Prometey Slobozhanske secured a top-two finish in Group A by downing Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 96-82 at Arena Riga in the Latvian capital on Wednesday evening. Prometey improved to 12-4 in the standings and is on a nine-game winning streak, in which it has beaten each and every opponent in Group A. Bourg, who has already qualified to the playoffs, dropped to 8-8 and has lost its last five games.

D.J. Stephens paced the winner with 28 points on 5 dunks and 6 three-point shots in arguably one of the most spectacular performances in 7DAYS EuroCup history. Gian Clavell added 18 points, Ondrej Balvin had 16 and 8 rebounds, while Illia Sydorov and Caleb Agada each scored 10 points. James Palmer led Bourg with 17 points. Jordan Floyd chipped in with 15 and Axel Julien had 12 for the guests.

Game News

Frantz Massenat struck from downtown and fed Amida Brimah for a dunk in traffic that gave Bourg an early 3-5 lead. Sydorov and Clavell each buried a three-pointer, then James Dickey's fastbreak dunk made the guest call timeout at 15-11. Stephens buried back-to-back triples to boost Prometey's lead to 21-16 after 10 minutes. 

Ivan Tkachenko and Stephens soon took over with consecutive dunks, getting help from Dickey to give the hosts a 28-20 lead. Palmer and Julien managed to bring the guest within 39-36. Oleksandr Lypovvy and Sodorov each struck from beyond the arc in an 8-0 run that made it a double-digit game, 47-36, at halftime.

Game Videos

Floyd hit a jumper after the break, which Palmer followed with a triple to bring Bourg closer, 49-42. Sydorov and Stephens rescued Prometey, and Agada struck from downtown for a 59-44 lead. Stephens nailed his fourth three-pointer and Balvin's alley-oop dunk saw Prometey pull away, 64-46. Palmer and Alexandre Chassang each struck from beyond the arc, then Isiaha Mike's three-point play gave Bourg hope at 69-60. Clavell's wild buzzer-beater fixed the score at 74-62 after 30 minutes.

Balvin kept pacing Prometey early in the fourth quarter, before Stephens followed a huge dunk off the baseline with another three-pointer. The hosts boosted their margin to 90-72 and never looked back.

D.J. Stephens shines as Prometey defeats Bourg, 96-82

Prometey Slobozhanske v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2023-03-15T17:00:00.000Z)

Head-to-head: Ferran Bassas and Axel Bouteille

A lot will be at stake on Wednesday when [Gran Canaria (12-3) welcomes Turk Telekom Ankara (11-4)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/gran-canaria-turk-telekom-ankara/U2022/156/) in a clash between two of Group B's top teams. A pair of veteran 7DAYS EuroCup shooters, [Ferran Bassas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ferran-bassas/001607/) and [Axel Bouteille](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/axel-bouteille/003840/), will find themselves facing off, too, in a matchup that could sway the outcome.

Gran Canaria has already secured home-court advantage in the upcoming eighthfinals and will guarantee itself a top-two finish in Group B with a home win that would mean a season sweep over Turk Telekom.

When these teams met in Round 7, Gran Canaria pulled out an 81-88 win in Ankara with Bassas scoring 7 points and dishing a season-high 8 assists. Bouteille had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists for Turk Telekom. That marked the only game in the last 11 in which Bouteille scored fewer than 12 points.

Since that below-par performance against Gran Canaria, only two players in the competition have scored more than the Turk Telekom forward, who is averaging 19.0 points over that span and ranks fourth in scoring for the season with 17.8 per game.

The 30-year-old Bassas and the 27-year old Bouteille might not play the same position but they know each other well from the Spanish League and Bouteille's time there.

