It has taken Mike James of AS Monaco less than 10 full seasons playing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to become the scoring king of the competition.

Mike James, Monaco: 'Basketball inspires me to want be better at it'

It has taken [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) of AS Monaco less than 10 full seasons playing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to become the scoring king of the competition.

That accomplishment came in Round 28 at home against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade as he surpassed another great in Vassilis Spanoulis, who had 4,455 career points, with a post-game total of 4,464 points. James is now looking to keep making history by enlarging a figure that will surely be difficult to beat in the future.

"I always try to just get better every day and improve myself," James says. "You never know where it takes you. And I guess where it took me is here, today."

### His evolution

In 273 EuroLeague games with five different teams, James has averaged 16.5 points for his career. However, the new scoring king doesn't settle for anything yet because, as he acknowledges, it has been a long path of learning and evolution, and it will keep being that way for as long as he keeps playing.

"I am still the same person as when I came in," James explains. "It's just \[that now\] I understand different things. I am just more masterful at certain things than I was when I first came here."

### Love for the game

In his 10th season in the league, James is leading AS Monaco in his third season with the club, which is also how many seasons the club has been in the EuroLeague. After a playoff appearance in the first season and a trip to the Final Four in the second, James has led the team to fifth place in the standings so far this season and looks to go the extra mile to reach the ultimate goal this season, always learning from the game.

"Basketball, in general, inspires me to want be better at it," James concludes. "Watching other people succeed (...) it's a beautiful thing to watch. Just talented people be good at what they are talented at."

More Mike James News

The EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer discusses his love for the game and his evolution

It's a Friday night treat as two of the biggest names in basketball play a key game in the battle for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Panathinaikos, Barcelona collide in superpower showdown

In a monster-clash that is likely to have huge implications on what we will be watching this postseason, [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (19-11) hosts FC Barcelona (20-10)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-fc-barcelona/E2023/279/) in the Greek capital.

With four rounds to go in the regular season, these two powerhouses are part of a seven-team push for five remaining Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs spots, but also the race-within-a-race for the all-important home-court advantage in those playoffs.

How tight is that battle? Well, Barcelona might be entering this contest sitting in the second place in the standings, but it could end this week all the way down – in fifth place.

### Why Barca needs to win

Barcelona currently has a one-win advantage over a trio of teams with 19 victories – Panathinaikos, AS Monaco and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul – but a Panathinaikos win in this game can turn things completely upside-down.

Barcelona already got swept by Monaco, lost the head-to-head tiebreaker against Fenerbahce when it fell by 14 points in Istanbul on Wednesday, and now faces Panathinaikos. 

FC Barcelona-Panathinaikos Athens | Round 6 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

[Barcelona beat the Greens by 8 points back in Round 6](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-barcelona-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/51/) in November. That margin will be very important and both coaches will keep it in mind during this exciting night in the Greek capital. 

However, if Panathinaikos beats Barcelona tonight, while Monaco and Fenerbahce also register victories – Monaco plays Valencia Basket at home and Fenerbahce against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on the road – all four rivals would have 20 wins. 

Within that four-team tiebreaker, Barcelona would have the worst record. It also means that head coach Roger Grimau's team would no longer be the holder of its own destiny, but rather dependent on other results in the final three rounds. Not even winning out in those games would guarantee Barcelona a finish in the top four.

### Why Panathinaikos needs to win

But if things sound a little dramatic for Barcelona's ambitions, they are even more so for Panathinaikos, which is coming off a nice bounce-back road win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. 

Tuesday's losses by both Olympiacos Piraeus and Virtus Segafredo Bologna did Panathinaikos a favor, but this fixture against Barcelona is still of a must-win variety for head coach Ergin Ataman and his troops.

A loss tonight by the Greens would make Barcelona virtually uncatchable for Panathinaikos, which also already lost its head-to-head tiebreaker against Fenerbahce.

Granted, Panathinaikos did sweep Monaco, but Mike James & co. have the easiest remaining schedule, playing all games against the teams with losing records, including three at home.

### Counting on Lessort and Sloukas

It means Panathinaikos will again need all the energy of All-EuroLeague center [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) and all the leadership of a three-time champ [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/). On Wednesday, with the Greens knowing they had no room for error, Lessort collected 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while Sloukas had 17 points and 10 assists in the big road win over Zvezda. Panathinaikos may need another such performance from its star duo on Friday.

