Panathinaikos BC had to rely on a last-second make by Kendrick Nunn to defeat Virtus Bologna 79-81 in Round 32 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Nunn steps up as Panathinaikos grabs 79-81 win at Virtus

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Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is guarded by Ognjen Dobric of Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The American guard beat the fourth-quarter buzzer to ensure his team notched its 21st win of the season

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-03-29T19:30:00.000Z)

Nigel Hayes-Davis scored a new EuroLeague single-game record of 50 points as Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul beat ALBA Berlin 103-68 in Round 32 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Hayes-Davis sets scoring record as Fenerbahçe routs ALBA, 103-68

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Nigel Hayes-Davis of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is guarded by Tim Schneider of ALBA Berlin in Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

It was a night to remember for the home team's fans

Hayes-Davis sets scoring record as Fenerbahce routs ALBA, 103-68

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v ALBA Berlin (2024-03-29T17:45:00.000Z)

Nigel Hayes-Davis created history on March 29, 2024, by scoring 50 points in Fenerbahçe Beko's win against ALBA Berlin, a new EuroLeague single-game scoring record.

Nigel Hayes-Davis sets EuroLeague single-game scoring record with 50 points!

By scoring 50 points in [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul’s 103-68 win against ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-vs-alba-berlin/), [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) has usurped Shane Larkin and set a new single-game record for points scored in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">50.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/qvCdnU9t7Q">pic.twitter.com/qvCdnU9t7Q</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1773802546659782660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The night got off to a great start for Hayes-Davis, who set a new Fenerbahce record by scoring 18 first-quarter points – no Fenerbahce player had ever scored 18 points in a quarter before. Then, at halftime, the 29-year-old had 21 points to his name.

Once the second half began, Hayes-Davis picked up where he left off by erupting for 15 third-quarter points, which took him to 36 heading into the fourth. Clearly in search of creating some history, Hayes-Davis was coming out of the game only for brief stretches, despite Fenerbahce being up big, and he went on to score a further 14 points, thus seeing him move to 50 points and knock off Larkin’s record.

Nigel Hayes-Davis set a new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague single-game scoring record by netting 50 points in Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's 103-68 win against ALBA Berlin in Round 32 of the 2023-24 season.

The best plays from Hayes-Davis' 50-point outing

Some 1,582 days stood between Larkin netting 49 in Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s win against FC Bayern Munich on November 29, 2019, and Hayes-Davis doing so on March 29, 2024. Almost four and a half years.

### Hayes-Davis on his 50-point performance

“I had it written in my notes at the beginning of the season that I wanted to break the scoring record this year,” Hayes-Davis said after his 50-point outing. “Right before the game, I texted my guys Jordan and Nate, and told them that I was feeling a Dejounte Murray game. I didn’t know I was going to score 50, I just knew I was going to shoot the ball a lot!

“But all the credit goes to my teammates. Once I got it going, they were doing a great job finding me – and an even bigger thanks goes to Ilker \[Ucer, Fenerbahce’s communications and media relations manager\] and the fans because the fans knew the scoring record was 49 and they started yelling at Saras \[Jasikevicius\] to put me back in. It was a club effort, team effort, and I’m very proud of myself for doing this. Very proud of myself and the work and everything I put in. It’s a great honor.”

Game News

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's Nigel Hayes-Davis made history against ALBA Berlin in Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The Fenerbahce forward caught fire early and never cooled down

Round 32 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague has come to a close, with tonnes of exciting stories occurring across the league.

EuroLeague Game Center: Round 32 is officially in the books!

### Friday, March 29

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 103-68 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-vs-alba-berlin/)

Fenerbahce played and won another game in which a EuroLeague all-time record was set, routing ALBA 103-68 as Nigel Hayes-Davis became the first player to score 50 points in a EuroLeague game. Fenerbahce handled its business, improving to 20-12 on the season, while ALBA dropped to a 5-27 record.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Maç Bizim! 💪<br><br>Tebrikler Fenerbahçe Beko! 👏<br><br>Maç Sonucu | Fenerbahçe Beko 🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@albaberlin</a>: 103-68<br><br>Skor dağılımımız: Hayes-Davis 50, Motley 18, Sertaç 7, Dorsey 7, Pierre 6, Biberovic 6, Madar 4, Calathes 2, Wilbekin 2, Papagiannis 1. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/RzyVOjIUbt">pic.twitter.com/RzyVOjIUbt</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1773796298107298099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Real Madrid 101-94 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-real-madrid-baloncesto-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/)

