Kalinic powers Zvezda to seventh win

In an outstanding thriller, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade returned to winning ways by downing FC Bayern Munich 81-78 in the Serbian capital on Friday, leaving both teams with a 7-9 record. Nikola Kalinic led the winners with 20 points. Branko Lazic added 12 while Nikola Ivanovic had 11 for Zvezda. Vladimir Lucic paced Bayern with 21 points, Nick Weiler-Babb scored 16 and Othello Hunter and Ognjen Jaramaz both had 11. Hunter also added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Kalinic and Maik Zirbes allowed Zvezda to get an early 13-11 lead. Hunter and Jaramaz stepped up to make Bayern take the lead, 20-21, after 10 minutes. Weiler-Babb and Corey Walden gave the guests a 22-29 lead but Ognjen Dobric and Lazic quickly restored a 33-31 Zvezda edge. Lucic and Weiler-Babb kept the guests within 46-45 at halftime. Austin Hollins dunked to make it a five-point game, 56-51, soon after the break. Jaramaz, Lucic and Hunter restored a 65-67 edge for Bayern after 30 minutes. But Zvezda limited the visitors to just 5 points in the next 9 minutes, as Luka Mitrovic and Kalinic allowed the hosts to claim to a well-deserved victory.

Kalinic banked in a jump hook to get Zvezda going. DeShaun Thomas and Dobric traded three-pointers and KC Rivers swished a jumper for a 5-5 tie. Lucic joined the three-point shootout and Walden gave Bayern a 6-9 edge. Mitrovic hit a jump hook, Zirbes found his first points and Kalinic matched Weiler-Babb's layup with a huge dunk in traffic for a 13-11 Zvezda lead. Hunter rescued the guests with a three-point play and Weiler-Babb added a tip-in in an 0-8 Bayern run capped by Jaramaz with a bomb from beyond the arc. Kalinic scored again and Ivanovic added a three-pointer but Hunter's put-back dunk restored a 20-21 Bayern lead after 10 minutes.

Thomas hit a jump hook, Weiler-Babb buried a three-pointer and Walden added a layup-plus-foul to boost Bayern's lead to 22-29 early in the second quarter. Dobric struck twice from downtown and Dejan Davidovac added a jumper to bring Zvezda within 30-31. Lazic and Stefan Markovic each hit one from beyond the arc but Weiler-Babb and Lucic made Bayern regain a 36-37 edge. Lazic scored again and Kalinic added a three-point play but Hunter and an outstanding Lucic helped Bayern tie it at 41-41. Nate Wolters buried a triple, Lucic nailed a turnaround jumper and Mitrovic banked in a shot for a 46-43 Zvezda edge, which Weiler-Babb cut to 46-45 at the break with his fourth put-back basket of the game.

Augustine Rubit hit a floater after the break and Rivers matched Davidovac's turnaround jumper with a backdoor layup, good for a 48-49 Bayern lead. Kalinic and Dobric stepped up for the hosts but DeShaun Thomas banked in a close shot to keep the guests within 52-51. Kalinic scored down low and Hollins added a reverse slam for a 56-51 Zvezda edge. Jaramaz followed a mid-range jumper with a floater, igniting a 0-9 run highlighted by Lucic's triple. But Lazic sank a corner three-pointer and Ivanovic also struck from downtown to ignite the crowd at 62-60. Lucic followed a jumper with a bomb from downtown, then Hunter added an alley-oop slam for a 65-67 Bayern edge after 30 minutes.

Hunter and Kalinic exchanged jumpers early in the fourth quarter before Jaramaz helped Bayern keep a 69-70 lead. But then Ivanovic sank a five-meter jumper, Mitrovic buried a left-handed jump hook and Lazic hit a catch-and-shoot three-pointer that sent the crowd to their feet at 76-70. Mitrovic scored around the basket but Weiler-Babb gave the guests hope, 78-72, with over 3 minutes left. Zvezda improved its defense when it mattered most and Kalinic's backdoor layup made the guests call timeout at 80-72. Bayern kept struggling to score and when Weiler-Babb hit a three-pointer it was already too little, too late for the guests.

Mitrovic leads Zvezda's frontcourt

Luka Mitrovic had another outstanding performance to lead his team, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, to an 81-78 victory over FC Bayern Munich. Mitrovic took care of business with an all-around performance, finishing the game with 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 8 assists - one shy of his career-high effort - and 3 steals for a PIR of 16. And it was a continuation of his good form: in the last three games - against Olympiacos Piraeus, FC Barcelona and Bayern - Mitrovic has averaged 12.0 points on 13-of-21 two-point shots (61.9%), 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a PIR of 15.3.

Kalinic keeps driving Zvezda

Nikola Kalinic is making Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade fans get used to his stellar performances, night in, night out, at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. In Round 16 on Friday night, Kalinic led Zvezda to an 81-78 victory over FC Bayern Munich in front of almost 7,000 fans. He led all scorers with 20 points, hitting 8-of-14 two-pointers and 4-of-5 free throws. Kalinic added 7 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 24. In Zvezda's last three games, all played at home, Kalinic has averaged 20.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a PIR of 20.0, picking up just 5 turnovers in almost 98 minutes on the court.

Assists, threes push Zvezda to win

Crvena Zvezda was heavily outrebounded in its Round 16 home showdown against FC Bayern Munich, 27-35. The German powerhouse pulled down 19 offensive rebounds - its previous season-high was 14 against Olympiacos Piraeus 48 hours earlier. Zvezda, however, made sure that didn’t matter by shooting the ball much better from downtown and sharing the ball really well. The hosts buried 10-of-18 three-point shots (55.6%) while Bayern only hit 9-of-24 shots from downtown (37.5%). Zvezda also finished the game with 19 assists and just 12 turnovers. On the other hand, Bayern had 12 assists and 13 turnovers, in one of the biggest keys to this great showdown.