Kostas Sloukas, Mathias Lessort Highlights vs. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, 03/20/2024

The Kostas Sloukas Mathias Lessort show vs Crvena Zvezda_18119279.mp4

Barcelona, on the other hand, will look to start the game much better than it did in a roller-coaster performance against Fenerbahce, where it was down by 25 points midway through the second quarter before starting its rally. Barca will need to do a better job of taking care of the ball, after having 16 turnovers in Istanbul, 6 of which were of Nicolas Laprovittola's doing.

Focus, energy and patience will be the key, and with the stakes so high, these two long-time rivals have set us up for a real Friday night treat.

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v FC Barcelona (2024-03-22T19:15:00.000Z)

Hoop District, the talent and culture celebration at the intersection of sports and social media that’s coming to Paris and Berlin this spring, is not your average basketball tournament. Influencer-led 3x3 teams will compete for a chance to be part of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four festivities and win the €10,000 grand prize.

Hoop District’s dynamic new 3x3 rules guarantee drama!

[Hoop District](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-basketball-launches-3x3-content-creators-tournament-hoop-district/), the talent and culture celebration at the intersection of sports and social media that’s coming to Paris and Berlin this spring, is not your average basketball tournament. Influencer-led 3x3 teams will compete for a chance to be part of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four festivities and win the €10,000 grand prize.

But they won't be playing your grandfather's game – or even your mother's. Not at all. 

Hoop District will feature some unique 3x3 game rules called that are designed to keep everyone – players, fans, viewers and even referees – constantly engaged throughout swings in the action and the scoreboard.

In addition to the standard one- and two-point shots, taken inside or outside an arc indicated on the court, several novel scenarios called Power Ups may be activated during Hoop District games. 

There are four Power Up options, of which each team can use two during the course of any game. The clock will be stopped by the referee when a team captain raises his hand and invokes one of the following Power Ups.

### Three-Point Shot

A player chosen by his or her team captain will shoot alone from one of special three-point circles in the corners near the half-court line. After the shot is taken, whether made or missed, possession changes to the other team.

### Point Boost 

By activating this Power Up, a team can earn double points on its next two possessions. Any possession ends when the opposing team gets the ball.

### One-on-One 

The team captain chooses a player to go one-on-one against an opponent of the same gender. They play each other head-to-head until someone scores.

### No Dribble 

When activated by one team, the opposing team will not be able to dribble for the next two possessions. If the ball is dribbled during this time, the team that activated the Power Up will be awarded a free throw plus possession.

Only one Power Up at a time may be activated. So if a two-possession Power Up is in progress, neither team can interrupt it by asking for another Power Up until the first one is complete. Also, Power Ups can only be called for during live action, never when the clock is stopped.

Speaking of live action, Hoops District also features innovative substitutions, happening on the fly without game stoppages. Any player coming off the court must sit in an empty seat before his teammate can enter the game. 

You can imagine how fast this must happen for that team not to lose an advantage on court. Remember, the rest of the official FIBA rules for 3x3 also apply in Hoop District, so the 12-second shot clock will be running. With 10 minutes and hardly any stoppages, there will be no time to waste in trying to reach the 21-point winning score.

Hoop District is poised to captivate a young and diverse audience, bringing together basketball enthusiasts and social media followers for an unforgettable experience. Six top Influencers – Marco D'Uva (Italy), Dimitris Kyrsanidis (Greece), Reda Ouahbi (France), SBB (UK), Tresco (Spain) and Valentina Vignali (Italy) – will jump from the screen to become team captains, hand-picking their own four-player rosters of the most promising male and female players ito njecting a fresh and dynamic energy into the competition.

Hoop District Paris will tip off on March 30 at the brand-new Adidas Arena with six participating teams divided into two groups. The best two teams from the Paris Hoop District edition will qualify for the Berlin edition, which will also feature a local Berlin team and an all-star team. The winner of Hoops District will earn a cash prize of €10,000, while engagement will also be rewarded with a €5,000 bonus prize for the team achieving the biggest social media impact.

