ALBA Berlin struck early and late on the road to take a hard-fought 84-88 win over host Panathinaikos Athens on Friday. ALBA finished the game with a 1-10 run over the last 3 minutes to raise its record to 10-23 while Panathinaikos fell to 11-22. Jaleen Smith led the winners with 14 points while Maodo Lo added 14, Johannes Thiemann 11 and Yovel Zoosman 10. Dwayne Bacon had 16 points, Marius Grigonis 15, Georgios Papagiannis 13 and Paris Lee 12 for the Greens.

 ALBA's downs host Panathinaikos, 84-88 

ALBA Berlin struck early and late on the road to take a hard-fought 84-88 win over host Panathinaikos Athens in the next-to-last game of the EuroLeague season two teams already eliminated from the playoffs race. Maodo Lo and Luke Sikma scored 4 points and Yanni Wetzell added insurance free throws as ALBA finished the game with a 1-10 run over the last 3 minutes. The visitors raised their record to 10-23 while Panathinaikos fell to 11-22.

Jaleen Smith led the winners with 14 points while Lo added 14, Johannes Thiemann 11 and Yovel Zoosman 10. Dwayne Bacon had 14 of his 16 points after halftime for Panathinaikos, but his late game-winning attempt missed. Marius Grigonis added 15 points, Georgios Papagiannis 13 and Paris Lee 12 for the Greens.

Game Videos

After Lee scored from the opening tip, ALBA reeled off the next 12 points as Smith his a pair of triples. Derrick Williams willed Panathinaikos back within 11-14, but ALBA surged again to lead 17-25 after 10 minutes with seven players in the scoring column already. Christ Koumadje played just 3 minutes of the game in the second quarter, but was worth 7 points and a high ALBA lead of 20-34. Grigonis and Arturas Gudaitis brought Panathinaikos back from there, sharing 15 points in 7 minutes as the hosts pulled closer, 49-42, at the half.

Bacon came alive after the break with 3 tough baskets in a row and eventually fed Williams for a layup that tied the score, 54-54. A total of 10 lead changes after that would carry the game to the finish, and Bacon's triple and layup put the Greens up 68-63 before Lo beat the third-quarter buzzer with a triple. Back and forth they went on the scoreboard into the final quarter, with Thiemann, Zoosman and Louis Olinde coming up with big baskets for ALBA, while Papagiannis and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis did the same for the Greens, who led 83-78 with 3:37 left. Panathinaikos would scored just 1 free throw after that as Sikma's 4 points in a row started the final turnaround and Lo finished it.

Game News

ALBA downs host Panathinaikos, 84-88

Panathinaikos Athens v ALBA Berlin (2023-04-07T18:00:00.000Z)

 Jaleen Smith, ALBA: 'We're always playing free' 

### Israel Gonzales, ALBA head coach

"I think our mental approach \[made the difference\]. Maodo \[Lo\], for example, was missing a lot of shots, but at the end he took the responsibility. We played again with good effort, like a team, passing the ball. And I congratulate the players because we are playing better and finishing the season well."

### Christos Serelis, Panathinaikos head coach

"We didn't manage very well some differences. Again, they scored a lot of transition points because we controlled the game in five-on-five situations. But they scored some open shots and some layups, and I think this was the most difficult part of our game."

### Maodo Lo, ALBA guard

"We were just able to make some plays at the end. Fortunately, they went our way. We were able to get the lead at the end of the game and that gave us the chance to win. I think we were executing well at the end and we were sharp, and that helped."

### Jaleen Smith, ALBA guard

"I think they might have got fatigues having to come back and use so much energy in the third quarter. I mean, they started making crazy shots; Bacon started getting them going. And when he gets going it's pretty tough to stop them. We're always playing free. \[Head coach\] Israel \[Gonzales\] always says to play fast. I think we did a good job today. That was the model for today, play fast and play free."

