Elijah Bryant scored a career-best 26 points, of which 19 came in the second quarter alone, as Anadolu Efes beat KK Crvena zvezda 100-55 to make the EuroLeague's Play-In Showdown.

Elijah Bryant erupted for career-high night to send Efes to the play-in

The first quarter of [Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s must-win Round 34 clash against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/live-blog-anadolu-efes-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/) saw some nerves from Tomislav Mijatovic’s team, despite leading 15-11 after the opening 10 minutes, yet [Elijah Bryant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/) soon calmed things down for everyone inside Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.

Bryant didn’t play a single second in the first quarter, instead having to watch on as Efes went 6 for 11 from two-point range and 1 for 8 from deep, while it didn’t attempt a single free throw. Given that Efes knew only a win would secure its place in the Play-In Showdown, it was normal that the sense of the occasion would lead to some inconsistent shooting.

However, if there was one player who seemed unawed by everything around him, it was Bryant. The 28-year-old, who won the NBA and Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championships in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022, entered the contest with 8:08 minutes left before halftime and quickly got to work.

### Catching fire in the second quarter

In a seven-minute stretch between 7:18 and 0:18, Bryant became a nightmare for Zvezda, scoring point after point after point. Efes had a slender five-point lead, 19-14, upon his introduction a couple of minutes into the period, but the guard went on to score 19 second-quarter points on perfect shooting to make it 45-31 at the interval. From there on out, Efes was able to go from strength to strength en route to a blowout 100-55 victory.

Elijah Bryant scored a career-high 26 points in a 100-55 Anadolu Efes Istanbul win against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 34 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Bryant's highlights vs. Zvezda

Yet, it was Bryant who really got the ball rolling and eliminated any nerves, either among his teammates or for those in the stands. Afterward, though, he made sure to keep his feet on the ground.

“It feels good. We got the win, everyone contributed,” Bryant reflected. “Now we have some more important games in front of us, but we’ll celebrate this one tonight, for sure.”

Bryant has had a couple of vital performances in recent weeks for Efes, both of which have been vital. In Round 31, in a potential banana-skin game at home to ALBA Berlin, the former Milwaukee Bucks man netted a career-best 24 points in what proved to be a surprisingly tight 85-84 win; had Efes lost, its chances of making the play-in would have been dealt a big blow.

Then, on Thursday night, Bryant’s influence was all over the victory against Zvezda as he set a new career high in scoring by finishing with 26 points. The final outcome may not make it clear, but Bryant put the wheels in motion to lock up ninth position, thus guaranteeing a play-in spot.

<center>
<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>

### Praise from Coach Mijatovic

“We know why we have him, we know what he can do,” Coach Mijatovic commented afterward. “People around him and teammates trust him. He works extremely hard and he contributes extremely well.

“This is a team sport, everybody has to step in. He stepped up tonight, but the whole team \[also\] stepped up. Elijah’s just one extra extremely important piece of our puzzle and I’m super happy for him, super happy.”

Bryant, not one to sing his own praises, will now hope to make a similar impact when Efes hosts the loser of Virtus Segafredo Bologna against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, who face each other on Friday night. The loser of that game will drop to the 10th seed, thus setting up a road game at Efes next Tuesday night. Bryant and co. will no doubt be watching on with intrigue.

Game News

Elijah Bryant of Anadolu Efes Istanbul looks to score against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 34 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

His introduction in the second quarter completely changed the game

Elijah Bryant erupted for career high to send Efes to the play-in

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

Mike James and co. see the team’s win over FC Bayern Munich as fulfilling two season goals including locking up home-court advantage for the playoffs. 

Monaco accomplished two goals with win over Bayern

When it’s all said and done, AS Monaco will not worry about nearly blowing a 24-point lead in its regular season finale. Mike James and co. will only see the team’s win over FC Bayern Munich as fulfilling two season goals including locking up home-court advantage for the playoffs. 

Monaco fended off Bayern’s comeback for an 89-85 victory to secure home-court advantage with a 23-11 record. It was the second season in a row that Monaco earned the right to start its playoff series at home. 

“It’s always good to clinch home court. That was one of our goals. That is one goal checked off,” said Mike James, who scored 17 points, including 6 free throws in the final 107 seconds. 

“We had a better record than last year too. So that is another goal we wanted. So we are just happy to get both of those things done and hopefully, we can accomplish some more.”

Monaco finished the season with 12 wins in its last 13 games for the 23-11 record - which was two more wins than last season’s mark of 21-13. 

“We had an amazing regular season and achieved at least the third spot. We are happy about that and we should be happy with this,” said Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic.