Hoop District is designed for the digital age. From live highlights of the thrilling matches to behind-the-scenes glimpses of player interactions, fans can expect a constant flow of engaging content. Social media platforms will serve as a virtual court where the excitement of the event extends far beyond the physical arena.

Thursday’s win, led by Mario Hezonja, allows Los Blancos to start thinking about the next stage

‘Unselfish’ Real Madrid primed for more great things

The last time Real Madrid defeated Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade at Stark Arena before Thursday night was in Game 4 of the 2023 EuroLeague Playoffs. It would then win Game 5 at home and both games at the Final Four in Kaunas to capture the championship. 

[After beating Partizan 76-88 this time](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-real-madrid/E2023/273/), Los Blancos have clinched the top spot in the regular season and can start thinking already about the playoffs and then the Final Four in Berlin. It will be weeks before Real knows its playoff opponent as not only will it need to wait for the end of the regular season, but also the end of the Play-In Showdown to see who will eventually become the No. 8 seed. 

Partizan, in fact, is among the teams in the battle to reach the Play-In Showdown, though its chances took a hit with the home loss to the champs. 

Regardless of the identity of their eventual opponent, Coach Chus Mateo shared some of what has been working so well for Real this season and why it’s more important to worry about the players in the white uniforms than the opponents. 

Last season Real relied heavily on the “Old Guard” in key moments, with veterans Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodrguez at key moments late in the season, including in the championship game. While all are still on the roster, each of them missed the game in Belgrade due to injuries. Their absences opened the door for others to shine and Coach Mateo was thrilled with the result. 

“All the team made a great job,” Mateo said in the post-game press conference. “All of them. Even Hugo Gonzales, who only played 2 minutes, did a great job. I am very happy because some of my players are playing more, sometimes less, but all of them are very unselfish. Always their effort is good for the team. The team is the most important thing. To stay together. This makes me proud of them.”

Gonzales, who turned 18 last month, had not played in a EuroLeague game since early January, but was ready when his number was called late in the first half and he played aggressive defense against James Nunnally. 

On this night, no player contributed as much as Mario Hezonja, who finished with 25 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for a PIR of 33 and a game-best +/- of 20. 

Mario Hezonja Points Leader for Real Madrid vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet - Top Plays, 03/21/2024

Mario Hezonja highlights vs Partizan

“We were consistent all the game and we could break the game with an amazing Mario. At one moment in the game, it was amazing how he scored,” Mateo praised.

Hezonja went for 16 points and 3 assists for a PIR of 23 in the second half alone. That came after Real had a rough go shooting the ball in the first half. The champs made just 7 of 23 two-pointers (30.4%) and 3 of 13 threes (23.1%) in the first 20 minutes. You might not guess who Hezonja credited for the turnaround. 

“We prayed to God, God listened to us and we finally scored some tough shots,” he said after the game. Then, Hezonja gave a more basketball-related answer. “Most important, we went on a run because we were able to get some defensive stops, especially against this team because they are extremely talented. They are extremely good on offense. So that helped us and thanks to God we got the win at the end.”

While Hezonja was dominant and both Gabriel Deck (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Vincent Poirier (7 points, 8 rebounds) put up strong numbers, a few other Madrid stars had off nights, including Walter Tavares and Dzanan Musa. For Madridistas, getting the win on a night when the “Old Guard” was missing and a few stars were quiet should be good news. 

Whether it was God, Hezonja, great ball movement (23 assists and just 4 turnovers!), patience or a combination of all, Mateo has reasons to be proud and Real has a well-rehearsed recipe for success as it enters the playoffs. 

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Real Madrid (2024-03-21T19:30:00.000Z)

With their sick leader being held scoreless , the Anadolu Efes Istanbul reserves answered the call. 

 Bench brigade came to the rescue for Efes 

To say that Anadolu Efes Istanbul has been defensively challenged this season is more than fair considering they lead the league in points allowed.

Still, on a night when their leader [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) was under the weather and held scoreless for just the third time in 215 career Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games, it probably stood to reason that some defensive inspiration would be required to survive a spirited comeback from ALBA Berlin.

Efes probably never thought the suspense would last into the game's final seconds, but when it did, a huge block by [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) to stop the game's final shot preserved an [86-85 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/anadolu-efes-istanbul-alba-berlin/E2023/271/#boxscore) and kept his team firmly in the hunt for the top 10 and a place in the postseason.