Real Madrid rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat Crvena Zvezda 101-94 for its fourth straight victory. Dzanan Musa poured in 30 points and Mario Hezonja scored 20 points for Real, which improved to 26-6. Nemanja Nedovic dropped 30 points for Zvezda, which fell to 11-21.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🏁 FP: <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> 101 - 94 <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kkcrvenazvezda</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/UnicajaBanco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnicajaBanco</a> <a href="https://t.co/RFDFREilo3">pic.twitter.com/RFDFREilo3</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1773824609386745908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Virtus Segafredo Bologna 79-81 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-virtus-bologna-vs-panathinaikos-bc/)

Panathinaikos maintained its top-four chances by winning a thriller at Virtus, 79-81, thanks to a floater at the final buzzer from Kendrick Nunn. The Greek giant stays on track to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs by improving to 21-11, while the last-second loss condemned Virtus to five consecutive defeats and a 17-15 record.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final score ☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VirtusSegafredo</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> 79-81<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://t.co/2Nlt1FWBPT">pic.twitter.com/2Nlt1FWBPT</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1773825414919524664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Thursday, March 28

[Zalgiris Kaunas 87-73 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-zalgiris-kaunas-vs-olimpia-milano/)

Zalgiris lived to fight another round by downing Milan 87-73 at home on Thursday. The result leaves both teams with 14-18 records, but Zalgiris has beaten Milan twice this season and thus owns the head-to-head tie-break advantage.  Keenan Evans paced the winners with 20 points. Edmond Sumner added 17 Arnas Butkevicius had 13 and Lukas Lekavicius 10 for Zalgiris. Nikola Mirotic led Milan with 19 points, Shabazz Napier added 17 and Shavon Shields 11.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This was fire! <a href="https://twitter.com/ZalgirioArena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZalgirioArena</a> deserved this one. Thank you! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/VLFtmEtAch">pic.twitter.com/VLFtmEtAch</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1773439283002527746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Bayern Munich 79-87 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-fc-bayern-basketball-vs-fc-barcelona/)

Barcelona (21-11) edged closer to the EuroLeague Playoffs with a comfortable 79-87 win at Bayern (13-19) after Jan Vesely, Nicolas Laprovittola and Jabari Parker produced mature performances and scored in double digits. Parker paced the visitors with 15 points, Laprovittola added 14 and Vesely chipped in with 12, as the *Blaugrana* dominated throughout against shorthanded Bayern, which was missing several key players. Tomas Satoransky and Willy Hernangomez racked up 9 points each for Barca, the latter also picking up 8 boards in a smooth team effort. At the other end, Serge Ibaka shined with an impressive double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Weiler-Babb also poured in 17 points for the hosts and Vladimir Lucic netted 13, but the supporting cast failed to step up to the plate for Bayern.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐎̀𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈́𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐀 👊 <a href="https://t.co/OVmtKCLtyy">pic.twitter.com/OVmtKCLtyy</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1773460284453093484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 69-74 Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-olympiacos-bc/)

Olympiacos produced a stunning fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Partizan 69-74 on the road in Round 32. With this win, the Greek side improved its record to 20-12, with Partizan dropping to 14-18. One victory in the last two games could be enough for Olympiacos to clinch a top-six spot, while Partizan is still in play-in contention despite the defeat. Nigel Williams-Goss paced Olympiacos with 17 points, Kostas Papanikolaou netted 13, Thomas Walkup recorded 11 and Isaiah Canaan added 10. Kevin Punter led all scorers with 19 points, Frank Kaminsky had 14 points, Bruno Caboclo registered 13 and PJ Dozier netted 12.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Final 🏀 Partizan - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> 69-74 (40&#39;) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAROLY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAROLY</a> <a href="https://t.co/41hbkIgVJg">pic.twitter.com/41hbkIgVJg</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1773462743082803570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 76-97 Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-vs-anadolu-efes-sk/)