“Twenty-three wins this season - two more than last year - that is amazing in EuroLeague with all these big teams. We are still young. This is a great achievement. But the satisfaction of this achievement will only be for today because we know that the playoffs are completely different,” the coach said. 

Obradovic is confident that his team will go into its playoff series differently compared to last season when Monaco fought past Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 3-2 to reach the Final Four for the first time.

“Last year’s achievement was the first time ever, so I think this year I think we will have an easier approach to it mentally,” the coach said. 

“This is two years in a row being top four. It’s something to be proud of and happy. But we know we have a long way to go,” added Alpha Diallo, who paced Monaco with 20 points. 

Game Videos

Monaco knows it cannot play like it did against Bayern in the playoffs if it wants to reach the Final Four again.

“We took our foot off the gas and stopped taking it seriously. We stopped paying attention to the details and just let them kind of play how they wanted. It was a totally different feeling to how we played in the first half. It happens. I’m glad we were able to react and still get the win and clinch home court,” said James.

Two season goals are accomplished. Now Monaco could move onto a third mission it hopes to complete - getting to back-to-back Final Fours. 

The club finished in third place and will have home-court advantage in the playoffs for the second year running

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

Maccabi Tel Aviv BC defeated Olimpia Milano 92-86 in Round 34 

Maccabi records 92-86 victory over Milan

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

March MVP Wade Baldwin led the Israeli champs with 18 points

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

Anadolu Efes will play in the EuroLeague's Play-In Showdown after beating KK Crvena zvezda 100-55 in Round 34 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Efes reaches play-in with blowout win over Crvena Zvezda, 100-55

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Ercan Osmani of Anadolu Efes Istanbul posterizes Joel Bolomboy of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 34 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Tomislav Mijatovic's squad did what they needed to do in order to book a postseason berth

AS Monaco Basket held off FC Bayern Munich 89-85 in Round 34 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Monaco holds off Bayern, 89-85

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After yielding most of a 24-point lead, the hosts stiffened up late to prevail and clinch a top-three spot in the playoffs.

Real Madrid finished the EuroLeague regular season with a 62-64 victory at Zalgiris Kaunas thanks to Gabriel Deck's last-second jumper. 

Real Madrid edges Zalgiris, 62-64, in Kaunas

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Real Madrid.

Gabriel Deck's last second jumper gave the champs the victory

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

Here you can find all the latest injury news surrounding all rostered players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. 

EuroLeague injury report

Follow all the latest injury information for registered players in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, as reported by the clubs, and get your [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home?_ga=2.101462721.1199459303.1696273873-903329349.1669636775) teams up to date!

**ALBA Berlin**

Johannes Thiemann is out for Round 34 at Panathinaikos due to back problems.

Louis Olinde and Yanni Wetzell are questionable for Round 34 after a flu-like infection.

Jonas Mattisseck is out for Round 34 with a flu-like infection.

Gabriele Procida has not played since Round 27 due to a knee injury. He is out for Round 34.

Matteo Spagnolo has not played since Round 27 due to a right thigh muscle tear. He is out for Round 34.

**Anadolu Efes Istanbul**

Ertan Gazi underwent surgery after Round 26 and is out for Round 34 vs. Crvena Zvezda.

**AS Monaco**

Monaco has not yet provided injury information for its Round 34 game against Bayern.

Terry Tarpey underwent surgery on his left meniscus and will be out until early May.

**Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz**

Baskonia has not yet provided injury information for its Round 34 game at Virtus.

**Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade**

Crvena Zvezda has not provided injury information for its Round 34 game at Efes.

Trey Thompkins, who was signed in early February, has not yet made his debut. His status for Round 34 is unconfirmed.

Nikola Topic is recovering from a knee injury and has been out since Round 19. His status for Round 34 is unconfirmed.

**EA7 Emporio Armani Milan**

Devon Hall is out for Round 34 at Maccabi due to a twisted left ankle.

[Billy Baron](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/milan-baron-out-2-3-weeks/) is out for the season with a right elbow injury.

**FC Barcelona**

Willy Hernangomez, who is nursing a knee injury, is unavailable for Round 34 at ASVEL.

**FC Bayern Munich**

Elias Harris, Andreas Obst, Nelson Weidemann and Ivan Kharchenkov are all listed as unavailable for Bayern in Round 34 at Monaco.

Devin Booker, who hadn't played since hurting his ankle in Round 30, is available.

**Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul**

Johnathan Motley, who suffered a calf injury over the weekend, is unavailable to play in Round 34 at Olympiacos.