With the game on the line Tyrique Jones comes out of nowhere to reject Martin Hermannsson and preserve the Efes win!

Game-winning block by Tyrique Jones! Motorola Magic Moment

It was fitting that a member of Efes's second unit saved the day, because that was the case all game long. Indeed, the Efes bench outscored the starters 52-33, or 61.2%, the team's highest such discrepancy all season. But oh was it needed.

### First-half reinforcements put Efes in charge

ALBA was taking its first, small leads late in the initial quarter before one of the Efes bench brigade, Rodrigue Beaubois, tied the game with a triple before the buzzer. That was followed by an 11-0 run to start the second quarter that he, [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/), [Elijah Bryant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/) and [Derek Willis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/derek-willis/009664/) filled, leading to a lead of 38-25. The second unit was able to hold that at 53-40 with Thompson's put-back just before halftime. Efes had won the second quarter 30-17 with just 7 points from starters.

The game's high lead, 55-40, came just after the break, but with Larkin still scoreless and the Efes starters back on the floor, ALBA flipped a switch, scoring the next 18 points to lead 55-58. The battle was joined from there but Larkin, who it turned out was playing sick, was not to return after the middle of the third quarter. 

"Shane is battling a flu for the past two days. He has been through treatments from our medical staff, so I think them for that. And I thank him for coming out and trying to give his best," head coach Tomislav Mijatovic would explain after. "Battling flu, not having energy, not eating, not sleeping, and coming to play and trying to help the team...hats off. I cannot have enough compliments to thank him and to thank everyone who tried to help him play and perform."

### Bryant brought  the buckets

When Bryant replaced Larkin, he had scored 6 points until then, but he soon reeled off 8 points in 3 minutes for Efes to tie 65-65 in the final minute of the third quarter. Until then, his team had scored just 4 points since halftime.

Jones, Beaubois and Bryant, with another string of 7 consecutive points, kept Efes trading leads into the middle of the fourth quarter until starter [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/) returned to score 5 points in a row that put the hosts up 85-81 with 46 seconds left. But after [Louis Olinde](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/louis-olinde/006919/)'s fifth three-pointer for ALBA made it 85-84, Clyburn missed and ALBA had 17 seconds to try to win it. 

ALBA's [Martin Hermannsson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/martin-hermannsson/008780/) seemed to have beaten Bryant for a clear layup until Jones flew in from the back side to swat the shot away just before it would have touched the glass to preserve a crucial victory for Efes. 

Elijah Bryant's 24 points for Efes vs. ALBA Berlin

### The Efes bench tally

Bryant would finish the night with career highs of 24 points on nearly flawless shooting: 5-for-6 on two-pointers, 2-for-3 on threes and 4-for-5 on the foul line. He also had team highs of 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. His 33 PIR was the best of 86-game EuroLeague career. 

But he was not alone. Beaubois added 11 points and Darius Thompson 10 while they combined on 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jones, meanwhile, had just 4 points and 2 rebounds, but his third blocks among 7 on the night for Efes proved a game-winner. 

"I think the biggest thing is just that we got the win at a crucial time," Bryant said. "Everyone came out and fought. We have some guys who are down sick, so everyone stepped up and most importantly, we got the win."

 Two days after easily ending the winning streak of high-flying Olympiacos Piraeus with a healthy Larkin starring, the last thing Efes wanted was a battle to the death with last-place ALBA on its own floor. But the depth that saw its bench players rise to the moment made, in the end, for a perfect week.

"Shane tried his best, he's our captain, and we thank him for it," Mijatovic said. "In the meantime, everybody else stepped up, everybody else gave their 15-20 percent more, and that's what teams do.

"Tremendous concentration, tremendous willpower, tremendous effort. We entered the double-round week with the goal to win both games. Thank god we did that."

Game Videos

Game News

With their sick leader being held scoreless , the Efes reserves answered the call. 


Bench brigade came to the rescue for Efes

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v ALBA Berlin (2024-03-21T17:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid did many things right to beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in front of a passionate crowd at Stark Arena on Thursday night. Here’s a look at the key numbers from the team’s 74-88 victory. 