Efes continued its strong run and rolled past Baskonia 76-97 to stay in the running for the Play-In Showdown. The Turkish side put Baskonia away with a 4-21 start to the second half for its first road victory of 2024 and a 15-17 record. Shane Larkin poured in 28 points, Will Clyburn picked up 20 points and Ercan Osmani chipped in 15 points as Efes has won four of its last five games. It was Efes’ first road win since December 7 — snapping a streak of eight straight losses away from home. Baskonia dropped to 16-16 after its third straight loss — missing a chance to lock up a spot in the Play-In Showdown. Markus Howard was the leading scorer with 15 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Kritik maçtan galibiyetle ayrılıyoruz! 👊<br>Baskonia 76 - 97 Anadolu Efes | Maç Sonucu<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/vjG25mD40O">pic.twitter.com/vjG25mD40O</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1773461836655948184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 77-87 AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-ldlc-asvel-vs-as-monaco-basket/)

Monaco took another critical step to reach the EuroLeague Playoffs by downing ASVEL 77-87 on the road in Round 32 on Thursday. Monaco improved to 22-11 while ASVEL dropped to 7-25. Elie Okobo paced the winners with 16 points. Alpha Diallo added 15, Jaron Blossomgame had 13 while Mike James got 12 for Monaco. Timothy Luwawu-Cabarrot had ASVEL with 23 points on 5-of-6 three-pointers. Joffrey Lauvergne and Edwin Jackson each added 13 points for the hosts.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">✅️ Au bout d&#39;une belle bataille, la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> accélère dans le money time et prend le dessus 🆚️ <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LDLCASVEL</a> 🔐<br><br>🚀 Un succès important pour finir le plus haut possible en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> ! 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/bCWTpgUxqw">pic.twitter.com/bCWTpgUxqw</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1773468546049208625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Wednesday, March 27

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 95-80 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc-vs-valencia-basket/)

Maccabi remains the hottest team in the EuroLeague after securing its sixth straight win in the competition, having defeated Valencia 95-80 in Belgrade to move to a 19-13 record. In particular, Maccabi's Wade Baldwin and Josh Nebo caused all sorts of headaches for a free-falling Valencia side that is now 1-6 over its last seven games and 14-18 overall.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">15 W&#39;s in a row! 💪 <a href="https://t.co/zgKZ01DTh8">pic.twitter.com/zgKZ01DTh8</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1773100964951548132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is officially in the books!

Game Center: Hayes-Davis, Nunn the talk of the town after Friday night's action

FC Bayern Munich v FC Barcelona (2024-03-28T19:30:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v AS Monaco (2024-03-28T20:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-03-29T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-03-28T19:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Valencia Basket (2024-03-27T19:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2024-03-28T19:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-03-28T18:00:00.000Z)

A victory in a Friday-night showdown would have a lot larger importance and meaning for Panathinaikos and Virtus than just its implication in postseason races.

Virtus, Panathinaikos clash looking for victory, and some more

Round 32 will close on Friday night with [a clash of two fallen giants](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/288/), both back on the path of returning to their former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague glory. It's been 23 years since Virus Segafredo Bologna (17-14) won the last of its two EuroLeague titles, and it's been 13 years since Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20-11) lifted the last of its six EuroLeague crowns.

This season, both teams are firmly on track to return to the EuroLeague postseason, each with its own goals. Their Friday-night showdown will have plenty of say in determining whether they meet those goals, or not.

### Roles reversed

When it comes to this campaign, one team – third-place Panathinaikos – is moving up after a slow start to the season, while the home team – eighth-place Virtus – has been spiraling down after a fantastic first half of the regular season.

Boosted by Round 8's Italian derby victory, third-place Virtus head to Athens wanting to bolster its position amid the playoffs places. After failing to score any points in the previous three, Iffe Lundberg was key to victory over Milan, while Ergin Ataman's Green revival continued in a battling win over Zalgiris.

Panathinaikos Athens-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 9 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

When they met back in Round 9 and [Panathinaikos won 90-76](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/79/), it marked the first time this season that Panathinaikos held a winning record, 5-4 at the time. Soon after, the Greens went on a three-game losing streak and in mid-December, after 13 rounds, they found themselves sitting in 11th place in the standings before starting a steady climb that is continuing to this day. They have won 14 of their last 18 games.

For Virtus, that loss in Athens last November was just its third defeat of the season. When Panathinaikos was starting its three-game losing streak, Virtus was the feel-good story of the season, starting a run of seven wins in eight games that kept the team firmly among the top three places in the standings.

