Joventut Badalona celebrated its fifth win in the last six games and improved to 8-5 in Group A of the BKT EuroCup after a hard-fought 89-81 home win over Umana Reyer Venice, with six of its players scoring in double figures. 

Joventut grinds out 89-81 win over battling Reyer

Joventut Badalona celebrated its fifth win in the last six games and improved to 8-5 in Group A of the BKT EuroCup after a hard-fought 89-81 home win over Umana Reyer Venice, with six of its players scoring in double figures. In contrast, Reyer slipped to its fifth defeat in the last six games and dropped to 4-9, although the Italian outfit did not go down without a fight.

Yannick Kraag paced Joventut with 17 points, shooting 6 of 7 from the floor and 2 of 2 from the foul line. Andres Feliz posted 15 points, Andrew Andrews netted 14, while Pau Ribas and Michael Ruzic scored 12 each. Ante Tomic chipped in with 10 points for the hosts, who shot 9 of

19 from downtown on the back of free-flowing offense for much of the contest. At the other end, Rayjon Tucker stood out for Reyer with a game-high 21 points, having garnished his fine individual performance with a couple of eye-catching dunks and a pair of spectacular blocks on Tomic and Feliz in quick succession. Jordan Parks scored 16 points for the visitors, Kyle Wiltjer added 14 and Amedeo Tessitori netted 12.

Game News

Three-point shooting made all the difference in the first half as Joventut sank 5 of 10 from long range while Reyer was 0 of 6, with the hosts gradually building a 41-31 lead in the closing stages of the second quarter before Reyer slashed the deficit with a late run.

Reyer looked capable of pulling off what would have amounted to a shock win on the road when the visitors closed in to 55-54 on the back of Tucker’s blocks on Tomic and Ruiz, but getting rejected only seemed to galvanize Ruiz who responded by sinking some tough shots in the closing stages of the third quarter.

In the blink of an eye, Joventut pulled away to 70-58 and the writing was on the wall for Reyer midway through the fourth, when the home team had an 80-64 cushion. Still, the visitors refused to roll over and pulled it back to 84-77, but Joventut did a good job of running the clock down and getting the win that kept last season’s semifinalist firmly on course to reach the playoffs.

Game Videos

The Spanish team was made to work hard by its Italian rival but prevailed thanks to a more balanced effort.

Joventut Badalona v Umana Reyer Venice (2023-12-26T19:30:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara has one of the hottest players in the BKT EuroCup at the moment and another career night by Tyrone Wallace as well as some strong second-half defense kept alive last season’s runner-up's chances of reaching the playoffs. 

On-fire Wallace, second-half defense kept Turk Telekom’s hopes alive 

Turk Telekom Ankara has one of the hottest players in the BKT EuroCup at the moment and another career night by [Tyrone Wallace](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tyrone-wallace/011925/) as well as some strong second-half defense kept alive last season’s runner-up's chances of reaching the playoffs.

Wallace connected on 7-of-8 three-pointers in scoring 31 points in Turk Telekom Ankara’s 79-85 win at ratiopharm Ulm. That was the Turkish side’s third victory in the last four games and gives Selcuk Ernak’s team a 4-9 record just outside a playoff spot with five games to play.

“It’s beautiful,” Wallace said about being so locked in offensively. “It’s always great to have a game like that where you just feel like you got it rolling. Credit to my teammates for finding me when I was open. It’s even better to get a W.”

Tyrone Wallace scored a career-high 31 points in Ulm

Wallace has been one of the top players in the EuroCup in December. Against U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 10, the 29-year-old scored 19 points with 7 rebounds and followed that with 22 points in helping Turk Telekom beat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica for a second straight win. Wallace poured in a then-career-high 30 points along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists in Round 12 but they were not enough in a loss to Aris Midea Thessaloniki.

But the former NBA guard lit it up with 5-of-5 three-pointers in the first half and finished with 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals for a career-best index rating of 39.

“It was very important. We haven’t been doing very well in the EuroCup. They came to our house earlier in the season and beat us so we had this game marked as a game that we needed. And we were able to come out and get it,” Wallace said.

Besides Wallace’s standout performance, a major key was Turk Telekom’s defense in the second half. Ernak’s team held Ulm to 41 points in the first half but allowed the hosts to grab 11 offensive rebounds, leading to 14 second-chance points.

