Olimpia Milano continued its upwards trajectory with a win against Saski Baskonia in Round 17 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, which saw the hosts lean on a new Big Three of Nicolo Melli, Johannes Voigtmann and Diego Flaccadori.

Injury-plagued Olimpia Milano leaned on a new Big Three in Baskonia win

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan finished the first half of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season in style, [downing Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 76-67](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-saski-baskonia/) despite being without five players who are either injured or unavailable. But the good news is that reinforcements are on the way.

[Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/) was a last-minute scratch in Round 17, joining [Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/), [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) and [Giampaolo Ricc](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/giampaolo-ricci/001518/)i on the team's injury list. Milan also found itself without new signing Shabazz Napier following his move from another EuroLeague team, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. However, the American guard, who shined so brightly at Mediolanum Forum last season, will be available to play from Round 18. Or, in other words, next week.

"I think the whole team played a fantastic game," said Milan head coach Ettore Messina after the game. "I have no words. In this situation, if you look at the five players sitting in the stands in this game, you think it is probably a playoff team."

### Voigtmann, Melli stepped up for Milan

If you took a glance at Milan's available players, the ones with the most experience were in the frontcourt positions: [Kyle Hines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kyle-hines/002812/), [Johannes Voigtmann](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/johannes-voigtmann/007201/) and [Nicolo Melli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolo-melli/002849/). As such, it was only natural for Milan to get its big men involved as often as possible against Baskonia, and that plan worked to perfection.

Melli had 12 in the second quarter alone, a period in which Milan took off. Voigtmann completed a double-double with 8 minutes left in the third quarter. At halftime, Melli and Voigtmann combined for 25 points and a PIR of 35. As a team, Baskonia combined for a PIR of 30.

Johannes Voigtmann, Nicolo Melli and Diego Flaccadori led EA7 Emporio Armani Milan past Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 17.

Milan's big three delivers against Baskonia

In order to find a balance on offense, Milan needed a third wheel, a backcourt player that could be a threat at all times. 

"I am very proud of the guys that came in and didn't play a lot of minutes in the last couple of weeks. They made a great effort," Voigtmann said. "Everybody who came in gave us something. It was not the perfect game, but we are very happy with the win." 

### Flaccadori also made his presence felt

Voigtmann didn't mention him, but he was definitely talking about [Diego Flaccadori](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/diego-flaccadori/005670/), who stepped up big at both ends of the floor. Flaccadori scored 11 points before the break, before finishing the game with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. He also helped Milan limit Baskonia's top scorer Markus Howard to just 7 points and a PIR of -7. 

Melli led the way with 21 points and 3 blocks and Voigtmann added 19 points and 12 rebounds, meaning Milan's new Big Three – for one night only, at least – combined for 54 points.

"It was an important game for us, mostly after Shavon's injury. We had to stick together and try to win this game," Melli said. "I think that everybody made a step forward and we came home with a win. 

“Everybody is very focused and ready. We knew the task at hand and knew it wasn't easy, because we had a lot of absences and Baskonia is a very good team. But everybody was focused and came ready, and we showed it on the court." 

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Don&#39;t ever underestimate the heart of a Captain ⚪️🔥🔴<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/olimpiamilano?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#olimpiamilano</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a> <a href="https://t.co/PEmCSCpJET">pic.twitter.com/PEmCSCpJET</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1740495765091541459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Milan's next game is on the road at Olympiacos Piraeus and it will be the first time Napier can play since his move, or so Melli expects.

"Hopefully with Shabazz! We are halfway through the season, so the way is still long."

The road is long, indeed, but if Napier is able to provide Milan with the same boost he did last season, there could be many happy days ahead for fans of The Little Red Shoes.

More Milan News

Diego Flaccadori of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan looks to get up a shot against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 17 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Without the likes of Shields, Lo and Mirotic, the Italian side still managed to record an important victory in Round 17.

Injury-plagued Milan leaned on a new Big Three in Baskonia win

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-12-28T19:30:00.000Z)

Big man Johannes Voigtmann put EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on his back and carried it to a 76-67 win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz with one of the best performances of his career in Round 17 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Following his efforts, he has earned his first-ever MVP of the Round honor.

Round 17 MVP: Johannes Voigtmann, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

Big man Johannes Voigtmann put EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on his back and carried it to a 76-67 win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz with one of the best performances of his career in Round 17 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Following his efforts, he has earned his first-ever MVP of the Round honor.

Voigtmann scored 19 points, making 4-of-6 two-point shots and 4-of-6 triples, while also pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing 3 assists. He had 1 steal and 3 drawn fouls, too. Voigtmann's 14th career double-double, and first since April 2021, helped him accumulate a PIR of 29, the highest among winning players in Round 17. That performance has seen the eight-year veteran record his first MVP of the Round honor in his 232nd career game.

