Olympiacos BC defeated Fenerbahçe Beko 84-81 in Round 34 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Olympiacos takes down Fenerbahçe in overtime, 84-81

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Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus looks to score against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 34 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Isaiah Canaan became the hero for the Reds, particularly in the game's final minutes

Olympiacos takes down Fenerbahce in overtime, 84-81

Olympiacos Piraeus v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-04-12T18:15:00.000Z)

Get comfortable as Round 34 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague campaign will have plenty of thrills and spills.

Game Center: Let the drama begin!

### Friday, April 12

[Olympiacos Piraeus 84-81 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-olympiacos-bc-vs-fenerbahce-beko/)

Olympiacos stood strong to close the regular season with a thrilling overtime win, 84-81, over Fenerbahce to finish fifth and set up a playoff series with Barcelona. Fenerbahce finished sixth and will face Monaco in the playoffs. The game was closely contested throughout, with 13 lead changes and several twists and turns in momentum as both teams battled hard.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Final score 🏀 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> - Fenerbahce 84-81 <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/OLYFBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OLYFBB</a> <a href="https://t.co/QaxJzYGEa8">pic.twitter.com/QaxJzYGEa8</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1778881104629383184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 79-66 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-valencia-basket/)

Partizan (16-18) ended its EuroLeague season on a high note with a 79-66 home win over Valencia (14-20) in Round 34, receiving a standing ovation from a jam-packed crowd after the game despite only having pride to play for. Partizan lost any chance of snatching a last-gasp play-in berth on the final day of the regular season after its bitter city rival Crvena Zvezda suffered a 100-55 drubbing at Efes on Thursday, as the Turkish outfit claimed the last available postseason berth.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Pobeda crno-belih za kraj <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> sezone!🙌🏽⚫️⚪️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/D9HESMAh1d">pic.twitter.com/D9HESMAh1d</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1778888023532318914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Virtus Segafredo Bologna 91-95 Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-virtus-bologna-vs-baskonia/)

Markus Howard scored 34 points and Baskonia rallied from a 13-point second-quarter deficit to edge Virtus Segafredo Bologna 91-95 and clinch the all-important eighth place in the standings. Improving to an 18-16 record, Baskonia will now travel to face Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the Play-In Showdown on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Virtus lost seventh in a row to finish the regular season in the 10th place with a 17-17 record and will travel to face Anadolu Efes Istanbul in a do-or-die game on Tuesday.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🔥🔥 SOMOS OCTAVOSSS, VAMOOOSSSSS 🔥🔥<br><br>🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreIn?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreIn</a> <a href="https://t.co/X5b02Gp031">pic.twitter.com/X5b02Gp031</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1778883002224796102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 76-72 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-fc-barcelona/E2023/304/)

ASVEL finished the season on a high note as it knocked off the mighty Barcelona 76-72 at home to close out 2023-24 with two straight wins and a 9-25 record. It was the second time this season that ASVEL managed back-to-back wins, having previously done so in Rounds 19 and 20.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">On pouvait pas rêver meilleure dernière ! <br><br>Nos Villeurbannais finissent la saison d’Euroleague en beauté en s’imposant face à Barcelone dans une LDLC Arena bouillante de chez bouillante ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LDLCASVEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LDLCASVEL</a> <a href="https://t.co/fvGv5GrlGv">pic.twitter.com/fvGv5GrlGv</a></p>&mdash; LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL/status/1778894771639009694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Thursday, April 11

[Zalgiris Kaunas 62-64 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-zalgiris-kaunas-vs-real-madrid/)

Real Madrid needed a fantastic pass from Sergio Llull and a last-second turn-around jumper from Gabriel Deck to shake off Zalgiris Kaunas for a 62-64 victory in a thriller in Kaunas. The regular-season finale seemed headed for overtime after Kevarrius Hayes tied it with just his second three of the season with 7.9 seconds left, but the champs found a way to win and improve to 27-7 without needing overtime. Dzanan Musa paced Los Blancos with 17 points and 7 rebounds and Mario Hezonja added 16 points for the winners, who will not have a week off before opening the playoffs at home against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Zalgiris, which dropped to 14-20, got 14 points apiece from Brady Manek and Keenan Evans in its final game of the season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gabriel Deck with the Game-winner 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MotorolaMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MotorolaMagicMoment</a> l <a href="https://twitter.com/Moto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Moto</a> <a href="https://t.co/3OxPxwYn0x">pic.twitter.com/3OxPxwYn0x</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1778495638256095306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[AS Monaco 89-85 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-as-monaco-basket-vs-fc-bayern-munich/)