Ulm finished with three offensive rebounds and only 38 points in the second half. The 79 points were 11.0 points fewer than Ulm’s average as the fourth-highest-scoring team in the league.

“In the second half, we took care of (offensive rebounds) and started playing better defense. We kept Ulm under their average on their court. That was the key,” Ernak said.

Tyrone Wallace remained red-hot by improving on his EuroCup career-high for the second straight game. 

ratiopharm Ulm v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-12-26T18:30:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara remained alive in its late push for a playoff spot as it knocked off ratiopharm Ulm 79-85 on the road for its third win in the last four games. 

Turk Telekom still alive in playoff race after 79-85 win in Ulm 

Turk Telekom Ankara remained alive in its late push for a playoff spot as it knocked off ratiopharm Ulm 79-85 on the road for its third win in the last four games. Tyrone Wallace scored a career-high 31 points with 7 three-pointers and 6 assists for last season’s runner-up, which improved to 4-9 in Group B.

Steven Enoch collected 14 points and 8 rebounds and James Palmer chipped in 14 points. Ulm missed a chance to take a big step towards grabbing a spot in the playoffs as it lost its second straight game for an 8-5 record. Trevion Williams tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds in the loss and Thomas Klepeisz added 14 points.

Williams played a major role in Ulm jumping ahead early with an assist, an inside score, a three-pointer and an assist and offensive rebound for a 14-6 lead. Palmer hit a three-pointer and Wallace followed with 2 triples as Turk Telekom raced back ahead 16-17. The game was even at 19-19 after 10 minutes.

Ulm continued to grab offensive rebounds - snatching 8 of them in the first 12 minutes - but it struggled to make shots and another Wallace three-pointer had the guests up 21-24. Philipp Herkenhoff answered from deep and offensive rebound putbacks by Williams and Karim Jallow pushed the hosts up 28-24. Wallace remained hot though with 2 more three-pointers and the guests led 32-34. Ulm regained the lead and led 41-40 at the break.

The back and forth continued in the second half with Herkenhoff and Pacome Dadiet hitting three-pointers and Enoch scoring 7 points. New addition Brandon Brown knocked down 2 three-pointers and Wallace connected from deep again for a 52-58 advantage after 5 lead changes. The Turkish side was up 56-61 after 30 minutes.

Yet another Wallace three-pointer gave Turk Telekom a 62-68 cushion. Williams was not done as he had a three-pointer and three-point play to get within 65-68. Ulubay responded with a three-pointer and a three-point play from Wallace had the guests up 65-74 with less than 7 minutes left.

Ulm managed to get some defensive stops over a 4-minute stretch and trimmed the gap to 73-75. Ulubay drained a three-pointer and then after a steal, Ismail Ulusoy missed a layup, allowing Thomas Klepeisz to answer from deep. Enoch made it a two-possession game with 2 free throws with 15 seconds remaining. Williams committed an offensive foul and that was the end of Ulm’s comeback hopes.

Tyrone Wallace scored a career-high 31 points as last season's runner-up won for the third time in four games. 

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse secured a ticket to the BKT Playoffs and took sole possession of first place in Group B with a 92-84 overtime victory over defending champion Dreamland Gran Canaria at Ekinox on Tuesday night. 

Bourg holds off Gran Canaria 92-84 to clinch playoff spot

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse secured a ticket to the BKT Playoffs and took sole possession of first place in Group B with a 92-84 overtime victory over defending champion Dreamland Gran Canaria at Ekinox on Tuesday night. Bourg remained undefeated at home this season with its seventh straight win to improve to 11-2, while second Gran Canaria to its third straight loss and a 10-3 record. Despite the loss, Gran Canaria managed to retain the potential head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams.

Isiaha Mike paced the winners with 22 points and 8 rebounds. His wild three-pointer with 29.1 seconds left in overtime helped secure the victory. Bryce Brown added 17 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting, Bodian Massa netted 16 points and Jequan Lewis dished 9 assists for Bourg. A.J. Slaughter netted a game-high 23 for Gran Canaria in defeat. Nicolas Brussino chipped in 15 and Ethan Happ tallied 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.

