Real Madrid pulled out their trade and was capable of what seemed like an odyssey: winning both games in Belgrade to bring the tie back to Madrid. Wizink, where Partizan won the first two games of the series, will decide on Wednesday who goes to the final four.
The start of the fourth game at the Stark Arena had nothing to do with the third. And not only because the hostile climate that Madrid encountered on Tuesday (after the massive fight) was replaced by a rigorous and immense respect. Mourning for the shooting at a school in the Serbian capital the day before permeated the previous one. The local players wore the name of the Vladislav Ribnikar school on the chest of their shirts and the two teams read memorial statements to the nine victims. The fans, after the minute of silence, threw white roses onto the court. But it is also that the departure of the whites was totally different. On Tuesday Partizan went 12-0. Instead, the first basket this time was from an inspired Hanga. Between him and Musa, Madrid soon opened up an advantage until reaching the maximum difference (13-27) before the first quarter.
Partizan got into the game thanks to the shots from Papapetrou and an unstoppable LeDay (25 points), to the point that Madrid only won three at halftime.
At halftime, the atmosphere changed. The fans were once again intimidating with their noisy choral scenery. A protest from Exum, which ended with technique, heated up the track more. And finally, after 25 minutes, Partizan managed to take the lead on the scoreboard. At that delicate moment, Tavares appeared to score seven points almost in a row and give oxygen to Madrid (55-61).
However, the injury to Deck, who was returning after the suspension and was very safe (14 p.), caused a final reaction from Partizan, which got within two with 1m19s to go. With water up to its neck, Tavares (15) reappeared to fish for a rebound and score a decisive 2 1 for a Madrid that finished 17 of 19 in free throws, which was basic.