In Podgorica to face SC Derby on Thursday

The Cedevita Olimpija roster will travel to Podgorica late Wednesday afternoon, where they will face SC Derby in the 28th round of the regular season of the AdmiralBet ABA League on Thursday at 7:00 PM, with the Dragons hunting for a crucial victory in their fight for the best possible position before the start of the playoffs.

Cedevita Olimpija secured their playoff spot in the AdmiralBet ABA League for the fourth consecutive season in Sunday’s game against Cibona. The team, led by head coach Zvezdan Mitrović, has a record of 17 wins and 10 losses after 27 games, placing them level with Igokea m:tel on the standings, though Igokea has a better record from their two head-to-head matchups this season.

The Ljubljana side will seek a better starting position for the playoffs in Podgorica, where they will take on SC Derby in the 28th round of the regular season on Thursday at 7:00 PM. The latter did not play in the competition last weekend, as their 27th-round game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet is scheduled for early May. Prior to that, the ‘Students’ suffered a defeat against Budućnost VOLI, but between rounds 23 and 25, they secured consecutive victories over Mornar-Barsko zlato, Split, and Igokea.

The game against Cibona saw DeVante Jones leave early due to a blow to his muscle, but in the days leading up to the trip to Podgorica, he trained normally with his teammates.

TV BROADCAST:

The game will be broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenia 1 Premium and Kanal A.

PRE-GAME STATEMENTS:

“Both teams have recently achieved some of their competitive goals, but we approach every game with the same dedication. We’ve thoroughly analyzed SC Derby’s game, and since they dropped out of contention for the playoff spots, they’ve been playing exceptionally well. In their recent games, they’ve averaged over 100 points, with their team’s three-point shooting efficiency exceeding 50%. Three of their perimeter players have been shooting above 60% from beyond the arc in this period, which will be a big challenge for us. SC Derby’s team combines numerous talented players and is led by the experienced American player Erick Neal, who already has significant experience in the ABA League. They play with freedom, quality, and speed, as evidenced by their wins over Igokea and Spartak, as well as a close loss to Budućnost in the final seconds. It will be interesting to see how we respond to their youthful energy, fast game, and accurate three-point shooting,” said Zvezdan Mitrović, head coach of the Dragons, before the trip.

“I expect a tough away game in Podgorica. We’ve trained well before the trip, so we’re fully prepared for Thursday’s game. We’re coming off a challenging match against Cibona, which we successfully navigated, and we definitely want to continue the season with the kind of performance we showed in the second half of that game in Stožice,” said Žiga Daneu before the trip to Podgorica.

GAME PREVIEW:

On Sunday in Stožice, Cedevita Olimpija overcame a slow start against Cibona. The teams went into halftime tied at 50:50, but the Ljubljana side made a decisive push in the third quarter, winning it 28:10, before calmly closing out the game for a convincing victory (96:81). All Dragons selected by head coach Mitrović for the twelve-man roster played, with Aleksej Nikolić (15 points), Gregor Glas, Rok Radović (both 14 points), DJ Stewart (13 points), and Joan Beringer (11 points) reaching double-digit scoring.

Studentski Centar Derby has a record of 10 wins and 16 losses after 26 games. In their last four games in the regional league, the Podgorica team secured three victories but lost their most recent outing against Budućnost VOLI (99:105). Although the Podgorica side was not active in the ABA League last weekend, they played in the Montenegrin national championship, defeating Primorje 1945 on Saturday with a score of 101:94. Looking at their last six games across both competitions, SC Derby’s only loss came against their Podgorica rivals, meaning they enter the matchup with Ljubljana in good form.

SC Derby boasts two players who rank among the top ten in the regional league’s efficiency index. Erick Neal is second on this list, while Zoran Nikolić is ninth. Neal averages 16.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game, while Nikolić records 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

In the first head-to-head matchup of the season on December 21, the scoreboard in Tivoli Arena showed 100:86 in favor of Cedevita Olimpija. The Green-and-Orange held the lead throughout, except for a brief crisis at the end of the second and start of the third quarter, which the visitors capitalized on to take a short-lived lead. The Ljubljana side quickly regained control, pulled away, and calmly closed out the game.

The top scorer for the Ljubljana team was Brynton Lemar with 22 points, followed by Devin Robinson with 21 points and six rebounds. DJ Stewart (15 points / 6 rebounds), captain Jaka Blažič (12 points), and DeVante Jones (10 points / 6 assists) also reached double-digit scoring. For SC Derby, Neal led with 23 points, David Mirković scored 17, and Nikola Pavlićević added 14.

ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE, 28TH ROUND OF THE REGULAR SEASON

Morača Sports Center (Podgorica, Montenegro), Thursday, April 17, at 7:00 PM:
SC DERBY – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (TV broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenia 1 Premium and Kanal A)

STANDINGS:

LOOKING AHEAD:

After the trip to Podgorica, Cedevita Olimpija will return to Ljubljana, with their next challenge scheduled for Sunday, December 27, when the Dragons will host Partizan Mozzart Bet in Stožice at 6:00 PM. Tickets for the game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com. The final round of the regular season will see the Ljubljana side travel to Novo Mesto in early May to face Krka.