However, the things have changed drastically for Virtus, which is not only on a four-game losing streak, but has now lost seven of its last nine games.

### Mission to regain confidence

It all has Virtus, once viewed as a Final Four contender, still needing to secure a place in the Play-In Showdown entering Round 32. A direct place in the playoffs, for which Virtus will need to finish in the top six, is all but out of reach, and just about everything would have to go Virtus's way over the final three games in order to achieve that – starting with a win over Panathinaikos.

Over the past four games, Toko Shengelia is averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals.

Tornike Shengelia highlights since Round 28

But for Luca Banchi's side, this game is less about making a late push for the top six than about re-gaining confidence ahead of the postseason.

A team that once held a 14-5 record has registered losses of 13 or more points in seven games since then. Each of the last three games Virtus dropped by exactly 15 points, including last week's disappointing losses in Kaunas and Belgrade against Zalgiris and Crvena Zvezda, respectively.

The good news for Virus is certainly forward [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) returning to form after having some injury struggles. Shengelia, chosen as EuroLeague MVP for October, scored in double figures only once in a two-month period from early January to early March, during which time he also missed three games with an injury.

Over the last four games, however, Shengelia is averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals. Virtus has been dearly missing [Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) and [Isaia Cordinier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaia-cordinier/009549/), but Shengelia's all-round contributions, along with his leadership and character, is the driving force of this Virtus side.

### Greens want to stay on their path

Panathinaikos, meanwhile, has been clicking so well, winning 10 of its last 13 games, that recent losses in Kaunas and Piraeus have sounded alarms only because the goal is now bigger: finishing in the top four to gain home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Success on Friday in a tough road environment like Bologna would suggest there is no room or reason to worry, reinforcing the optimism of this team in the first year of head coach Ergin Ataman's reign.

Panathinaikos defense allows a league second-fewest 77.2 points per game, and has kept the opposition from scoring more than 76 points in all but four games since Round 15.

Panathinaikos defense has been turned on

The Greens are fueled and energized by the force of big man [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) (13.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) and offense orchestrated by the 34-year old three-time champion [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/), who is has looked rejuvenated of late, posting 14.4. points and 7.0 assists since returning from his own four-game injury absence.

That's all at the forefront, when actually it is the Greens defense that has been the main platform for team's success. Defense that allows the EuroLeague's second-fewest points per game, 77.2, and that has held opponents to 76 points or less in all but four games since Round 15.

The Greens hope that the same recipe will work in Bologna at a sold-out Virus Segafredo Arena, where the passionate home fans will look to help Virtus get out of its funk and snatch a win that would go a long way to aiming the Italian club toward bigger things in April, and they are hoping, in May.

The defending champions have already set the table for another run at EuroLeague glory.

Real Madrid's title defense, at full throttle

In May of 2023, Real Madrid lifted its 11th Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy, a record in European basketball. This season, Los Blancos are defending their title in a formidable way and, for starters, have already clinched first place in the regular season.

"It was kind of unrealistic to come into the season and say 'OK, after 20 games in the regular season, we will have 18 wins or something like that,'" Dzanan Musa says. "But right now, when we see our roster, the way we talk to each other (...) I think that's the key to success this season."

And success it is. Not only Real became the first team to reach the playoffs, but it has also secured home-court advantage for its series by nailing down first place in the regular season standings.

"We tried to do our job from the beginning of the season," coach Chus Mateo explains. "We are trying to play with a style and to do the right things in practice."

Real is first in the league in average PIR (106.9), points (88.5), total rebounds (36.6) and assists (20.5) some numbers that are hard to argue against and that show utter domination by the Spanish team in the first phase of the season.

"Our mentality is helping a lot," Mateo continues. "Our lockerroom is great, the players are together in the bad moments, too."

A sign that the intangibles, like the so-called "team chemistry" also play a major role in the success of any team.

Now, Los Blancos are getting ready for the postseason to try to win back-to-back titles in Berlin next May.

Olympiacos BC trailed 59-46 entering the third quarter of its game at KK Partizan, yet it came away with a 69-74 win after a fantastic fourth-quarter display.