### Bourg uses a 15-0 run to take control

The offenses had their way early with the points coming freely. It was 13-13 after 5 minutes with Andrew Albicy playing a key role for the visitors and Mike starting to heat up for Bourg. Massa made an impact off the bench and free throws by Axel Julien put the hosts up 4. Maksim Salash’s runner made it 25-19 after 10 minutes.

Back-to-back threes by Julien and Brown to open the second quarter prompted a Gran Canaria timeout. Salash then capped a 15-0 run to lead 33-19. Sylven Landesberg drilled a triple to revive the visitors and Brussino’s third three of the game closed the gap. Free throws by Landesberg made it 38-33. Bourg scored the next 6 points to stay out of trouble and used another 7-0 spurt to surge ahead 51-36 at the break.

### Gran Canaria rallies

The visitors opened the second half with back-to-back threes by Slaughter and John Shurna. Bourg regrouped and managed to maintain a lead in the 9-to 11-point range. Brown kept Bourg in control as Gran Canaria turned the pressure up. Brussino scored in the paint and Ben Lammers added a second-chance bucket on the third-quarter buzzer to trim the deficit to 62-58.

Former Bourg star drilled a three to get Gran Canaria within 3 early in the fourth quarter, but a dunk and a jumper by Massa gave the hosts breathing room. A jumper by Slaughter made it 76-72 with 3 minutes remaining. Mike was called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Ethan Happ with 1:27 remaining, but Gran Canaria did not capitalize as the big man missed both of the resulting free throws and Slaughter missed a three on the ensuing possession. Slaughter got the champs within a basket with a jumper with 38.1 on the clock and – after Massa missed under the basket – Slaughter tied the game at 76-76 with free throws with 15.1 seconds left. Lewis missed a three at the buzzer and the game went to overtime.

### Massa leads Bourg to victory in OT

Massa scored the first 4 points of the extra session before Slaughter answered with a pair of triples, the second tying the game at 82-82. Massa then fed Brown for a go-ahead three. After a layup by Brussino, Mike beat the shot-clock for a miracle three and a 4-point cushion with 29.6 seconds remaining. Massa iced the game after grabbing a defense rebound, getting fouled and sinking 2 free throws with 18.1 seconds to go.

The overtime win sent the French side to its seventh straight win and put it atop the standings in Group B.

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2023-12-26T18:30:00.000Z)

Umana Reyer Venice brought size and muscle to the paint with the addition of center Mfiondu Kabengele, which the club announced on Tuesday. Kebengele arrives from AEK Athens where he has been playing in his first season on the European continent.

Reyer bolsters frontcourt with Kabengele

Umana Reyer Venice brought size and muscle to the paint with the addition of center Mfiondu Kabengele, which the club announced on Tuesday. Kebengele (2.07 meters, 26 years old) arrives from AEK Athens where he has been playing in his first season on the European continent.

In six Greek League appearances this season, big man has averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, while in the Basketball Champions League he posted 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in four games.

A native of Canada, Kabengele attended Florida State University and started his professional career in 2019 with the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA. He played a total of 35 games with the Clippers over two seasons, before spending time with the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks over the next three campaigns.

Kabengele appeared in a total of 55 NBA games in four seasons, time during which he also played in the G-League with Ontario, Rio Grande and Maine.

Kabengele is now set to make his BKT EuroCup debut with Reyer, helping the team which currently sits with a 4-8 record in eighth place of Group A to make a playoff push.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Centro di 208 centimetri e 113 chilogrammi, fisicità, atletismo in entrambi i lati del campo. L&#39;Umana Reyer firma Mfiondu Kabengele.<br>Il comunicato 👉 <a href="https://t.co/TaqEjQCzxB">https://t.co/TaqEjQCzxB</a> <a href="https://t.co/7mbox56u3p">pic.twitter.com/7mbox56u3p</a></p>&mdash; Reyer Venezia (@REYER1872) <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872/status/1739590761832751492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Big man Mfiondu Kabengele signed with Umana Reyer Venice on Tuesday.

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse hosts Dreamland Gran Canaria hosts in Round 13 of the EuroCup knowing that a win could change the balance of power in Group B. 

