- Dusan Alimpijevic, Head Coach of BESIKTAS EMLAKJET ISTANBUL has been sanctioned with a fine of €2,000 for the lack of respect towards the members of the officiating crew on occasion of its away game against Promotey Slobozhanske under Article 27.2.b) and c) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code

Euroleague Basketball has announced the following disciplinary sanction pertaining to incidents that occurred in Round 11 of the BKT EuroCup regular season.

Round 11 disciplinary sanction

With its season definitely needing a boost, Lietkabelis found on in the return from injury of a veteran guard.

Return of Valinskas boosted Lietkabelis to key win

Around the midway stage of the third quarter [as 7bet Lietkabelis Panevezys hosted ratiopharm Ulm on Tuesday night](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys-ratiopharm-ulm/U2023/119/), it looked likely that the German champ was poised to surge to a resounding victory. 

A superb start to the third quarter from [Karim Jallow](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/karim-jallow/005422/) had seen Ulm establish a 49-57 lead, the biggest of the night. Lietkabelis had fragile confidence after losing three games in a row, whereas Ulm was flying high after winning four of five, including the previous week over previously unbeaten Gran Canaria. The handwriting appeared to be on the wall for the home team. 

But then Ulm playmaker [Juan Nunez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/juan-nunez/010106/) – who had dazzled until then by dishing 8 assists in 17 minutes – complained a little too long about a refereeing call, earning technical foul...and then complained again to receive another, meaning that he was ejected. All of a sudden, Ulm was without its main orchestrator. 

That moment knocked Ulm off its stride, presenting Lietkabelis with an opening that the Lithuanian team eagerly took to launch a comeback that ultimately resulted in a thrilling 94-90 victory, reigniting the playoffs ambitions of head coach Nenad Canak's team. 

The catalyst for the turnaround was three-point shooting, with Lietkabelis converting 13 of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc (54.2%), including a pair shortly after Nunez's ejection and 4 more in the first 4:14 of the final period to open up an 82-72 advantage that eventually proved enough to secure the victory. 

And the most potent Lietkabelis shooter on the night was [Paulius Valinskas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/paulius-valinskas/004664/), who was returning to action after a month-long absence through injury and exceeded any reasonable expectations by scoring 24 points. What's more, his crucial consecutive scores in the latter stages protected the lead as Ulm attempted a comeback. 

Paulius Valinskas (24 points) Highlights vs. ratiopharm Ulm, 12/19/2023

The 28-year-old guard was sharp from downtown, converting 4 of his 6 three-point attempts, while also adding 3 of his 4 two-pointers and 6 of 8 free throws. Valinskas was also his team's main orchestrator, dishing 10 assists, and he contributed on defense with a pair of steals. 

Perhaps most impressively, he spent more than 33 minutes on the floor – more than any other player – despite coming back after an extended spell on the sidelines. And that was partly out of necessity, because another key player, swingman Martynas Varnas, went down with injury after just 6 minutes on the floor to leave head Coach Canak with eight senior players to call upon. 

After the game Valinskas said he was happy to be back to such great effect, telling EuroLeagueTV: "I didn't play for five weeks. I missed basketball. I only had a couple of practices, but we have a short rotation, so I needed to step up. I'm happy that we won today and I played a really good game."

He also admitted that the win was much-needed for a team that had been lacking in confidence but is still right in the playoffs race.

"We had a five-game losing streak \[three in the EuroCup, two domestically\] so we talked before the game that we needed to believe in each other and bounce back," Valinskas said. "We had an amazing crowd today and they helped us, so we're really happy with the win.” 

Lietkabelis will be very happy to have him back, too. The former Zalgiris Kaunas player has now averaged 13.5 points in his six appearances this season, converting 8 of his last 11 three-pointers. And if he can stay fit for the remainder of the regular season, his team's chances of advancing deeper into the competition look a lot better.

The defending BKT EuroCup champs fell at Gran Canaria Arena for the first time since April 2022, ending a 19-game home-court winning streak.

Jaka Lakovic hopes Gran Canaria can learn from 'deserved' loss

Dreamland Gran Canaria had a chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs and bounce back from its first loss of the season. Instead, the reigning BKT EuroCup champion suffered [a blowout 76-98 loss at home](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dreamland-gran-canaria-dolomiti-energia-trento/U2023/120/) to struggling Dolomiti Energia Trento. And head coach Jaka Lakovic is left hoping his team can learn from the defeat.

