Doing What He Does Best

The latest EuroLeague derby delivered everything fans could have hoped for: a packed Belgrade Arena, an electric atmosphere unique to clashes between Partizan and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, intense physical play, a thrilling overtime, high emotions on the benches and court, and, above all, top-tier basketball. It also featured a fascinating tactical battle—the first meeting between Spanish head coaches Joan Peñarroya and Ibon Navarro since taking charge of Belgrade's eternal rivals.

Although Partizan entered the matchup on the back of three straight EuroLeague defeats and ranked among the competition's least efficient offensive units—particularly from beyond the arc—prior form went completely out the window. As the old adage goes, the derby is a game where form books are rendered useless. Despite Zvezda coming in on a much stronger run (4-0 compared to Partizan's 0-3), the Black-and-Whites rose to the occasion to outlast their fiercest rivals in an 85-82 thriller.

Partizan's undisputed hero—as in every EuroLeague win this season—was Carlik Jones. In the opening minutes, Navarro took a bold gamble by assigning derby debutant Nikola Đurišić to guard Partizan's star playmaker. Jones ruthlessly exploited the matchup, scoring five quick points, setting up Nikola Tanasković, and finishing an and-one play to swiftly hand the Black-and-Whites a double-digit lead. Beyond the raw numbers, Jones set the tone early, orchestrating the offense with both direct and secondary assists to get his teammates firing on all cylinders.

Jones maintained his high level throughout the contest, and Partizan's reliance on him became glaringly evident midway through the third quarter when Peñarroya rested him, handing playmaking duties to Kyle Allman. Without Jones on the floor, the Black-and-Whites stagnated offensively, allowing Zvezda to chip away at the deficit and forcing the Spanish tactician to quickly reinsert his primary weapon.

A similar script unfolded in the final period as Zvezda trimmed the gap to four before ultimately forcing overtime. While Alessandro Pajola delivered the decisive blow with a clutch, deep three-pointer, it was Jones who repeatedly gave Partizan a second wind. He came up with two vital layups to keep Zvezda from pulling away, followed by a clutch triple off a Kramer miscue to level the score at 82-82.

He finished the night with an impressive 26 points and five assists, providing several crucial baskets down the stretch in a performance that was classic Carlik Jones.

VIDEO Tanasković: The derby is a celebration, the Arena catches fire!