Monaco locked up home court advantage in the playoffs as it survived a near miracle comeback from Bayern 89-85 in the final round of the season. Monaco led by 24 points but watched as Bayern made it a two-point game in the closing moments. Monaco came up big at the end and improved to 23-11, including 12 wins in the last 13 games. Alpha Diallo scored 20 points to lead five Monaco players in double figures and Mike James had 17 points and 12 assists. Elie Okobo scored 14 points, Donatas Motiejunas had 12 and Jordan Loyd finished with 11 points. Bayern lost its fifth straight game to finish the season with a 13-21 record. Carsen Edwards scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half and Sylvain Francisco tallied all 17 of his points after halftime.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🥵 La <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> résiste au Bayern et valide sa place dans le top 4️⃣ ‼️ <br><br>🚀 Fin de la saison régulière d&#39;<a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a>, cap sur les play-offs 💥<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/MLjIcorUcc">pic.twitter.com/MLjIcorUcc</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1778498228238897557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul 100-55 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-anadolu-efes-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/)

Efes has finished in ninth spot in the EuroLeague standings, thus confirming its spot in the Play-In Showdown, after a lopsided 100-55 win against Crvena Zvezda. Tomica Mijatovic has now gone 8-2 in the EuroLeague as Efes head coach. The Turkish side will host the loser of Virtus vs. Baskonia in the 9th vs. 10th play-in game next Tuesday.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">✊ ANADOLU EFES PLAY-IN’DE! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/vI3h5YGPgE">pic.twitter.com/vI3h5YGPgE</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1778502637979156981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 92-86 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc-vs-olimpia-milano/)

Maccabi will head into the play-in buoyed by its fifth win in the last six games, while its the end of the road for Milan, which needed to win and Efes to lose in order to retain any hopes of advancing into the postseason. Neither happened as Efes annihilated Zvezda 100-55 to snatch the last remaining play-in berth. Baldwin and Nebo once again stood out for Maccabi, which played all of its home games in Belgrade apart from the season opener against Partizan.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another 20 Ws season <a href="https://t.co/19OioM40qW">pic.twitter.com/19OioM40qW</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1778511737773322464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 84-75 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-alba-berlin/)

Panathinaikos struggled for three quarters but managed to down an undermanned ALBA by grabbing an 84-75 victory. The hosts improved to a 23-11 record and sealed second place in the standings, meaning that they'll have home-court advantage in the playoffs. Meanwhile, ALBA dropped to 5-29 and will finish bottom of the table. An extraordinary Kendrick Nunn led Panathinaikos with a career-high 28 points. Kostas Sloukas paired his 16 points with 7 assists, with Marius Grigonis netting 11. For ALBA, Khalifa Koumadje scored 13 points, with Sterling Brown and Ziga Samar registering 12 apiece.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final Score ☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@albaberlin</a> 84-75 <a href="https://t.co/1g8GKd4QKR">pic.twitter.com/1g8GKd4QKR</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1778517395235393885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game Center: The 2023-24 regular season is now in the books!

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Valencia Basket (2024-04-12T18:30:00.000Z)

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-04-12T18:30:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v FC Barcelona (2024-04-12T19:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v ALBA Berlin (2024-04-11T18:15:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-04-11T18:05:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-04-11T17:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Real Madrid (2024-04-11T17:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v FC Bayern Munich (2024-04-11T17:00:00.000Z)

The Players View returns to EuroLeagueTV on Friday with our two regular hosts, former player Michael Roll and Maccabi Playika Tel Aviv big man Jake Cohen. It's the last round of the Regular Season and that's why the Player's View will be focusing on the game that has more at stake: Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz starting at 20:30 CEST!

As always, there's no better way to get the low-down on what's happening on the court than to listen to the live insights of one current and one former pro. The Players' View is available exclusively to EuroLeagueTV subscribers. [Get your pass now](https://tv.euroleague.net/) to make sure you don't miss any of the action.

The Players' View returns for hot game in Round 34!

