Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul was dominant through the 40 minutes and clinched a well-earned 79-89 win away at leaders Real Madrid. The guests improved to a 17-11 record, while Los Blancos dropped to 22-6 and missed out on the opportunity to become the first EuroLeague team to clinch playoff qualification on Thursday night.

Fenerbahce triumphs 89-79 over Real in Madrid

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Real Madrid vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

Nigel Hayes-Davis's double-double helped his team complete a season-sweep of 'Los Blancos'. 

Real Madrid v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-03-07T19:45:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (15-13) stayed firmly on course to reach the post-season with a gutsy 83-76 home win over Zalgiris Kaunas, having bounced back from a 52-60 deficit late in the third quarter thanks to ironclad defense in the fourth.

Sheer grit saw muscular Maccabi overpower Zalgiris

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (15-13) stayed firmly on course to reach the post-season with a gutsy 83-76 home win over Zalgiris Kaunas, having bounced back from a 52-60 deficit late in the third quarter thanks to ironclad defense in the fourth.

Wade Baldwin, who paced Maccabi with 16 points, credited the team’s second-string lineup that was on the court when the home team conjured a 20-7 run down the stretch to grab a 72-67 lead heading into the home straight.

“The group that was out there in the fourth quarter played extremely tough, we played through a lot of physicality on their side and then closed the game out,” Baldwin said after Maccabi prevailed in a nail-biting rollercoaster.

His teammate Bonzie Colson added: “We knew it was going to be a tough game because they’re an aggressive team. We got some stops and steals, so it was good work from us for sure.

“The mentality is that we play with grit and confidence and toughness too. When we do that we’re a dangerous team. We’ve got to stick to our principles and do what we do.”

Bonzie Colson's best plays against Zalgiris in Round 28, 03/07/2024

Bonzie Colson's best plays against Zalgiris in Round 28

Having struggled for long spells to match the brilliance that produced a 71-106 road blowout of ALBA Berlin in the previous round, Maccabi played to their strengths against a battling Zalgiris and racked up 39 boards, 14 of them on the offensive end.

The visitors managed only 4 offensive rebounds and 27 in total, which prompted head coach Andrea Trinchieri to acknowledge that being outmuscled in the paint ultimately made the difference.

“We were where we wanted to be in the last 2 minutes but then we made some bad decisions, turned over the ball and lost momentum,” said the Italian tactician. “One thing was missing though, the rebounding. In the EuroLeague, if you don’t rebound, you’re not going to win games.”

Handling the ball was also a key factor as Maccabi dished out 21 assists against 12 turnovers, while Zalgiris had 16 in each department.

Aggressive defending down the stretch on the visiting team’s top scorers Keenan Evans (18 points) and particularly Edmond Sumner (14) stifled out Zalgiris when the chips were down, allowing Maccabi to force the final twist with an 11-2 run.

Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash heaped praise on Zalgiris and ultimately lauded his team for showing trademark mettle to snatch victory when defeat looked the more likely outcome.

“We have to give Zalgiris credit, they played really well,” Kattash commented. “They are a well-coached team, it was an intense and aggressive game where nothing came easy for us. We stuck in there as a team and showed a lot of character, so it’s a big win for us. Obviously, reaching the playoffs remains our goal and we will keep fighting as every game from here on is important.”

Game News

The Israeli champs prevailed in the face of adversity after winning the battle in the paint against the plucky visitors.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-03-07T19:05:00.000Z)

AS Monaco Basket had five players, including Mike James, hit double digits in points during its 98-80 win over KK Crvena zvezda.

Monaco Basket shared the love on Mike James's big night

All the talk on Thursday night was about [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) – and rightfully so. But, ever so quietly, AS Monaco notched its seventh consecutive victory in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by [defeating Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 98-80](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-as-monaco-basket-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/).

