On the road in Čačak to face Borac
Less than 48 hours after their victory over Hamburg in Stožice, the players of Cedevita Olimpija will step onto the court in Čačak. There, in the tenth round of the AdmiralBet ABA League regular season, they will face Borac Mozzart and aim for an important win in the regional league. The main squad of Cedevita … Continued
Less than 48 hours after their victory over Hamburg in Stožice, the players of Cedevita Olimpija will step onto the court in Čačak. There, in the tenth round of the AdmiralBet ABA League regular season, they will face Borac Mozzart and aim for an important win in the regional league.
The main squad of Cedevita Olimpija will travel to Čačak on Friday, where Ljubljana’s Dragons face a crucial regional clash on Saturday at 5 PM. In the tenth round of the AdmiralBet ABA League regular season, head coach Zvezdan Mitrović’s team will play against Borac Mozzart. Both teams currently have three wins and six losses after nine games.
TV BROADCAST:
The match will be broadcast live on Arena Sport Slovenia 1 and Kanal A.
PRE-GAME QUOTES:
“We are facing a matchup against Borac, where we will encounter a completely different situation compared to Thursday’s home game against Hamburg. Right after Thursday’s game, I told everyone in the locker room that we are heading to a city where basketball is the top priority. Our opponents will definitely step onto the court with a lot of energy, the arena will be full, and the fans will be loud. We will need to adapt. Saturday’s game against Borac will be a very good test for us, and the players will need to step onto the court motivated to deliver strong performances in both competitions,” said the Dragons’ head coach, Zvezdan Mitrović, ahead of the away game in Čačak.
“In the game against Borac, we want to play energetic and aggressive basketball again. After the Hamburg match, we need to use the short time available to recover and then hit the court in Čačak with the same mentality as on Thursday in Stožice,” said Cedevita Olimpija point guard DeVante Jones, who was statistically the most efficient Dragon on Thursday with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
MATCH PREVIEW:
On Thursday, Cedevita Olimpija concluded the first half of the BKT EuroCup regular season with a dominant performance in Stožice, defeating Germany’s Hamburg 95:68 thanks to their best defensive effort of the season. Entering the second half of the regular season with five wins and four losses from nine games, the Slovenian champions set the pace early, leading by 10 points at halftime (42:32) and extending their advantage throughout the game. Notably, their three-point shooting was off, hitting just two of 24 attempts, but their strong defense overwhelmed the German team.
Except for Gregor Glas, all Dragons selected by Zvezdan Mitrović stepped on the court, with only Rok Radović failing to score. Six players reached double digits, led by DeVante Jones with 16 points. Returning after injury, Brynton Lemar added 11, while Andrija Stipanović, back in the Dragons’ family, contributed 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
While Cedevita Olimpija is in a playoff position in Group B of the EuroCup after the first half of the regular season, they will need to climb the standings in the regional league. Their first ABA League match after the international break takes them to Čačak, traditionally a challenging away venue.
Borac has so far defeated Krka, Mornar, and Igokea but lost to Partizan, FMP, Dubai, Split, Budućnost, and Crvena Zvezda. Most recently, they faced Crvena Zvezda before the break, losing 105:85 in Belgrade. Borac’s standout player this season is veteran Đorđe Gagić, averaging 11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Their top scorer is former Žalgiris and Lietkabelis player Paulius Valinskas, averaging 12.6 points per game.
ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE, ROUND 10
Borac Hall (Čačak, Serbia), Saturday, November 30, at 17.00:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – BORAC MOZZART (Live broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenia 1 and Kanal A)
STANDINGS:
| # | Club | GP | W | L | Overall | Diff | Points |
| 1 | Partizan Mozzart Bet | 9 | 9 | 0 | 827:621 | 206 | 18 |
| 2 | Budućnost VOLI | 9 | 7 | 2 | 766:627 | 139 | 16 |
| 3 | Crvena zvezda Meridianbet | 9 | 7 | 2 | 781:708 | 73 | 16 |
| 4 | Dubai Basketball | 9 | 7 | 2 | 766:722 | 44 | 16 |
| 5 | Spartak Office Shoes | 9 | 6 | 3 | 757:711 | 46 | 15 |
| 6 | Igokea m:tel | 9 | 5 | 4 | 703:708 | -5 | 14 |
| 7 | SC Derby | 9 | 4 | 5 | 742:732 | 10 | 13 |
| 8 | Mega MIS | 9 | 4 | 5 | 701:703 | -2 | 13 |
| 9 | Split | 9 | 4 | 5 | 701:719 | -18 | 13 |
| 10 | Zadar | 9 | 4 | 5 | 673:697 | -24 | 13 |
| 11 | FMP Soccerbet | 9 | 4 | 5 | 720:751 | -31 | 13 |
| 12 | Cedevita Olimpija | 9 | 3 | 6 | 715:760 | -45 | 12 |
| 13 | Borac Mozzart | 9 | 3 | 6 | 692:756 | -64 | 12 |
| 14 | Krka | 9 | 2 | 7 | 724:791 | -67 | 11 |
| 15 | Cibona | 9 | 2 | 7 | 695:799 | -104 | 11 |
| 16 | Mornar-Barsko zlato | 9 | 1 | 8 | 679:837 | -158 | 10 |
LOOKING AHEAD:
After the game in Čačak, the Dragons will return to Ljubljana to face Cluj on Tuesday at 6:30 PM. Tickets for the game against the Romanian team are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com. Fans can secure tickets at a discount by purchasing the special Advent Package. On Sunday, the Green-Orange collective will host Spartak from Subotica at Tivoli.