Johannes Voigtmann | RS Round 17 MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Round 17's highest PIR, 37, belongs to Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul as he had 28 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in an 84-87 loss against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Josh Nebo of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Nigel Hayes-Davis of Fenerbahce and Alec Peters of Olympiacos Piraeus each had a PIR of 27 in this round. Nebo posted 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in a 70-78 road win over Zalgiris Kaunas, Hayes-Davis finished with 24 points and 6 rebounds in a triumph over Efes, while Peters had 23 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 0 turnovers in Olympiacos’s 67-94 victory at ALBA Berlin. Rounding out the list of this round's top performers is Real Madrid center Walter Tavares, who collected 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks for a 26 PIR in *Los Blancos*’ 76-77 win at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

A performance in a win over Baskonia has seen Milan forward record his first MVP of the Round honor in his 232nd career game.

Round 15 brought a lot of great individual performances and players who stepped up big. These were the leaders in the main statistical categories.

Round 15 individual highs: Dan Oturu, Efes, 5 blocks

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

[Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) of Anadolu Efes Istanbul led all scorers this week with 28 points. AS Monaco star [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) still leads the league with 19.8 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)

Two big men managed to pull 12 rebounds apiece in respective victories for their teams: [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) of Real Madrid and [Johannes Voigtmann](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/johannes-voigtmann/007201/) of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Midway through the regular season, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz team captain [Tadas Sedekerskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tadas-sedekerskis/007230/) remains the league’s best rebounder with his average of 8.3 boards per contest.

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

[Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) of Olympiacos Piraeus dished 9 assists in this round. Real playmaker [Facundo Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) is still the best assists provider in the league with 7.0 dimes per game.

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

Walkup and [Diego Flaccadori](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/diego-flaccadori/005670/) of Milan collected 4 steals apiece in Round 17. [Paris Lee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/paris-lee/011225/) of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne still dominates this category with 2.1 steals per night.

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

[Nicolo Melli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolo-melli/002849/) of Milan and [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) of Olympiacos both made a round-high 3 blocks this week. Tavares is still atop the charts for blocks, averaging 1.4 rejections 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)

Two players – Voigtmann (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Tavares (16 points, 12 rebounds) – had a double-double in Round 17.

Round 17 brought a lot of great individual performances and players who stepped up big. These were the leaders in the main statistical categories.

Round 17 individual highs: Shane Larkin, Efes, 28 points

Zalgiris Kaunas announced on Saturday morning that Andrea Trinchieri is its new head coach, replacing in that role Kazys Maksvytis, who parted ways with the club by mutual agreement.

Zalgiris appoints Andrea Trinchieri as new head coach

Zalgiris Kaunas announced on Saturday morning that Andrea Trinchieri is its new head coach, replacing in that role Kazys Maksvytis, who parted ways with the club by mutual agreement.

At the halfway point of the regular season, Zalgiris is sitting with a 5-12 record in 16th place, and currently has a six-game losing streak. Maksvytis guided the team to a seventh-place finish and a place in the playoffs last season.

"The decision was not an easy one, but both sides came to it", said Zalgiris director Paulius Jankunas. "Although a couple of weeks ago we showed public confidence in the coach, lately the team’s play and results have not satisfied the coaching staff, the club’s management or the team’s fans. Maksvytis joined Zalgiris at a difficult time and last season helped the team get back to where we want to be. We are grateful to him for his work here."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">New Zalgiris Head Coach - Andrea Trinchieri! 🇮🇹 <a href="https://t.co/a1TqSQOnxY">pic.twitter.com/a1TqSQOnxY</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1741004365471924474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </center>

Trinchieri, 55, spent the last three seasons coaching FC Bayern Munich, which he led to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022, the only two by a German club in the EuroLeague history. In both seasons, Trinchieri's Bayern was ousted in the playoffs in five games.

Trinchieri started his head coaching career with Vanoli Soresina of his native Italy. He has also coached Pepsi Caserta, Primo Veroli and Pallacanestro Cantu in Italy, UNICS Kazan in Russia, Brose Bamberg in Germany, Partizan NIS Belgrade in Serbia, as well as the Greek national team.

He helped UNICS win the Russian Cup and reach the EuroCup Finals in 2014. That season he was also named EuroCup Coach of the Year. Trinchieri led Bamberg to three consecutive German championships from 2015 to 2017 plus the German Cup in 2017. He won Serbian Cups with Partizan in 2019 and 2020. During his time with Bayern, he also guided it to German Cup titles in 2021 and 2023.

Zalgiris has made a coaching change at the halfway point of the regular season.