A Gran Canaria victory coupled with a loss for 7bet Lietkabelis Panevezys, Aris Midea Thessaloniki or Buducnost VOLI Podgorica would have locked up a top-six finish for the Spanish side in Group B. All that talk is on pause as Lakovic now must figure out what is happening to a team that started the season with 10 wins in a row and looked like world-beaters, but now is mired in a two-game losing streak.

“It was a very bad game for us, especially defensively. We didn’t have the right mindset. We didn’t play good and we deservedly lost,” Lakovic said after the game.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">📊<a href=https://twitter.com/HiperDino_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@HiperDino_</a> trae las estadísticas del partido ante Dolomiti Energia Trento <a href=https://t.co/GD4oQxMhRV>pic.twitter.com/GD4oQxMhRV</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href=https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1737237056844161438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset="utf-8"></script>

Gran Canaria scored a new season low in the game, having previously tallied 81 points in a win over Slask Wroclaw in Round 7 - that coming from the fourth-highest scoring offense in the league.

Lakovic not only has seen his team lose two straight games but both of them were downright poor defensively. Even though ratiopharm Ulm collected a 103-99 win last week, Gran Canaria was still ranked second in scoring defense at just 75.3 points per game coming into the Trento game. The average is now up to 77.2 after conceding 201 points in the last two games.

And it was against a Trento offense that had only produced 75.0 points per game in a recent five-game stretch in which it lost four games.

Gran Canaria seek to restore winning-ways and possibly book their ticket to the playoffs too after seeing their perfect start ended with defeat at Ulm, whilst Trento has slipped down the standings after losing four of its last five European encounters and hope for an improvement in attack from Andrejs Grazulis.

Dreamland Gran Canaria-Dolomiti Energia Trento | Round 12 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

Gran Canaria came out of the gates hot offensively, scoring 31 points in the first 10 minutes. But Lakovic saw his team tally only 45 points the rest of the way.

“Even though the first quarter ended in our favor I thought we came into the game without the right mentality, and we paid the price. It was a big price,” the coach said.

In addition to the defensive and offensive issues, the coach also must look at his team and wonder where the response was. The largest deficit Gran Canaria had faced all season was 9 points against Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 6.

Trento built a 10-point lead in the second quarter and then delivered a knockout punch in the third stanza as the visitors led by 20 points after 30 minutes. And the fourth quarter was never even close.

“I think Trento was better from the beginning until the end, more aggressive, more desire to play and win. And they totally deserved to win. I hope this is a very good lesson for us,” Lakovic said.

A lesson that Gran Canaria can use later this season in the playoffs - assuming the team doesn’t entirely collapse and makes the post-season.

The defending EuroCup champs fell at Gran Canaria Arena for the first time since April 2022, ending a 19-game home-court winning streak.

Lakovic hopes Gran Canaria can learn from 'deserved' loss

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-12-19T20:00:00.000Z)

It was a rollercoaster ride, but Minicidelice JL Bourg en Bresse finished on top with an 89-98 road win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca on Tuesday night.

Historic start catapulted Bourg to 10th win

Even though Bourg eventually needed to fight off a big comeback by the hosts, it was a massive first quarter in which Bourg set several club records and flirted with a competition record that paved the way to victory.

Bourg scored 37 first-quarter points, setting a club scoring record for the first quarter, which is also the third-highest scoring first quarter in EuroCup history. Bourg was 8-of-11 on two-pointers and 5-of-8 on threes in the opening 10 minutes. It was such dominance that Bourg still managed to pull down 5 offensive rebounds.

Isiaha Mike and Jequan Lewis combined for 27 points in the first quarter and it resulted in a 20-point lead after 10 minutes, which turned out to be another club record as the highest margin Bourg ever built in the first quarter of a EuroCup game.

Game Videos

Bourg dominated until midway through the third quarter when it led 40-67 before Cluj mounted a comeback that got the hosts within 78-83, but never closer.

"That's a team with that kind of an identity, they'll never give up", Mike complimented Cluj. "We knew that at some point they will give us their best shot, but we weathered the storm."

Weather the storm they did, registering their sixth straight win and improving to 10-2, tied for the best in Group B with Dreamland Gran Canaria, which Bourg hosts next week. It turned out that a historic first quarter has put Bourg in control of the group.

