan's initiation

Without a single player with the experience of playing matches against the biggest rival, with six straight defeats in the Euroleague and eight consecutive failures against Red Star, in front of 20,000 opposing fans, Željko Obradović's team managed to celebrate in the 11th round of the Euroleague (89:77).

Energetically and tactically, Partizan managed to overcome the team of Ioannis Sfairopoulos, which had a pale and perhaps the worst performance of this season against Partizan.

Black and white had control of the jump, they caught as many as 40 balls, while Red Star had nine jumps less. Smart play, excellent shot selection, led to the fact that the visiting team had only seven turnovers for the entire match, while Red Star had a total of 10 turnovers.

Sofascore

Compared to Partizan, the team of ​Ioannis Sfairopoulos was ahead only in the number of assists, as it registered 21 passes, whereas Partizan had 17.

Unlike the previous matches, from the second quarter to the end of the match, Partizan managed to control things on the court at the moment when they had an advantage and then opened the door to a routine triumph.

Željko Obradović's team did not have the usual drop in concentration as the match entered the final stages, there were no oscillations that caused a handful of duels to be lost in the previous period, so it seems that the magic of the derby was quite enough motivation for Partizan's derby debutants to finally show themselves in the right light.

And it was time for someone "new" to jump out next to Carlik Jones. A big burden and pressure has been lifted from the backs of the black and whites, the barrier has finally been broken, number three has finally entered the victory column, and Željko Obradović's chosen ones have next games (Olympiakos, Žalgiris, Panathinaikos) in which they must be at the level of the eternal derby.

🟢Brandon Davies - The captain in this match, who gave Partizan wings by scoring points at the beginning. He fought with Red Star's centers and provided security in the racket. The second game in a row in which he showed why he was brought as the first center in the black and white team, it seems that a big burden fell from his back after a desperate start to the season.

🟢Iffe Lundberg - An excellent game by the Danish representative, who was up to the task in terms of points and energy. He didn't score a three-pointer in this derby, he missed five of them, but he was infallible from the game, and he made a big contribution in the jump game.

🟢Carlik Jones - The star of this derby, the most effective individual (21 points), who also showed in this match that he is the most consistent player of Partizan this season. The leader, who understood the importance of the derby in the right way, did not hesitate to take a shot (missed five three-pointers) and in the end was one of the most deserving of the black series break.

🟢Frank Ntilikina - A solid game in terms of points, he scored two important three-pointers, but in the defensive phase he did his tasks in the right way.

Dwayne Washington - didn't play.

Mitar Bošnjaković - didn't play.

🟡Aleksej Pokuševski - He had a modest playing time, he was not able to show a similar game in the derby as in the previous games, when he was one of the more consistent players.

🟡🔴Sterling Brown - Perhaps he was expected to be the X factor and a surprise in the back line that would crack the red and whites, but that was not the case. The American guard missed this chance. Played more than 20 minutes, made one 3-pointer in six attempts.

🟢Isaac Bonga - Another correct game by the former Bayern player, who carried out the tactical ideas of Željko Obradović on both sides of the floor. He was there to hit the 3-pointer, play defense, grab the rebound...

Arijan Lakić - didn't play.

🟢Isiaha Mike - Partizan's surprise. After the injury and finding his shape through the ABA league, he played his third match in the Euroleague and it was his best game. He was the starter, he showed himself excellently in terms of points, and along with Carlik and Tyrique Jones, he was the most important screw in Partizan's machine.

🟢Tyrique Jones - Getting better as the season goes on. He is slowly reducing his mistakes to a minimum, he has set his head, and he showed it all in the derby. Just when he was supposed to.

🟢Željko Obradović - A well-prepared game in all aspects when it comes to tactics. He gave preference to more experienced and prepared players, with his tactical ideas he managed to completely neutralize Nikola Kalinic, who, along with Petrusev, should have been the player Red Star should rely on the most. Called timeouts in time, and it was quite a relief that he finally had another highly inspired player in the rotation.