Crvena Zvezda gets back on track by routing Galatasaray

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade got its season back on track with a dominant 77-58 home victory over Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul on Thursday at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. After losing two straight games before the bye week, the pressure was on Zvezda to solidify its position in the top half of the standings, and the Serbian champs certainly delivered as Ognjen Kuzmic – who received his January monthly MVP award before tip-off – produced another big performance with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Branko Lazic also shined with a new career high of 17 points, including 5 of 5 three-point shooting, while Stefan Jovic led the offense with 8 assists, Marko Simonovic netted 12 points, Charles Jenkins added 11 and former Galatasaray big man Deon Thompson combined 10 points with 6 rebounds. The result lifted Zvezda to 13-10, while Galatasaray fell to 7-16. The visiting team was paced by 11 points from Vladimir Micov, but was never really in the contest after the early stages of the second quarter as Zvezda’s typically dogged defense forced 21 turnovers and made 15 steals.

Both teams started in long-range shooting mode, and by the time Zvezda had a 14-10 lead midway through the first quarter, 18 of those 24 points had been scored in triples – including 3 by Lazic. It was close at the end of the first quarter, but Zvezda surged ahead at the start of the second, turning to its inside game as Thompson, Simonovic and then Kuzmic all made their presence felt. Austin Daye initially kept Galatasaray in touch, but was then forced to the bench after picking up 3 fouls, and the hosts quickly built the advantage with a 16-4 run. Lazic hit another triple to make it a double-digit lead, and Simonovic took his first-half tally to 12 points to make it 48-29 at the break. An offensive rebound and bucket from Kuzmic made it a 21-point lead early in the third, and there was never any sign of Galatasaray mounting a comeback. Lazic hit his fifth triple as the lead kept on growing, and it was 64-42 at the end of the third. Defenses were on top in an uneventful fourth quarter and Zvezda cruised to a vital victory.