James ended up [breaking the EuroLeague’s all-time scoring record](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/mike-james-becomes-the-euroleague-all-time-leading-scorer/) with under 4 minutes left before halftime as he reached 13 points on the night, giving him 4,457 in total – one point more than EuroLeague great Vassilis Spanoulis. The celebrations that followed seem to halt James’s momentum a little, but he nevertheless finished the contest with a game-high 20 points by netting seven in the fourth quarter.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">📚 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒚.<br>👑 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬. <a href="https://t.co/PutDCkQ788">pic.twitter.com/PutDCkQ788</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1765818137805504513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### It was a team effort from Monaco

The man who was perhaps the reason behind Monaco beginning to pull away late in the third and early in the fourth was [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/), who ended with 14 points. Okobo had 7 assists, too, as he took over the playmaking duties. There were a couple of assists for [Donta Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donta-hall/011196/) dunks that got everyone out of their seats inside Salle Gaston Medecin.

Speaking of Hall, he finished with 10 points after causing all sorts of problems around Zvezda’s rim. The energy that Hall brings whenever he’s on the floor is such a valuable asset for Monaco, and that was proved again in Round 28.

The top scoring plays of Elie Okobo, Donta Hall, Donatas Motiejunas and Jaron Blossomgame in AS Monaco's win against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Best scoring plays of Monaco's 'other' stars

Another big man who reached double digits was [Donatas Motiejunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donatas-motiejunas/lcz/), who had 14 points. After getting the party started with the game’s opening bucket, it was a steady flow of offense by Motiejunas, particularly after the break as he had 5 in the third period and 4 in the fourth.

Last but not least, [Jaron Blossomgame](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jaron-blossomgame/011231/). Another player whose energy is so key to this team, he had 12 points but also did a lot of the things that don’t show up in the stats sheet. That is actually something that could be labelled about a few Monaco players, as Alpha Diallo and John Brown make such an impact on every game they play in. They both scored 7 points apiece against Zvezda.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🎊 𝑈𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑟𝑒́𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎̀ 𝐺𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛-𝑀𝑒́𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑛 ✨️<br><br>7️⃣ victoires à la suite pour la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a>, dans le sillage d&#39;un Mike James au sommet ⏫️🌟<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/gDcbODertb">pic.twitter.com/gDcbODertb</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1765843856489078786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Monaco’s leader, James, deservedly earned all of the plaudits having made history on Thursday night, but it’s fair to say that he’s got a pretty good cast around him, too. That can only spell good news as Monaco looks to secure home-court advantage in the postseason.

More Monaco News

Mike James accepts the applause from his teammates and everyone inside Salle Gaston Medecin during AS Monaco's win against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The star guard was one of five players to hit double digits in scoring

Monaco shared the love on Mike James's big night

AS Monaco v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-03-07T18:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona beat Valencia Basket 78-88 at La Fonteta in Round 28 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

FC Barcelona overpowers Valencia Basket at La Fonteta, 78-88

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Ricky Rubio of FC Barcelona is guarded by Jared Harper of Valencia Basket in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Jan Vesely the way with 21 points after enjoying a perfect shooting night

Barcelona overpowers Valencia at La Fonteta, 78-88

Valencia Basket v FC Barcelona (2024-03-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 83-76 in Round 28 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Maccabi beats Zalgiris, 83-76, to keep playoff quest alive

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Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is guarded by Edmond Sumner of Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Wade Baldwin paced the hosts with a team-high 16 points

Mike James became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer as AS Monaco Basket beat KK Crvena Zvezda 98-80 in Round 28 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Mike James makes history as Monaco defeats Crvena Zvezda, 98-80

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Mike James of AS Monaco shoots over Stefan Lazarevic of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to become the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer.

The American became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer.

Mike James makes history as Monaco defeats Zvezda, 98-80

Shane Larkin netted 28 points as Anadolu Efes S.K. beat FC Bayern Basketball 109-86 in Round 28 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Shane Larkin's monster game leads Anadolu Efes past FC Bayern, 109-86

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Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul looks to score against FC Bayern Munich in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The guard had 28 points in a comfortable win for the osts.

