MADRID — A EuroLeague basketball game between Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade was suspended with less than two minutes left after a brawl between players from both teams.
Madrid was losing 95-80 at home — and about to go down 2-0 in its playoff series — when a hard foul by Madrid guard Sergio Llull on American forward Kevin Punter upset Partizan players and led to the benches being cleared.
Punches were thrown, and two former NBA players — Madrid’s Guerschon Yabusele and Partizan’s Dante Exum — were at the center of the action. The 6-foot-8 Yabusele slammed Exum to the ground in the Spanish capital. Exum was later seen leaving the court with a heavy limp and the assistance of team personnel.
“The tendon in his second toe has ruptured,” Partizan’s doctor, Moma Jakovljevic, told reporters. “It’s a serious injury. He will have to use crutches to travel back to Belgrade, and we will have more tests there. His upper lip was also injured.”
Officials spent several minutes watching replays before deciding to call the game off with 1 minute, 40 seconds left. EuroLeague’s website said the victory was awarded to Partizan Belgrade.
“Euroleague Basketball strongly condemns the events that happened at the end of the game,” the league said. “Such events do not represent the values of respect that the league and its clubs promote and that the sport of basketball embodies.”
The league said its independent disciplinary judge “will issue a decision about the on-court incidents in accordance with the established proceedings within the following 24 hours.”
“This is in the hands of the officials and in the hands of the EuroLeague,” said Partizan coach Zeljko Obradovic, who previously coached Madrid. “I believe that what happened is not good for the image of basketball, not good for the image of Real Madrid nor for Partizan. This should never happen.”
The third game of the best-of-five series is scheduled to take place Tuesday in Belgrade. Partizan won the first game in Madrid 89-87.
Obradovic pledged to try to calm Partizan Belgrade fans ahead of Game 3.
“When we go to Belgrade tomorrow, I’m going to talk about that,” he said. “I’m going to try to calm everybody so that we receive Real Madrid like the people here have received us. That they are going to support our team, yes, but that they are not going to do anything against Real Madrid.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: www.espn.com