The numbers from Real Madrid’s victory over Partizan

Real Madrid did many things right to beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in front of a passionate crowd at Stark Arena on Thursday night. The win locked up first place for Los Blancos in the regular season with three rounds remaining. Here’s a look at the key numbers from the team’s 74-88 victory.

**4.** This is how many turnovers committed. And 23 is how many assists Real dished. No player had multiple turnovers, while Facu Campazzo dished a team-high 8 assists.

“This is very important for us, to share the ball without turning over the ball,” Real head coach Chus Mateo said after the game. “This is the way we create good shots. If we share the ball and we are not turnovering and we kick the ball inside and from inside to outside and we share the ball in order to look for the much better shot, we are going to get good percentages.”

**8.** That is how many three-pointers Kevin Punter took. He only made 1. Punter is ranked eighth in the league in scoring with 14.9 points and Mateo used the analogy of a blanket when discussing the defense his team used. Just as sometimes a blanket is not big enough to cover your whole body from your head to your toes, the same was true of Real’s defense. So they opted to always have defenders ready to contest Punter’s shots, while sagging off the hosts’ big men, Bruno Caboclo and Frank Kaminsky, when they floated outside. The gamble paid off. While Caboclo and Kaminsky combined to shoot 4 for 10 from deep, Punter missed more threes than in any game this season.

**16.** That is how many points Real scored in a row to end the third quarter, turning a 54-42 deficit into a 14-point lead. Campazzo led the charge with 5 points and 3 assists and Fabien Causeur also scored twice in that stretch. After the run, Partizan never threatened again.

Real Madrid's 16 straight points in the third quarter

Real Madrid s 16 straight points in the third quarter

**35.** Total points scored by Real in the third quarter.

**40.** Real grabbed that many rebounds, which were 5 more than Partizan. Even though it was only a slight difference, Real maximized that to outscore Partizan 2-11 on fastbreaks and 9-17 second-chance points. Controlling the glass allowed Real to control the rhythm and thus the game.

**20,200.** The reported attendance from the game. And the Partizan support left its mark on the visitors.

“The fans of Partizan are always very important for Partizan,” Mateo assessed. “At home, Partizan only had three defeats until today. This was the fourth. And they play very good at home. Their fans are amazing how they push their players, how they encourage the team is amazing. This environment, this atmosphere is great. Your country feels basketball and breaths basketball.”

**25.** The most important number of all was this one and not because that’s how many points Mario Hezonja scored. This was Real’s 25th win of the season and guaranteed it the top spot in the standings at the end of the season. To date, no No. 1 overall seed has failed to qualify for the Final Four since the full-season round-robin format was installed. And more than ever before, Real can start to think about the Final Four in Berlin.

From 4 to 20,200, here's some of the key numbers from Thursday's clash between Real Madrid and Partizan. 

Fourth-quarter spurt gave Olympiacos hard-fought win over ASVEL

After losing at Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Tuesday, pressure mounted on Olympiacos Piraeus to bounce back with a much-needed victory against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 31 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The hosts received a boost from the fans at Peace And Friendship Stadium, hit the ground running and took a 14-point lead (36-22) with 3:30 left in the second quarter, but ASVEL didn’t give up.

The visitors bounced back in the closing stages of the first half and outscored Olympiacos 11-20 in the third quarter to take a narrow 54-55 cushion into the closing quarter.

“Our third quarter was very bad,” head coach Georgios Bartzokas admitted after the game. “We were very nervous, missing layups and open shots and turning the ball over.”

Moustapha Fall was a beast against ASVEL

However, the Greek side reacted in the fourth quarter and shifted the energy from defense to offense to down ASVEL, as Olympiacos forced the French side to 5 turnovers that led to 8 points in the last 4 minutes. De Colo netted a bucket from inside to give his team a 59-61 lead with 6:32 remaining, but Olympiacos responded with an impressive 18-0 run to finish the game off.

“You’re coming to this week and you want a perfect week, especially this time of the year, but we didn’t do our job on Tuesday,” said Alec Peters, who finished the game with 17 points, 7 of which came in the last quarter. “This game was huge for us. I think we all felt it in the first three quarters. We needed to find something and if that’s me to be the spark, so be it.”