Two weeks after a milestone few thought was possible, take a look back at how Nigel-Hayes Davis of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul did just that, pouring in 50 points against ALBA Berlin to break the all-time single-game scoring record in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. 


 The night that the 50-point barrier was broken! 

Two weeks after a milestone few thought was possible, take a look back at how Nigel-Hayes Davis of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul did just that, pouring in 50 points against ALBA Berlin to break the all-time single-game scoring record in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. See how his historic night unfolded!

Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce: 'I'm very proud of myself'

The night that the 50-point barrier was broken!

On the final night of the regular season, Virtus and Baskonia square off in a clash that will send them on very different postseason paths.

Friday's finale brings huge consequences for Virtus, Baskonia

It became clearer and clearer, game by game over the last month or more, that the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season finale between [Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/E2023/303/) would influence the playoff race in one way or another.

That said, few envisioned that their game at Virtus Segafredo Arena on Friday would carry such huge consequences for both sides.

As these two clubs were battling their way through the regular season, it had seemed as though Virtus, masterfully guided by head coach Luca Banchi, would be fighting for home-court advantage in the playoffs. Meanwhile, a run that saw its record surge to 16-13 briefly put Baskonia in the conversation about a top-six finish and direct passage to the best-of-five playoffs.

In recent weeks, however, little went as planned for either team.

### Sliding down the standings

Virtus has been falling down the standings for a couple of months. The team from Bologna has a six-game losing streak going into Friday and has dropped nine of its last 11. A squad that surprised everyone by starting with 14-5 record and was alone in second place on January 10 has to console itself now with having clinched a Play-In Showdown spot early. What's more, its once-valuable 10-point road win over Baskonia no longer has any tiebreak value whatsoever. 

Baskonia may have to find a way of stopping its own former star, Toko Shengelia, who continued his stellar season with 27 points in Virtus' victory over Maccabi. Long-range fireworks could come from prolific three-point shooter Markus Howard, while Marco Belinelli is also regarded as a major deep threat.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 14 | Highlights

Meanwhile, Baskonia suffered its own three-game losing streak in March, only snapping out of it in the nick of time last week by coming back to defeat league leader Real Madrid. That road win finally clinched a play-in spot that was quickly slipping away.

Now, on the final day of the regular season, both have 17-16 records. Neither is where it wanted to be – in the Play-In Showdown rather than straight through to the playoffs – but Virtus and Baskonia know that one last regular-season victory can make a big difference. 

A last chance for a major advantage

The winner of their Friday night clash in Bologna will clinch eighth place in the standings and the loser will finish 10th due to tiebreak disadvantages that both have with Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

As such, tonight's winner will travel to face seventh-place Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on the first night of the Play-In Showdown, next Tuesday, April 16. Unlike what awaits tonight's loser, however, that game with Maccabi will not be of the must-win, one-and-done variety. Should Maccabi beat either Virtus or Baskonia next Tuesday, the loser still gets one more chance to reach the playoffs by hosting the last play-in game against the winner between ninth-placed Efes and the 10th-placed loser of tonight's game, also next Tuesday.

In short, not only is tonight's winner between Virtus and Baskonia guaranteed two chances to reach the playoffs, but it would play that second play-in game in front of its own fans on Friday, April 19.

Conversely, the loser between Virtus and Baskonia tonight will finish 10th and face a mighty steep climb to the playoffs, starting with a do-or-die visit to red-hot Efes. Then, even if successful against Efes, tonight's loser would have to travel once again to play the second play-in game on Friday, against either Maccabi or the team it will have just lost to in Round 34.

### Now it's up to the stars

With the importance of the game so clear, it's now up to both teams to find the way to win. Virtus is on a six-game losing streak, but only two of those loses have been at home, the last on a buzzer-beater.

Virtus's biggest star [Tornike Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) (14.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 3.4 apg.) is back to the level that reminds of his performances at the beginning of the season, when he was voted EuroLeague MVP for October. The Italian team will really need him and fellow veterans [Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) (8.0 ppg., 3.6 apg., 3.1 rpg.) and [Marco Belinelli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marco-belinelli/bcn/) (14.3 ppg.) to step up.

