Baskonia captain Tadas Sedekerskis comments on his team's Play-In Showdown win over Virtus which came with a spot in the playoffs.

Tadas Sedekerskis: 'We want more'

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-04-19T18:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia star Markus Howard comments on his team's Play-In Showdown win over Virtus which came with a spot in the playoffs.

Markus Howard: 'We're fortunate, but we're not satistfied'

Baskonia welcomes Virtus for a do-or-die finale. The visitors come off a good-as-gold 64-67 road win against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, whilst the host fell 113-85 at Maccabi and are without star forward Chima Moneke through injury.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Play-In |  2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Howard penetrates the defense and serves Costello for a big flush.

Big flush from Costello! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

Markus Howard is unconscious, hitting threes from wherever he wants. His seventh comes in transition, from a logo.

Howard from the logo! Motorola Magic Moment

Bryant Dunston sets up Awudu Abass for a monster slam.

Abass detonates two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment

Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos goes to the rim, but Dunston emphatically denies him.

Dunston swats Rogkavopoulos! Motorola Magic Moment

Polonara steals the ball, Hackett sends a perfect ass to Abass who finished the fastbreak with a huge slam!

Abass fastbreak slam! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night 

Polonara steals the ball, Hackett sends a perfect pass to Abass who finished the fastbreak with a huge slam!

Abass fastbreak slam! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-04-16T18:00:00.000Z)

Efes hosts Virtus with both teams knowing defeat means their campaign is over. The Turks concluded the regular season in spectacular style, winning the last five, whereas in contrast, the Italin team's difficult run was extended by Baskonia to make it seven straight EuroLeague defeats.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Play-In |  2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

 Efes hosts Virtus with both teams knowing defeat means their campaign is over. The Turks concluded the regular season in spectacular style, winning the last five, whereas in contrast, the Italin team's difficult run was extended by Baskonia to make it seven straight EuroLeague defeats.


Lundberg nails a three-pointer sealing the win! 

 Lundberg seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment 

Lundberg nails a three-pointer sealing the win!  

Daniel Hackett spins and goes for the bucket, but Pleiss rejects him from behind!

Pleiss with the block on Hackett! Motorola Magic Moment

 Daniel Hackett spins and goes for the bucket, but Pleiss rejects him from behind!

Maccabi and Baskonia go head-to-head in Belgrade with the winner advancing directly to a playoff series with Panathinaikos. Both teams finished the regular season strong, with the hosts winning seven of its last eight, while the Spaniards Baskonia are fresh from road triumphs at Real Madrid and Virtus.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | Play-In |  2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

 Maccabi and Baskonia go head-to-head in Belgrade with the winner advancing directly to a playoff series with Panathinaikos. Both teams finished the regular season strong, with the hosts winning seven of its last eight, while the Spaniards Baskonia are fresh from road triumphs at Real Madrid and Virtus.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-04-16T17:00:00.000Z)

Elijah Bryant drives to the hoop, but Ante Zizic says no way with me here!

Zizic stops Bryant! Motorola Magic Moment

 Elijah Bryant drives to the hoop, but Ante Zizic says no way with me here!

 Abass fastbreak slam! Motorola Magic Moment 

 Polonara steals the ball, Hackett sends a perfect ass to Abass who finished the fastbreak with a huge slam!

Tamir Blatt’s stylish bounce pass gives the cutting Wade Baldwin an easy slam

Blatt assists, Baldwin dunks! Motorola Magic Moment

 Tamir Blatt’s stylish bounce pass gives the cutting Wade Baldwin an easy slam

Ercan Osmani goes all the way to the basket and throws down a monster dunk!

 Osmani's one-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment 

 Ercan Osmani goes all the way to the basket and throws down a monster dunk!

Shengelia goes for the basket, but Osmani rejects him with force!

 What a block by Osmani! Motorola Magic Moment 

 Shengelia goes for the basket, but Osmani rejects him with force!

Tomislav Mijatovic, Efes: 'We will never give up. We are Efes'

The season of the 2021-2022 back-to-bacl Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions has been a wild ride. With 10 games to go in the regular season they were plagued by injuries and were standing in 16th place in the standings.

Head coach Erdam Can was replaced by assistant coach of 10 years Tomislav Mijatovic and just like that, Efes started to re-build itself in record time. 

"I am saying this without any kind of over-exaggeration," Mijatovic assures. "Efes is a home. When you feel a sense of belonging and ownership of the situation, you feel that much more personal pressure on yourself to try to do everything in your power to be succesful."

With eight wins in 10 games, Mijatovic led Efes to its final ninth place and a berth in the Play-IN Showdown that could earn the Turkish team another trip t the playoffs. 

"He just asked us to be positive and to believe," Efes star Shane Larkin says. "We just kind of came together as a group."

Now Efes has to play against Virtus Segafredo Bologna in its first step of the Play-in phase. If the Istanbul team wins, it will face the loser of the other Play-in game between Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. A win in that second game would pit Efes against top seeded Real Madrid in a best-of-five playoff series for a spot in the Berlin Final Four in May.