They were on opposite times one more time in the EuroCup prior to this season. On that occasion, in March 2021, Bassas scored 21 points on a career-best 6-of-10 two-point shooting and 3-for-4 behind the three-point line. He also had 3 assists and 2 rebounds playing for Joventut Badalona in a 77-90 loss against Unicaja Malaga. Bouteille netted 14 points on 4-for-7 two-point and 2-for-6 three-point shooting for Unicaja that day. He also had 2 assists, 2 rebounds and a career-high 5 steals.

Both of those games finished with road teams victorious. Bouteille would love to continue that trend, as then Turk Telekom would remain in play for first place in the group. Bassas, who ranks seventh with 5.5 assists and first with 10.4 assists prorated over 40 minutes, will try to make sure that Gran Canaria protects its home floor it hopes to play on as much as possible in the playoffs. 

Gran Canaria v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-03-15T20:00:00.000Z)

A really important game for the final outcome in Group A is coming on Wednesday evening, when [Prometey Slobozhanske hosts Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse at Arena Riga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/prometey-slobozhanske-mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse/U2022/152/) in the Latvian capital, which is where the Ukrainian team has been playing most of its home games this season.

Prometey has been on a roll lately, winning its last eight 7DAYS EuroCup games to go from a record of 3-4 to 11-4 and first place in Group A. A win against Bourg would mean guarantee Prometey a top-two finish in the group. It would also mean that Prometey will become the first EuroCup team since the current format was introduced to defeat all its group rivals in a single winning streak. Due to rescheduled games last season, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana beat all but one of its group rivals over a nine-game streak.

Cedevita had lost against Bourg before that streak started last season, just as Prometey's last loss also came against Bourg, way back in Round 7. Bourg edged Prometey 92-85 behind 23 points and 9 rebounds from James Palmer. Prometey had gotten as close as 86-85 on free throws by Issuf Sanon. Hugo Benitez stepped up with a critical basket, then Pierre Pelos and Palmer sealed the outcome from the foul line, capitalizing on Bourg's key defensive stops.

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse - Prometey Slobozhanske | Round 7 Highlights | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

Bourg, by contrast, is trying to break a four-game losing streak after having opened the season 6-0, the best start of any 2022-23 EuroCup team. Head coach Frederic Fauthoux's team has won just twice in the last nine games, however, and must fight for home-court advantage in the eighthfinals, a goal that Prometey has already secured. For that, Bourg needs a top-four finish in Group A and a win on Wednesday would definitely help. 

Prometey is now the fourth Ukrainian team to reach the EuroCup Playoffs. Kyiv made it to the 2008 eighthfinals, losing against PGE Turow Zgorzelec. Donetsk made it to the 2012 quarterfinals, but fell to Rytas Vilnius. Budivelnik Kyiv has been the most successful Ukrainian team until now, reaching to the 2011 quarterfinals and the 2014 semifinals, but losing to Spanish sides Cajasol Sevilla and Bilbao Basket, respectively. 

Wednesday's game gives fans the chance to see two of the best dunkers in the EuroCup go against each other. Prometey's D.J. Stephens has surprised fans and experts alike with his jumping skills, great timing to catch alley-oop dunks, and overall energy. Bourg's Isiaha Mike has also been a human highlight reel, blocking shots and detonating dunks all over Europe. Stephens didn't dunk in Bourg, finishing the game with 4 points. Mike had 8 points in a winning effort. 

D.J. Stephens and Isiaha Mike, two of the most spectacular players in the 7DAYS EuroCup this season, go against each other in Round 7.

D.J. Stephens vs Isaiah Mike in Round 16!

Prometey is the second-best scoring team in the competition (87.2 ppg.), trailing only Hapoel Vegan Friendly Jerusalem (87.3), and ranks first in steals (9.8). Prometey's playing style emphasizes aggressive defense leading to easy transition baskets, hence its high two-point efficiency (56.6%). On the other hand, Bourg ranks second in three-point shooting (39.7%), doing way better than Prometey (31.4%). Five Bourg players – Mike, Pierre Pelos, Palmer, Frantz Massenat and Maxime Courby – shoot 43.0% or better from downtown. Stephens is Prometey's best three-point shooter at 38.0%. 

