Valencia Basket had lost seven straight games against Baskonia, but it came out on top at Buesa Arena in Round 23 to get give it a boost in the race for the EuroLeague Playoffs.

Defense and Brandon Davies lifted Valencia Basket past Baskonia

Valencia Basket’s first objective when it headed into Friday night’s game against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at Buesa Arena was pretty simple: win.

The second objective, taking the head-to-head advantage between the teams, was probably not being considered too seriously by many people in the Taronjas camp after [suffering an 84-98 defeat to Baskonia at the start of December](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-valencia-basket-vs-saski-baskonia/). After all, winning on the road in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is difficult enough, without even starting to think about winning by 15.

As the game went on, though, that distant ambition started to become a distinct possibility, as Valencia raced into a 16-point lead, 29-45, at the end of a low-scoring first half and maintained a double-digit margin throughout the vast majority of the second period.

### Brandon Davies was vital for Valencia

Inside the last 2 minutes, [Matt Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/matthew-costello/010444/)’s three-pointer dragged Baskonia back to 62-75, so Valencia needed something else. And that something came from the game’s MVP [Brandon Davies](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/brandon-davies/007870/), who drove to the basket to unload a fierce Statue of Liberty dunk. 

And that was it – after successfully defending a three-point attempt from [Tadas Sedekerskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tadas-sedekerskis/007230/) and running out the remainder of the clock, Valencia had exactly the outcome it probably it did not dare to believe was possible: both a victory and the head-to-head advantage.

[The 62-77 final outcome](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-saski-baskonia-vs-valencia-basket/) represented Baskonia’s worst scoring night of the season, so it was no surprise that Davies – who had 19 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots for a PIR of 24 – chose to focus his postgame assessment on that side of the court.

Brandon Davies had 19 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots as Valencia Basket beat Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Davies's highlights vs. Baskonia

In particular, Davies was delighted with Valencia's ability to restrict Baskonia’s prolific guard [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) to just 7 points, singling out a pair of teammates for specific praise.

“We really locked in defensively,” he said. "And I’ve got to give credit to [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/) and [Xabi \[Lopez-Arostegui\]](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/xabi-lopez-arostegui/005356/). They did a great job against a great scorer, keeping him contained and locked up. 

“This is a tough place to play. A lot of teams come here and fold, so I’m glad we didn’t. We kept our composure, got that win and got the points difference, too.”

### Ending an unwanted record against Baskonia

The victory should also give Valencia a big boost in confidence for two other reasons: firstly, it ends a seven-game losing run against Baskonia in all competitions, including an 83-74 defeat at Buesa Arena in the Spanish League just before the EuroLeague loss towards the end of last year.

And secondly, Friday’s win was the second in a row for Valencia against a direct opponent, having come from behind to down EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 84-72 last week. Heading into another double-round week, with games on the road at Crvena Zvezda Meridian Bet Belgrade and ALBA Berlin, the self-belief generated by those two wins should prove valuable.

Valencia head coach Alex Mumbru echoed Davies’s sentiments about the defensive performance, also underlining the importance of his team’s fourth-quarter resistance when Baskonia’s only real push of the game reduced the deficit to just 3 points.

“Today was a really tough game," stated the second-year boss. "Baskonia tried to make a comeback, but we managed to hold that 3-point lead. We played calmly, we played well in defense, and we won a game which is really important for us.”

Exactly how important remains to be seen, but the win itself and – even more so – the winning margin could end up proving crucial in the race for the playoffs.

More Valencia News

Brandon Davies in action for Valencia Basket against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The Taronjas had lost seven straight games to the Basque side, but they came out on top in Round 23.

Defense and Brandon Davies lifted Valencia past Baskonia

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Valencia Basket (2024-01-26T19:30:00.000Z)

Jan Vesely, Youssoupha Fall, Facundo Campazzo, Thomas Walkup and Vincent Poirier led the main statistical categories in Round 23 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Individual highs: Youssoupha Fall, ASVEL, 13 rebounds

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

[Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/) of FC Barcelona led all scorers in Round 23 with 28 points for his new season high. [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) of AS Monaco is the top scorer with 19.2 points per game.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

[Youssoupha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/youssoupha-fall/006568/) of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne corralled 13 rebounds, the most of anyone in this round. [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/) of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz tops the season-long rebound charts with 7.3 per game.