Bourg-Granca showdown could be a defining moment for both clubs

What a difference two months can make. When Dreamland Gran Canaria hosted Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse on October 25 in Round 4, the reigning champs were riding high with a 3-0 record and an average margin of victory of 19.7 points. Bourg was also undefeated, though it had scraped out a couple of narrow wins among its three victories. 

On that night, Gran Canaria pulled away early and led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before Bourg rallied. That rally came up short as the hosts won[ 84-76](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dreamland-gran-canaria-mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse/U2023/36/). 

Bourg has been chasing Gran Canaria ever since. And its comeback will be complete if it wins when these teams meet tonight at Ekinox.

Coach Frederic Fauthoux’s Bourg is the hottest team in the EuroCup with six consecutive wins. Moreover, it is undefeated at home this season. A win against Gran Canaria will see Bourg go atop Group B with an 11-2 record and become the first team from the group to clinch a playoff berth.

Dreamland Gran Canaria-Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse | Round 4 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

Gran Canaria has slumped to back-to-back losses for the first time since April 2022. Its 22-point loss last week against Dolomiti Energia Trento was the worst home defeat in terms of margins since 2015. 

The story of this game, however, is more than just Bourg riding high and looking to pile on the suddenly struggling champs. Gran Canaria center Pierre Pelos joined the club from Bourg, where he had played the previous three seasons. He is one of two Frenchmen on the Gran Canaria roster alongside Andrew Albicy. A.J. Slaughter also spent many years playing for French clubs.

They are part of an experienced club that is aiming high and seeking to use this game as a chance to turn things around and create a buffer at the top of the standings. That is the goal for Gran Canaria. 

Bourg is a club built on many young players looking to the future, but there are three who remain from the 2021-22 season when it suffered by far the worst offensive performance in club history… against Gran Canaria. Axel Julien and Maxime Courby both started and Hugo Benitez came off the bench when Bourg lost [78-49](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/stats/db/U2021/40/#boxscore) in Round 4 of that season at Gran Canaria Arena. 

That trio was also in uniform when Bourg next met Gran Canaria, in February 2022, and erased a double-digit halftime deficit to win [78-76](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse-gran-canaria/U2021/130/#boxscore) on a C.J. Harris jumper with 3 seconds remaining. 

Five Gran Canaria players remain from that squad – Albicy, Slaughter, Nicolas Brussino, Miquel Salvo and John Shurna. 

Can this season’s Bourg complete the comeback by beating Gran Canaria and vaulting itself to the top of the standings? To do so, it will be relying on several players who had never even competed in the EuroCup by that season, such as forwards Isiaha Mike and Zaccharie Risacher and point guard Jequan Lewis, a mid-season replacement for the injured Benitez. 

However, history has shown that Bourg can come back against Gran Canaria. And tonight it will look to do so once again in what would be a historic moment for the French club. 

 

The top-of-the-table showdown between Bourg and Gran Canaria sees the best two teams in Group B face off in a pivotal contest.  

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica playmaker Petar Popovic returns for his second blog entry this season. 

Petar Popovic, Buducnost: 'Every game is a key game for us'

A lot of things happened since the last time I blogged. Back then we were 2-1 in the EuroCup and now we are fighting for a playoff after a coaching change and adding new players to the roster. The EuroCup is really strong and unpredictable and all the teams can play and know how to play. Every game matters, as we say. So, it's been interesting. I see a lot of surprising results. It's nice to be part of the EuroCup and I think that this last part of the schedule is gonna be very interesting. Every win can bring you closer to the top or if you lose, closer to the bottom.

"It's nice to be part of the EuroCup and I think that this last part of the schedule is gonna be very interesting." 

We've had a lot of ups and downs. Going into the Round 11 game against Turk Telekom, we had three wins in a row in our two competitions (EuroCup and ABA League) and we felt that we had the momentum and that we were playing well. And then that game was really bad for us. It shook us. I don't know. We are going up and down this whole season so far. I don't know the reason, but the good thing is that we are still in the game. We have all the games that are left. We have some games at home that will be nice if we take the wins. But it's unpredictable. We realize how important those home losses against Aris and Turk Telekom were. So I'm really careful with any predictions. I'm just going one game at a time. Next is Cluj at home. So to be honest, I am only focusing on that game and I'm not looking any further than that.