Jaleen Smith, ALBA: 'We're always playing free'

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has extended the contract of versatile forward Nigel Hayes-Davis for a further two years, with his new deal set to expire in 2025, the club announced on Friday. The extension also includes an option for the 2025-26 season. Hayes-Davis (2.03 meters, 28 years old) has averaged 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a PIR of 13.3 in 33 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games this season

 Fenerbahce, Nigel Hayes-Davis extend contract to 2025 

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has extended the contract of versatile forward [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) for a further two years, with his new deal set to expire in 2025, the club announced on Friday. The extension also includes an option for the 2025-26 season. Hayes-Davis (2.03 meters, 28 years old) has averaged 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a PIR of 13.3 in 33 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games this season, his first with Fenerbahce. The 28-year-old earned Round 23 MVP honors after leading Fenerbahce to a 101-86 home win with 24 points, 11 rebounds and a PIR of 37. He then had a career-high 26 points in Thursday's crucial 103-86 home win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Nigel Hayes-Davis üç sezon daha Fenerbahçe Beko’da! 💛💙✍️<br><br>👉 <a href="https://t.co/s7OUjD9mEi">https://t.co/s7OUjD9mEi</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZarN4kWn7j">pic.twitter.com/ZarN4kWn7j</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1644324498399690754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Hayes-Davis started his pro career splitting nine games among three NBA teams in 2017-18 and then moved to Europe with Galatasaray Istanbul the following year. Now in his fourth season in the EuroLeague, he debuted in the competition for Zalgiris in 2019-20, averaging 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals across 28 appearances, of which 10 were as a starter. In 2020-21, Hayes-Davis started in 30 of 33 games and increased his scoring and rebounding averages to 9.5 points and 3.9 boards per night. 

He moved to FC Barcelona ahead of the 2021-22 campaign and went on to reach the 2022 Final Four with the Spanish team, although he had more of a reserve role, averaging 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds. Last summer, Hayes-Davis joined Fenerbahce, where he has gone on to set career highs for total points (319), rebounds (138), assists (44) and steals (39).

Fenerbahce, Nigel Hayes-Davis extend contract to 2026

For the first time ever in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action, AS Monaco (21-11) will welcome Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (18-14) to the principality for their Round 33 clash. This is a meeting with high playoff implications in the regular season's penultimate round, but has larger significance for the visitors than for the hosts.

Monaco, which would love to gift its fans a victory in the team's final regular season home game, has accomplished all its main goals ahead of the playoffs by clinching home-court advantage last week. The team, led by star guard Mike James, would like to keep its momentum going, but also avenge its early-January 20-point loss in Belgrade's Stark Arena.

Partizan still has work to be done when it comes to booking its first playoff ticket since 2010, needing one win or a loss in Round 34 by either Zalgiris Kaunas or Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz to qualify. But Kevin Punter, Mathias Lessort & Co. are coming off a mightily impressive four-game stretch. First visiting two-time champs Anadolu Efes Istanbul before hosting the top three teams in the standings – Olympiacos Piraeus, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid – Partizan has come away with three double-digit wins while averaging 92.8 points over those four games.

By looking at the two clubs, the regions they come from, their respective traditions and history, arenas in which they each play and the difference in appearances of their supporters, one might say Monaco and Partizan could not be any more different. But these two clubs currently have a lot more in common that one would think.

For starters, both Monaco and Partizan have been on an upward trajectory in recent years, and this season has only reinforced that notion.

Monaco, which played in lower-tier French Leagues as recently as 2015, won the 7DAYS EuroCup in 2021, which allowed it to make its EuroLeague debut last season. Now, the club has made the playoffs in both of its EuroLeague campaigns and will be playing with home-court advantage in a best-of-five series later this month.

Partizan, a continental champion in 1992 and a perennial playoff team in the late 2000s, has returned to the EuroLeague after eight seasons away. Under the guidance of the one and only Zeljko Obradovic, the most successful coach ever at the continental level, Partizan has used its high-scoring offense to make progress by leaps and bounds in the last four months of the season and reach the brink of the playoffs.

In a first-ever EuroLeague meeting between the clubs, a resurgent Partizan group, who share the best on-the-road record in the tournament, face the Roca team, a side harbouring an impressive 11-5 account and equipped with the standout talents of Elie Okobo.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs AS Monaco - Round 17 - Highlights

While Partizan's lone EuroLeague title and this current revival have both come with Zeljko Obradovic on the bench, a different Obradovic, Sasa, has been guiding Monaco to its own EuroLeague success the past two seasons. And the two Obradovices go way back.

Monaco head coach Sasa played under Partizan's coach Zeljko on the Yugoslavian national teams in the 1990s. Their run started with a gold medal at EuroBasket 1995, with Zeljko serving as an assistant coach and Sasa playing a backup point guard role. With Zeljko assuming national team's head coaching position, they went on to win an Olympic silver medal together in 1996, a EuroBasket gold in 1997, a World championship title in 1998, and finally a EuroBasket bronze in 1999.

Interestingly, the two never faced each other as coaches before Round 17, when Partizan won 100-80.

That's not all when it comes to connections between two teams. Partizan center Mathias Lessort was one of the main cogs on Monaco's journey to winning the 2021 EuroCup crown, while Partizan sharpshooter Danilo Andjusic was with Monaco last season, helping the team reach its first-ever EuroLeague Playoffs berth.

By already matching that success, Monaco has proven it has no intention to be a one-hit wonder, rather a new force to be reckoned with on the EuroLeague basketball map. Partizan, impressively backed by an army of its supporters that have turned EuroLeague games – and not just those in Belgrade - into basketball parties, wants to follow suit.

But, Partizan still has ways to go. First, it has to punch its playoff ticket.

A win tonight would get the job done.

Connections aplenty as Partizan visits Monaco on Friday

AS Monaco v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-04-07T19:00:00.000Z)

This latest edition of Table Talk features FC Barcelona guard Kyle Kuric, Spanish break-dancer Ana 'Furia' Ortega, ex-EuroLeague player Patric Young, MotoGP™ star Maverick Viñales, newly-designated Hall of Famer Pau Gasol and Anadolu Efes Istanbul dietician Buket Mamur 

Table Talk: The importance of healthy habits

This latest edition of Table Talk features FC Barcelona guard [Kyle Kuric](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqm-AGLjzdH/), Spanish break-dancer [Ana 'Furia' Ortega](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqsydpotoRq/), ex-EuroLeague player [Patric Young](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqDNi3q3Ti/), MotoGP™ star [Maverick Viñales](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqnXRU0jFOw/), newly-designated Hall of Famer [Pau Gasol](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqsFzTYvr6b/) and Anadolu Efes Istanbul dietician [Buket Mamur](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqNqsSqu4T/).

The term "healthy habits" is often related to food and a person's diet, but as former professional basketball player Patric Young puts it, healthy habits are "attached to some type of goal or identity, who we want to be as people, and habits are… they're hard to create. They take discipline."

In the latest Table Talk documentary by Euroleague Basketball Originals, four individuals who are playing or have played sport at the highest level came together to engage in an informed discussion about the importance of healthy habits and how this applies to the wider population at large.

Young, who played 52 total games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for Galatasaray and Olympiacos Piraeus between 2014 and 2017 but was left paralyzed from the waist down due to a serious car crash on June 29, 2022, was joined in the discussion by MotoGP™ star Maverick Viñales, FC Barcelona guard Kyle Kuric and Spanish break-dancer Ana "Furia" Ortega, as well as host Mark Hokan, as they offered their opinions on just what a healthy lifestyle means to them.

There was a common consensus about the importance of what food they are eating, yet Kuric stressed how vital it is to be mentally prepared for any changes that are to come: "I think the thing that is becoming even more important now is just the mental aspect of everything."

The group made sure to highlight some little changes that they have made to their day-to-day routines in order to put themselves in better positions to be the best versions of themselves.

Without these healthy habits in place, it would likely be difficult to reach the heights that Young, Viñales, Kuric and Ortega have reached in their respective sports, but they do admit that there are still things that they are working on. From turning off the television late at night to journaling to limiting the amount of time spent on social media, these are aspects of healthy habits that they make sure to work on.

Another icon who understands the importance of healthy habits is Pau Gasol, who was recently named to the 2023 class of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Through the Gasol Foundation, Pau and his brother Marc, the only siblings in history to both win NBA titles, are trying to tackle child obesity by focusing on the need for physical activity, emotional well-being, healthy eating and sleep quality.

"I've always felt that health is the most important thing," said Gasol. "If you're healthy, you're active, you're going to be able to learn more, absorb more and have more energy and so forth, so \[the foundation\] had to be around health.

"We looked at childhood obesity and how that was alarmingly growing in the world, not just in the United States, not just in America, but all over. What does that mean? Okay, well let's reinforce healthy habits. That's why we started it and that's why we said, 'Okay, let's protect children.' Let's give them the tools, especially the most vulnerable. I think this is always going to be important, no matter what."

One of the key aspects to maintaining healthy habits is having a routine, yet it is not always easy to stay on track, with life often getting in the way. Nevertheless, Young argues that the key to sticking with healthy habits is staying committed to them: "For me, discipline unlocks freedom."

That much was true for Kuric, as back in 2015 he recovered from a meningioma, which is a tumor that forms on membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord just inside the skull. After originally being told that he would be out for at least a year, the Barca guard, who at the time was playing for Gran Canaria, ended up returning after five months, thanks in large part to the healthy habits that he implemented.

"After the injury, I lost so much weight so quickly that I was so skinny and frail that I had to; one, prove the doctors wrong and get back sooner; and two, to do that, I had to build my body back up. So, I went to the extreme," explained Kuric. "I started measuring out the ounces, the grams of the chicken, the pasta, everything, just to get all the carbs, the protein and everything just so that I could build my body back up. Since then, it's come down a little bit, but I've kind of stayed along the same line of making sure I get my protein in, just so that I can feel full and feel strong, because that's when I feel at my best and it's kind of just developed along that way."

As for Young, he does not know when or if he will be able to walk again, but he is staying true to his healthy habits in order to give himself the best chance possible.

"I don't know when that breakthrough \[will come\] for me… when I'm going to start walking or take my first steps, but in the middle of the process, I can't give up," he stated. "I can't say, 'Oh, man, it might take five years from now, so I'm going to try to shortchange the process.' We're just normal people that are chasing these things to the best of our ability and enjoying all of it, so it's nothing that no one else can't do in their regular lives as well."

"Table Talk: Healthy Habits" is the latest Table Talk documentary produced by Euroleague Basketball. Other features include "Table Talk: Life of a Prospect", "Table Talk: Racism #NotInOurWorld", "Table Talk: Playing Overseas", "Table Talk: Mental Health in Sports", "Table Talk: Athletes' Retirement" and "Table Talk: Women in Sports", all of which are available to watch at [tabletalk.euroleague.net](http://tabletalk.euroleague.net).

After winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, Anadolu Efes Istanbul is no longer in a position to try for a historic three-peat of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles, but the team and its head coach, Ergin Ataman, can look back at a glorious four-year stint with plenty of pride after defying the odds to reach such giddy heights.

 

With one round of games left in the 2022-23 regular season, Efes is mathematically out of playoff contention after suffering a tough 103-86 loss at city rival Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in an electrifying clash between Turkey's only two EuroLeague champion clubs ever.

 

The game was much closer than the final score might suggest. Efes was in it until the last five minutes, when the hosts found an extra gear and pulled away. But the visitors went down fighting, even when it was clear that they were going to fall short.

 

Fenerbahce's players received a well-deserved standing ovation from the home fans, while Efes was left to reflect on a nearly unprecedented string of accomplishments that ended on Thursday.

Fenerbahce laid down the gauntlet to Efes when it became the first Turkish team to win Europe's premier club competition in 2017, and Ataman's team responded with a vengeance. Having finished bottom of the then-16-team league in 2018, Efes reached the first Final Four in the club's history in 2019 and advanced to its first-ever championship game after beating none other than Fenerbahce in the semifinals, 92-73.

Efes was beaten in the final by CSKA Moscow, but its rapid rise from the EuroLeague's doldrums was a sign of things to come. In 2020, Efes dominated and had a league-best 24-4 record. It seemed set to achieve a second successive Final Four appearance before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. That misfortune might have derailed other rising challengers, but Efes bounced back from the disappointment in superb fashion.

Having finished third in the regular season with a 22-12 record, and after beating Real Madrid 3-2 in an epic best-of-five clash in the quarterfinals, it got sweet revenge on CSKA, 89-86, in that season's semifinal to reach its second consecutive championship game. Then, Coach Ataman's squad defeated Barcelona in the final, 86-81, to put Efes name in the history books as champions.

The prospect of repeating that feat in the 2021-22 season was daunting by historical standards. Only one team in each of the previous two decades – Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2004 and 2005, and Olympiacos Piraeus in 2012 and 2013 – had managed to defend the trophy, and both used miraculous, last-second shots in one of their title seasons to do so. However, despite being a first-time champion, Efes soon proved it belonged in the conversation of the century's greatest teams.

Having shown its potential to beat the best teams with its offense, emphasizing free-flowing basketball that featured a plethora of assists and three-point marksmanship, Efes in last season's Final Four showcased an ability to grind the opposition down in a different fashion. Its own miracle shot, a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Vasilije Micic, beat Olympiacos Piraeus 74-77 in the semifinal. And then a rugged and physical contest in the championship game against Real produced a 58-57 win for Efes to lift its second straight trophy.

Considering it had been the runner-up in 2019 and then the runaway favorite in the truncated pandemic season, this was arguably the longest stretch of brilliance by any team since Jugoplastika Split of Croatia won three titles in a row between 1989 and 1991.

 

Hopes of emulating the success of Split, the undisputed kings of the 1988-1991 period, were threatened this season as Efes struggled to reproduce the same form that had seen the club take Europe by storm. Injuries to key players resulted in inconsistent performances, and Ataman acknowledged that defeats against unfancied opposition earlier in the campaign left Efes with too much to do in the latter stages of the regular season.

 

"We basically lost our chance to make the postseason, not tonight, but \[rather\] in previous games, and especially in those which we lost at home against teams that will now also be out of the playoffs," Ataman said after going down at Fenerbahce. "We had a lot of problems during the season, but this is sport and this is basketball.

 

"For four years we made history in the EuroLeague, and even if we had won tonight we'd still have had only a slim chance of making the playoffs."

 

Not quite a dynasty – but not far from one, either – Efes made its mark during a trophy-laden period that will no doubt galvanize the club's future sides to follow in the footsteps of a truly outstanding generation.

Efes left behind a glittering era to admire

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-04-06T17:45:00.000Z)

Having one player on the court for the full 40 minutes in top-level European basketball is rare, but deploying two must surely go down in history. Yet, that’s exactly what Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Dimitris Itoudis did when he kept forwards Nigel Hayes-Davis and Dyshawn Pierre in the action from start to finish during an epic 103-96 win over cross-town rival Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The victory brought sheer joy to the winner and bitter disappointment to the loser.

Marathon men Hayes-Davis, Pierre carried Fenerbahce in fiery Turkish derby

Having one player on the court for the full 40 minutes in top-level European basketball is rare, but deploying two must surely go down in history. Yet, that’s exactly what Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Dimitris Itoudis did when he kept forwards Nigel Hayes-Davis and Dyshawn Pierre in the action from start to finish during an epic 103-96 win over cross-town rival Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The victory brought sheer joy to the winner and bitter disappointment to the loser.

By coming out with the win, Fenerbahce remains on course to reach the postseason, but the defeat for Efes pushed the outgoing back-to-back champion out of the playoff contention ahead of the last round of the regular season next week. Hayes-Davis posted a career high of 26 points to go with 4 rebounds, while Pierre, who returned to action after missing the last four games through injury, racked up 17 points and 8 boards.

Dyshawn Pierre (17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist) and Nigel Hayes-Davis (26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal) both played the full 40 minutes as Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul 103-86.

Best plays of Pierre, Hayes-Davis vs. Efes

One would imagine that the two big men might have needed oxygen masks after going the extra country mile in a rip-roaring Turkish derby with so much at stake, but they turned up for courtside post-game interviews looking like they’d only just warmed up for the contest. And neither of them left any doubt that they had more left in their tanks.

“I think any player would take playing for 40 minutes if told to by the coach, and I was happy to contribute,” said a smiling Pierre. “We knew what this meant to the fans, so we are happy to have given them and the organization this win and the opportunity to move forward.”

Hayes-Davis revealed he drew inspiration from a morning chat with a rather extraordinary source. “I talked to my kittens this morning and I had a good conversation with them. They said, ‘Do your best, Nigel' and I meowed back and I said, 'I will', so a shout-out to my kittens, the team and the fans – they were great today,” he said. “The atmosphere was electric, and I could have gone on for another 20 minutes if I needed to.”

After playing the full 40 minutes and getting a career high for points, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward Nigel Hayes-Davis paid homage to a chat with a cat after coming out on the winning side against Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Nigel Hayes-Davis's post-game interview vs. Efes

Coach Itoudis, who has two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles to his name with CSKA Moscow (2016 and 2019), coupled his jubilant mood with some dry humor. “Bad coaching,” he said with a grin when asked to comment on keeping his team’s unrelenting duo on the court all night long.

On a more serious note, he added: “I have to apologize to them for not taking them out, but they mean a lot to our system. I hate when players are injured, I like having a headache \[about\] whom to select when everyone is healthy. We needed both of them because of their size, intelligence and their multiple ways of attacking on offense. Obviously I don’t want to keep players on the court for 40 minutes, but this wasn’t a typical regular-season game. There was a lot on the table.”

The heroics of Hayes-Davis and Pierre aside, the team's stats helped to tell the story, too. Fenerbahce nailed 10-of-18 three-pointers, while Efes made only 7 of 22, with the home side racking up 30 boards to the visiting team’s 19. That, in turn, allowed Fenerbahce to make 32-of-46 shots from two-point territory, whereas Efes hit 26 of 38. Finally, Fenerbahce dished out 20 assists to Efes’s 13, with the two sides committing 8 turnovers each. The more resourceful Fenerbahce simply had too much depth for Efes.

When Real Madrid registered Anthony Randolph for the active roster on the final day of the transfer deadline, it was little more than an insurance policy. After all, Randolph, 33, had been out all season after suffering a torn ACL in last season’s Spanish League finals. He was not yet ready for action and the team seemed pretty set in the frontcourt, with a number of big men at head coach Chus Mateo's disposal.

Randolph’s rehab continued to progress and he made his season debut on Sunday in a blowout win over Granada in the Spanish League, scoring 8 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in 18 minutes on the floor. But would he be in Coach Mateo's plans for the EuroLeague?

Sometimes, plans are made for you. When Vincent Poirier was taken to the hospital on Wednesday with appendicitis, the puzzle changed. Poirier underwent surgery and, after the game, Mateo still could not address when the French center might return. Replacing a player like Poirier, one of the most-productive second-string centers in the league, is no small feat at this point in the season.

Randolph made his EuroLeague return for Real

And that’s where Randolph can separate Real from the pack. Now in his eighth EuroLeague season – and seventh with Real – Randolph brings the ideal mix of experience, a winning attitude and skill to the lineup. Thanks to the first two of those traits, he won't be difficult to plug into the rotation this late in the season, either.

Randolph's skills were on display in his short appearance against FC Bayern Munich on Thursday. He only played 7 minutes, in which he contributed 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.

He came on late in the first quarter, but he made his impact in the second. Randolph first drilled a step-back three-pointer. He also showed that, while rusty, he still has the foot speed to switch on to smaller players on pick-and-roll defense. When he found a mismatch at the other end, Randolph was able to go inside and get a three-point play. Later, on defense, his positioning and quick hands created a steal that led to a Guerschon Yabusele slam.

The 79-67 win over Bayern will likely not have a major impact on Real's season, though it did keep it in the running for the top spot in the regular-season standings. But what we and Real learned is that Randolph still has what it takes to be an impact player in the EuroLeague, and with questions swirling around how soon Poirier might be able to return, having a former champion and past All-EuroLeague selection ready to step in is a blessing that other teams could only dream about.

What we can learn from Anthony Randolph's return

Real Madrid v FC Bayern Munich (2023-04-06T18:45:00.000Z)

Zylan Cheatham had his finest performance yet on Thursday in FC Bayern Munich's 79-67 road loss at Real Madrid and teams across Europe are surely taking notice. 

Cheatham's play surely turning heads across Europe

Zylan Cheatham had his finest performance yet on Thursday in FC Bayern Munich's 79-67 road loss at Real Madrid and teams across Europe are surely taking notice. In just his fifth game in the competition, Cheatham posted 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 8 rebounds for a performance index rating of 22.

Cheatham, 27, was a late addition to the Bayern roster; he was signed on the final day to register players as a replacement for the injured Augustine Rubit and his contract only went into effect later that week after he completed his physical. Once he hit the floor, Cheatham has not stopped producing.

Since a 12-minute debut against ALBA Berlin in Round 29, he has averaged 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds for a PIR of 16.5 in 19 minutes per game. Those numbers from the 1.96-meter power forward are something that should interest teams all across Europe.

Cheatham scores 20 against Real Madrid

What was particularly impressive against Real was the fact that Cheatham was banging against some of the best players in the competition. He used his speed to get past Walter Tavares, displayed touch and athleticism in beating Guerschon Yabusele for tip-ins, overpowered Sergio Rodriguez in the paint and made a smart pass after one offensive board to set up an open three for a teammate.

If Cheatham had enough appearances, his performance index rating would rank among the top 10 in the league in a per-minute basis (26.5 per 40 minutes).

There is only one game left for Cheatham to impress against Europe’s best – Bayern closes its EuroLeague season at home against Zalgiris Kaunas next week – before Bayern turns its focus to the German League. Has he done enough to become a hot commodity this summer on the EuroLeague free agency market? The numbers suggest that he has.