Fourth-quarter turnaround inspired Olympiacos past Partizan

The raucous atmosphere inside Stark Arena on Thursday night [forced Olympiacos Piraeus into a nervy start against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-olympiacos-bc/). With both teams aware of just how much a win would mean, Partizan was the side keeping a cool head through the first 30 minutes, outscoring the visitors in each of the first three quarters (22-17, 18-15, 19-14) to take a 59-46 lead into the final period.

“In the first three quarters, we were nervous,” head coach Georgios Bartzokas stated in the post-game press conference. “We missed many wide-open shots. We had opportunities to end a 4vs1 transition and we made a turnover. We were trailing for more than 30 minutes.”

In fact, Olympiacos hadn’t been in front since early in the game, when [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) gave the Reds a 7-9 lead with a couple of free throws four minutes into the first quarter. However, the Greek side tightened up its defense, which provided a shot in the arm for its offense once again – a recurring theme for Olympiacos this season.

### Taking charge in the fourth quarter

Partizan ended up going on an almost four-minute scoreless spell in the last quarter, with Olympiacos capitalizing by scoring 12 straight points to cut the gap to one point, 59-58. “Our fourth quarter was dominant,” Bartzokas added. “We won 10-28 in this period of time, which was crucial and started from our amazing defense that three players – [\[Kostas\] Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/), [\[Thomas\] Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) and [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/) – gave to the team by defending the very dangerous guards, creators and scorers that Partizan has.”

Olympiacos recorded 4 fourth-quarter steals, forcing Partizan to commit 5 turnovers. The three aforementioned players dominated on both ends of the court, as they also netted a combined 21 points in the last period, with the Greek side outscoring Partizan 10-28 to grab a statement 69-74 victory.

<center>
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Bartzokas didn’t hesitate to praise Walkup and Williams-Goss, both of whom have been dealing with injuries over the last few games. “I have to tell you that Williams-Goss and Walkup can’t practice in this period because they have injuries and they are trying to protect themselves,” the Greek coach noted. “So, giving this intensity on the court for almost 20 minutes was crucial.”

With 10 minutes to go, Olympiacos was trailing by 13 points and the objective of securing home-court advantage in the playoffs seemed anything but doable. Yet, a week after outscoring LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 26-9 in the fourth period to clinch an 80-64 victory at home, the Greek side pulled off another extraordinary fourth-quarter display to down Partizan.

“It was such a tough atmosphere to play in,” Williams-Goss admitted. “Obviously, a lot was on the line for both teams and you saw that from both teams’ effort. It was a fight until the end and I’m super proud of the way we stuck together and pulled it out. With the standings being so close, now it’s just two games left. So, all these games are critical and we knew the importance coming into \[this game\].”

Nigel Williams-Goss spoke to the media after Olympiacos Piraeus beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Nigel Williams-Goss post-Partizan win

### Olympiacos and its elite defense

Despite boasting the sixth-best offense in the EuroLeague with 83.2 scored per game coming into Thursday’s contest, Partizan was held to just 69 points by the guests, which is the second round in a row Olympiacos’s opponent has failed to score more than 70 points and the 11th time this season. It was also Partizan's lowest-scoring display in 32 games this year, which speaks volumes of the Reds’ defensive outing at Stark Arena.

Olympiacos will return to the Serbian capital next week to face Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on Thursday night. Then, it will host top-four aspirant Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in what is expected to be one of the most decisive games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. 

Having won eight of its last nine games, the Greek side is keen to end the season in style – and its victory at Partizan showed why Coach Bartzokas’s squad have what it takes to make a third straight Final Four.

The Olympiacos Piraeus players come together after beating Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Georgios Bartzokas's side recorded a statement victory at Stark Arena in Round 32

Ahead of the EuroLeague's Hoop District tournament, Geoff Gillingham caught up with Denzel Kazembe of Simply British Ballers (SBB), the Team London co-captain.

Getting to know: SBB’s Denzel, Team London captain

With excitement levels reaching fever pitch ahead of [the first edition of Hoop District](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-basketball-launches-3x3-content-creators-tournament-hoop-district/), which takes place on Saturday in Paris, France, we caught up with [Simply British Ballers (SBB)](https://www.instagram.com/sbb_uk/)’s Denzel Kazembe, who will be flying the flag for Great Britain – alongside co-captain Behrad Bakhtiari – by representing Team London.