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

[Facundo Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) of Real Madrid led the round with 9 assists and is also the leader for the season with 6.9 per game.

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

[Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) of Olympiacos Piraeus nabbed 4 steals this week, more than any other player. [Paris Lee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/paris-lee/011225/) of ASVEL leads that category with an average of 1.9 steals.

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

[Vincent Poirier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/vincent-poirier/004887/) of Real rejected 4 shots to lead all blockers in this round. His teammate [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) leads everyone for the season with 1.6 blocks per game.

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

Four players had points-and-rebounds double-doubles this week: Fall of ASVEL (16 and 13), [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/johnathan-motley/011157/) of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (23 and 11), [Josh Nebo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/josh-nebo/011199/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (14 and 12), and [Luke Sikma](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/luke-sikma/006589/) of Olympiacos (10 and 10).

Round 23 saw many Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars deliver great individual performances. These are the players who led all the main statistical categories.

For the second time already in 2024, all-action Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv led his team to victory with a performance that was good enough to be MVP of Round 23. Wade Baldwin scored 9 of his game-high 22 points in the decisive final quarter of a resounding 90-75 home for Maccabi that ended the four-win streak of visiting Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

Round 23 MVP: Wade Baldwin, Maccabi

For the second time already in 2024, all-action [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv led his team to victory with a performance that was good enough to be MVP of Round 23. Baldwin scored 9 of his game-high 22 points in the decisive final quarter of a resounding 90-75 home for Maccabi that ended the four-win streak of visiting Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens. What's more, Baldwin was the game's best distributor, too, dishing out 8 assists while grabbing 3 rebounds, making 2 steals and blocking a shot. He shot 6-for-7 from two-point range, 2-for-4 from deep and 4-for-4 at the free throw line for an impressively efficient all-around effort that added up to a performance index rating of 33. Baldwin had been the MVP of Round 20, as well.

Wade Baldwin | RS Round 23 MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Right behind him this week came [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/), the bulwark of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade's 81-72 home win over Zalgiris Kaunas. LeDay scored 21 point with just 2 missed shots, pulled 5 rebounds and drew 8 fouls for his season-high PIR of 32.

A trio of centers followed him. [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/johnathan-motley/011157/) posted a double-double of 23 points and 11 boards towards a PIR of 29 as Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul downed visiting Virtus Segafredo Bologna, 88-75. Matching is PIR was the sole loser among the week's top five performers, [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/), whose game-high 28 points were not enough to prevent FC Barcelona from falling 74-70 on the court of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. And [Youssoupha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/youssoupha-fall/006568/) had 16 points and 13 rebounds with just 2 misses for a 28 PIR as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne upset host FC Bayern Munich 64-76.

Baldwin's performance index rating of 33 earned him his sixth MVP of the Round honor.

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 23rd winner in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Konstantinos Stefanopoulos beat everyone else in Round 23 with his team Kostasstf13, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 225.15.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 23 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 23rd winner in the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home)! Konstantinos Stefanopoulos beat everyone else in Round 23 with his team Kostasstf13, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 225.15.

Konstantinos had the following lineup: team captain Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, his teammate Bonzie Colson, Paris Lee and Youssoupha Fall of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, and Jan Vesely of FC Barcelona as starters.

His sixth man was Jerian Grant of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, while the rest of the bench was made up of P.J. Dozier of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Dino Radoncic of FC Bayern Munich, Edwin Jackson of ASVEL and Tim Schneider of ALBA Berlin. His head coach was Sarunas Jasikevicius of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

The prize for finishing first in Round 23 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2024-25 season, so congratulations, Konstantinos!

Ilias Preveza is the new leader of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge overall standings with 4,095.25 points.

Trades are now open for Round 24. Remember, it's back to three trades per round until the end of Round 26.

The first games in Round 24 — Bayern vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, ASVEL vs. Fenerbahce and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Valencia Basket — all tip off on Thursday, January 30, at 20:00 CET. These fixtures mark the deadline to get trades done, so don’t leave it too late!

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge!

Weekly prizes are on offer for the top team manager in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, so don't miss out!

