Napoli conquers the PalaSerradimigni (78-84), bringing Dinamo back too close to the danger zone. On the night of Achille Polonara's emotional return (he received a standing ovation) and a raucous crowd, the Sassari team played a chaotic and utterly inadequate game with former Napoli point guard Pullen, whom coach Mrsic actually kept on the court too long, hoping to avoid having to squeeze a Buie team that wasn't yet at its best. The shooting percentage was telling: 1/13. Ceron and Mezzanotte (13 points) performed very well, along with Vincini, who consistently provided energy, while Thomas was inconsistent (15 points but 6/12 shooting).
REPORT - Mrsic starts Pullen, Zanelli, and Ceron (excellent). Banco serves up their big men with their backs to the basket (4-0), but Napoli has lethal outside players like Flagg and Mitrou-Long (13 points in one half). Vincini and Mezzanotte are the most effective, Pullen the worst shooter (1/10), and Napoli is always there. The game remains very close for the first two quarters, with neither player managing to get beyond a full basket: 37-39 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Napoli attempted an initial breakaway with a familiar three-pointer from Mitrou-Long (47-54 in the 27th minute), which was temporarily softened by Thomas's bomb at the buzzer. In the final quarter, however, the visitors remained alert, with Flagg a killer: -13. A truly disappointing Pullen left the court, and Buie entered the game, teaming up with Visconti to create a mini-break of three-pointers to bring the score to -4 (76-80 in the 38th minute), but Napoli only needed to defend a couple of plays to pull away.