This is the fifth of six ‘getting to know’ [interviews with the Hoop District captains](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/carousels/hoop-district/?q=%7B%22articleId%22%3A%2261e015cd-793a-43d3-b751-70262c7c9947%22%2C%22relatedCategories%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22specificContent%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22tags%22%3A%5B%222324hoopdistrict%22%5D%7D&carouselTitle=HOOP%20DISTRICT). Here’s what we found out while speaking to Denzel.

**SBB has blown up over the last year. How did it start?**

“Well, SBB actually started as Behrad’s own thing. He had a YouTube channel – he was streaming \[the video game NBA\] 2K on there and he wanted to get some real-life basketball stuff on his channel, so I proposed the idea of rating basketball courts. I had seen a channel on YouTube called ‘Chicken Connoisseur’ and the guy used to rate chicken and chip shops out here in the UK, so I thought if you can do that, you might as well try and rate basketball courts. We didn’t have a TikTok account or anything, then our friend showed us how to use TikTok and we went out to do three courts, posted them and they all went viral. From there, we started seeing people in the comments saying to come here, come here – all these places, we had never heard of in the UK, we’d never been to them, we’d never seen them, and we immediately saw that there was a community in the UK that was wider than we had known, so we decided to try to bridge those gaps between all these communities in the UK.”

SBB's Behrad Bakhtiari, the Team London co-captain

**Did you guys specifically target a UK audience or something more worldwide?**

“At first, it was just the basketball community in general, then we saw the demand in the UK. But as we’ve grown, we’ve started to see again that the basketball community worldwide is something that we definitely want to connect. Just like us in the UK, a lot of people didn’t even know that people play basketball in the UK or that it is a thing out here, so we want to get to more places where that’s the case, but also places where it’s established already like America, Lithuania, Serbia – just everywhere.”

**How did you guys fall in love with basketball in a football-dominated country?**

“There’s always the age-old story of basketball players – we start off playing football. It’s just a thing that you have to do. For me personally, I started playing football but I didn’t like the mud, I didn’t like the cold or the rain. I wasn’t with it. I was cycling through a lot of sports: tennis, cricket, handball, all outdoors. But what really brought me in was the culture. It’s the same for a lot of people – you like the shoes, you like MJ \[Michael Jordan\] maybe, you start watching and you have a favorite player that you like, then basketball just kind of takes over your whole life. You start dressing like a basketball player, you start watching basketball, you start thinking about basketball, and that’s how I got into it.”

<center>
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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4YiWNjNAfD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by SBB. - Simply British Ballers. (@sbb_uk)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

**SBB has grown significantly over the last year. What are your objectives for the channel moving forward?**

“Like I said, we just want to continue this movement and take it everywhere we can – every nook and cranny in the world that maybe we don’t even know that there’s basketball there, we just want to get out there, see what it is and tell that story. Then the places where basketball is like a religion. One big one that we want to get to is the Philippines, for sure. We grew up on a lot of Filipino hoopers. We want to definitely bridge those gaps. Within the UK, we want to make sure we’re changing the infrastructure of basketball. We’ve been blessed enough to have people come up to us and say, ‘We’ve started playing basketball because of your videos’, which is amazing. But now we want to give those people facilities and better courts to play on. As you’ve probably seen, the courts that we have out here, some of them are crazy, man. So we definitely want to change that at its core, not just after it's done but before it's built to be able to have something in place where people can’t just do whatever they like, put whatever lines on the ground – things like that.”

**Is there a particular moment that stands out on your journey so far?**

“There’s been a few, there’s been a few. First of all, our first viral video, which was at Rottingdean Beach at Connor’s Court, really changed the trajectory of things for us. We realized that there was really something to hold on to. I think getting to go to the \[British Basketball League\] All-Star Game was amazing as well. And now here with the EuroLeague, getting to potentially win 10k \[the prize for winning Hoop District\]. These things are milestones for us and it’s amazing to be a part of this.”

<center>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw0PjCEtp7h/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw0PjCEtp7h/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw0PjCEtp7h/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by SBB. - Simply British Ballers. (@sbb_uk)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

**Have any EuroLeague or EuroCup players inspired you?**

“We met \[Paris Basketball guard\] [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tj-shorts/012608/) and he was around our height because we’re not the tallest guys! Just being able to see how he dominates at that position, we really look up to him as shorter guys.”

