Crvena Zvezda went into a pre-season game without six players / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Dainius Lukšta Credit Dainius Lukšta

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade suffered their first pre-season loss with a bunch of their players sitting out.

In a game behind closed doors, Dejan Radoncic's squad lost a nail-bitter to KK Mega Soccerbet Belgrade 73-74 (20-18, 17-20, 29-16, 17-23).

The Red Star had a chance to win the game for his team during the last possession, but Nikola Ivanovic's shot was off the mark.

Crvena Zvezda played this game without six players: Aaron White, Nate Wolters, Ognjen Dobric, Dejan Davidovac, Stefan Lazarevic, and team captain Branko Lazic.

19-year-olds Marko Gusic and Nemanja Popovic received substantial playing time instead.

Nikola Kalinic and Maik Zirbes were the leading scorers for the Serbian powerhouse with 13 points each. Nikola Ivanovic and Luka Mitrovic added 9 apiece.

Karlo Matkovic had 18 points and 9 rebounds for Mega Soccerbet. Nikola Jovic supplied 16 points, Malcolm Cazalon and Luka Cerovina added 11 each.

Crvena Zvezda tip-off their season with an Adriatic League match against KK Split on September 24. Their first EuroLeague game is set for October 1 against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

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