Sertac Sanli, who is nursing a hamstring injury, traveled to Piraeus but is listed by Fenerbahce as questionable to play in Round 34.

[Yigit Hamza Mestoglu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-loses-youngster-mestoglu-to-acl-injury/) suffered a season-ending ACL rupture before Round 23.

**LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne**

ASVEL has not yet provided injury information for its Round 34 game vs. Barcelona.

Mike Scott did not play in Round 33. His status is unconfirmed for Round 34.

**Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv**

John DiBartolomeo is out for Round 34 vs. Milan due to a shoulder injury suffered in domestic action last weekend.

**Olympiacos Piraeus**

Filip Petrusev, who missed Rounds 32 and 33 with a knee injury, is listed by Olympiacos as questionable for Round 34 vs. Fenerbahce.

[Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/nikola-milutinov-suffers-ankle-injury/), who hasn't played since Round 22 due to broken foot, also is listed as questionable for Round 34

**Panathinaikos Athens**

Kostas Antetokounmpo is listed by Panathinaikos as questionable for Round 34 vs. ALBA.

**Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade**

P. J. Dozier, who is nursing an knee injury, is reported by Partizan as unavailable for Round 34 vs. Valencia.

**Real Madrid**

Facundo Campazzo is in doubt for Round 34 at Zalgiris after picking up a knock in domestic action last weekend.

Sergio Rodriguez, Hugo Gonzalez, Rudy Fernandez and Ismaila Diagne did not make the trip to Kaunas.

**Valencia Basket**

Valencia has listed Boubacar Toure, Stefan Jovic, Kevin Pangos and Damien Inglis as unavailable for Round 34 at Partizan.

**Virtus Segafredo Bologna**

Virtus lists only Davontae Cacok, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Round 17, as unavailable for Round 34 vs. Baskonia.

**Zalgiris Kaunas**

Arnas Butkevicius is reported by Zalgiris as unavailable for Round 34 vs. Real Madrid.

Karolis Lukosiunas is out indefinitely with back problems.

Check out all the injuries and absences expected in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague before the Fantasy Challenge deadline.

Latest EuroLeague injury news - Round 34

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)

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

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

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

Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 34, the last of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bold predictions for Round 34

### Fenerbahce upsets Olympiacos, finishes fifth

#### *by Javier Gancedo*

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul lost against Anadolu Efes Istanbul twice last week, both in the EuroLeague and in their domestic competition. Head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's team cannot afford another loss right before the playoffs, and I predict that Fenerbahce will bounce back at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Nigel Hayes-Davis should lead his team again. Even though Fenerbahce is without big man Johnathan Motley and his fellow center Sertac Sanli is questionable, Georgios Papagiannis has been solid lately and will be inspired, as a former Panathinaikos player, to challenge Moustapha Fall. Tyler Dorsey should be extra motivated against Olympiacos, his former team, and Scottie Wilbekin has been hot lately, so the scoring punch can come from different directions. Fenerbahce finishes sixth and sends the Reds to the sixth place.

Fenerbahce Istanbul-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 6 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Barcelona-Olympiacos rivalry will be rekindled in the playoffs

#### *by Frankie Sachs*

Okay, I am taking my shot here. For this to happen, I am predicting that FC Barcelona will finish either third or fourth and Olympiacos Piraeus, correspondingly, will be fifth or sixth.  My bet is that both Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and AS Monaco take care of business on Thursday, ensuring that Barcelona will be fourth before it even takes the floor on Friday at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. And then, the Reds claim fifth place by holding off Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. The result? That the 1997 and 2010 championship games will be replayed as part of what should be an exciting playoff series. The last time Barca and Olympiacos clashed in the playoffs, the Reds won 3-1 in 2015.

### Virtus to lock up the eighth seed

#### *by Geoff Gillingham*

Get ready for a dramatic end to the regular season, with Virtus Segafredo Bologna hosting Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in one of the games of the round. The winner will secure the eighth seed, thus giving it two shots in the Play-In Showdown, while the loser will finish ninth or 10th depending on what happens elsewhere. I think Virtus's passionate fans will certainly play their part in swinging this game, while the Italian side's quality veterans – Toko Shengelia, Marco Belinelli and Daniel Hackett, to name just three – will make sure there's no slip-up. Virtus has gone 2-8 over its last 10 games, but with so much at stake, I believe it will get back on track just in time.

