Crvena Zvezda, one step closer to the final (@KLSrbije, #KLSRB) and Đorđević’s list (Serbia)

Crvena Zvezda is one step closer to the final

In the first semi-final game of the Serbian Super League, Crvena Zvezda won 87 – 62 against Partizan and now is one step closer to the final. In the second semi-final game FMP will face Borac.

Even though red and home team had 25 points difference, it didn’t look that way at the beginning of the game. Bot teams started tough game, but only Milenko Topić’s squad managed to finish it in the same manner. In the fourth quarter, when Partizan players realized that were losing, they stopped to fight. It was all Red and White show in the last part of the game.

Taylor Rochestie was the player of the match with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Alen Omić added 15 and Ognjen Dobrić and Dejan Davidovac finished the game with 10 points each one.

In Partizan, Kwame Vaughn scored 16 points, while Nigel Williams-Goss added 12 with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Đorđe Gagić finished the match with 10.

In the next game, Partizan will be the host and maybe their crowd will help them to try to play the last game with Zvezda as home team.

Besides the semi-final game, the four teams that had lost the chance to be in the best four are playing for the 5-8 place and one spot in ABA 2 League. Only Mega Bemax don’t need to compete to play in 2^nd regional league, because it is a member of the ABA League.

In the game between Mega and Vršac, dejan Milojević’s squad won 94 – 76 and the other pair are Dynamic and Zlatibor and they will play against each other tonight. FMP and Borac are from 6 p.m. and the match between Miroslav Nikolić’s squad and Zlatibor starts at 8 p.m. local time.

Teodosić, Marjanović and Bjelica on Đorđević’s list, Serbia without Bogdanović and Jokić

The head coach of the Sebian national team, Aleksandar Đorđević, announced the list of 25 names for the third qualification window for the FIBA World Cup 2019 in China. Serbia will play 2 games in this round, against Georgia and Germany.

Three NBA players are on Đorđević’s list (Miloš Teodosić, Nemanja Bjelica and Boban Marjanović), but Serbia will have to face new challenges without Bogdan Bogdanović and Nikola Jokić. Bogdanović is probably out due to knee intervention he had in the USA after the season ended and Jokić because he wants to be ready for the next season in the NBA.

The Serbian national team will start their preparation on June 15^th and all the players will be in the Serbian capital till June 20^th, when they will continue with the preparation in Novi Sad. The first game Đorđević’s team will play will be on June 29^th, in Tbilisi against Georgia, and on July 2^nd they will face Germany in Novi Sad, Serbia.

The players that will start the preparation are: Nemanja Bjelica (Minesota), Miloš Teodosić and Boban Marjanović (LA Clippers), Nemanja Nedović and Dragan Milosavljević (Málaga), Marko Gudurić and Nikola Kalinić (Fenerbahce), Stefan Jović and Vladimir Lučić (Munich), Luka Mitrović and Dejan Musli (Bamberg), Marko Simonović (Zenit), Miroslav Raduljica (Jiangsu Dragons), Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos), Vasilije Micić (Žalgiris), Stefan Peno (Berlin), Aleksa Avramović (Pallacanestro Varese), Dejan Todorović (Bilbao), Stevan Jelovac (BC Nizhny Novgorod), Ilija Đoković (Borac Čačak), Ognjen Dobrić, Aleksa Radanov and Dejan Davidovac (all three from Crvena Zvezda), Đorđe Gagić (Partizan) and Nikola Mišković (Mega Bemax).

Serbia is currently at the second place behind Germany in the Group G, with the assured spot in the second round.

Greece, that will face Serbia in the second round, announced their list of 24 players: Ioannis Athinaiou, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Lefteris Bochoridis, Ioannis Bourousis, Nick Calathes, Linos Chrysikopoulos, Tyler Dorsey, Nikos Ghikas, Charis Giannopoulos, Leonidas Kaselakis, Dimitrios Katsivelis, Antonis Koniaris, Kostas Koufos, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Vangelis Mantzaris, Vangelis Margaritis, Konstantinos Mitoglou, Kostas Papanikolaou, Ioannis Papapetrou, Dušan Šakota, Ioannis Papapetrou, Kostas Sloukas, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos and Ian Vougioukas.

Sloukas (Fenerbahce) and Calathes (Panatinaikos), two of the best guards in Europe, performed well at the last summer FIBA EuroBasket 2017 and after the great season in their EuroLeague clubs, decided to help their national team against Israel in Tel Aviv on June 28^th and at Estonia in Tallinn on July 2^nd.

Also, the Serbian neighbours, Croatia, which is for now at the last place in the group D, will be able to count on their best player, Bojan Bogdanović, in the third window. On June 28^th, they will square off against Italy and on July 1^st the Croats will face Romania, that scored a 56 – 58 win in Zagreb during the second window in February.

Indiana Pacers guard said that he is willing to help his team on the road to China.

„I love playing in these kinds of tournaments. And I want to fight to help my team make it to China 2019. I want to compete on the world stage once again in my career“, the 29 years old Croatian guard said.