Expect a fun-to-watch, fast-paced clash of opposites when the action begins on Wednesday evening! 

Prometey, Bourg test strengths in pivotal Group A game 

When Veolia Towers Hamburg got off to a fast start at Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv in Tuesday night's early tipoff, fans of Dolomiti Energia Trento must have had their heads in their hands.

Heading into Round 16, Trento had won just two of its 15 EuroCup games and a win against the 9-6 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica looked unlikely, with a Hamburg victory and a Trento loss set to condemn the Italian team to another season without reaching the playoffs.

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv - Veolia Towers Hamburg | Round 16 Highlights | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

Yet, fast-forward a couple of hours and the picture had changed completely. Despite entering the fourth quarter level on points, Hamburg ultimately fell to Hapoel, losing 91-85 to drop to 5-11.

Meanwhile, with Trento's game still in play, head coach Emanuele Molin's side managed to stave off a Buducnost comeback attempt en route to a 79-76 triumph. That win helped Trento improve to 3-13, giving it hope that a miracle is possible.

Even though Trento has only now tasted victory for the first time in 2023, with its last coming – curiously – against Hamburg on December 13, 2022, there is optimism within its camp, as emphasized by guard Trent Lockett afterward:

“Huge win. It’s been a tough season for us in the EuroCup. We got off early and then they tested us, so to come out on top against a tough team like that is special, and we’ve kept our playoff hopes alive."

Dolomiti Energia Trento - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | Round 16 Highlights | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

In Group B of this year's EuroCup, seven of the eight playoff spots have already been wrapped up. Now, there is a battle for the one remaining place, with only Hamburg and Trento in with a mathematical chance of reaching the postseason, following Slask Wroclaw's 89-85 defeat at Paris Basketball.

Curiously, thanks to the luck of the schedule makers, Trento heads to Germany next Tuesday night to take on Hamburg. Coach Molin's squad came out on top when the teams met in Italy in December, 85-80, and Trento has the chance to clinch the tiebreaker with a win. Should that happen, a fascinating Round 18 would be in store, with Trento hosting already eliminated Slask and Hamburg heading to Group B leader Gran Canaria.

"It’s kind of like life. Things get tough, but if you keep working you’ll break through, and hopefully tonight will be a break for us in the EuroCup," Lockett eloquently explained in his post-game interview. "We’ll have a chance to make the playoffs if we continue to play well."

Trento fans went from despair to elation after first seeing Hamburg lead and then lose, before later witnessing their team defeat Buducnost. Suddenly, the whole picture looks completely different. In the EuroCup, a lot can change in a couple of hours.

Trento can still dream of a miracle

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-03-14T18:00:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-03-14T19:00:00.000Z)

There was some surprise at Shlomo Group Arena when the starting fives were announced ahead of Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv's Round 16 clash against Veolia Towers Hamburg in the 7DAYS EuroCup on Tuesday evening, as star guard J'Covan Brown had to make do with a place on the bench.

 

Brown had started 12 of his 13 games for Hapoel prior to Tuesday, with his only previous bench appearance coming in an 60-78 win at Dolomiti Energia Trento in Round 12. That night, the 33-year-old had one of his least memorable displays in his rookie EuroCup season, ending the game with 4 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

 

It was a different story in Round 16, though. After Hapoel went 4-11 behind in the first 3:36 against Hamburg, Brown's name was called. The guard, along with forward Jaylen Hoard, entered the action and soon started to make things happen, scoring 6 points in a hurry to breathe some life into Hapoel's offense, 17-23. He dished 1 assist before the end of the first quarter, too.

The best plays of Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv J'Covan Brown against Veolia Towers Hamburg in Round 16 of the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season.