KK Partizan grabbed an 81-71 win over Zalgiris Kaunas, which featured a stellar night from P.J. Dozier.

Resilient KK Partizan turned the tide again to beat Zalgiris Kaunas

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade boosted its hopes of making the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs after digging deep to [earn an 81-72 home win over Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-zalgiris-kaunas/), improving to 12-11 while the Lithuanian team slipped to 8-15.

Partizan stretched its home record to 9-2 after yet another impressive comeback, akin to those against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, in Belgrade’s Stark Arena.

Partizan fought back from huge deficits against Milan and more recently Maccabi to win both games in a fervent atmosphere. It was very much the same script against Zalgiris as the visitors raced into an early 4-15 lead on the back of fine shooting from [Keenan Evans](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/keenan-evans/011218/).

### Partizan responded and then fought off Zalgiris

Roared on by a passionate home crowd, the hosts came storming back to lead 45-43 at halftime and 61-59 at the end of the third quarter before they finished off the visitors in the fourth.

Zeljko Obradovic’s Partizan has fallen in three of the last four, but all those losses were on the road and boast an 8-2 record at home. They welcome a Zalgiris grouped powered by the dynamism of Keenan Evans, who impressed with 21 points and 7 assists during a success over Fenerbahce.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Zalgiris Kaunas | Round 23 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

A hectic game produced a barrage of turnovers and few assists at both ends. Partizan had 9 assists and 14 turnovers while Zalgiris dished 13 assists and committed 15 turnovers, testament to a physical battle from start to finish.

Ultimately, it was Partizan’s superb shooting from two-point territory (25-of-33) and a solid job from the foul line (19-of-23) which made the difference, coupled with the home side’s ironclad defense in the second half.

Player of the game [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/) used an interesting analogy to describe Partizan’s frequent game plan of not overthinking things too much and just going with the flow. “We’re like a mustang with no saddle and when we play like that we can beat anybody,” LeDay said in a flash post-game interview after he racked up 21 points and 5 rebounds.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;A Mustang with no saddle&quot; <br><br>A GREAT post-game interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLeDay32?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZachLeDay32</a> and speaks about his fondness for coach Trinchieri 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/5svoqniUAd">pic.twitter.com/5svoqniUAd</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1750997985469534222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### A great performance by Dozier

[PJ Dozier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/perry-dozier-jr/012742/) also enjoyed a brilliant evening as he paced Partizan with a joint season high of 23 points, 15 of them in the first quarter when Zalgiris, powered by Evans who eventually amassed a game-high 25 points, threatened to pull away.

Dozier’s athleticism and soft touch was a telling factor as he roasted multiple Zalgiris players from mid-range, having also worked tirelessly at the other end to help Partizan’s defensive effort.

P.J. Dozier had 23 points as Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade beat Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Dozier's field goals vs. Zalgiris

Dozier emphasized how important it was for Partizan to come out on top after losing at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the previous round, as we head into the regular season’s home straight. “We have a tough stretch coming up, so we just wanted to get back to winning ways,” he commented. “It’s as if we like being in the hole and digging ourselves out, but the important thing is that we kept fighting.”

Head coach Zeljko Obradovic credited steely defense, with Partizan conceding just 48 points in the last three quarters after giving up 24 in the first. “We beat a good team,” stated Obradovic. “Andrea Trinchieri is doing a great job there, but we found a way to win in the second half. We got aggressive and contained their firepower.”

Visiting head coach Trinchieri stressed the glaring fact that Evans cut a lonesome figure on the offensive end for Zalgiris: “We needed somebody to step up and help Keenan Evans score, but it was a very tough game and we were not good enough to win tonight,” the Italian tactician reflected.

More Partizan News

P.J. Dozier and James Nunnally of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade celebrate together after beating Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The Serbian team overcame a slow start to protect its home court and stay in the playoff picture.

Resilient Partizan turned the tide again to beat Zalgiris

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-01-26T19:30:00.000Z)

Justin Anderson has seen his influence at Valencia Basket grow in recent weeks, which resulted in him playing a season-high 21 minutes at Saski Baskonia in Round 23 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Justin Anderson is starting to shine for Valencia Basket

As we head to the end of January, it’s the time of the year for mid-season signings to start to make an impact and change the course of their team’s season... and Valencia Basket is certainly starting to get to enjoy the talents of [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/).

