Name: Nigel Hayes-Davis: ‘We have to be consistent on both ends, starting with me’
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Fenerbahçe Beko forward Nigel Hayes-Davis spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat KK Partizan in Round 7 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.


Nigel Hayes-Davis: ‘We have to be consistent on both ends, starting with me’

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward Nigel Hayes-Davis spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 7 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-11-01T17:45:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas-AS Monaco | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Zalgiris Kaunas v AS Monaco (2024-11-01T18:00:00.000Z)

Lessort takes a Sloukas pass into his stride and rocks the rim!

A monster two-handed slam by Lessort! Motorola Magic Moment

Lessort takes a Sloukas pass into his stride and rocks the rim! 

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-11-01T19:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas now has a EuroLeague-best 6-1 record after beating AS Monaco 63-62 at home in Round 7 on Friday. 

Zalgiris holds off Monaco's comeback, 63-62

In a thriller that went down to the final second, Zalgiris Kaunas edged AS Monaco 63-62 at Zalgirio Arena in Round 7 on Friday. 

Zalgiris leads the standings with a 6-1 record while Monaco dropped to 4-3. Arnas Butkevicius led the winners with 13 points, and Alen Smailagic scored all of his 10 points in the fourth quarter. Jordan Loyd led Monaco with 18 points and Mike James added 12.

Game Videos

Brady Manek got Zalgiris going with a three-pointer and Bryant Dunston dunked for a 5-2 lead. Donatas Motiejunas hit a jump hook, Dovydas Giedraitis answered with layup and Loyd tied it at 7-7. Matt Mitchell and Motiejunas traded baskets, Manek swished a turnaround jumper and Ignas Brazdeikis hit a mid-range shot to give Zalgiris a 13-9 lead. James buried a rainbow jumper, Laurynas Birutis matched that with his trademark jump hook and Brazdeikis's step-back triple made Monaco call a timeout at 19-11. Birutis pushed Zalgiris's lead even further, 20-11, after 10 minutes. 

Jaron Blossomgame stepped up with a tip-in early in the second quarter and Elie Okobo soon brought Monaco within 20-15. Birutis followed a dunk in traffic with a layup and Alpha Diallo found his first points, but Edgaras Ulanovas struck from downtown to make it a double-digit game, 27-17. Giedraitis swished a six-meter jumper and Butkevicius bettered Okobo's finger-roll layup with a catch-and-shoot three-pointer, good for a 32-19 Zalgiris lead. Matthew Strazel answered from beyond the arc, Brazdeikis responded by hitting a mid-range jumper, but James kept the guests within 34-25 at halftime.

Game News

Blossomgame scored around the basket and Loyd added a fast-break layup to bring Monaco closer, 34-29, soon after the break. Alpha Diallo followed Motiejunas's layup with a dunk that capped a 0-12 Monaco run, 34-33. Butkevicius buried a three-pointer for Zalgiris, but James sank a mid-range jumper and Motiejunas hit a jump hook that tied it at 37-37. Butkevicius kept pacing Zalgiris with consecutive layups that restored a 41-39 edge. Vitto Brown banked in an off-balance shot and fed Georgios Papagiannis for a dunk to tie it at 43-43 after 30 minutes.

Smailagic buried a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, then Loyd and James gave Monaco its first lead of the night, 46-47. Manek hit a triple off a Zalgiris timeout and Smailagic insisted from beyond the arc to give Zalgiris fresh ait at 52-47. Loyd scored off a mid-court steal, Butkevicius joined the three-point shootout and James's layup kept Monaco within 55-51. Ulanovas beat the shot clock with an off-balance circus shot that Loyd bettered with a three-pointers (Monaco's first after 16 missed attempts). Smailagic dunked, Blossomgame answered from downtown and Loyd added a floater that made Monaco regain a 59-60 lead with over 3 minutes left. Smailagic scored again, Loyd sank a jumper and Giedratis's coast-to-coast layup gave Zalgiris a 63-62 lead. Monaco got the basketball back with 15.3 seconds left. James turned the ball over on his team's final possession.

The Lithuanian side is now the outright leader atop the standings

Hernangomez gets on the end of missed three-pointer by Kostas Sloukas and throws it down!

A fine put-back dunk by Hernangomez! Motorola Magic Moment

 Hernangomez gets on the end of missed three-pointer by Kostas Sloukas and throws it down!