More Bourg News

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2023-12-19T17:00:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento shocked Dreamland Gran Canaria, the reigning BKT EuroCup champion, 76-98 for an important win in the fight for the playoffs.

Trento fight and desire provided ‘good night’ against Gran Canaria 

Dolomiti Energia Trento came into its game at Dreamland Gran Canaria in poor form. Maybe it was the island feeling that changed its fortunes, but the Italian club shocked the reigning BKT EuroCup champion 76-98 for an important win in the fight for the playoffs.

Trento had suffered an 86-78 loss at Treviso Basket in the Italian League over the weekend after losing at Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in the EuroCup for its fourth defeat in the last five games.

### A side transformed

Then came the inspiring fight Paolo Galbiati’s team showed against Gran Canaria.

“We competed and fought all night long. That was the key,” said Galbiati afterward. “We were very solid on defense and we shared the ball on offense. We had some very good performances, but everybody did their part.”

“Winning is always good. We had some problems in the previous weeks, so it was a good feeling to win again. We played a great game. I am more happy about the way we played than anything else,” added Andrejs Grazulis, who led the way with 23 points.

Game News

The team’s effort, energy and desire on defense really made the difference. Trento had given up an average of 90 points in its last four EuroCup losses while it won its only game in the last five 69-67. And Gran Canaria was ranked fourth in scoring at 90.5 points while leading the competition in assists at 23.6 per game and two-point shooting at 60.7%. It was fifth in three-pointers at 38.0%, too.

Gran Canaria scored a season-low 76 points while shooting 51.2% on two-pointers and 26.1% on three-pointers, in addition to dishing out 20 assists.

Perhaps even more surprising was Trento scoring 98 points, given that it had averaged only 78.9 points per game for the 15th-ranked team in scoring and was the second-worst three-point shooting team at 30.9%.

In addition, Gran Canaria was the second stingiest defense in the league, giving up just 75.3 points per game – and the Spanish side ranked second in three-point defense at just 31.7%. For the game, Trento nailed 12-of-28 triples for 42.9%.

Trento was very balanced with five players scoring in double figures and the team dished out 23 assists.

“The most important number for me was 23 assists. It was a good night for us,” Galbiati said.

A night for Trento to remember, that’s for sure.

Myles Stephens of Dolomiti Energia Trento in action against Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 12 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Paolo Galbiati’s team downed the reigning EuroCup champion, despite the odds.

Dolomiti Energia Trento pulled off a major upset in Group B as it blew out reigning EuroCup champion Dreamland Gran Canaria 76-98 to give itself life in the race for the playoffs. 

Trento shocks Gran Canaria with 22-point win, 76-98

Dolomiti Energia Trento pulled off a major upset in Group B as it blew out reigning BKT EuroCup champion Dreamland Gran Canaria 76-98 to give itself life in the race for the playoffs. After giving up 31 points in the first quarter, Trento conceded just 45 points the rest of the game as it improved to 5-7. Gran Canaria has now suffered two straight losses for a 10-2 record.

Andrejs Grazulis poured in 23 points to pace five Trento players in double figures, with Kamar Baldwin scoring 17 points and Paul Biligha, Toto Forray and Quinn Ellis all chipping in 10 points apiece. For Gran Canaria, Nicolas Brussino tallied 17 points and Roko Prkacin added 11 points in a losing effort.

Brussino put on a show early on with 4 assists and 2 three-pointers in the first 5 minutes. Trento was not impressed, though, as Grazulis hit 2 triples and Biligha scored 6 points to give the guests a 17-18 lead. A three-point play from John Shurna gave Gran Canaria the biggest lead so far at 22-18. Baldwin answered with a three-point play and triple, which put Trento back up 22-24. The hosts maintained their high level by scoring the next 9 points, before Ferran Bassas’s three-pointer set a 31-24 score. Forray’s long ball made it a 31-27 ballgame after 10 minutes.

Ben Lammers’s three-point play started the action for Gran Canaria in the second quarter to reestablish a 7-point lead, 34-27. Trento started getting defensive stops and Forray hit another triple, and Derek Cooke and Grazulis both scored 4 points in a 3-13 run to go ahead 37-40. The push continued with a Baldwin three-pointer and another Biligha basket, as Trento went up 39-49. AJ Slaughter knocked down a three-pointer, but the hosts were still down 44-51 at the break.