J'Covan Brown's best plays vs. Hamburg

Brown racked up a further 4 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in the opening 5:36 of the second quarter, before taking a well-deserved rest on the bench with Hapoel ahead 43-36. At halftime, he had 10 points – tied with JP Tokoto and Hoard for the most by a Hapoel player – after going 4-of-5 from two-point range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, while he also had 3 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers to his name.

 

Hapoel was down 52-54 at the break, but it wrestled back control of proceedings in the fourth quarter after a back-and-forth battle in the third. The Israeli team went on to win the game 91-85, as Brown finished the contest with 21 points, which ties the season high he set against Paris Basketball in Round 2, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and a 23 PIR.

 

Coming off the bench is unlikely to be a regular occurrence for Brown, but he once again displayed the leadership qualities that have put him firmly in the race to be named MVP come the end of the season. Hapoel is now in a great position to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs, with a 7-1 record at home and 11-5 overall thanks to Tuesday's result, and very few teams will like the idea of taking on Brown and co. in the postseason.

J'Covan Brown inspired Hapoel past Hamburg in rare bench role

All Joventut Badalona needed was a victory against U-BT Cluj-Napoca on Tuesday night in order to secure home-court advantage in the eighthfinals of the 7DAYS EuroCup. Ante Tomic and Joel Parra took advantage of Cluj’s absences to dominate in the paint, as the hosts grabbed a convincing 104-81 win on home soil.

Despite Emanuel Cate pairing a season-high 13 boards with 14 points for a double-double, and Cluj outrebounding Joventut 31-36, the hosts' work inside was the key to its seventh victory in eight contests at Palau Olimpic de Badalona.

Parra made all 7 of his two-pointers, while Tomic went a perfect 5-for-5 in the paint. Joventut made a total of 30 two-pointers (30-of-41, 73.2% 2FG), which is its best tally this season and also its second-best mark of all time, following the 31 it made from inside the arc (31/56, 55.4%) in its 90-65 win over Siauliai on December 4, 2007, the year Joventut won the EuroCup.

Meanwhile, its 73.2% on two-pointers is its second-best mark since back on January 6, 2004, when Joventut beat Hapoel Jerusalem 84-77, recording an impressive 73.5% (25-of-34).

All but one of the Joventut players who featured in Tuesday’s game made at least 1 two-pointer apiece to help their team grab this important victory. After securing home-court advantage, Joventut will clinch a top-two finish in Group A in the event that 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and Umana Reyer Venice lose to Germani Brescia and Frutti Extra Bursaspor, respectively, on Wednesday.

Joventut showcased impressive work inside to beat Cluj

Joventut Badalona v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-03-14T19:15:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball improved its record to 10-6 in Group B by edging Slask Wroclaw 89-85 in Round 16. The French side leaned on free throws, as its overall aggressiveness paid off down the stretch.

Paris ended up drawing 28 fouls, while it picked up just 20. Those 8 extra fouls allowed Paris to go to the free-throw line often. Paris hit 27-of-34 free throws in this game (79.4% FT); those 27 free throws made are a new club record. Paris already had three games in which it took 36 free throws this season. The other 19 EuroCup teams have combined for four games with that same number of free throws: 36 or more. Slask hit 14-of-18 free throws (77.8% FT) in Round 16.

Jeremy Evans led Paris Basketball to an 89-85 home win against Slask Wroclaw.

Evans leads Paris past Slask

The hosts worked well on the boards, outrebounding Slask 35-31, and it finished the game with 4 blocks. It was also very effective inside the arc, making 19 of its 28 two-point shots (67.9% 2FG). Slask ended up hitting 22-of-43 two-pointers (51.2% 2FG). Jeremy Evans did not miss from two-point range (3-of-3) or the free-throw line (6-of-6), getting his first EuroCup career double-double: 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Paris's toughness paid off against Slask

Paris Basketball v Slask Wroclaw (2023-03-14T19:30:00.000Z)

A team which racks up a total of 40 rebounds would be expected to come out on top in a basketball game, but for Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, that tally wasn’t nearly enough as Dolomiti Energia Trento collected a staggering 53 boards in a 79-76 home win on Tuesday.