Fenerbahçe Beko beat KK Partizan 89-72 in Round 7, with Nigel Hayes-Davis scoring a game-high 24 points on a night that saw Fenerbahçe hit 19 three-pointers.

Hayes-Davis leads the way as Fenerbahce downs Partizan, 89-72

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul made a season-high 19 three-pointers and improved to 5-2 as it beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 89-72 in Round 7, with Nigel Hayes-Davis scoring a game-best 24 points. 

Hayes-Davis contributed 4 of those 19 triples. Tarik Biberovic hit 5 on his way to 17 points, Devon Hall made 4 and finished with 12 points, while Wade Baldwin – Fenerbahce’s other scorer in double digits – converted 1 en route to 13 points. Dyshawn Pierre and Marko Guduric both knocked down 2, and Bonzie Colson struck from beyond the arc with his only three-point attempt.

Partizan’s Frank Ntilikina netted a team-high 14 points, which all came in the second half, and Aleksej Pokusevski chipped in with 10. Duane Washington got his first points in a Partizan jersey, scoring 7 after not playing at all in the first half. Partizan dropped to 2-5 after this defeat.

Pokusevski scored the first basket of the game (0-2) and Tyrique Jones responded to a Colson layup by scoring a hook shot to put Partizan 2-4 ahead. Those were Partizan’s only two leads of the game. The first half was a tight affair as both teams favored going inside, but as soon as Hall hit a three-pointer in transition to give Fenerbahce an 11-8 edge, that opened the floodgates from deep. Back-to-back triples by Hayes-Davis made it 17-13, then Biberovic’s three-pointer saw the hosts go seven points ahead, 20-13. At the end of the first quarter, it was 22-15.

There was a fightback from Partizan to start the second period, mainly led by Brandon Davies, but the visitors could not live with Fenerbahce’s three-point weapons. Biberovic, Guduric and Pierre all combined from beyond the arc to swell Fenerbahce’s lead to 36-23. When Hall scored his second three-pointer of the night, Fenerbahce was up 41-27 after going 9 of 15 from deep. Carlik Jones got his first points for Partizan in the closing stages of the second quarter, netting 4 points in quick succession, but a tough three by Biberovic ensured it was 44-31 at the interval.

Fenerbahce shot 10 of 16 from three-point land in the first half compared to 1 of 5 by Partizan. If Zeljko Obradovic thought that the hosts would cool off, he was wrong. Straight out of the break, Hayes-Davis hit back-to-back triples to push Fenerbahce 50-33 ahead. Tyrique Jones was doing his best to do damage in the paint, but Fenerbahce continued to light it up, with Hall, Colson and Baldwin all striking from deep to set a 63-43 score. Washington scored his first points as a Partizan player, then Ntilikina started to show what he can do, scoring 8 points in a hurry, including Partizan’s second triple. Entering the final period, Fenerbahce led 67-53.

Ntilikina gave Partizan hope with a dunk (67-55), but Biberovic made two three-pointers in a row to create some breathing room once again (73-55). Fenerbahce remained in control from there on out, but coach Saras Jasikevicius did call a timeout with 2:47 left after Ntilikina’s drive and score made it a 13-point ballgame (83-70), the closest it had been in a while. That refocused the Fenerbahce players, with Hayes-Davis, Biberovic and Baldwin scoring inside the final 2:32 to wrap up an 89-72 win. 

The Turkish side trailed just twice on the night, which came early in the first quarter

What a dunk by Donta Hall! Motorola Magic Moment

Paris Basketball v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-11-01T19:45:00.000Z)

 Dovydas Giedraitis connexts with Alen Smailagic for a big slam!


Smailagic rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment

  Dovydas Giedraitis connexts with Alen Smailagic for a big slam!


Edgaras Ulanovas somehow beats the buzzer with an impossible shot - how did he do it?

Ulanovas beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment

Brown races through the paint and rocks the rim with a one-handed slam-jam !

A monster dunk by Lorenzo Brown! Motorola Magic Moment

Sylvain Francisco finds Laurynas Birutis for a big slam in traffic!


Birutis dunks in traffic! Motorola Magic Moment

Sylvain Francisco finds Laurynas Birutis for a big slam in traffic!