Shane Larkin's monster game leads Efes past Bayern, 109-86

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v FC Bayern Munich (2024-03-07T17:30:00.000Z)

The 10-year veteran has surpassed another great, Vassilis Spanoulis, in total career points.

 Mike James is the EuroLeague’s new all-time scoring king! 

History was made this Thursday night as [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/james-mike/005985/) overtook Vassilis Spanoulis to become the all-time leading scorer in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

With a post-game total of 4,464 points after scoring 20 in a [98-80 win over Crvena Zvezda](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/245/#boxscore), the AS Monaco star is now in first place overall, having surpassed Spanoulis’s total of 4,455. Even more impressive is the fact that James managed to do so in 271 games, compared to 358 for the former Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens legend.

The play that put James into first place with 4,457 points was long, side-step two-pointer over Stefan Lazarevic with just under 4 minutes left in the first half, giving him 13 for the night. He went on to score 7 more.

Mike James breaks the all-time scoring record from mid-range.

Motorola Magic Moment: The record-breaker by Mike James!

### Mike James’s route to 4,457 points

Now in his 10th season in the EuroLeague, the 33-year-old guard netted 467 points in 45 games for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2014-16), 522 in 37 appearances for Panathinaikos (2016-18), 595 in 30 contests for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2018-19), 1,112 in 55 fixtures for CSKA Moscow (2019-21), and now 1,760 in 104 games for Monaco (2021-present).

It has been quite the journey for James, after all. Having started out as a role player in his first few games at Baskonia, it didn’t take long for the Portland native to firmly establish himself as one of the EuroLeague’s best players with his scoring and playmaking. There was a jump in his production when he arrived in Athens, but it rose further upon his move to Italy.

In that 2018-19 campaign with Milan, James scored by far his most points in a season to that point (595, beating the 328 he recorded from the 2016-17 season) and posted his best scoring average at 19.8 points per night. He also set what back then a new career high in points with the 35 he netted in a 92-89 defeat at Real Madrid on March 20, 2019. Due to his exploits on that end of the floor, he ended up winning the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy and was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team for the first time. In short, James had established himself as a star in the league.

Those performances caught the attention of CSKA, where James once again improved his scoring average, posting 21.1 points per game across 28 appearances in his first season in Moscow. He came just 5 points short of matching his season tally with Milan, having played two games less.

In James’s second campaign with CSKA, a year in which he posted 19.3 points per night and scored 522 points in 27 games, he had his two best scoring nights in the EuroLeague. After setting a new personal best with 36 points in an 87-96 triumph at Khimki Moscow Region on December 11, 2020, he bettered that tally a few months later with 37 points, which remains his career high to date, in a 105-103 double-overtime loss at Valencia Basket on February 4, 2021.

### Making history in Monaco

Following a brief stint in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets, James returned to the EuroLeague in search of a new challenge. Despite Monaco having just won the BKT EuroCup, the 33-year-old took his talents to the principality club. Ever since, James has shined on a night in, night out basis and helped turn Monaco from a EuroLeague newcomer into a Final Four force.

The 2021-22 season, his first in Monaco, saw the club surprisingly reach the EuroLeague Playoffs on the back of a record season by James, as he set career bests in games played (38), points scored (622), rebounds grabbed (121), assists made (219) and steals (47). Despite having an MVP-level season in the eyes of many, the first MVP award of his career passed him by. He did, however, earn his first selection to the All-EuroLeague First Team.

