Real Madrid Baloncesto went on the road and defeated Virtus Bologna 74-89 in Round 29 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Real Madrid steps up late to down Virtus Bologna, 74-89

<incrowd-live-blog id="65f2ca4e6ddca421220db5e7" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Sergio Llull of Real Madrid has possession against Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 29 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Los Blancos brought their three-game losing streak to an end

Real Madrid steps up late to down Virtus, 74-89

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Real Madrid (2024-03-15T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Basketball beat Zalgiris Kaunas 64-58 at BMW Park in Round 29 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Bayern grinds down Zalgiris, 64-58, rekindles play-in hopes

<incrowd-live-blog id="65f2ca106ddca421220db5e3" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

A few FC Bayern Munich players come together during their game against Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 29 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Pablo Laso's players grabbed a vital victory in their bid to make the postseason

FC Bayern Munich v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-03-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Paris Lee scored a game-winning corner three as LDLC ASVEL beat Anadolu Efes S.K. 84-80 in Round 29 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

LDLC ASVEL fends off Anadolu Efes' comeback to grab 84-80 win

<incrowd-live-blog id="65f2c9db6ddca421220db5df" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Noam Yaacov of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne is guarded by Elijah Bryant of Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 29 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Paris Lee hit the game-winning shot for the hosts, who have now won two straight games at home

ASVEL fends off Efes comeback to grab 84-80 win

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2024-03-15T19:00:00.000Z)

Get ready for more thrilling basketball in Round 29 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

EuroLeague Game Center: Round 29

### Friday, March 15

[LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 84-80 Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2023/261/)

ASVEL played the role of spoiler to end Efes's playoff hopes as it held on for an 84-80 victory over the Turkish side. ASVEL has now won two straight home games, with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scoring 21 points on Friday night and Paris Lee securing the win with a three-pointer with 4.8 seconds to play. ASVEL is now 7-22 as Deshaun Thomas added 20 points and Nando De Colo chipped in 5 points and 9 assists. Efes suffered a major blow to its playoff hopes after losing its eighth straight road game for a 12-17 record, including just 2-13 on its travels. Will Clyburn paced Efes with 16 points and Darius Thompson scored 15 points in a losing effort.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">LA FOLIE À LA LDLC ARENA 🔥🔥🔥<br><br>Nos Villeurbannais enchaînent une deuxième victoire consécutive à la <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLC_Arena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ldlc_arena</a> dans une ambiance indescriptible ! Oh que ça fait plaisir ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LDLCASVEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LDLCASVEL</a> <a href="https://t.co/1QNWb0ZWWs">pic.twitter.com/1QNWb0ZWWs</a></p>&mdash; LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL/status/1768744265436233931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Bayern Munich 64-58 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-bayern-munich-zalgiris-kaunas/E2023/260/)

Bayern (13-16) bounced back into the postseason picture with an industrious 64-58 home win over Zalgiris (11-18) after a superb defensive performance which limited the visitors to low shooting percentages. Center Devin Booker paced Bayern with 20 points and 6 rebounds, while guards Carsen Edwards and Sylvain Francisco scored 10 each for the home side. At the other end, Keenan Evans led Zalgiris with a game-high 21 points and Brady Manek chipped in with 11.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FINAL SCORE: We get the hard fought win against <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bczalgiris</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBallTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeBallTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAYZAL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAYZAL</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1768750911302566147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Virtus Segafredo Bologna 74-89 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-real-madrid/E2023/259/)

Real Madrid ended a three-game losing streak and became the first team to secure a top-six finish, thus guaranteeing a spot in the playoffs, by cruising past Virtus, 74-89. Guerschon Yabusele powered Real with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field plus 7 rebounds, while Vincent Poirier added 14 points and 8 boards to help the reigning champ improve to 23-6 in first place. Isaia Cordinier led the resistance for Virtus with 12 points and 8 rebounds, but it never looked like being enough as the hosts dropped to 17-12 after losing five of their last seven games.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🏁 FP: <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VirtusSegafredo</a> 74 - 89 <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/UnicajaBanco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnicajaBanco</a> <a href="https://t.co/NV2vzw9VRm">pic.twitter.com/NV2vzw9VRm</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1768753521455677579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Thursday, March 14

[Olympiacos Piraeus 71-65 Panathinaikos Aktor Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olympiacos-bc-vs-panathinaikos-bc/)

