Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade entered the win column in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with an impressive 63-75 victory at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. 

Zvezda steps up defense to win in Tel Aviv

Nikola Kalinic led all scorers with 19 points while Nate Wolters poured in 17 points against his former club and Luka Mitrovic picked up a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds in the victory - which gave the Serbian side a 1-1 mark. 



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Zvezda came out strong with Kalinic scoring the first 4 points. Maccabi committed 5 turnovers in the first 4 minutes with Kalinic grabbing a steal and an assist for Wolters to make it 0-10. The hosts finally got on the board through James Nunnally and Wilbekin’s first three-pointer trimmed it to 7-12. Wilbekin hit another triple, but Mitrovic extended the gap to 10-20, which was the score after 10 minutes. Marko Simonovic started the second quarter with a three-pointer and the lead was 13 points. Wilbekin answered with another triple, but Maccabi went nearly 3 minutes without a score and Simonovic hit another three as Zvezda surged ahead 13-28. After another Maccabi timeout, Angelo Caloiaro stepped with a three-pointer and two three-point plays within 35 seconds to trim the deficit to 22-28. Zvezda responded with a 1-7 surge and the cushion was 23-35 before Lessort finished the first half with 4 points. The hosts trailed 27-35 at the break.



Zvezda steps up defense to win in Tel Aviv, 63-75

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2021-10-07T18:05:00.000Z)

Nikola Kalinic was on the mark all game offensively for Zvezda, scoring the first 4 points of the game and finishing with a game-high 19 points. The Serbian international also was present on the glass with 5 rebounds and he dished out 5 assists. 

Pivotal Performer: Kalinic set the tone

Nikola Kalinic was on the mark all game offensively for Zvezda, scoring the first 4 points of the game and finishing with a game-high 19 points. The Serbian international also was present on the glass with 5 rebounds and he dished out 5 assists. Kalinic also came up with 1 steal early on as Zvezda set the tone defensively in the opening minutes - forcing 8 Maccabi first-quarter turnovers. Add that all up and Kalinic collected an index rating of 22.

Priftis on Panathinaikos win: "It's good the way we won"

### Dimitris Priftis, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Congratulations to the players for the first win of the season and to the fans. They supported us and I think they were a factor for this game and for this win. Regarding the game, we have a lot of things to do better, to put them into the game, a lot of rules to follow with more consistency. I think we need to improve and to progress. Right now, it looks to me that we have to improve a lot of things. It's good the way we won, but I see a lot of things we have to correct. At least, this win gives us an optimistic atmosphere to keep working."

### Nemanja Nedovic, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

“We didn’t give up to the end. I think we fought until the end, when we were 5 points down, I told the guys, keep believing, as I thought we still had a chance. We have to build on this.”


### Daryl Macon, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

"It feels amazing. I don’t think I’ve lived an atmosphere like this. This is the first time like that in my entire life. We started 0-2 in the season and this feels amazing. I think we needed this to boost our confidence and get together more. We have to stay humble, keep working and build on this. I wish I could have dreamed of this atmosphere, it was crazy. These are the best fans I’ve ever seen it’s crazy, it was unreal tonight."

### Sasa Djordjevic, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

"First of all congratulations to the winning team. It was a good game, a physical game, we knew it and we were ready for it. As soon as we started to control their offensive rebounding, forced shots in the first half, we came back with some runs on the other side, nevertheless, they kept on pushing all the way, and the way the game finished something in me as the coach who lost the game until I see all the episode, I cannot tell exactly how I feel or what I think. There are so many mixed things in my mind that I don’t know what to say, to not make a mistake towards the athletes on the floor or the winning team. My understanding of the game is the fair play for both teams. I don’t feel it was like that. But this is basketball, we have to live with it, we have to live with fouls, with the unsportsmanlike foul in the last seconds of the game, with 2.7’ or whatever it was, and we have to live also with our mistakes. We should have finished the game differently, we should have had more experienced guys on the floor, we didn’t make the right choices offensively and it could have gone differently, but that’s basketball.

"It’s not the way to finish the game. We should have finished it differently, and that’s when experience comes in and that’s when you don’t do the stuff you must do on the floor. If referees challenge it, and they call a foul, an unsportsmanlike foul, I think the third, which was the fifth of Guduric, you have had to make that foul differently. It’s difficult to teach that, because in those situations you have to bring that in your bag as a player and to understand, with individual tactics, to finish games like this. Also I know the lob pass Nando to [Vesely] was not the right decision to take. He is our most experienced player, but those are things we have to live with."

This is what the protagonists of the game had to say after the dust settled.

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2021-10-07T18:00:00.000Z)

For 18 minutes, the first half was very closely contested with neither team able to establish a decent advantage and the lead regularly changing hands.

Barca’s decisive burst

But then Barca went on a 0-10 surge to take a double-digit lead into the locker room, grabbing the momentum of the game for good. Nigel Hayes-Davis made a couple of two-pointers during that run, Nikola Mirotic struck from beyond the arc and Brandon Davies did the rest from the foul line.

FC Bayern Munich v FC Barcelona (2021-10-07T18:30:00.000Z)

After finishing scoreless in Game 1 against Monaco, Nemanja Nedovic became crucial for his team's first win at home. 

Nemanja Nedovic lifts Greens again

After finishing scoreless in Game 1 against Monaco, Nemanja Nedovic became crucial for his team's first win at home. He scored 13 of his total 20 points in the last quarter, hitting 11 of 11 from the free-throw line and drawing the unsportsmanlike foul that allowed the Greens to get back the lead for good with less than 3 seconds to go.

