Partizan muscles to stay-alive victory against Budivelnik

Partizan NIS Belgrade used a great defensive effort and some spectacular plays to stake a 76-61 win over Budivelnik Kiev in Kombank Arena in the Serbian capital on Thursday night. The win improves Partizan's record to 2-6 in the fifth place of Group A, keeping alive its chances of advancing to the Top 16, while Budivelnik dropped to 1-7 and could be eliminated this week if Nanterre beats Barcelona on Friday. After taking the lead for good late in the first quarter, Partizan used an 8-0 run to open a 42-27 halftime lead. A personal 8-0 run by Dragan Milosavljevic opened the third quarter with the hosts ahead 50-27, a margin that reached 26 points in the fourth quarter. Bogdan Bogdanovic paced the winners with 15 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Joffrey Lauvergne had 18 points plus 8 rebounds, Dragan Milosavljevic added 14 points, and Tarence Kinsey chipped in with 10 points for Partizan, which outrebounded Budivenik 44-27. The visitors got 11 points apiece from Dainius Salenga and Darjus Lavrinovic.

First quarter: Partizan dominates in the paint

Lavrinovic and Nikola Milutinov traded baskets inside to start the game, before Salenga and Bogdanovic each drove to the hoop for a 4-4 tie. Partizan dominated on the offensive glass as a put-back dunk from Milutinov and 3 of 4 free throws from Joffrey Lauvergne helped it to a 9-6 advantage. Lavrinovic hit from mid-range, and after another put-back from Milutinov, a jumper from Ricky Minard paved the way for a layup-plus-free throw by Lavrinovic to give Budivelnik an 11-13 lead. But the hosts finished the quarter with a run of 6 consecutive points, regaining the lead with a big dunk from Lauvergne before an easy layup from Dejan Musli gave them 17-13 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Hosts pull away behind their defense

The first made shot from downtown, from Bogdanovic, opened the second quarter putting Partizan up 20-13. After Michailis Anisimov scored a layup for the visitors, Lauvergne’s basket-plus-free throw extended the difference to 24-15. Anisimov next two layups and one from Salenga soon cut the margin to 26-21. Partizan quickly restored a nine-point lead, however, with a long jumper from Kinsey and a fastbreak layup from Milosavljevic. Turning to zone defense brought more good news for the hosts, as another jumper from Kinsey and an alley-oop dunk from Djordje Gagic on a breakaway made it 34-21 midway through the quarter. The visitors spent a pair of timeouts before Minard hit a jumper to snap an 8-0 Partizan run. But the hosts increased the margin some more with a spectacular dunk from Lauvergne in the face of Oleksandr Tishchenko. Lauvergne added a long jumper to the tally, with his toes on a three-point line, before Minard drove for a layup to close the first half at 42-27, with Partizan fully in charge.

Third quarter: Milosavljevic leads hosts to big lead

Partizan opened the third quarter with a fastbreak layup from Milosavljevic, and its defense forced 3 turnovers in as many minutes from Budivelnik. Then, Milosavljevic sunk back-to-back triples to make it 50-27 as Partizan looked to bury Budivelnik early. Lavrinovic ended Budivelnik’s drought with a layup, but Kinsey answered with a jumper. The visitors switched to a full-court press and Janis Strelnieks scored their first three-pointer after 14 missed attempts, but they were still down 53-33. Partizan, dominant on the glass, remained in total control. Kinsey sunk another long jump shot, Deaquan Cook made a layup for Budivelnik, before Milosavljevic drove for another layup and a 59-37 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Fourth quarter: Highlight plays put Partizan up by 26

Bogdanovic opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, and Lauvergne added a fastbreak slam for at 64-39. Strelnieks drove for a layup on the other end, but Partizan went on a run of spectacular plays. Bogdanovic threw a half-court pass for an alley-oop dunk to Milosavljevic, followed by Boris Dallo's high-flying one-handed slam, before Kinsey stole the ball and raced for a windmill dunk. On the other end, Cook hit a triple and Lavrinovic made a dunk at 70-48. Lauvergne hit a jumper and Musli made a dunk for the largest lead of the night, 74-48 before Budivelnik made a 0-11 run. Salenga had 2 steals and scored 7 points, including a basket-plus-free throw, while Dajaun Summer raced for a fastbreak dunk. Before game’s end, 19-year old Petar Aranitovic scored his first-ever Euroleague basket, before Blake Ahearn beat the buzzer with a jumper, long after Partizan had decided the outcome.