Trento continued to score early in the second half, including a Prentiss Hubb three-pointer off the glass and a Grazulis put-back and three-pointer, setting the score at 50-63. Gran Canaria punched back with the next 7 points, which included a Jovan Kljajic three-pointer to make it 57-63. Trento responded in fine fashion with Mattia Udom connecting on a triple and Ellis making it a 57-76 cushion. Trento had the perfect finish to the third quarter with an Ellis three-pointer, as the margin was 20 points, 59-79.

Trento just kept going in the fourth quarter, with Udom getting a flashy basket and then a three-pointer as the lead swelled to 62-86 with 8 minutes to play. The game was all Trento as Ellis hit a three-pointer and Cooke scored after an offensive rebound, which made the gap 66-93 with 4 minutes remaining. Gran Canaria did some final result cosmetics at the end to make it a little close, but Trento was comfortable in the final stages en route to a very impressive 76-98 win.

Kamar Bladwin of Dolomiti Energia Trento in action against Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 12 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The reigning EuroCup has now lost back-to-back games after previously winning 18 straight.

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul snatched 14 offensive rebounds and committed only 9 turnovers in beating Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-88 on the road to snap a three-game losing streak.  

 Offensive boards, few turnovers got Besiktas back in win column  

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul stayed true to its strengths of offensive rebounding and limiting turnovers to fight past Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and return to its winning ways. 

Besiktas snatched 14 offensive rebounds and committed only 9 turnovers in beating Cedevita [83-88](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana-besiktas-emlakjet-istanbul/U2023/115/) on the road to snap a three-game losing streak.  

“This was not the most beautiful game from our side but the win was important," Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic said. "In the end, the desire to grab the ball, the desire to go for one more offensive rebound, it was something that decided this match."

### Delgado ruled on the glass

[Angel Delgado](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/angel-delgado/012647/) not only led Besiktas in scoring with 19 points but he also grabbed 12 rebounds, 5 of them coming from the offensive glass. And a pair of them came on one trip down the floor in the final 34 seconds. 

"Cedevita played really good. But we needed offensive rebounds and that's what we did. That is something they can't do well and we knew that. So we attacked that,” said Delgado, who came into the game ranked fourth in the EuroCup with 8.3 total rebounds and second in offensive rebounds with 3.4 per game.Delgado’s excellence under the basket is a big reason Besiktas was ranked fifth in the league in offensive rebounds with 11.9 per game. And winless Cedevita, ranked 17th in offensive rebounds allowed at 12.2 per game, is the worst rebounding team in the competition. 

Besiktas also limits offensive rebounds to its opponents, allowing just 9.0 per game – ranked second fewest. As such, Coach Alimpijevic’s side gave up just 7 boards to the Cedevita offense. 

### Besiktas protected the ball

Another major key for Besiktas was losing the ball just 9 times. The Turkish side had committed only 11.5 turnovers a contest – third-fewest in the league  entering the game.

It was a good matchup in that regard for Besiktas, as Cedevita ranked last in turnovers forced with just 10.5 per game.

Excelling in those two areas helped Besiktas snap a losing skid.

Needing a win to stay strong in the Group A race, the visitors made it happen late.

Offensive boards, few turnovers got Besiktas back in win column 

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (2023-12-19T17:30:00.000Z)

Aris Midea Thessaloniki took an important step forwards to reach the playoffs in Grpup B, downing Turk Telekom Ankara 85-95 in the Turkish capital on Tuesday. Aris has a 2-0 record and a two-win gap over Turk Telekom. 


Stark, Blumbergs give Aris spark 

Aris Midea Thessaloniki took an important step forwards to reach the playoffs in Group B, downing Turk Telekom Ankara 85-95 in the Turkish capital on Tuesday. Aris now has a 5-7 record and a 2-0 sweep over one of its pursuers in Turk Telekom. 

Vassilis Toliopoulos was once again Aris's floor general, getting 20 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, but an inspired newcomer and a teammate posting career-best numbers had to do a lot with this win.

### What a EuroCup debut by Stark!

It was [Jonathan Stark](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jonathan-stark/012792/)'s first EuroCup game ever, and he made sure it was one that Aris fans will remember. Stark stepped up big late in the third quarter, when Turk Telekom rallied to get within 53-56. He scored around the basket, buried a jumper and added a three-pointer to give Aris plenty of fresh air, 59-66, after 30 minutes.

