Ústí nad Labem 102-66 Olomouc
Ústí nad Labem made short work of Olomouc in the NBL on Sunday, ending a 36-point margin that told the whole story before the final buzzer. They moved into seventh place with 22 games played, level on points with their hosts who are also on 22. By then, the visitors had already endured five straight defeats and this one was the worst of them all.
And here's the thing — we had tipped the home side to win, and at 68 per cent confidence too. It wasn't rocket science when you looked at the form. Ústí had won four of their last five, including a comfortable victory over Brno just a week ago. Olomouc, meanwhile, had lost five in a row and were struggling to find any rhythm.
The shooting was the difference. Ústí hit 34 field goals from 68 attempts and made 11 three-pointers from 26 tries. Olomouc managed just 23 from 65 and only eight from 27. The visitors also turned it over 17 times compared to nine for the hosts, which is the kind of discipline gap you don't recover from.
Rebounding told a similar tale. Ústí pulled down 39 boards to Olomouc's 33, but the breakdown matters more. The hosts grabbed 27 defensive rebounds against 21 for the visitors, and added 12 offensive boards to match their opponents. That extra possession on offence is what separates teams at this level.
The statistics don't lie. Ústí's 17 assists against 12 for Olomouc shows they moved the ball properly, and their 10 steals to five suggests they were disrupting plays consistently. Olomouc's 23 personal fouls also hints at frustration setting in as the game slipped away.
For Ústí, this extends their unbeaten run to five games and keeps them within touching distance of the top half. Olomouc's slide to ninth place with 14 losses means they're now looking over their shoulder at the teams below them. Cup football has its own rules, but league football is merciless.