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

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 17 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 17th winner in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Pavlos Panagiotou beat everyone else in Round 17 with his team Thrylos26, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 247.15.

Pavlos had the following lineup: team captain Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Alec Peters of Olympiacos Piraeus, Walter Tavares of Real Madrid, Diego Flaccadori of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Konstantinos Mitoglou of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as starters. <br>
His sixth man was Milan's Johannes Voigtmann, while the rest of the bench was made up of Johannes Thiemann of ALBA Berlin, Rolands Smits of Zalgiris Kaunas, Nigel Williams-Goss of Olympiacos and Kassius Robertson of Valencia Basket. His head coach was Georgios Bartzokas of Olympiacos. 

The prize for finishing first in Round 17 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2024-25 season, so congratulations, Pavlos! 

Giorgios Antonopoulos is the leader of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge overall standings with 3,079.90 points. 

Trades are now open for Round 18. Remember, it's back to three trades per round until the end of Round 19! 

The first game in Round 18, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, tips off on Tuesday, January 2, at 18:45 CET. This contest marks 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!

AS Monaco Basket put on a show for its fans in its final EuroLeague home game of the year, as it romped to a 91-71 win over Barça Basket in Round 17.

Monaco Basket outgunned Barça Basket to finish 2023 on a high note

There will be loud New Year’s Eve celebrations in the principality after [AS Monaco blew away FC Barcelona 91-71](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-as-monaco-basket-vs-barca-basket/) in the final Round 17 game of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign, which drew to a close the first half of the regular season.

Monaco saved the best for last in 2023, having served up a rip-roaring performance to notch its first home win over Barcelona at the fifth attempt thanks to a seamless team effort which saw Mike James and Alpha Diallo stand out.

### The threeball was one of the game’s key factors

James netted a game-high 20 points and Diallo added 19 on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown, where Monaco excelled while Barcelona faltered.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🔐 𝑨𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂 𝑫𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝑒𝑛 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍 🗡<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/aL1baL4PAD">pic.twitter.com/aL1baL4PAD</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1740866181278634431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The home team sank 15-of-30 shots from beyond the three-point arc while Barcelona only made 8-of-27, courtesy of Monaco’s quick transition of the ball which created a barrage of open looks.

Light on their feet, the hosts overran Barca throughout the lop-sided contest, as the visitors looked trampled by Monaco’s pace and intensity which saw them chasing shadows all evening.

“We just wanted to bring out our aggressiveness and protect our home court because we’ve lost too many home games already,” James said in a flash post-game interview as he walked off the court. “It’s good to get a win at the halfway mark and help yourself reload heading into the second half of the regular season. To get a win against Barca at any stage is great.”

Propelled by the constant perimeter danger of Nico Laprovittola, Barça halted a troublesome chapter on their travels with a battling gain at Zalgiris. They travel to a Monaco roster relieved to end a two-game losing run at Bayern, with many thanks to a season-high 28 points from the lethal Mike James.

AS Monaco-FC Barcelona | Round 17 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

James gave the home fans a scare late in the third quarter as he had to receive some treatment in the locker room after taking a knock on the head, but he sprung back into action quickly to devastating effect.

“Just had to go stitch it over quickly and we’re good,” Monaco’s No. 55 confirmed.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">MR. CONSISTENT 🫡<br><br>Mike James recorded double figures in scoring in all of the first 1️⃣7️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> games so far 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/tWNWyosQnF">pic.twitter.com/tWNWyosQnF</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket EN (@asmonaco_en) <a href="https://twitter.com/asmonaco_en/status/1740856870733238749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Winning as a team in front of its ‘sixth man’

Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic was pleased with his team’s effort. “I am happy with the win and with the way we won. I am looking forward to the next games and challenges,” commented the Serbian tactician, who is known for always demanding more from his players.

“Everybody performed and contributed in different ways. We found a way to score through individual quality and we are now headed for a very important period, with lots of challenges ahead,” he added.

Diallo heaped praise on the passionate home fans afterward: “We had an amazing crowd tonight. They are our sixth man and we appreciate them for that. We let our defense dictate our offense tonight and we’ve got to keep that going.”

Barca head coach Roger Grimau, meanwhile, conceded his team was second best throughout. “We played a very bad game, they made crazy threes and scored on too many one-on-one situations,” he lamented.

More Monaco News

Mike James of AS Monaco is defended by Oscar Da Silva of FC Barcelona in Round 17 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The French side produced its best performance at the halfway mark of the regular season.

Monaco outgunned Barcelona to finish 2023 on a high note

AS Monaco v FC Barcelona (2023-12-29T20:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco Basket closed 2023 in style by securing a 91-71 win against Barça Basket in Round 17 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, led by two great performances by Mike James and Alpha Diallo.

