Partizan and Crvena Zvezda reached the end of Round 3 in the EuroLeague with mixed emotions, yet fans of both clubs have reasons to be pleased.
The “black-and-white” faithful may be celebrating a bit more right now, but Zvezda showed that, even after three straight losses it can beat the European champion away from home, and do it with an assistant on the bench.
For supporters who follow the action through platforms like Merkur XTip, the drama has already delivered beyond the baseline.
Partizan Start Two Wins from Three
The season has only begun, and we have already seen three distinct faces of Partizan that sketch a team searching for identity and continuity. The Dubai curtain-raiser was a harsh warning: the EuroLeague debutant won 89–76 and exposed how a poor start and soft perimeter defense can prove costly.
Dubai’s three-point barrage shattered Partizan’s rhythm, opened a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and carried the game comfortably despite a brief Partizan surge early in the second half.
Just two days later, the home premiere in the Arena brought a very different energy. Obradović’s team looked, at first glance, the opposite of Dubai: tighter defense, a clearer offensive plan, and a lead that stretched to twenty points.
Even so, the finish turned dramatic—Milano kept chipping away, and Marko Gudurić missed a buzzer-beater for the win. Partizan survived and claimed their first victory, 80–78. Sterling Brown (20 points) and Carlik Jones (15 points, 5 assists) stood out, hinting at “closer” roles in tight games to come.
In Game 3 against Turkey’s Efes, Partizan spent a long time searching for the right five, led by as many as fourteen, then allowed the visitors to flip the script. The solution arrived late: Carlik Jones linked the offense, Tyrique Jones finished out of pick-and-roll, and Sterling Brown hit the key bucket with 24 seconds left.
The epilogue: a 93–87 win and a 2–1 record after three rounds—something the sportsbooks would surely have priced in. On the scoring front, Brown had 24, Bonga 18 (7 rebounds), Tyrique 16 (8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), with a steady contribution from Osetkowski; for Efes, Cordinier led with 24 and Osmani added 21.
The common thread of these opening games is a wide swing in performance and finales decided by a possession or two—the very essence of EuroLeague unpredictability. The Dubai loss spotlighted lapses in defensive focus and responses to opponent shooting runs, while the wins over Milano and Efes showed Partizan’s depth and the presence of closers who can deliver when it tightens.
The ledger is positive after three rounds, but the lessons are clear: defensive continuity and tempo control must be constants, because this competition leaves virtually no room for error.
Zvezda Get Their First Win Only in Round Three
Zvezda’s EuroLeague season did not begin well—Milano won 92–82 in Belgrade. Anyone watching live could sketch the reasons: Zvezda were missing several key players (Dobrić, Kenan, Plavšić, Graham), Rivera went down mid-game, and Marko Gudurić buried two threes just as the hosts had clawed back to 61–61.
Messina’s team then pulled away to +6 and later to double digits, with captain Ricci and Zach LeDay playing key roles. The takeaway: an opening-night defeat and a clear message about defensive steel and rotation depth that still need to arrive.
In Munich, Zvezda looked better for a half—enough to raise live-betting hopes of a win—but the third quarter laid bare the early weaknesses: defensive rebounding and turnovers.
Bayern turned it around, Andreas Obst lit up the arena (9/16 from deep, 31 points), and the 97–88 final came alongside Zvezda’s 15 turnovers, a prolonged three-point blackout (from 8/13 to a 10/25 finish), and oscillations that snuffed out each surge.
Even so, the individual quality remains: Nwora scored 27, Miller-McIntyre 18, Moneke 15, and Carter 13—the numbers confirm the offense is there, but without defensive balance, road wins will not follow.
Game three brought a turning point of sorts. At an awkward moment, and against the reigning champion, Zvezda controlled the tempo from the start and bagged a huge 86–81 win at Fenerbahçe in Istanbul.
The key beats: Donatas Motiejūnas’s debut (13 points, 5/5 from the field), Chima Moneke’s late-game sequence (a three for +6 with 2:34 left, a block, calm free throws, a transition bucket), Carter’s three for 64–52 early in the fourth, and, finally, Miller-McIntyre’s ice-cold basket for 80–75 with 24 seconds to go.
On the sideline, Tomislav Tomović served as interim coach after a mutual parting with Jonas Sferopoulos; Saša Obradović, newly appointed, had yet to join the team. As for the box score in a matchup that was catnip for live bettors, Moneke posted 20 points and 12 boards, Carter had 15, Motiejūnas 13 and 6, Nwora 11, and Miller-McIntyre added 10 with 7 assists.
