Mirotic: “We aware of the moment, but our mind is only for Partizan”

Ciamillo-Castoria
Ciamillo-Castoria

Mirotic has scored at least 16 points for 13 consecutive games

Over the last ten EuroLeague games no team has won more than seven games, but among those who have done so there are both Olimpia and Partizan, opponents tomorrow night at the Unipol Forum. Partizan comes in Milan riding the great win attained in Villeurbanne, Olimpia is coming off win of similar proportions against Alba Berlin, at home. There will be important former players on the court, Brandon Davies on one side, Zach LeDay on the other. Olimpia won the game in Belgrade a couple of months ago with which it had started a series of six wins in a row. Partizan, after losing at home to Olimpia, won five games one after the other, setting the table right. There are all the conditions for it to be a high-level battle despite the absences affecting both teams (Olimpia will be also without Diego Flaccadori, resting after his early exit from the Alba games). The impact the game will on the standings is undeniable, especially as Olimpia’s schedule will become very tough with a trip to Istanbul; a huge challenge in Milan against the European Champions of Panathinaikos; a double round on the road in MUnich and Kaunas. But right now the only thing that matters is what happens against Partizan tomorrow night. Olimpia is first for points scored (87.7 per game) but faces a team that is fourth in terms of points allowed (80.7), has great shot-blockers (3.1 on average, second overall) and is second in steals.

Tip-off time at Unipol Forum will be 20:30 on January 16th.

THE REFEREES -Robert Lottermoser (Germany), Piotr Pastusiask (Poland), Amit Balak (Israel).

COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “We face a great opponent, a team that, after a difficult start, has raised its performance by obtaining many significant wins including with the last one in Villeurbanne. For us it is essential to continue to show on the court the defensive improvements produced in the last period, and to continue to move the ball against a very athletic defense like that of Partizan”.

 

“We are aware that the moment of the season is crucial, but we must take it one game at a time without looking too far ahead. Today our thoughts are all about the game against Partizan. For some time now we have had a better understanding of ourselves and how to play together. Injuries have affected us but at the same time the guys staying on the court had the opportunity to develop confidence. For me personally, playing along with Zach LeDay is fun and makes everything easier because there is chemistry and mutual trust, and we know we can count on our teammates especially on defense.”

Nikola Mirotic

 

PARTIZAN BELGRADE OUTLOOK – Deeply rebuilt compared to the last season, Partizan is implementing a very extended rotation, and nobody stays on the court for more than 25 minutes per game. Right now, point-guard Carlik Jones is the most used player by Coach Obradovic, slightly over 25 minutes per game. He used to come off the bench but lately was moved into the starting line-up. Jones has been the most prolific Partizan player so far, with 13.0 points and 4.8 assists per game, 91.8 free-throw shooting. Obradovic often opts for playing “smallball” line-ups featuring one center and one nominal power forward, mostly German Isaac Bonga. The guard rotation involves the Danish, formerly with Virtus Bologna, Iffe Lundberg; the sharpshooting Sterling Brown, formerly in Berlin; former NBA player Duane Washington; and former first round NBA draft pick, Frank Ntilikina who has the size to play as a small forward too. Washington and Ntilikina should be out from this game due to injuries. Lundberg averages 9.1 points per game. Brown is definitely a shooting specialist, contributing 11.8 points per game and converting 42.9 percent of his threes and 60.3 percent on his twos. Isiaha Mike, after an early injury, is now playing more than 13 minutes per game at the forward spot. Isaac Bonga who spent four seasons in the NBA (Lakers, Washington, Toronto), was with Bayern last season and is a member of the German National team, averages 6.8 points per game, adds 3.9 rebounds and is shooting 38.8 percent on threes. Among the big men, Aleksej Pokusevski (3.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game), is a developing skinny player who spent four seasons in the NBA (168 games played). The centers are Tyrique Jones (12.1 points per game on 62.6 percent two-point shooting), who is a very strong rebounder (6.0 per game, almost half of them under the offensive board), and Brandon Davies (8.6 points per game), a solid EuroLeague veteran with a soft touch. Balsa Koprivica can also get minutes inside.

 

THE PARTIZAN BELGRADE CONNECTION – Zach LeDay left Olimpia in 2021 and moved to Belgrade where he spent the ensuing three seasons, the last two in the EuroLeague with 68 appearances on the court and 742 points scored. He returned to Milan at the start of the season. Brandon Davies, in his first season at Partizan, played for Olimpia two seasons ago (33 games, 336 points scored) before moving to Valencia.

MESSINA Vs OBRADOVIC – Only two coaches have won more than 300 EuroLeague games, an enormity even with today’s overstuffed schedule. They are Zeljko Obradovic and Ettore Messina. Tomorrow they will coach against each other for the 32nd time in their careers, the 24th in the EuroLeague. In fact, in their personal history there are also two games with their respective national teams (the European Championships in Barcelona, ​​1993) and six in Italy, four of which in the league’s regular season, one in the Super Cup and another one in the Italian Cup. Obradovic is leading Messina 16-15 so far. Ettore Messina faced Cacak’s coach, as well as with the national team, at the helm of Bologna, Treviso, CSKA, Real Madrid and Milan; Obradovic with Partizan, Treviso (Messina took Obradovic’s place), Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce. It is curious that, when Obradovic coached in Treviso, the two never faced each other in the EuroLeague: in 1998 both were at the Barcelona’s Final Four, but Coach Messina led Virtus to the title, while Obradovic lost the semi-final game against AEK Athens. In Italy, Messina, while coaching Bologna, defeated Treviso and Obradovic three times out of four plus an Italian Cup semi-final. Obradovic won the 1997 Super Cup instead.

PLAYERS NOTES – Nikola Mirotic has scored at least 16 points for 13 consecutive games; he has had 12 of PIR in 20 straight games; he has converted the last 36 free throw attempts. Mirotic has scored 20-plus point eight times so far. Shavon Shields had made at least one three in eight consecutive games. After starting the season 9-for-33 on threes, over the last six outings he is 10-for-19. The 8 assists that he dished against Alba are Leandro Bolmaro’s career high.

TEAM NOTES – Olimpia has won the last two EuroLeague games scoring a combined 207 points and a combined margin of 65 points (32.5 on average). Over the last three games, Olimpia allowed 209 points, below the 70 points per game allowed. The team record when scoring more than 85 points is now 9-1

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