Monaco Basket routs Barça Basket, 91-71, powered by Mike James and Alpha Diallo

<incrowd-live-blog id="658c4bbc76bfbe64654e4b8c" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Donta Hall of AS Monaco is defended by Jabari Parker of FC Barcelona in Round 17 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The principality side dominated from start to finish en route to a convincing win in Round 17.

Monaco routs Barcelona, 91-71, powered by Mike James and Alpha Diallo

Olympiacos B.C. outscored ALBA Berlin 22-54 in the second half en route to a 67-94 win in Round 17 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, with the Reds leaning on their defense to secure the victory.

Improved defense led to Olympiacos B.C.’s offensive explosion at ALBA Berlin

Looking at the stats from [Olympiacos Piraeus’s 67-94 victory at ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-alba-berlin-vs-olympiacos-bc/) on Friday night, you might think that a stellar offensive showing was the key to the Reds’ comfortable triumph.

Georgios Bartzokas’s team converted 23 of its 31 two-point attempts, an impressive 74.2%, in addition to adding a solid 10-of-23 (43.5%) from beyond the arc. And that was achieved by no less than 30 assists, a season high, with just 11 turnovers committed. That all adds up to an outstanding collective PIR of 143.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Final 🏀 ALBA Berlin - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> 67-94 (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/BEROLY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BEROLY</a> <a href="https://t.co/HDlnrr7lkV">pic.twitter.com/HDlnrr7lkV</a></p>&mdash; OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1740835320080593176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Olympiacos struggled early on

However, the victory was not just a simple case of free-flowing offense from Olympiacos, which in fact struggled to find both rhythm and accuracy in the opening 15 minutes, which saw ALBA race into a 34-23 lead.

Then came the turnaround, and it was sparked by defense. ALBA had committed no turnovers during the first quarter and a half, using its smooth ball rotation to create excellent looks especially from long range. But then things changed, as the Reds forced turnovers in consecutive possessions – one by Nikola Milutinov and the other from Thomas Walkup – and both resulted in Nigel Williams-Goss scoring layups in transition. 

### A ‘fiery’ discussion at the break

That 20-second burst of action set the tone, and Olympiacos proceeded to really step up its defensive efforts after a feisty locker room confrontation with Coach Bartzokas, as revealed by scoring star Alec Peters.

“Without going into any details, the locker room was pretty fiery at halftime and that’s probably something we needed,” revealed Peters, who again led his team in scoring with 23 points. “We needed to let that anger out about what happened in the first half. We let it out, we got back on the court and we really showed what we can look like in the second half.”

Former ALBA star Luke Sikma, making his first appearance against his former team, agreed. “Our defense really stepped up at the start of the second half," said the veteran forward. “We got some physicality going, got some stops in a row and converted at the other end. That gave us the confidence to go from there.”

The Reds cast aside their recent issues to gain a win at ASVEL, powered by a near-record 8 blocks by Moustapha Fall and the impressive Shaquielle McKissic. They journey to ALBA, who want another strong Matt Thomas performance, who made 3 of 5 three-point attempts during a defeat to Fenerbahce.

ALBA Berlin-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 17 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

There was certainly no lack of confidence about the Reds’ second half performance, which started with a 2-16 run as ALBA was held to just 2 free throws in more than 5 minutes. The same pattern continued throughout the second half, ending with just 24 points after the break for the home team. And perhaps the clearest statistic to encapsulate the game: ALBA finished with 14 turnovers, having committed zero in the first 15 minutes.

Coach Bartzokas was pleased with his team’s reaction, commenting: "We were losing by 3 at halftime and won by 30, so there was probably something we needed to change in our approach. At halftime they had 14 assists, 9 threes, and the pace of the game. We just spent 5 fouls in the first half. \[But\] our defense was solid in the second half, we ended with 30 assists, scored 90 points, and won by 30 points against a team that last week beat Barcelona, so it’s a win that we really appreciate.”

And it could also be a win to set up Olympiacos for a surge up the standings in the second half of the regular season.

More Olympiacos News

Thomas Walkup of Olympiacos Piraeus is defended by Malte Delow of ALBA Berlin in Round 17 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

After a disappointing first 20 minutes, Georgios Bartzokas's squad went up several gears in the second half to secure the win.

Improved defense led to Olympiacos’s offensive explosion at ALBA

ALBA Berlin v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-12-29T19:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos B.C. took its game to another level in the second half to defeat ALBA Berlin 67-94 in Round 17 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Olympiacos B.C. steps up after the break to down ALBA Berlin, 67-94

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Olympiacos Piraeus forward Kostas Papanikolaou has possession against ALBA Berlin in Round 17 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Reds trailed by 3 at the break before outscoring the hosts 22-54 in the second half.