Olympiacos secured a season sweep against archrival Panathinaikos by coming out on top at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Thursday evening, 71-65. The Reds had a slow start to the contest but were led by an inspired Moses Wright, who had a career-best night. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos now share an 18-11 record, but it is the Reds who have the head-to-head advantage. Wright finished as the game's leading scorer, netting 19 points. Alec Peters was the only other Olympiacos player to finish in double digits in points, having scored 11. Panathinaikos, meanwhile, had three double-digit scorers: Kendrick Nunn with 17 and Dinos Mitoglou and Mathias Lessort with 11 each.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%F0%9D%97%A7%F0%9D%97%B5%F0%9D%97%B6%F0%9D%98%80%F0%9D%97%9C%F0%9D%98%80%F0%9D%97%A3%F0%9D%97%B6%F0%9D%97%BF%F0%9D%97%AE%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%98%82%F0%9D%98%80?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗜𝘀𝗣𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘂𝘀</a> 💪 🔴⚪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OLYPAO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OLYPAO</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</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://t.co/8XirQSO477">pic.twitter.com/8XirQSO477</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1768362851482141162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 118-88 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-vs-valencia-basket/)

Fenerbahce set a new EuroLeague club record on its way to a 118-88 home win against Valencia in Round 29. Fenerbahce hit 24 three-pointers, shattering the all-time record which belonged to cross-town rivals Anadolu Efes Istanbul (22). Its 118 points are also a club record. Tyler Dorsey hit 8-of-9 three-pointers on his way to 28 points. Nigel Hayes-Davis added 21 for Fenerbahce while Scottie Wilbekin had 20. Brandon Davies led Valencia with 18 points. Fenerbahce improved to 18-11 in the standings, Valencia dropped to 13-16.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Maç Bizim!<br><br>Tebrikler Fenerbahçe Beko! 💪<br><br>Maç Sonucu | Fenerbahçe Beko 🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a>: 118-88<br><br>Skor dağılımımız: Dorsey 28, Hayes-Davis 21, Wilbekin 20, Biberovic 12, Guduric 8, Motley 8, Noua 7, Sestina 6, Calathes 4, Papagiannis 2, Madar 2. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/PPFq9tu6Ur">pic.twitter.com/PPFq9tu6Ur</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1768361536450371834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 80-84 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-crvena-zvezda-vs-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc/)

Maccabi rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat Crvena Zvezda 80-84 on Thursday night at Stark Arena. It was the third straight win for Maccabi, which improved to 16-13 on the season, while Zvezda lost its fifth consecutive game and has a 10-19 record.  Josh Nebo had 18 points, 13 rebounds, including 8 on the offensive end, and 3 blocks. Bonzie Colson scored 23 and Wade Baldwin had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Yago Dos Santos had 20 points and 7 assists for the hosts, but he left the game with 2 minutes to go after receiving a blow to the head and had to be taken to the locker room. Hanga had 13 points and 7 assists, Javonte Smart scored all of his 12 points in the first half, and Joel Bolomboy collected 11 points and 8 rebounds.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">💪 <a href="https://t.co/RCh0kc9AhA">pic.twitter.com/RCh0kc9AhA</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1768371573210140835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[ALBA Berlin 82-90 AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-alba-berlin-vs-as-monaco-basket/)

Monaco shrugged off a slow first quarter en route to an 82-90 victory at ALBA, which extended the Monegasque side's winning streak to eight games. Monaco took over with a 12-32 second quarter, though it was forced to fight at the end before improving to a 19-10 record, including a 9-7 mark away from home. Elie Okobo led the way with 21 points and Mike James added 20 points for Monaco, which has now won four straight road games. Monaco is strong in the running for the playoff spots. ALBA has dropped six straight games and remains in last place at 5-24. Matt Thomas picked up 14 points to lead the hosts in a losing effort. ALBA committed 21 turnovers to just 12 for Monaco, which attempted 74 field goal attempts to just 54 for ALBA.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">✅️ Victoire chèrement acquise sur le parquet de l&#39;<a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@albaberlin</a> 💪<br><br>📈 8️⃣e succès consécutif pour Monaco en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> ! ♨️<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/z3uUUmUyho">pic.twitter.com/z3uUUmUyho</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1768383561197838372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 88-73 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-vs-olimpia-milano/)

