Nikola Mirotic didn’t want to talk about what happened in Real Madrid-Partizán on Thursday, but in the end, he did. The Barça striker, who together with Vesely was one of the best in his team’s triumph, described what happened the day before at the WiZink Center as a “disaster.” With 1:40 to go and with +15 for Partizan (80-95), a senseless punch by Sergio Llull to Kevin Punter sparked a massive brawl which caused the match to be suspended as eleven players from Partizán and ten from Madrid were sent off.
The Euroleague announced on Friday sanctions that were too light for what was seen on the track a few hours earlier: Guerson Yabusele, who grabbed Dante Exum by the neck and threw him to the ground, will not play again this European season (five-match ban) while Kevin Punter (punched, hesitates…) will miss the next two games Yes Gabriel Deck (punched) e Matthias Lessor (among other things, he grabbed Dzanan Musa and threw him to the ground), one each. Therefore, no one will be in the third match of the series, which moved to Belgrade with 2-0 in favor of Partizan and with a very heated climate.
“I don’t want to comment on the mess that others have made. Let them think about how they wash their faces and hands of what happened. but of course, basketball doesn’t deserve these things, and less basketball at that level”, commented Mirotic, in the statements collected by RAC1, after the triumph of Barça, which scored a 2-0 draw between his team and Zalgiris.
To qualify for the Final Four, Barça would face the series winners between Real Madrid and Partizán in Kaunas (May 19 and 21), so the penalties could benefit you. If Real manages to come back to 0-2, Yabusele would not be able to play in the Final Four. If Partizan qualifies, it will depend on how many more games they need to get there. If Obradovic’s men beat Real Madrid on Tuesday and certify their passage in the fast lane (3-0), Kevin Punter would miss the semifinals. If he needs four or five games to do it, then he could play the point guard of the Serbian team.