Devin Booker (14), Jan Vesely (18), Nando De Colo (16), Dyshawn Pierre (10) and Pierria Henry (12) combined for 70 of Fenerbahce’s 87 total points. They were not enough, though, to take the prize.

Fenerbahce's fab five

In a close game in which no team was able to get a double-digit lead over the 40 minutes, a cold-blooded Panathinaikos took advantage of the free-throw shooting to claim its reward. The Greens went for 25-of-27 (92.6%), and hit the last 9 without a miss in the last 40 seconds of the game.

The Greens survived the game staying almost perfect from the line

Free throws become X-Factor for Panathinaikos

Henry got the visitors going with back-to-back threes, but Panathinaikos found an appropriate answer from Papapetrou to tie the score at 8-8 after 4 minutes. Five points in a row by White granted the hosts a 13-8 lead that didn’t last for long. Fenerbahce put Guduric and De Colo on the floor and a 0-6 run capped by a dunk by Vesely forced a timeout by the Greens. Guduric dug it deeper, 13-17, with a corner three right after and, even though Perry and Nedovic showed up to reanimate the hosts, De Colo helped the guests close the first quarter with a 20-21 edge. 

Polonara and Booker came up big early in the second, combining for 12 points to make up for a couple of three-pointers by Perry and Evans and build a 31-37 advantage for the visitors. Panathinaikos was unable to turn its offensive rebounding dominance into a real outcome, as Vesely and De Colo took over to keep Fenerbahce ahead, 36-45. The hosts didn’t give up, though, and counterattacked with a 9-1 run in which Papapetrou had 5 points to make it 45-46 at halftime.

Both teams swapped baskets early after the break until Vesely and Booker took over in the paint to give the visitors a 51-57 edge midway through the third. The greens kept pushing, but each comeback attempt was quickly aborted. De Colo joined Vesely on offense to ignite a 0-7 run and keep a solid 56-64 advantage after 28 minutes. Panathinaikos didn’t say its last word, as an 8-0 boost fueled by Floyd tied the game again, 64-64, soon after. A corner three by Polonara allowed Fenerbahce to retain the lead, 64-67, entering the last quarter.

Another bomb by Pierre kept the visitors calm, 66-72. An unsportsmanlike foul on Nedovic seemed to make the hosts react, as the guard and Macon combined to return the lead to Panathinaikos, 77-76, with 4 minutes to go. Vesely and Pierre came to the rescue to put the visitors back in charge, 82-87 with 40 seconds to go, which looked like a death sentence for the home team. But it was then when all hell broke loose at OAKA. Two unsportsmanlike fouls in a row called on Guduric and Booker, the last with just 2 seconds remaining, allowed Nedovic to lift his team and take the lead, 88-87. Another foul on Papapetrou’s three-point attempt right after Panathinaikos inbounded the ball turned into 3 more points and started a crazy celebration on the stands.

Saša Đorđević opened his Fenerbahçe reign with a win at Crvena Zvezda's expense. He takes his team to his former employers Panathinaikos, who seek improvement from a humbling evening in Monaco.

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens v Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul - Round 2 - Highlights

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens enjoyed an unforgettable night when it defeated visiting Fenerbahce BEKO Istanbul 91-87 at OAKA on Thursday night. The hosts were 5 points down with just 40 seconds ’ to go, but they kept believing and drew 2 unsportsmanlike fouls in a row that sparked a late 9-0 run from the free-throw line that turned the game upside down. Panathinaikos improved to 1-1, the same record as Fenerbahce. Nemanja Nedovic scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead the greens with 20. Ioannis Papapetrou followed with 14 points, 5 boards and 4 assists and Daryl Macon Jr. and Okaro White added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Jan Vesely registered a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Nando de Colo poured in 16 points in as many minutes. Devin Booker and Pierria Henry followed them with 14 and 12 in losing effort.

Nedovic rescues Greens in incredible win, 91-87

### XAVI PASCUAL, ZENIT ST PETERSBURG HEAD COACH

"After winning in Kazan, we are going to play again away in Kaunas with supporters, in a good atmosphere. That's one of the most beautiful arenas in the competition. Their supporters are very nice, so it’s always a pleasure to play there. From our side, we’ll try to keep our way — we were the only team that won on the road in the first round. We’ll try to repeat it, so we have to play a great game defensively and offensively, control the rhythm, control the turnovers and rebounds, I think the team is working well despite the fact that last game against Astana we didn’t approach the game in a correct way. The team is working hard and I’m sure tomorrow we’ll be in the game. If we play in the right way, we’ll have possibilities to win."

### ANDREY ZUBKOV, ZENIT ST PETERSBURG FORWARD

"The team has refreshed and strengthened with new talents, but the key players from last year are still there. Lithuania, Zalgiris, there will be fans. The game will not be the same as it was last year when we played in silence. In Lithuania, they know how to root for the team. We must rehabilitate from the last home game, each of us must understand what we want and why we are going there. I think we all figured it out, we will try to play our best game."

This is what the Zenit St Petersburg protagonists of the game had to say before the game.

Xavi Pascual, Zenit: "That's one of the most beautiful arenas in the competition"

Zalgiris Kaunas v Zenit St Petersburg (2021-10-07T17:00:00.000Z)