**What criteria did you look for when picking your team?**

“We really looked for people who can just hoop, as in really understand the game, know when to make the right passes, when to make the right reads – that’s what we were looking for. People who play basketball almost every day or on a team because you need to be in shape. I don’t know if we’re in shape, so we’ll need them to come in for us when we inevitably get winded. Ten minutes, 3x3, clock is running, there are no stops… we need a second wind, honestly.”

<center>
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**Which Hoop District team could be the trickiest to face?**

“The one we have the most information on is [Paris](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/getting-to-know-rookicks-team-paris-captain/) and they’re in our bracket. We just know that there’s a lot of hoopers out there and they’re hooping a lot, so we just know by knowledge that they’re going to be tough. Obviously Athens is in our bracket as well and we know that’s another basketball country, so a dangerous, dangerous opponent.”

**What does it mean for you to be a Team Captain?**

“Me and Behrad actually met on our university team and I was the team captain at that time, so it’s kind of going back to the old days. I would say he’s my co-captain now, so we’re on an equal footing, we both listen to each other, we respect each other’s game. It feels like old times to us!”

Hoop District

Simply British Ballers (SBB)’s Denzel Kazembe, the Team London co-captain alongside fellow SBB star Behrad Bakhtiari.

Over the course of this week, Euroleague.net will be posting interviews with the Hoop District team captains

Nigel Williams-Goss was the star on the night as Olympiacos BC grabbed a come-from-behind victory at KK Partizan in Round 32 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Williams-Goss did it on both ends as Olympiacos flipped the script at Partizan

Despite starting the game slow and trailing by 13 points coming into the fourth quarter, Olympiacos Piraeus found inspiration in [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/), who made the difference and [led his team to a 69-74 victory at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-olympiacos-bc/) on Thursday night.

The Reds’ starters struggled in the first quarter, with Partizan dominating the paint and outrebounding the visitors 13-3 in the first 10 minutes. The hosts led 22-17 after 10 minutes, with Williams-Goss scoring the final basket of the opening period before going from strength to strength in the remainder of the game, starting in the second quarter.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bwinMVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bwinMVP</a>, Nigel Williams-Goss! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://t.co/ktYp49s6a7">pic.twitter.com/ktYp49s6a7</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1773468442659594660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Olympiacos guard recorded 3 steals in a space of 3 minutes and allowed his team to score in transition, with the guests trimming the deficit to 25-23. Partizan bounced back and secured a 40-32 cushion at halftime, but Williams-Goss had already managed to keep a struggling Olympiacos in the game. 

“Partizan started the game very well, but in the second quarter the guys who came from the bench did an amazing job and put us back into the game,” Olympiacos captain Kostas Papanikolaou admitted afterward.

The Serbian side retained control of the game in the third period, but Williams-Goss, who finished the first half with a team-high 7 points, came to the fore again in the last 10 minutes. Partizan took a 59-46 lead into the fourth quarter, but the 29-year-old set the tone on defense and contributed the most during Olympiacos’s 0-12 run.

### Williams-Goss and his fourth-quarter heroics

After netting a tough triple to make it 59-55, Williams-Goss registered his fourth steal of the night and found Thomas Walkup, who completed a three-point play to cut the difference to 59-58. The game turned into a back-and-forth affair, with Williams-Goss netting one from inside the arc (61-60) with 5:00 left on the clock. 

His fifth steal of the game shortly after led to a Papanikolaou bucket in transition (61-64), before finding Moustapha Fall with a smart dish for a slam (69-71). Most importantly, the Olympiacos guard was called to finish the game off from the line with 13 seconds remaining and he duly delivered by hitting both free throws to make it a two-possession affair (69-73).

Nigel Williams-Goss shined bright at Olympiacos Piraeus beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Williams-Goss highlights vs. Partizan

Williams-Goss pulled off a complete performance, ending the game with season highs of 17 points and 5 steals. He also recorded 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 drawn fouls for a PIR of 19. Having struggled with an injury over the last month, the Olympiacos guard stepped up big against his former team and led the Reds to a statement victory that keeps them in contention for home-court advantage in the postseason.

Olympiacos will return to Belgrade next week as it will face Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on Thursday night. Williams-Goss led the way against Partizan, and Olympiacos will now push for back-to-back wins in the Serbian capital.

Olympiacos Piraeus guard Nigel Williams-Goss looks to score against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 32 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The guard took over for the Reds in the second half