Both Nicolo Melli and Wade Baldwin prove their playmaking abilities with a couple of nice passes, with Baldwin’s behind-the-back pass finding Dyshawn Pierre in the corner for a three-pointer.

Showtime basketball by Fenerbahce! Motorola Magic Moment

Real Madrid forward Dzanan Musa will be sidelined for the team's upcoming games, the club confirmed on Friday evening. 

Real Madrid loses Dzanan Musa to ankle injury

Real Madrid forward [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/) will be sidelined for the team's upcoming games, the club confirmed on Friday evening. 

Upon the squad's return to the Spanish capital after two road games during the double-round week, tests confirmed that Musa has suffered a medial ligament injury to his right ankle. It is not yet known how long the 25-year-old will be out for. 

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Parte médico de Musa.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RealMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RealMadrid</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1852400831624024570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Musa missed Real's last game, [a Round 7 loss against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/lee-lifts-maccabi-past-real-79-78/). In his six appearances this season, five of which have come as a starter, Musa has averaged 13.8 points on 41.4% three-point shooting, as well as 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Musa is the latest Real player to be sidelined after injuries to [Andres Feliz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/andres-feliz-to-miss-time-with-plantar-fascia-injury/), who was injured in Round 2, and [Usman Garuba](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/usman-garuba/007630/), who has not played since the opening round.

More Real Madrid News

Los Blancos have suffered another injury blow

Aleksej Pokusevski comes across to deny Devon Hall’s layup attempt.

Pokusevski denies Hall! Motorola Magic Moment

Olimpia Milano came out on top against Virtus Bologna in the EuroLeague's Round 7 Rivalry Series game, with Nikola Mirotic enjoying a starring role.

Nikola Mirotic rolled back the years in Round 7’s Rivalry Series game

The Rivalry Series game in Round 7 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the Derby d’Italia, appeared to be heading in a very different direction if the first quarter was anything to go by. 

In the early going, [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/?season=2024-25) looked set for some plain sailing against visiting [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/roster/vir/?season=2024-25), despite the home team’s star forward [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) struggling from all over.

Milan, [which won the game 99-90](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/milan-triumphs-in-rollercoaster-derby-ditalia-against-virtus-99-90/), was 21-14 ahead after the opening 10 minutes, however the 2021-22 EuroLeague MVP was 0 for 3 from deep and having trouble finding his range. Nevertheless, there was calm on the home team’s bench, with assistant Mario Fioretti standing in for ill head coach Ettore Messina.

The hosts’ lead then soared to 40-23 late in the first half and it must have left Fioretti purring with delight, even if Mirotic was still misfiring on offense, with the home side benefiting from dominating the boards and an ironclad defense.

“We made a very strong, aggressive start. Perhaps it was our best defensive quarter of the year,” Fioretti told reporters after the absorbing contest. “We deflected and stole the ball time and again. We tried to maintain that pace, but in the third quarter Virtus played really well.”

Out of nowhere, Virtus hit top gear and having closed the gap to 44-35 by halftime, the visiting team turned the game on its head to lead 49-55 on the back of a 9-32 run, which had Milan reeling and the visiting fans in full swing. 

Mirotic was still showing no signs of emerging as one of the game’s top performers and Fioretti was getting increasingly uncomfortable as Milan was suddenly staring at what would have been a damaging home defeat against its traditional rival.

Then came the fourth quarter and the Montenegrin-born power forward, who featured for his adopted country Spain on the international stage, showed the traits which have made him a household name in the EuroLeague.

Mirotic nailed 12 points down the stretch as Milan regained the upper hand and he finished with an impressive double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds, helping the home team win the battle of the board 40-24 despite missing some of its big men through injury.

“We managed not to fall apart and overcame the difficult moment,” said Fioretti. “We played some very good basketball in the fourth quarter and in the end we were helped by some offensive boards, which were missing in the previous game at Baskonia-Vitoria Gasteiz.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">L&#39;Olimpia conquista il derby italiano di Eurolega! 99 - 90 il risultato finale. 🔥✅<br><br>(Mirotic 21 pts, LeDay 19, Causeur 18, Tonut 14)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a> <a href="https://t.co/4pVhOvm7Ni">pic.twitter.com/4pVhOvm7Ni</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1852109605117267997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Milan, which ended a four-game skid with its win over Virtus, suffered a tough 88-83 loss at Baskonia and hence the Rivalry Series triumph came as perfect remedy ahead of a tough schedule, starting with next week’s home matchup with Real Madrid.

