Red Star defeated Asvel and remained in the playoff zone

Red Star basketball players defeated Asvel 73:66 (19:18, 17:13, 20:17, 17:18) tonight at home in Belgrade, in a match from the 25th round of the Euroleague.

All players in the Red Star team scored, with the most efficient players being Isaiah Kenan with 11 points, Cody Miller-McIntyre with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds, and Nikola Kalinic with 10 points. Joel Bolomboy contributed to the victory with seven points and 10 rebounds.

For Asvel, Theo Maledon scored 13 points with six rebounds and five assists, and Benjamin Bentil had 12 points with four rebounds.

Nando de Colo added nine points, and Neil Sacco and Geoffrey Lauvergne each had eight for the French team.

Asvel led from the start, but Red Star held on and did not allow their opponent to break away, until the middle of the quarter when, with points from Lauvergne and a three-pointer from Paris Li, the French team took a 14:9 lead.

The home team played better after that and closed the gap. Points from Dejan Davidovac, Bolomboy and Jago Dos Santos gave Red Star a 19:18 lead.

Zvezda started the second quarter with a three-pointer by Kenan and shots by Filip Petrushev. The home team got into a good run, Luka Mitrović was accurate, and Nemanja Nedović and Dos Santos hit three-pointers for a 34:23 lead.

The red and whites stopped after that, Asvel made an 8:0 run and came within three points (34:31). By the end of the half, Kenan scored for a five-point lead for Red Star at halftime.

Red Star started the third quarter well with points from Miller-McIntyre and Nedović. Red Star played confidently and gained a 12-point lead (45:33), while Maledon and De Colo kept the French team in the game.

After Sako's points, the visiting team came close to four points, but Kenan blocked the rush with a three-pointer. Bolomboj and Kalinic also scored, and Bentil hit a three-pointer on the other side, so Red Star led 56:48 heading into the final quarter.

Rokas Gedraitis and Miller-McIntyre returned the home team's double-digit lead, and Kenan's three-pointer brought the maximum difference to 14 points, 66:52.

After that, Sako tied the score with six points, and Maledon scored a basket and an additional free throw, bringing Asvel within five points.

That streak was broken by a basket after a Miller-McIntyre run. Red Star maintained its lead and achieved its 15th victory, after which it climbed to fifth place in the standings.

Asvel is 14th in the standings with 11 wins and 14 losses.

In the next round, Red Star will welcome Alba on Thursday, and Asvel will play against Bayern in Munich.