Peters and Moustapha Fall were the two Olympiacos players who stood out on Thursday night, with the latter having a complete game on both ends. The Olympiacos center ended the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks for a PIR of 25 in just over 23 minutes.

“I never force anything,” Fall said after the game. “I just take what the defense gives me. I do whatever I need to do to help my team.”

With this home victory, Olympiacos is inching closer to securing a spot for the postseason. In their last three games, the Reds will play twice in Belgrade, away at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, before they host Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. These are three demanding duels to end the regular season, but Olympiacos has nothing to worry about if it manages to replicate that fourth-quarter defense consistently against its upcoming opponents.

Olympiacos Piraeus v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-03-21T19:15:00.000Z)

The high-octane duo of Kevarrius Hayes and Keenan Evans dominated to give Zalgiris Kaunas a second successive emphatic win.

 Hayes, Evans led the charge for rampant Zalgiris against Baskonia 

Zalgiris Kaunas produced another superb home performance in the regular season's last double-round week to earn an emphatic 94-76 rout of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, following Tuesday's 96-81 win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

The outcome improved Zalgiris's record to 13-18 with three games to go while Baskonia slipped to 16-15 after a second straight defeat following a tough 87-83 loss at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, leaving its postseason hopes hanging in the balance.

[Keenan Evans](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/keenan-evans/011218/) paced Zalgiris with 20 points and stepped up the plate with clutch shots whenever the hosts needed reinvigorating in the wake of Baskonia's attempts to claw its way back into the game.

Kevarrius Hayes's 17 points for Zalgiris vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

### Hayes posts career-high scoring

[Kevarrius Hayes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevarrius-hayes/010390/) was even more instrumental, with a career-high 17 points and 7 boards, while the visiting team's top scorer Markus Howard struggled and finished the first half scoreless. An improved second-half display saw Howard pour in 14 points, but he made only 2 of 9 shots from downtown amid a steely Zalgiris defense that confined the visitors to just 4-of-22 from long range.

Baskonia was also subdued in its own paint, allowing Zalgiris to rack up 15 offensive boards, which led to a barrage of second-chance points. Apart from Hayes, big man [Laurynas Birutis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/laurynas-birutis/005504/) also played a major part with 8 points and 6 rebounds, as did [Edgaras Ulanovas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/edgaras-ulanovas/002329/) and [Arnas Butkevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arnas-butkevicius/002676/). The former amassed 11 points and 7 rebounds while the latter hauled 10 points and 5 boards to underline a flowing effort by Zalgiris, which might now regret not hitting top form earlier in the regular season.

Player of the game Hayes, who shot 8 of 10 from the floor, was delighted after Zalgiris was treated to a standing ovation by its rapturous fans following the final buzzer.

"It feels great, it's been a perfect double-round week for us with two wins in double digits," Hayes said in a flash post-game interview.

"It brings up the morale and energy, keeping our spirits high for what could happen. We played a very physical defense and were able to deflect a lot of balls. It's hard to keep Howard from scoring all night but we did the best we could, limiting his three-point shots."

Double-round sweep came just in time

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you for your PHENOMENAL support. 💚 <a href="https://t.co/C8lV1u2twG">pic.twitter.com/C8lV1u2twG</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1770912837180785129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Head coach Andrea Trinchieri was just as elated

"Hell of a week for us," he commented. "My players were super-hungry against Virtus and tonight I asked them to be even hungrier. We played another great defensive game, we were great on Howard and energy-wise this was one of our best games. Hayes had a great week, he gave us depth on offense and also made a telling impact on the defensive end."

Evans pointed out that Zalgiris was still hopeful of making the postseason despite the fact that it is going to be a tall order for the Lithuanian giant.

"We want to win every game we can," he said. "Tonight it was a great team effort as we were locked in and played with a huge amount of energy."

The high-octane duo dominated to give Zalgiris a second successive emphatic win.



Hayes, Evans led the charge for rampant Zalgiris against Baskonia

Zalgiris Kaunas v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-03-21T18:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid Baloncesto beat KK Partizan 76-88 to wrap up the first seed in the EuroLeague.

Real Madrid beats Partizan 76-88 to clinch 1st place

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Mario Hezonja of Real Madrid looks to get away from Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade duo Mateusz Ponitka and James Nunnally.

Mario Hezonja scored 25 points to pace Los Blancos