Stark kept it going, too, ultimately getting 17 of his 19 points in the final 12 minutes. He buried 5 of 6 two-pointers, 2 of 3 three-pointers and 3 of 4 free throws, drawing 4 fouls to amass a PIR of 20.

Roberts Blumbergs and Jonathan Stark helped Aris Midea Thessaloniki get a 85-95 road win against Turk Telekom Ankara.

Blumbergs, Stark are Aris's X-factors in Ankara

### Blumbergs came back strong

Additionally, [Roberts Blumbergs](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/roberts-blumbergs/012717/) had been battling with injuries this season, missing eight games. In five previous appearances, he had averaged 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and a PIR of 2.4, hitting 18.2% of his shots from beyond the arc.

This time, Blumbergs was very active from the very beginning of the game. He needed just 4 seconds to become the first player to score, on a two-handed dunk. Blumbergs soon added a layup-plus-free throw that helped Aris build an early 5-13 lead.

He finished with a career-high 12 points with no shots missed, going 3-for-3 on two pointers, 1-for-1 behind the arc and 3-for-3 from the foul lines. Blumbergs added 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 20. In five previous games, Blumbergs has amassed a combined PIR of 12.

Turk Telekom Ankara v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2023-12-19T17:00:00.000Z)

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul returned to its winning ways as it fought off Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-88 to snap a three-game losing streak. Angel Delgado came up with a big double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds to help Besiktas improve to 7-5 and solidify itself in the playoffs ranks of Group A. 

Besiktas snaps losing skid, keeps Cedevita winless 

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul returned to its winning ways as it fought off Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-88 to snap a three-game losing streak. Angel Delgado came up with a big double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds to help Besiktas improve to 7-5 and solidify itself in the playoffs ranks of Group A. Jonah Mathews added 18 points, Derek Needham had 15 and Yigit Arslan chipped in 13 for the winners. Cedevita, now 0-12, remains the only EuroCup team without a victory despite Karlo Matkovic scoring 22 points while Justin Cobbs had 19 points and 8 assists in the loss. 

### Besiktas started strong

Needham drained 2 three-pointers and Mathews added a triple as Besiktas raced out to a 5-13 lead. Cedevita closed the gap to 10-15 only to see Needham to connect from long range again as the visitors' cushion grew to 11-22. The hosts temporarily trimmed it to 18-24, but Egehan Arna joined the Besiktas three-point barrage and the Turkish side led 22-29 after 10 minutes. Cedevita had the first 4 points of the second quarter before Kyle Allman tallied 4 for Besiktas. Gregor Glas answered with 5, however, to put Cedevita ahead 36-35.  Cobbs showed his veteran presence with 4 perfect free throws in keeping the hosts up 40-37 as he had 12 points already. Arslan scored 4of the next 6 points as Besiktas reclaimed the lead and went into the locker room with a 42-43 advantage.

 

### Besiktas finally took control

Needham continued his strong play early in the second half with his fourth three-pointer and Delgado’s inside score made it 42-48. Another 4 points by Delgado increased the Besiktas advantage to 47-55. Matkovic and DJ Stewart responded by filling a 10-0 run to put Cedevita back in front, 57-55. Cedevita still led 61-60 before failing to score in the final 2:25 minutes of the third quarter while Egehan Arna and Kerem Konan both grabbed steals for dunks in a 0-7 finish that left Besiktas back in charge, 61-67. 

A three-pointer and 2 free throws from Arslan extended the visitors' cushion to 63-72 early in the final quarter. Cedevita tried to stay close but Arslan scored 4 more points and Delgado converted a three-point play to make it 69-81 with under 5 minutes left. Cedevita was not ready to give up with Matkovic scoring 5 points to open a 9-0 spurt to get within 78-81. Mathews hit a big fadeaway jumper with 52 seconds remaining to push the lead out to 78-84. After 2 Matkovic free throws, Jaka Blazic grabbed a steal but turned it right back over with 36 seconds left. Besiktas ended up going to the foul line three times in the next possession thanks to a pair of offensive rebounds by Delgado and Needham’s foul shot made it 80-86 with 21 seconds left, ending the suspense.