Dusko Ivanovic comments on Nikola Mirotic stepping on the line / News - Basketnews.com

Dusko Ivanovic says that Nikola Mirotic's rules violation doesn't help his team, but he is certain that the game won't be annulled.

Credit: Screenshot, ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic Credit Screenshot, ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic

FC Barcelona star Nikola Mirotic drained an incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade to overtime.

Player of the Game EFF 28 Tomas Satoransky Points 19 Accuracy 7-11 Rebounds 3 Assists 10

However, it seems like the shot shouldn't have counted because Mirotic stepped on the sideline before he took the last-second attempt.

"If it's true that Mirotic stepped on the outside line, that doesn't help... Certainly, the game won't be annulled because of that," coach Dusko Ivanovic said after the game.

"I couldn't see that from my position. But we could have won the game even before that shot, and we didn't succeed," he added.

In overtime, Barca head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius was ejected for getting two technical fouls in quick succession, but it didn't matter, as baskets from Cory Higgins and Jan Vesely kept the visitors in front en route to a valuable 99-94 win at a packed Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.

"You have to play 40 minutes, but exactly 40 minutes, with focus," Ivanovic pointed out. "We have to learn from this game to get better. The plan was to make a foul on the final possession for Barcelona. We did not make it, but everything the players did was with good intentions. I do not blame anyone. [Filip] Petrusev, who was supposed to foul, he did everything he could, and these things happen in the game. ... The players are down now, but tomorrow they will be even stronger."

Mirotic himself was shocked when he learned from a local journalist that there was a rules violation before his three-point dagger.

"Seriously? I didn't know. That's new information for me. You see what the referees are like... How come they don't whistle? I'm shocked, honestly," Mirotic told the reporter. "These things shouldn't happen, given that we have so many cameras and systems for monitoring events on the court. I have no doubts about what is being said, I believe I stepped on the line but I didn't know it until now."

This loss means that Crvena Zvezda have dropped to 8-8 in the standings.

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