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-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 14 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Baskonia will nail down all-important eighth place

#### *by Frank Lawlor*

Some of us remember the first modern EuroLeague season and the only one to end in a best-of-five final series. Dusko Ivanovic's Tau Ceramica was an underdog against star-packed Kinder Bologna featuring Manu Ginobili, but Tau went into Palamalguti arena in Bologna and stole Game 1. Tau lost Game 5 and that first title in Bologna, but four years later they were back in Italy to start the playoffs and shocked Ettore Messina's Benetton Treviso with a 39-point Game 1 road win. Friday's game with Virtus is arguably the biggest of Round 34, the difference between two guaranteed Play-In Showdown games, with one at home if needed, versus only one guaranteed, likely on the road, and even if that is a victory, another test three nights later away. It may have been a long time ago, but when Baskonia and Dusko play a crucial road game in Italy, I am not betting against them.

### ASVEL goes out with pride in regular-season finale

#### *by Igor Petrinovic*

ASVEL did not have the season it had hoped for, with only eight wins amid two coaching changes. However, even though long-eliminated from postseason contention, ASVEL never stopped competing and played the role of a spoiler against Milan, Efes and Valencia, the latter one in a resounding 29-point fashion last week. I think Nando De Colo, Joffrey Lauvergne & co. are not done, leaving the best for last, and giving their fans at LDLC Arena something else to cheer about this Friday. FC Barcelona has already secured home-court advantage in the playoffs and will be coming off two emotionally-charged home wins, first over Maccabi, then a domestic league El Clásico success against Real Madrid. Not to mention that Roger Grimau's men might already be locked into fourth spot by the time of Friday's tip off in the last game of the regular season. I believe ASVEL will go out with a bang and beat Barcelona on its home floor for only the second time this century.

A spot in the Play-In Showdown is on the line

Efes vs. Crvena Zvezda: Win or go home for Mijatovic’s men

The final round of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague brings with it plenty of thrills and spills, which is particularly the case for Anadolu Efes Istanbul. On Thursday evening (19:30 CEST), [Tomica Mijatovic’s Efes host Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/anadolu-efes-istanbul-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/298/) knowing that only a win will guarantee its place in the Play-In Showdown.

There is still the remote possibility that a loss could still see Efes advance as the 10th seed, but both Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, who are one game back of the Turkish side entering Round 34, would need to lose to Valencia Basket and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, respectively. Should either Partizan or Maccabi win and Efes lose, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season would be over for the two-time champion.

Given that dynamic, recording a win is pivotal for Efes in order to lock up its place in the postseason, with a victory guaranteeing ninth spot in the standings. The good news is that Efes has been on a roll recently, going 7-2 under Mijatovic to give itself a fantastic chance of securing postseason basketball for the first time in a couple of years.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Kaptanın dediği gibi &quot;We ain&#39;t done yet!&quot; ✊<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/EcH4zGaiuD">pic.twitter.com/EcH4zGaiuD</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1776551708853727321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Efes is on a roll

Efes comes into Round 34 in high spirits as it is on a four-game winning streak in the EuroLeague and recorded back-to-back road wins at cross-city rival Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in a matter of days, first in European play (80-82) and then in the Turkish League (80-90). That was perfect recipe ahead of a make-or-break contest against Zvezda, a side that has never won at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in seven visits.

In particular, Efes’s star duo of [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) and [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/) have gone up another level with their team’s season on the line. During the last four wins, Clyburn has averaged 16.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal and a PIR of 20.0, while Larkin – not including the victory over ALBA Berlin when he was dealing with flu – has posted 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals and a PIR of 20.7 in the same stretch. They have both been integral to everything good – and Clyburn seems to have his confidence back, too, barking back at his doubters on EuroLeague TV after the triumph at Fenerbahce: “If anybody had any doubt who the best ‘3’ in Europe is, it's still me. And it will be me.”

Will Clyburn spoke to the TV cameras after Anadolu Efes Istanbul beat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 80-82 in Round 33 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Clyburn speaks post-Fenerbahce win

### Curiosity about Zvezda

What is particularly peculiar entering this contest is the fact that Zvezda is playing for nothing. That has been the case for a few weeks now, but Zvezda is now in the strange position of knowing that a first-ever club victory at Efes would open the door for its archrival, Partizan, to make the postseason. Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s side is 1-8 over the last nine games and one of the most out-of-form teams in the EuroLeague, but with all of the pressure on Efes, could a surprise result await?

Of all the clubs fighting to make the final play-in spot, one could argue that Efes is the most deserving, given its uptick under Coach Mijatovic. But this is the EuroLeague, where anything can happen. There is likely to be some drama along the way, so don’t miss out on what should be an action-packed contest to see out these two teams’ regular-season campaigns.