Perhaps inspired by the personal disappointment of the prior campaign, with Monaco falling in a five-game series to Olympiacos and James not earning MVP honors, he went a step further in 2022-23 and guided the Monegasque club to its first-ever Final Four. Last season, he broke the 600-point mark for the second season in a row, having scored 605 in 38 appearances. Another All-EuroLeague selection came, too, as he was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Special 🤝 <a href="https://t.co/Zxg6p0fejv">pic.twitter.com/Zxg6p0fejv</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1765844616190759137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

So far this year, James has had his best scoring average since landing in Monaco, posting 19.3 points per contest, after putting up 16.4 in 2021-22 and 15.9 in 2022-23. It seems that he knew that history was in his sights, as he revealed to former CSKA teammate Kyle Hines during an [episode of the A Quarter with Kyle Hines podcast](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/a-quarter-with-kyle-hines-mike-james-opens-the-new-season-in-style/), which was released in early January.

“I think I had an idea that I was getting close a couple of years ago, because Chris Singleton actually brought it up to me. He was like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to break the all-time scoring record,’” James recalled. “He showed it to me and I’m like, ‘Man, I ain’t that far, though.’ Then this summer, me and my friends were sitting down and talking, I’m like, ‘Man, I really am close. I might get it this year if some stuff goes my way, it could happen.’ It’s just crazy to think about.”

Well, it’s not crazy anymore. Congratulations, Mike!

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Locker room celebration for <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNatural_05?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNatural_05</a> 🎉 <a href="https://t.co/n1a7goVtBA">pic.twitter.com/n1a7goVtBA</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1765835703248716201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

More news on Mike James

Mike James, the EuroLeague’s new career scoring king!

With the regular season hurtling towards a finish, teams are aiming to take part in the postseason, one way or another. Here are the teams with possibilities to reach some postseason goal this week.


Postseason possibilities: Real aims again at first playoff spot

With the regular season hurtling towards a finish, teams are aiming to take part in the postseason, one way or another. Here are the teams with possibilities to reach some postseason goal this week.

### Real takes another shot at being first to playoffs

After failing to reach its goal of qualifying first to the playoffs last week, standings leader Real Madrid (22-5) will try it again on Thursday at home against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (16-11). A win will be enough to qualify the defending champions, but even a third defeat in a row won't count them out. Tipping off 15 minutes later are Olympiacos Piraeus (16-11) and visiting Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-10). If Olympiacos should lose that home game, it would be enough for Real to qualify despite losing its own game. That's because Olympiacos would not be able to surpass Real's 22 wins now, and having been swept by the champs – as well as by Barcelona and, in this scenario, Virtus – Real would always finish ahead of the Reds in a tiebreaker. 

Real also has a path this week to not only reach the playoffs but clinch a top-four finish, but it requires a lot of help. To do that, Real must first win its own game. Then it must hope that AS Monaco (17-10) loses at home to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (10-17) while either Virtus or Barcelona (18-9), which visits Valencia Basket (13-14), also loses. Failing that, a Real win would also clinch fourth place or better if Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (17-10) loses at home to LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (6-21) on Friday. In other words, at a minimum, Real needs third-place Panathinaikos or fourth-place Monaco to lose at home to bottom-three clubs in order to secure home-court advantage this week.

After sweeping aside Maccabi, 70-99, Real continues its own double-round week by travelling to a Fenerbahce team that has won all four games at home so far this season. Expect a physical affair featuring the top three shot blockers, which are Walter Tavares, Vincent Poirier and Georgios Papagiannis.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Real Madrid | Round 11 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Barcelona still needs help to reach Play-In Showdown qualification

Second-place Barca (18-8) might have the opportunity to extend its campaign beyond the regular season on either night of Round 28. The first chance for qualification to the Play-In Showdown, requiring at least a top-10 finish to the regular season, would mean that Barca defeats Valencia away on Thursday soon after Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (14-13) beats visiting Zalgiris Kaunas (11-16).

If that scenario doesn't complete itself, but Barca wins in Valencia, then it may also clinch a top-10 finish on Friday if EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (11-16) defeats visiting Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (13-14) or if ALBA Berlin (5-22) wins on the court of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (14-13).

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-02-29T19:45:00.000Z)