Crucially, the Italian side had 23 offensive boards against Buducnost’s 14, resulting in a barrage of second-chance points which contributed to a 51-28 lead early in the third quarter.

Buducnost, who also shot 0-of-10 from three-point range in the first half, improved after the break but eventually came up short in a thrilling final. Trae Bell-Haynes excelled in the second half and finished the game on 24 points while Erick Green chipped in with 18, but the supporting cast misfired as the visitors ended up shooting 5-of-21 from beyond the arc.

Trento was 7-of-23 from deep after shooting 5-of-12 in the first half, as its offense declined dramatically after the interval, with the home team allowing Buducnost to turn the tide in the fourth quarter, 68-69.

However, the hosts showed great determination in the last few minutes to claw out a win which alive kept its hopes of reaching the playoffs, although it only managed 22-of-52 shots from two-point range, with Buducnost hitting 22-of-43.

In the end, the game was decided by superior rebounding, as summed up by Buducnost head coach Vlada Jovanovic: “We had a much better approach in the second half; we found and made open shots, played much tougher defense, with a lot of contact. However, throughout the game we had a huge problem with \[Trento’s\] offensive rebounds and we didn’t resolve that until the end.”

Trento dominated the boards to sink Buducnost

Joventut Badalona secured a 104-81 home win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 16 to clinch home-court advantage in the eighthfinals of the 7DAYS EuroCup. Despite missing three key players – Andrija Stipanovic, Kasey Shepherd and Karel Guzman – the guests started strong and headed into the second quarter with a 21-22 lead, but Joventut improved on defense and dominated in the paint to seal its seventh victory in eight home games. The hosts improved to 11-5, but Cluj dropped to 5-11 and has been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race.

Joel Parra paced Joventut with 18 points after going 7-for-7 on two-pointers, but Ante Tomic stole the limelight after netting 15 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the paint. The veteran center paired those points with 7 rebounds and 6 assists for a 24 PIR. Pau Ribas recorded 15 points, with Kyle Guy and Andres Feliz adding 12 each. Jalen Jones was Cluj’s top scorer with 16 points, while Patrick Richard and Leonardo Meindl tallied 15 apiece for the losing side. Emanuel Cate scored 14 and finished the game with a season-high 13 rebounds.

Cluj got off to a solid start, with 17-year-old debutant Akos Szentkuti scoring his first-ever EuroCup points after sinking a triple to give the visitors a 0-3 lead. The guests went on to take a 6-12 lead courtesy of 4 points from Meindl and a three-pointer by Richard. Joventut fought back and managed to turn the game around when Guillem Vives sank a three-pointer, 17-15. Cate went 3-for-3 on two-pointers to tie it at 19-19, before Cluj headed into the second quarter with a narrow 20-21 lead.

What followed in the second quarter was an exchange of punches, as the game stayed tight until Gordic scored 5 straight points for a 25-29 Cluj lead. However, Feliz scored twice from behind the arc to inspire Joventut to a 12-0 run, 37-29. Feliz recorded 8 of his 12 points in the second quarter and Tomic registered 4 assists to secure a 51-40 lead for the hosts before the break.

Joventut hit the ground running in the second half, as Guy took his tally to 10 points after nailing a three-pointer, 54-40. Cluj tried to react and reduced the deficit to single digits when Richard scored 4 straight points, 58-50. But, that is when Tomic stepped up, with the big man taking his tally to double figures by scoring a trademark hook shot for a 69-59 advantage.

Nemanja Gordic beat the third-quarter buzzer with a mid-court triple to reduce the deficit to single digits, 77-68, and give Cluj hope ahead of the last quarter, but Joventut was dominant in the last 10 minutes. The hosts scored a season-high 104 points to cap off an important win in its bid to push for top spot in Group A.