Baskonia, as dangerous on offense as any team, features EuroLeague scoring leader [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) (19.0 ppg) and assist leader [Codi Miller-McIntyre](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/codi-miller-mcintyre/009048/) (7.2 apg.). But more than anything, Baskonia will need [Tadas Sedekerskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tadas-sedekerskis/007230/) (6.9 rpg.), [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/) (6.8 rpg.) and [Matthew Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matthew-costello/010444/) (4.1 rpg.) to control the rebounds and neutralize the energy that the hosts will surely keep bringing all night long.

Tipping off at 20:30 CET and broadcast on EuroLeague TV, [Virtus and Baskonia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/E2023/303/) will provide for the final answers to the EuroLeague postseason on the final night of the regular season. 

Indeed, every game has counted, right down to the final night. 

Kendrick Nunn scored a season-high 28 points to lead his team to an 84-75 victory that allowed them to clinch second place and secure home-court advantage.

Panathinaikos clinched home-court advantage thanks to Nunn’s career-high scoring display

Thursday’s game was not going the way the majority of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens fans might have expected. ALBA Berlin started strong and took a 17-23 cushion into the second quarter, where the hosts bounced back and secured a narrow 38-37 lead at halftime. Enter [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/), with the Panathinaikos guard scoring a season-high 28 points to lead his team to an 84-75 victory that allowed them to clinch second place and secure home-court advantage.

Nunn struggled in the first half too, having recorded 5 points across the first two quarters. “We had a slow first half, not playing our basketball,” he said in the post-game interview. “We wanted to come into the second half and get it done.”

And that's exactly what he did. Nunn stepped up his game and scored 12 of his team’s 22 points in the third quarter. Yet, ALBA went on a 0-9 run to take a 60-63 lead into the closing quarter.

Kendrick Nunn scored 28 points against ALBA

Then Nunn came to the fore again and netted 11 points, including a couple of big triples to seal the victory for the hosts. The Panathinaikos guard went 6-for-9 from inside the arc and 5-for-8 from deep, scoring half of Panathinaikos’s 46 points after the break. He also recorded 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for a season-high PIR of 25.

However, numbers don’t matter for the former NBAer.

“The most important for me is the \[team’s\] record, how we do,” Nunn added. “If I’m scoring a lot of points and we lose, it means nothing.”

Just one year after finishing second-bottom in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular season standings with just nine wins in 34 games, Panathinaikos secured a 23-11 record to finish second behind defending champion Real Madrid.

Game News

“We’re taking a little break from EuroLeague and going into the playoffs the following week,” Nunn noted. “We just want to get refreshed and recollect with the guys and finish the season strong. Go into the playoffs with a strong mentality.”

Having secured the second spot, Panathinaikos will face the winner of the play-in clash between the two teams that will finish seventh and eighth in the standings. Should the Greek side overcome that obstacle too, they will return to the Final Four for the first time since the 2011-12 season. And in Nunn, they have a star who can make sure fans have something to celebrate at the end of the playoffs.

Game Videos

The first-year player went off for 28 points against ALBA Berlin

Panathinaikos clinched home-court advantage thanks to Nunn’s big night

Panathinaikos BC beat ALBA Berlin 84-75 in Round 34 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Panathinaikos seals second place with 84-75 win over ALBA

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Kostas Sloukas of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is guarded by Matt Thomas of ALBA Berlin in Round 34 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The Greens will watch the play-in games with intrigue as they look to discover their playoff opponent

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv maintained its good run of form with a 92-86 home win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the last round of the regular season and will head into next week’s Play-In Showdown on a high note. 

Maccabi kept rolling to stay confident ahead of play-in 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv maintained its good run of form with a 92-86 home win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the last round of the regular season and will head into next week’s Play-In Showdown on a high note.

It was Maccabi’s seventh victory in its last eight games and came against an opponent that needed to come out on top to have any chance of sneaking into the postseason, while also needing two other results to go its way for that to happen.

Things didn’t work out for Milan in any aspect, as Anadolu Efes Istanbul vanquished Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 100-55 and denied the Italian team a chance to stay alive for at least another day. 

The result in Istanbul also made Friday’s contest between Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Valencia Basket a dead rubber, as Efes’s win means that Partizan too has no chance of advancing.

Milan’s only hopes rested on beating Maccabi coupled with defeats for both Efes and Partizan. The Italian team’s head coach Ettore Messina acknowledged it was difficult to lift his players after news broke that Efes was tearing Zvezda apart.