Fioretti, who wished his boss Messina a speedy recovery, acknowledged that bringing the best out of a new-look Milan outfit was a time-consuming process, having also singled out third-year guard [Stefano Tonut](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/stefano-tonut/006509/), who shot the lights out from deep by going 4 of 5 on his way to 14 points. 

“I believe that gritting your teeth in times of difficulty was a very positive sign,” he said. “With so many new players and especially some of them new at this level, we lack consistency.

“Tonut is a boy who works hard with a lot of energy and sometimes he is quiet and less involved on offense because of everything he does on defense, like in the Vitoria game against [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/). However, he was very much involved against Virtus and he stepped up to the plate."

The 33-year-old forward overcame a slow start to shine when the chips were down against Virtus

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-10-31T19:30:00.000Z)

Look back at all the action in Round 6 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos from Round 6

Look back at all the action from Round 6 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan dug deep in the fourth quarter to subdue traditional Italian rival Virtus Segafredo Bologna, 99-90, in Round 7 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, helped by majestic performances from Zach LeDay and Nikola Mirotic. 

Nikola Mirotic, Zach LeDay stepped up as Milan overpowered Virtus 

[EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/roster/mil/?season=2024-25) dug deep in the fourth quarter to subdue traditional Italian rival [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/roster/vir/?season=2024-25), [99-90](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/milan-triumphs-in-rollercoaster-derby-ditalia-against-virtus-99-90/), in Round 7 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, helped by majestic performances from [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/) and [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/).

The duo carried Milan in crunch time, particularly 33-year-old Mirotic who finished the game on 21 points and 13 rebounds, hitting 12 points in the home straight when Virtus launched one last onslaught which the home side was able to repel.

LeDay netted 19 points and racked up 4 boards, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line, providing muscle in the paint as well as a threat from deep as he made both of his 3-point attempts.

In his post-game comments, the American offered a peculiar analogy to Milan’s resilience and fighting spirit, which forced battling Virtus into submission.

“It’s a big win for us, we’ve been struggling and there’ve been a lot of things going on, but we stayed together, resilient like dogs,” LeDay said. “Like my mom says, you’ve got to let the dogs go hunt, so that’s what you’ve got do. Let the dogs go hunt and see what they bring back to you.

“We got the stops when we needed to, that’s really been the main thing for our team. Offensively we were good but the key was getting those stops.”

Apart from Mirotic and LeDay, Milan’s effort was also carried by [Stefano Tonut](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/stefano-tonut/006509/), who enjoyed an impeccable shooting night in scoring 14 points, as well as [Fabien Causeur ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/fabien-causeur/001392/)who netted 18 to go with 6 boards. The versatile French guard acknowledged the win over Virtus could potentially be a turning point early in the season as Milan snapped a four-game skid.

“It was a tough month for us and we had some tough losses but today we stuck together and hit some tough shots,” [said Causeur](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/videos/fabien-causeur-we-found-the-right-solutions/?feedId=60dee8825eb4fd8da365da78&title=Latest%20videos). “I am very happy because this is a great group of guys and we found the right solutions at the right time. It’s a good sign for the rest of the season and I am pretty sure we’re going to keep getting better.”

Apart from missing several key players including sharpshooting guard [Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/), Milan was also without its ill-stricken head coach Ettore Messina, whose stand-in assistant Mario Fioretti praised the team and wished his boss a speedy recovery. 

“We played a solid game but we made some defensive mistakes when Virtus came back very hard in the third quarter,” he said. “We fought throughout the game and offensive rebounding was the key tonight as our defensive level was not where we wanted it to be.

“Virtus is a very tough team and it’s not easy to play them. Messina is feeling a lot better today and we hope to have our leader back as soon as possible.”

Milan racked up a massive 15 offensive boards and 40 in total, against 24 collected by Virtus, with only 3 of those on the offensive end. The home team also sank 12 of 29 attempts from 3-point range while Virtus made 9 of 22, the hosts thus excelling in key departments to prevail in a rip-roaring contest that kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout. 

The home team’s power forwards came up big down the stretch to propel their team to victory

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard Fabien Causeur spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team’s victory over Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 7 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Fabien Causeur: 'We found the right solutions'

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard Fabien Causeur spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team’s victory over Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 7 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.