Clear defeat for the biancoblù at the Assago Forum after 40 minutes of suffering. Starting uphill, the Sassari recover and fight but the leaders are too superior
SENT TO MILAN. Too much Milan for this Dinamo, too much intensity and too much quality for a group that tries, tries to fight as best it can but is unable to compete on equal terms with the best team in the league. At the Assago Forum Dinamo is overwhelmed for 79-50 by the Olimpia of Ettore Messina, Gianmarco Pozzecco and Gigi Datome. A very heavy -29, with the heaviest breaks gained in the first 5 ‘of the game and in the last 5’, but which in fact reflects the current difference between the two teams. For coach Demis Cavina, who can save at least the general attitude of his parents and the positive return of Ousmane Diop, the problem of the axis one-five opens up definitively: the play Clemmons plays a basketball of his own, completely disconnected from the team. , and the starting center Mekowulu has beaten yet another miss after the progress of a few weeks ago.
Engine broken down. Cavina proposes a new quintet with Clemmons, Battle, Treier, Bendzius and Mekowulu. The impact with the parquet of the Forum is worrying: Milan starts 6-0 without a blow and after less than 3 ‘Treier is already out to make room for Burnell; two triples by Bendzius keep Dinamo afloat but the defense does not hold and Milan misses the first shot after 6 baskets in a row. Datome warms his hand and Grant’s triple is worth the 18-6 just before half time.
Finally we play. Cavina asks for a timeout and changes the guards, so far not received, finding a bit of defense and a bit of panache in attack with Logan. Then Burnell hits from the corner and a gypsy from Gentile brings the Banco back to -5, 18-13. This time it is Messina who asks for the minute, then Diop makes his debut and at the first siren Dinamo is under 22-15. The Milanese area remains impassable for the biancoblù, who systematically crash into a wall of red shirts, but in the meantime the game on the arc pays off and Treier and Logan’s triples are worth 26-21. Mekowulu strikes a shot, Burnell finally makes room in the area and 5 ‘from the break the Banco is there, 30-25.
I would but I can not. However, the match remains very hard and Olimpia resumes defending: Datome first places a triple and then recovers the ball, Tarczewski takes off and in a moment Milan returns to +12, 37-25. The Sassari grit their teeth, Gentile is knocked down and gets a technical foul, Diop hits from afar and Milan is ahead 42-30 in the middle of the race. It starts again with Logan and Diop in the field, it makes very little basket on both sides but in order not to shipwreck the Banco has to grit his teeth. The bianoblù attack limps (2 points in 5 ‘), so Olimpia just needs a shot of the accelerator to be at +18 (50-32 just before half-time), thanks to the bombs of Grant and Ricci.
From hope to breakdown. From the score it would not seem like it but the Banco is alive, with the defense that limits the damage of an attack that sends several good shots on the iron. The problem is that Clemmons, Battle and Mekowulu do not bring anything to the cause and so as soon as Daniels warms his hand there is trouble: 60-36 and for Dinamo it is pitch black. The last period is very complicated, even from a mental point of view: under more than 20 points, the Sassari begin to make trivial mistakes and find themselves sliding lower and lower: Mitoglu is unstoppable, Hall hits from beyond the arc and the Banco finds himself down by 27, 68-41, just over 5 ‘from the end of the match. Olimpia, in the third race in 6 days, eases the pressure a little but does not give anything anyway, while Diop and Bendzius take the situation a bit in hand.
Banco stitches up to 71-50, while Milan pulls down tons of rebounds but also misses many open shots. Dinamo is more wrong, however, which in the final wastes the impossible even from below and at the siren is found under 29, 79-50.
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