The 30-year-old forward, a former first-round draft pick by the Dallas Mavericks, enjoyed a long career in the United States as he also represented the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers in more than 250 NBA appearances.

That kind of experience prompted Valencia to recruit Anderson in December following a brief stint with fellow Spanish team Rio Breogan, and his performance in [Friday’s 62-77 victory over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-saski-baskonia-vs-valencia-basket/) suggested that he’s ready to become a key player in the push for post-season action.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="pt" dir="ltr">𝐒𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚 🍾<br><br>🏆 J23 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@baskonia</a> 62<br>🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> 77<br>🤝 <a href="https://twitter.com/Luanvi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@luanvi</a><br><br>𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐭𝐚... 𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐎<br>Test durísimo en casa contigo<br><br>🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/unicajaCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@unicajaCB</a><br>⏰ Dom-18:30h<br>🎫 <a href="https://t.co/AnTCYhWg8y">https://t.co/AnTCYhWg8y</a> <a href="https://t.co/CjsZcFIeVs">pic.twitter.com/CjsZcFIeVs</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1750993291728851444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Anderson made key plays all night long

Anderson’s most important contribution doesn’t immediately show up on the stats sheet, as his determined defense played a major role in restricting Baskonia’s dangerman [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) to just 7 points on 3-of-14 field goal shooting.

His defensive efforts also produced the most spectacular play of the game, and perhaps in the whole competition this week, as he faced up to [Tadas Sedekerskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tadas-sedekerskis/007230/)’s fierce attempted dunk with a stupendous block that, coming midway through the final quarter, proved to be a real momentum changer in his team’s favor.

A few minutes earlier, Anderson had also delivered a similarly big offensive play. Back-to-back triples from [Jordan Theodore](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jordan-theodore/007946/) and [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/) had seen Baskonia threaten to overturn a deficit that had stood in double figures for most of the second half, pulling it back to 53-56. 

Justin Anderson had another impressive performance as Valencia Basket beat Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Anderson's highlights vs. Baskonia

Valencia coach Alex Mumbru called a timeout, urging his players to stay calm and withstand the home team’s charge. And straight away, Anderson did exactly that, taking the wind out of Baskonia’s sails by keeping his cool to sink a three-pointer.

Anderson finished with solid all-round numbers of 8 points on 3-of-4 field goal shooting, along with 1 assist, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots, with his season-high total of more than 21 minutes on the floor also showing that he is increasingly earning the trust of Coach Mumbru.

In the coming weeks, his influence could grow even greater.

Justin Anderson pumps his fist during Valencia Basket's win at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The American impressed in an all-Spanish showdown at Baskonia in Round 26.

Justin Anderson is starting to shine for Valencia 

Elie Okobo came up big for AS Monaco Basket as it grabbed a 78-80 win at Anadolu Efes S.K. in Round 23 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Elie Okobo gave AS Monaco Basket a much-needed spark at Anadolu Efes

AS Monaco snapped a three-game road winning streak in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign [by edging Anadolu Efes Istanbul 78-80](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-anadolu-efes-sk-vs-as-monaco-basket/) in Round 23 to improve to 13-10 in the standings.

It was not easy, as Efes was ahead for most of the third quarter. It used a 14-0 run to build its biggest lead of the night, 47-39, right after the break. When [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/) returned to the floor midway through the third quarter, Efes still led 56-51. Friday's night contest was Okobo's second EuroLeague game back with the team after a suspension, but he certainly didn't look out of rhythm.

"I spent 10 days away from the team. The cardio is gradually coming back. I'm with the group and I'm happy," Okobo said before the game. "Being away from the team wasn't easy, and watching the games on TV was frustrating. I tried to take a step back, look at myself in the mirror, see the things I could improve, the things I could change to do my best for the team. It's been good for me, too. I think I'm coming back with a better face."

### Responding in the best way possible

Okobo definitely proved it on the court, leading Monaco to a tough road victory against a team that had beaten Virtus Segafredo Bologna and FC Barcelona by 24 points apiece in the last two rounds. He had 12 of his 16 points in the final 12 minutes.