Baskonia powered past Milan and grabbed an 88-73 win in Round 29 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season. The hosts improved their record to 16-13 and secured the head-to-head advantage over the Italian side, that dropped to 12-17. Markus Howard led all scorers with 24 points, Chima Moneke netted 19 and Vanja Marinkovic added 13. For Milan, Nikola Mirotic recorded 21 points, Shavon Shields had 17 and Shabazz Napier ended the game with 12.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">✅ ¡Tenemos la tercera consecutiva en Buesa! ✅<br><br>🔥 Seguimos sumando en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <br>¡Ya van 1⃣6⃣!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/oIubBQV9kz">pic.twitter.com/oIubBQV9kz</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1768385711378477475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Barcelona 94-76 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-fc-barcelona-vs-kk-partizan/)

Barcelona (20-9) tightened its grip on second place in the EuroLeague with a comfortable 94-76 home win over Partizan (13-16) after the Spanish side produced a strong fourth quarter to force its Serbian rival into submission. Nico Laprovittola paced Barca with 17 points, while Willy Hernangomez poured in 15. A balanced team effort saw Rokas Jokubaitis score 13 points for the home team and Jabari Parker add 12, while versatile Ricky Rubio claimed the player of the game award with 7 points, 6 assists and as many rebounds. At the other end, Aleksa Avramovic stood out for Partizan with a game-high 27 points and Zach LeDay netted 16, but the support cast was well below par as none of the other visiting players hit double digits. Captain Kevin Punter had a particularly quiet game for Partizan, having netted a mere 6 points amid tight marking by the home side.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐋! La victòria es queda al Palau 👊 <a href="https://t.co/z7AUFgY4j6">pic.twitter.com/z7AUFgY4j6</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1768387592460902758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Another round of action in the most competitive basketball league in the world is now in the books

Game Center: Bayern, Real Madrid grab important wins on Friday

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-03-14T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-03-14T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-03-14T17:45:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin v AS Monaco (2024-03-14T19:00:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-03-14T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Valencia Basket (2024-03-14T17:45:00.000Z)

See one of the world’s most-passionate games from the inside thanks to the MindFly bodycams worn by the referees!

The Greek Derby like you've never seen it before!

Have you ever wanted to know what it feels like to really be part of the action of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game?

Well, feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears!

Game official Sreten Radovic wore the MindFly's POV Cam during the Greek Derby between Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as part of Round 29 of the regular season.

Now, you can not only watch the game action from closer than ever through the cameras in their jerseys but also hear them speaking with the players, coaches and each other throughout the game. It's a fascinating look at the professionalism that is at the very heart of the EuroLeague game experience.

Euroleague Basketball and MindFly started their collaboration during the last Final Four held in Kaunas, where all fans had the possibility to re-live some of the best moments of the EuroLeague's final phase as if they were inside the court. This season's debut of the same technology let fans experience *El Clásico* between [Real Madrid and FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/experience-el-clasico-like-never-before/) and since then a true winning streak of derby rivalries: [AS Monaco and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-right-on-court-with-monaco-and-asvel/) in France, [Virtus Segafredo Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/join-virtus-bologna-olimpia-milano-on-the-floor-euroleague-derby-ditalia/) in Italy, [Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce Beko](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/mindfly-referee-cams-went-inside-the-istanbul-derby/) in Turkey, and [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-inside-the-belgrade-derby-with-mindflys-referee-cams/) in Serbia.

Two of just 14 teams ever to win multiple EuroLeague titles go against each other in Round 29 as Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-11) hosts Real Madrid (22-6) on Friday. Both teams are battling for big goals this season, which makes this game even better.

Virtus hosts Real in pivotal Round 29 game

Two of just 14 teams ever to win multiple EuroLeague titles go against each other in Round 29 as [Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-11) hosts Real Madrid (22-6) on Friday](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-real-madrid/E2023/259/). Both teams are battling for big goals this season, which makes this game even better.

### History lesson

Real (22-6) can become the first team to qualify for the playoffs by winning in Bologna. Virtus (17-11) is right in the fight to reach the playoffs, too, but faces a tougher path, which means that every home game counts more than ever for the hosts. Earlier this season, Real thrashed Virtus 100-74 in the Spanish capital behind 18 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists and a PIR of 39 from Facu Campazzo. Marco Belinelli had 15 points for Virtus, which had arrived to WiZink Center on a five-game winning streak.

A big clash at the top of the standings sees unbeaten leader Real welcome red-hot Virtus, who are on a five-game winning streak. October MVP Toko Shengelia face a fearsome showdown with the dynamic Guerschon Yabusele if he, as expected, returns from injury. as these two stars battle for inside dominance.

Real Madrid-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 7 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

These clubs first faced each other almost 45 years ago, on December 13, 1979. