EA7 Emporio Armani Milan celebrated its fifth successive win on Tuesday night after Shabazz Napier had a career-high 28 points to lead the Italian side to an epic 84-88 win at Valencia Basket on Tuesday night, which rekindled visitors' hopes of reaching the playoffs. This victory improved Milan to 11-15, whereas Valencia fell to 13-14.

Fit-again Kevin Pangos, who returned to action for the first time since November after being sidelined by injury, posted 13 points and 6 rebounds. Nicolo Melli netted 11 points and Billy Baron chipped in with 10 points for Milan, who erased an 11-point deficit thanks to sound three-point shooting (15-of-32) and a strong third quarter that saw Ettore Messina's side outscore Valencia 13-26.

Chris Jones paced Valencia with 19 points. Jared Harper and Josep Puerto posted 15 each, while Josep Rivero netted 10, but the home team’s captain, Bojan Dubljevic, was confined to just 8 points on a tough night for the Montenegrin center.

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Valencia made the brighter start as the home side raced into a 14-7 lead on the back of physical defense and quick transitions, with the advantage soaring to 28-17 early in the second quarter. Milan’s big men, Melli and Johannes Voightmann, made little impact in the first half as Valencia's aggressive defense swarmed them in the paint. But, the visiting team started making up ground, with Napier and Pangos firing on all cylinders late in the second quarter.

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The Napier-Pangos tandem continued to enjoy themselves after the break, with Napier being particularly lethal, mixing long-range shots with lightning drives to the basket which left his markers bedazzled. Milan carried a 55-65 advantage into the final 10 minutes and it looked like the visitors would win comfortably when clutch shots from Pangos and Napier, the latter drilling in a three-pointer with 1:50 left on the clock, gave them a 72-80 lead.

However, Valencia was not about to roll over and, driven by Harper, the hosts staged a spirited late fightback which slashed the deficit to 84-86 in the final minute. Napier then missed the second of 2 free throws with Milan trying to run down the clock, but Melli came up with a huge offensive rebound and Napier was back on the foul line a few seconds later.

The versatile point guard sank both free throws this time and Valencia then threw away its last possession, suffering a potentially damaging defeat which could cost the Spanish side a post-season berth.

Milan keeps rolling at Valencia, 84-88

Valencia Basket v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-03-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade strengthened its playoff push by outlasting Virtus Segafredo Bologna 79-88 in an exciting tussle at Virtus Segafredo Arena on Tuesday night. Partizan improved to 15-12 after winning six of its last seven games, while Virtus dropped to 12-15 with three losses in four.

Partizan made a lightning start to take early control, but Virtus roared back to lead by 2 at the break. It stayed close throughout the third quarter and most of the fourth, before Partizan pulled clear in the final stages. Dante Exum was the main inspiration with 17 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, while James Nunnally scored 18 points and Kevin Punter added 17. Jordan Mickey had 13 points and 9 rebounds for Virtus, and Milos Teodosic recorded a double-double of 11 points and 12 assists but also committed 8 turnovers.

Daniel Hackett and Punter both scored 5 points in a fast-paced start, 12-13. Two more baskets apiece for Punter and Mathias Lessort bettered three scores from Semi Ojeleye to keep the visitors ahead, 26-28, after 10 minutes. Awudu Abass netted three times as Virtus surged ahead, 38-34, but two battling scores from Zach LeDay kept it close, 47-45, at the interval.

Alen Smailagic and Nunnally both scored twice as Partizan started the second half with a 2-9 run to lead 49-54, and after several free throws, Nunnally stayed hot with a long two to close the third quarter with the score at 63-65. Exum scored 6 fast points including two big dunks, to stretch the lead to 67-77 midway through the fourth, but two baskets from Jaiteh helped pull it back to 76-79. Punter’s triple revived Partizan, and Exum scored again to seal the outcome.

Partizan finishes strong to overcome Virtus, 79-88

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-03-07T19:30:00.000Z)

 Niels Giffey, Bayern: 'We had a solid game' 

### Andrea Trinchieri, FC Bayern Munich head coach 

"The game did not look good, but the test of the win is very good. In the game like this we did not have a rhythm, they tried to make us fall asleep with their very containing defense, and we had to take some shots. We were shooting a lot of three-point shots because the paint was really locked. I take the win and I go home. I believe the game was tougher because we were not able to gear up in the game. We were very slow. I understand. It is never easy play play play, and always find the same good vibes, the same good rhythm, offense and defense. Despite another great game, we go home with a win.

"I think it is a great quality for a team to be able to win without playing good. I know \[that there are\] a lot of games when you play great but you don't win. We did not have the same energy we did in the last games, and the athleticism of ASVEL caused us some problems on offense. We did not have rhythm, we did not have players able to read situations, especially \[our\] guards. It is a great thing that a team is able to win in the EuroLeague without playing at its best.

"We shot a lot of three-point shots because they had a big guy \[Youssoupha Fall\] in the paint; they did not move from the paint, they parked their bus in the paint like \[famous football coach Jose\] Mourinho, and it was difficult to find something in the paint. On the other hand, we don't have our best post-up player \[Vladimir Lucic\]. So, we were forced to play a lot of pick and rolls, more than I want, and to shoot the ball. It is a great thing to be able to go so strong to rebound, and it was the reason we won the game. Extra possessions gave us pure oxygen on offense. But that number \[of 20 offensive rebounds\] is because the game was going in that direction."

### Morgan Belnou, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne coach 

"In the EuroLeague, it is in details. When Bayern takes 20 offensive rebounds it is difficult to win on the road. But I am proud of the players, they showed resistance to the physical impact from Bayern."

### Niels Giffey, FC Bayern Munich forward 

"It was good for us to protect home court. It is important for us to keep improving our game as the season goes on and prolongs. Step by step, that is what we are doing. We had a solid game, and in the end we had to take a win at the free throw line. It was important to keep our composure, and we made some good shots."

### Andreas Obst, FC Bayern Munich guard 

"I think we had great open looks. Credit goes to the team, we moved the ball, shared the ball and rebounded the ball. All season long, as a team, we have a good chemistry. Everybody can have a good game, maybe nobody has ever 20 points, but a lot of players have double digits, a lot of us sharing the points. That tells a lot about our team. Against Olympiacos we've got to be focused for 40 minutes. I think last year we had a tough game there. Going there is not easy, they are a great team playing good basketball, smart, have experience. Great talent. We have to be focused and fresh for the game."

Niels Giffey, Bayern: 'We had a solid game'

FC Bayern Munich v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-03-07T19:45:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas earned a critical victory in its fight to make the playoffs after beating ALBA Berlin 63-66 at Mercedes-Benz Arena. In a topsy-turvy game in which the biggest lead on the night was 6 points, the contest was not decided for good until Rolands Smits’s layup with 1.8 seconds left. Zalgiris finally won on the road again, snapping a four-game losing streak, while ALBA lost its eighth game in its last nine to drop to 7-20.

 

Isaiah Taylor scored 14 points for Zalgiris, who also had Edgaras Ulanovas pick up 10 points in the win. Achille Polonara enjoyed his best game since joining Zalgiris mid-season, posting 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. ALBA forward Luke Sikma had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Jaleen Smith hit a three-pointer early on as ALBA opened an 8-4 lead after four minutes. Zalgiris’s defense started getting stops and that allowed the visitors to lead 14-15 after 10 minutes. 

ALBA twice evened the game – 22-22 and 27-27 – but Zalgiris’s defense held the German side scoreless for the final 2:25 minutes of the half. Lukas Lekavicius sparked Zalgiris with 7 points and 2 steals in the final 4 minutes for a 27-33 advantage at the interval.

ALBA was unable to find its usual rhythm on offense, but Sikma and Maodo Lo hit a three-pointer apiece in a 10-2 run during the first 6 minutes of the second half to see the home side nudge in front, 37-35. ALBA remained ahead, 45-44, after 30 minutes.

Thanks to its defense, Zalgiris was able to hold ALBA scoreless for nearly three minutes, with Taylor scoring 4 points down the other end to help the guests move ahead, 47-52. Christ Koumadje helped ALBA trim the margin to 52-53 and, thanks to Zalgiris missing some free throws, Lo put ALBA up 56-55. Ulanovas and Taylor scored tough baskets in the paint and, after the team had made just 7-of-15 free throws in the quarter, Ulanovas drained 2 foul shots with 6.6 seconds to go for a 60-64 lead. Rolands Smits added a layup with 1.8 seconds remaining to finish off the game.

Zalgiris survives back-and-forth battle at ALBA, 63-66

ALBA Berlin v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-03-07T19:00:00.000Z)

Matt Costello, Baskonia: 'I couldn't see the rim'

### Joan Penarroya, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coach 

"I am proud because we fought until the last second. We won the game in the last second, but our mentality was perfect. Little things decided the victory or the loss, but we are happy because this is an important victory for us in Madrid. Yes, Darius \[Thompson\] and Matt \[Costello\] were incredible, but for me, the most important is the team and the job our team did.

"We are obviously happy for the win and for the fight the team showed and its good mentality until the final second. We are also happy because it is our first win away from Buesa \[Arena\] in the EuroLeague this year, 2023. We played a solid game which, of course, we could have lost because there were some moments in which we were ahead, then Madrid was ahead, and it looked like Madrid took an important lead in the end to take the win. But we kept the faith and, in the end, it went down to small details. We will remember the final plays, that three-point shot by Matt \[Costello\], but the block by Daulton \[Hommes\] had against \[Walter\] Tavares was, for me, even more impressive. It is a good win, we are happy. We stay in the fight and have to rest, because we have another game on Friday."

### Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach

"We turned the ball over too many times, lost too many rebounds on defense, and allowed too many threes, which they scored in clutch moments. They deserved the victory because they believed until the end. We had control in the end, but they scored 2 threes in a row and tied the game.

"We are upset for losing the game, obviously, but we have to see the positive side of what happened. I believe we didn't play the best game, especially on offense. We picked up too many turnovers, 17 turnovers... some of them, 4, I think, were offensive fouls. But in any case, we didn't pass the ball well, especially when looking for the low post. We had a lot of problems to put the ball in there. We also lost decisive defensive rebounds in key moments of the game. They punished us with three-pointers, so turnovers and offensive rebounds made them take more shots than us. I don't think they were better than us overall, but it's true they punished our mistakes: from turnovers to the rebounds they took away from us. They took more shots due to those circumstances and they shot very well from three-point range. It is something that we know we can do very well and, above all, we were not able to stop \[Darius\] Thompson in the first or the second half. He generated a lot of options and played very well. They took the win, and we hope it is different next time. They beat us twice in the EuroLeague and once in the Spanish League. I hope we can bounce back from this the next time we go against them."

### Darius Thompson, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz guard

"Huge team win for us! We fought until the very end. We could have easily given up when they made a big run but we stayed together and fought until the last second, like Coach told us before the game, and we came out with the win. It is hard to suck it all in right now but we came out with a win and Matt \[Costello\] hit a big shot. I am glad that he shot it with confidence. I just want to help my team win in any way that I can. We came out with a win, that's all it matters."

### Matt Costello, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz forward 

"We are going swimming with our daughters tomorrow, I am really excited for that! I don't know, I couldn't see the rim \[in the last shot\]. I just saw Rudy \[Fernandez\] running at me, they flipped me the ball, so I just tried to get it up there as quickly as I could. But it went in, so we got the win. It feels really good, you know? We had a difficult time on the road this year, everybody knows, and so to come here and get a win against the top team in the EuroLeague, it feels really good."

Real Madrid v Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-03-07T19:45:00.000Z)

 Kevin Punter, Partizan: 'It was a playoff atmosphere' 

### Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan head coach

"It's an important game, for sure, for us. An incredible atmosphere by both fans, Virtus and Partizan fans. Congratulations to both. On the court, I'm very proud and happy with how we played in the second half. We took advantage against an excellent team and we handled the situation in a good way. We decided to change the defense from how we played in the first half.

“Basketball needs a game like tonight. This kind of atmosphere from both fans is something really special for the EuroLeague and for everybody that was inside. The game was tough, like we expected. The first half, we made a lot of bad defense, but Virtus was ready to punish us. At halftime, we discussed and decided to change something, and in the last quarter we played our best minutes. This year, we have an incredible atmosphere in our gym in Belgrade and also on the road. Our fans push us to fight. I don’t have the words to thank them for what they’re doing for us this season. It’s really special.”

### Sergio Scariolo, Virtus head coach

"We really played hard, we tried really hard, we did some good things. They're a very good team, they're playing excellent in the last two months. Congrats to Partizan, but at the same time I'm proud of the efforts of my players. We got to the extreme of our possibilities physically and mentally. We didn't have a good shooting night and a few more turnovers than the correct number. Congrats to Partizan.

"It was a very good basketball game; two teams which try hard. Sometimes we had the upper hand, sometimes they had it. At the end of the day, Partizan deserved it, they played very well. Dante Exum showed why he has been a good-level NBA player for many years. But I want to say congrats to my players as well. Of course, we committed mistakes, 12 turnovers in the second half and too many straight line drives to the rim. But we are doing our best and I really appreciate how we are playing basketball. Scores are a different issue; there are more factors that decide who is winning and losing. But in terms of the image we are giving, I have zero complaints.”

### Dante Exum, Partizan player

"It's hard to win on the road but we have so many fans here and we started off great and just kept riding with it. I just try to go out there and play my game, and it worked out tonight. We've got an important game coming up \[in Milan\] so we'll enjoy this one tonight but the next game is important as well, we've got to win that one."

### Kevin Punter, Partizan player

"I just want to thank our fans for being here. They travel extremely deep, it was a playoff atmosphere. I'm glad we were able to pull a win out; it's tough to win here. Spending the double week in Italy, it was good to get the first one. They're a tough team. I'm just happy we won. We stayed solid all the second half and got the win. Milan got us in the first half of the season, everyone knows the history with me and Zach \[LeDay\], so it will be cool to go back. But the only thing I care about is just winning. That's the most important thing."

Kevin Punter, Partizan: 'It was a playoff atmosphere'

 Ettore Messina, Milan: 'We are playing with togetherness' 

### Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach

"The whole team competed and we had a very nice stretch in the third quarter on offense. To come here and score 88 points is not easy, and at the same time when they became much more aggressive in the fourth quarter we had a little bit of a problem in moving the ball. We had some good plays individually, but with the exception of the last 2 minutes, when we gave up those 2 threes in transition, I think we could have closed out the game earlier. But I am very happy because we are playing with togetherness and a very good attitude and that's the most important thing. The only thing I've asked the team is to compete until the end and to show that if we had been healthy, it would have been a different season. It's more important for us than how it's perceived outside.

“Of course, it’s a very important win for us. We played well on a very difficult court and against a very aggressive and talented team. We competed, even when we were down by 10; we had energy and we had cohesion as we passed the ball well most of the game. The third quarter was very good, honestly. In the fourth quarter, their aggressiveness and \[Victor\] Claver switching with \[Jasiel\] Rivero on the pick and roll gave them incredible energy to come back into the game, but we still found a way to create good shots. We won a very important game."

### Alex Mumbru, Valencia Basket head coach

"We started very badly at the beginning of the third quarter. We committed turnovers, made bad decisions and didn't play defense. We conceded too many points in the third quarter.

"We played good basketball in the first half and we should have had a bigger lead at halftime. The beginning of the third quarter was very tough for us as we made a few mistakes while they were incredibly accurate, hitting 7-of-8 three pointers. We tried to come back into the game in the final quarter – we kept fighting and pushing – but we gave away a rebound when they missed a free throw. We paid for our mistakes in the third quarter, so congratulations to Milan. We are now focusing on the next game."

### Nicolo Melli, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward

"It's very important thing for us to grow and we are finally having some very important players back so the rotation is deeper. That's helping us right now and I hope we can keep building on this. We need to take it one game at a time and keep playing as we are playing. Not to think too much ahead – one game at a time and then at the end of the regular season we'll see where we are."

### Shabazz Napier, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard

"We made it a good game. I thought we played a better \[second\] half defensively; we did a great job and guys hit a lot of open shots. Credit to the guys, it was a hell of a game today. We're coming together at the right time. I just go out there and try to do what I can do to provide for whatever is needed and get wins. We've got a big game on Thursday \[at home to Partizan\] and I am really excited about our next challenge."

Ettore Messina, Milan: 'We are playing with togetherness'

 Kazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris: 'We're still fighting for the playoffs' 

### Zalgiris Kaunas head coach Kazys Maksvytis

"I am very happy for the win and congratulations to my team and our fans. It’s very hard to win here in Berlin against ALBA. It doesn’t matter what position they are in, they play good basketball with a good coach. From our side, it was like a playoff game for us. We're still fighting for the playoffs, and maybe because of this we missed a lot of free throws. I am happy that we controlled the game with our defense. If an offensive team like ALBA scores only 63 points, it's a good result. Of course, offensively we can be much better but we will take this win."

### ALBA Berlin head coach Israel Gonzalez

"Congratulations to Zalgiris for the good game they had on defense. We have a boot with a lot of holes. We are always trying to cover the holes but there is always a new one. We defended well today with a  very good effort. But we couldn't play with confidence on offense. We were thinking and trying to limit the number of turnovers. Maybe that made us play with less happiness and we were less confident and didn't want to take risks. We need to find a balance of rising a lot when we are playing and being conservative. The team right now is having a bad time and I will try anything I can to help it."

### Zalgiris Kaunas forward Achille Polonara

"It was a tough moment for us because we had lost the last two games in the EuroLeague. So we are really happy that we won on a tough court against a very good team. And I think we deserve it."

### Zalgiris Kaunas center Kevarrius Hayes

"(About Isaiah Taylor) We love his speed and aggressiveness. He’s really good at getting downhill. I feel he was very good at giving us the lead. It was a tough game, a close matchup and we needed those big time. He delivered."

Kazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris: 'We're still fighting for the playoffs'

EuroLeague Live Blog: The double-round week begins here!

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Round 27, Tuesday blog: Olympiacos, Baskonia, Zalgiris grab huge wins

Olympiacos Piraeus v FC Barcelona (2023-03-07T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-03-07T20:00:00.000Z)