Elie Okobo of AS Monaco had 12 of his 16 points in the final 12 minutes to lead his team to a 78-80 road victory against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 23.

Okobo leads Monaco past Efes

With the game tied at 58-58, Okobo hit a stop-and-pop jumper from the elbow, before adding a three-pointer soon after and finding Jaron Blossomgame for a reverse layup that gave Monaco a 60-65 lead after 30 minutes. Okobo was just getting started.

He led Monaco throughout the fourth quarter, hitting 5-of-6 free throws, 3 of which came in the final 9.4 seconds, and he also had a tip-in that made Efes call a timeout at 70-75 with under 4 minutes remaining.

Okobo added 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 fouls drawn to amass a PIR of 17. "I feel great. It was a super tough win to get on the road, especially here. They are a really good team and the way we fought in the third quarter, I think we were down 6 at halftime and the way we found all the guys that stepped on the court, even the bench, it was really good. Great energy. We have to keep building from that," Okobo said after the game. "We had to keep our focus. A couple of times this year, with games on the line, we made stupid mistakes and ended up losing. It was really frustrating and tonight we didn't want to same mistakes."

Asked about the upcoming double week, Okobo couldn't help smiling: "I am really ready, really excited. The EuroLeague is always fun to play. I love it!"

More Monaco News

Elie Okobo in action for AS Monaco against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Frenchman came up big for his team in just his second appearance back.

Elie Okobo gave Monaco a much-needed lift at Efes

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v AS Monaco (2024-01-26T17:30:00.000Z)

Olimpia Milano beat Barça Basket 74-70 in the EuroLeague on Friday night, with the hosts' dominant first-half proving key in the game.

Olimpia Milano's first-half effort paid off against Barça Basket

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan bounced back from its recent losses [by edging FC Barcelona 74-70](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-barca-basket/) at the Forum to get its 10th victory of the season. An outstanding first half allowed Milan to get on the right track to win this Round 23 clash. 

Ettore Messina's side played outstanding defense in the first half, forcing Barca to shoot the ball with low percentages and sharing the ball really well on offense. Before halftime, Barca hit just 9-of-25 two-pointers (36% 2FG). The hosts allowed Barca to take just 4 three-point shots and had to wait until the 20th minute of the game to hit 1, which came from Jabari Parker.

### Milan impressed on both ends in the first half

On the other hand, Milan hit 14-of-22 shots inside the arc (63.6% 2FG) and did better than its opponent in pretty much every statistical category. At halftime, Milan had 2 blocks, 8 assists, 3 steals and just 3 turnovers. Moreover, even when Barca had more assists, 10, it had no steals and picked up as many as 8 turnovers. All of that translated into a big difference between both teams' first-half PIR: Milan amassed a PIR of 60 and Barca only had a PIR of 23. Above all, Milan led 47-28 at the break.

"We have to play for 40 minutes, not just 20 minutes," Milan head coach Ettore Messina said at halftime. "Twenty is not enough, and we know very well because we wasted a lot of leads this year. We need to keep playing for 20 more minutes."

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan built a 47-28 halftime lead over FC Barcelona in Round 23 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Milan's outstanding first half

### A different story after the break

Coach Messina kind of predicted what would happen after the break. Even though Milan did not trail at any time, it had to wait until the final seconds to seal the outcome. Milan's ball circulation was worse in the second half, getting just 6 assists and recording as many as 11 turnovers. Barca had more steals (5) than turnovers (3) in the second half. Milan also struggled to score both inside and outside the arc, burying just 5-of-17 two-point attempts (29.4% 2FG) and 2-of-16 shots from downtown (12.5% 3FG).

"We cannot be satisfied with such a double-faced game. We need to continue to work a lot, watch film, talk, and hopefully we will be better," Coach Messina stated after the game. "Don't forget that we had Barca on the other side. It was not possible that they would continue like \[they played\] in the first half. You also have to give them credit for what they did and for how they came back."

Milan has beaten Barca twice this season, as it registered an 86-90 victory at Palau Blaugrana in Round 14. Friday's night triumph kept the Italian side's hopes of making the EuroLeague Playoffs alive, too.

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