He also pointed out Milan’s awful away form this season, with the former three-time EuroLeague champions going 3-14 on the road.

“It wasn’t easy for my players to keep competing after learning what was happening in Istanbul,” Messina said in his post-game comments.  “We should have won here nevertheless, but I am happy with the effort we put in, it was a good game by both teams and now we’ll move forward. It was a challenging season plagued by injuries but we didn’t perform well enough on the road. We might have been in a different position with a bit more consistency and focus, but it is what it is.”

Maccabi, which was assured of a seventh-place finish ahead of the game, benefited from another fine performance from the dynamic duo of Wade Baldwin, the March MVP, and towering center Josh Nebo. Both players stressed it was important for Maccabi to stay on a winning course ahead of the play-in game against opposition yet to be determined, after Friday’s clash between Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

“It was a very challenging game,” said Nebo. “Milan are a great team and they were fighting for their chance to get into the play-in while we also took the game seriously and it was a tough one. We’ve got a big game next week, making the playoffs is important for us and hence we have to get some rest now.”

Baldwin added: “Despite the circumstances, it’s another 20-win season for us and we’re now going to gear up for Tuesday’s play-in game here. We have to be totally committed and play like we did in March at both ends of the floor.”

Head coach Oded Kattash echoed the duo’s stance that Maccabi was determined not to just go through the motions. “Milan obviously had more to play for, but we wanted to keep our confidence high and play the right way,” he said. “I am happy that we got the 20th \[regular-season\] win.” 

The Israeli champs fine-tuned their ranks for the postseason with a well-deserved victory over Milan   

It was important win for Real Madrid to head into the EuroLeague Playoffs on a high note, and shrugging off a poor offensive game to win on the road helps. 

Real Madrid takes ‘good feelings’ into playoffs after last-second win 

On paper, [Real Madrid’s victory over Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-zalgiris-kaunas-vs-real-madrid/) on Thursday night did not have any meaning. Especially with star playmaker [Facu Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) sitting out with a bum knee. But it was important nonetheless to head into the playoffs on a high note and shrugging off a poor offensive game to win on the road helps.

“It was good to come back with a victory and to have good feelings,” head coach Chus Mateo said in the post-game press conference.

Real was not up to its standards on offense, scoring a season-low 64 points. It made 46.9% of its two-pointers and 34.6% of its threes, while committing 16 turnovers. All were below its season averages. On the other hand, Real played strong defense and dominated the glass 30-44.

And credit must be given to Zalgiris, which played an inspired game in its final EuroLeague fixture of the season.

“We really fought. We competed to the very end,” Zalgiris head coach Andrea Trinchieri said afterward. “I would love to have a different end, but we played a great game and nobody can take that away.”

Mateo agreed: “Of course, Zalgiris at home is very dangerous.”

After suffering elimination, Zalgiris aim to depart on a high note and delight its loyal legion of fans via a fourth successive homecourt triumph. They host the reigning-champs and regular season standings leader Real, who hope to restore form ahead of the playoffs following a defeat to fellow Spaniards Baskonia.

Zalgiris Kaunas-Real Madrid | Round 34 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Sergio Llull makes the big play again

In what was a theme last season, Real was able to lean on veterans to get the job done. Last year, [Sergio Llull](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergio-llull/tgb/) sank the game-winner in the championship game against Olympiacos Piraeus. On Thursday, he read the situation in the final seconds to get [Gaby Deck](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/gabriel-deck/009005/) an unexpected open look.

As Mateo explained, because Zalgiris had fouls to give and Real had a timeout remaining, the visitors took the ball out under their own basket and tried to spread the floor and “take advantage of the open court.” They expected Zalgiris to foul and to be able to run another play, but if Llull could avoid the foul and get an open shot for himself or someone else, that was option A. Llull’s pass found Deck wide-open in the corner to win it.

“Sometimes it happens in basketball that in the last-second you can win,” Mateo smiled.

That win was No. 27 for *Los Blancos*, which is the most by any club under the current round-robin season format. And all of the things that helped Real win in Kaunas can be critical when the playoffs begin in less than two weeks' time.

Dzanan Musa embraces Gabriel Deck after the Argentine's game-winning shot for Real Madrid at Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 34 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The top-ranked team in the league built some pre-playoff momentum with its win in Kaunas