Petar Popovic highlights from the first 12 rounds of the 2022-23 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Petar Popovic highlights

It will be nice to see my former teammate DJ Seely when Cluj comes. We played together here two seasons ago. That season, I knew that he was coming from EuroLeague and that he was a great player. But seeing that in practices and every day, him and his talent, was really amazing. First of all, he is a great guy. I really enjoyed the time I spent talking to him. He is funny. I remember him as a great guy. I was really happy when I saw him when we played in Romania. I think that he is a great scorer and a great passer. He is very talented. There are things that we have to do as a team to stop him and the other talented players that they have.

In the end, it's all about the team. There is no playing against one or two guys. We have to show up as a team, play offensively and defensively as a team, and try to play to our strengths to take that win. It's very important for us. Basically, every game is a key game for us. It will be in the future. I honestly expect a very tough game. They have a lot of guys that I know from before. Adam Mokoka and Bryce Jones played in the ABA League. I know how talented they are. I know that they have tempo and good rhythm in their game. They have Jarell Eddie, Stepanovic also played in the ABA League. So, they have a lot of talent on their side, but we also have a lot of talent in our team and I think we can put up a great fight and a great battle and I hope we come out as the winners.

"I hope to get those important wins that we need and to get a good spot in the playoffs."

The end of 2023 is almost here and that's a good time to make some wishes for the new year. Health is always number one. For our team, I hope to get those important wins that we need and to get a good spot in the playoffs in the EuroCup and to go as high as we can in ABA League. And that's it. At the end of the day, we all know that this is the game that we play and things outside of basketball are more important. But when you are into it and when you are working together every day, the job, the games, are important to us. So let's say in this professional part, I want us to get the wins that we need to go to the playoffs and then to see how far we can go. And all this, of course, one more time after health. Health, I think that's the start and base of every wish and everything in our life.

More on Petar Popovic

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica playmaker Petar Popovic returns for his second blog entry this season. Here's what he had to say:

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-12-27T18:00:00.000Z)

After becoming the first team to secure playoff qualification, Paris (11-1) will look to maintain its magnificent form with a visit from another ambitious and talented team, London (9-3).

Preview: Paris Basketball vs. London Lions

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/paris-basketball-london-lions/U2023/125/#roster) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs13-game-notes-facts-prs-lli/) | Quotes |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

It should be a high-scoring showdown with Paris leading the competition in scoring (99.5 points per game), while London is ranked third (92 ppg.). [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/sam-dekker/009672/) was last week's hero for the English team with a late three-pointer to beat Prometey, while [T.J. Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tj-shorts/012608/) continued his magnificent season by taking the weekly MVP award in a crushing win over Hamburg. With both rosters loaded with scoring potential, this could be one of the best games of the season, and highly significant for playoff seedings.

[Paris Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/paris-basketball/statistics/prs/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [London Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/london-lions/statistics/lli/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Tyson Ward vs. Sam Dekker: A matchup of do-it-all forwards

London Lions-Paris Basketball | Round 4 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup   

After becoming the first team to secure playoff qualification, Paris Basketball (11-1) will look to maintain its magnificent form with a visit from another ambitious and talented team, the London Lions (9-3).

The latest chapter in the Paris-London rivalry is here

Paris Basketball v London Lions (2023-12-26T19:45:00.000Z)

After an upset loss last week against Lietkabelis, German champion ratiopharm Ulm (8-4) will look for a quick recovery against a Turk Telekom Ankara team (3-9) that is running out of time to push for the playoffs. 

Preview: ratiopharm Ulm vs. Turk Telekom Ankara

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/ratiopharm-ulm-turk-telekom-ankara/U2023/128/#roster) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs13-game-notes-facts-ulm-ttk/) | Quotes |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

Teenage guard [Juan Nunez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/juan-nunez/010106/) contributed to last week's loss by getting himself ejected with consecutive technical fouls and Ulm will need him on the court to lead an offense that has averaged 22.3 assists per game, third-best in the competition. Turk Telekom has [Tyrone Wallace](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tyrone-wallace/011925/) in superb form with 22 and 30 points in his last two games and will hope he can stay hot to inspire a vital road win.

[Ulm Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/statistics/ulm/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Turk Telekom Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/statistics/ttk/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)