Parndubice beat Brno 85-79 in the NBL on Friday evening. The hosts held on after a tight contest, moving to within one victory of their third-placed visitors. It was a result that kept the top-half race breathing down everyone's neck.
Parndubice found their range from distance. They hit 13 three-pointers out of 37 attempts, while Brno could only manage 6 from 23. The difference in shooting accuracy from beyond the arc was telling, and it gave the home side the cushion they needed when the game tightened.
We had called for the hosts to win at 60 per cent confidence, and that held up. Parndubice's recent form had been shaky — they lost to Nymburk and dropped a narrow one-point game against Opava — but they stopped the rot here. Brno, meanwhile, had not won since their last outing against Decin.
The numbers told a story of contrasting approaches. Parndubice shot 27 of 71 from the field and 18 of 26 from the line. Brno were slightly better from the floor at 28 of 71, but they struggled from deep and from the free-throw stripe, making only 17 of 29. The visitors also coughed up 17 turnovers to the hosts' 12, which cost them when it mattered.
Rebounding was another battleground. Brno pulled down 47 boards to Parndubice's 37, but the extra possessions did not translate into points. The home side's 11 steals and 4 blocks kept the visitors from getting easy looks, and by then the momentum had shifted.
After the match, Parndubice sit second with 17 wins from 22 games. Brno remain third with 16 victories, but the gap is closing fast. One more slip from either side and the table goes out of the window in these games.
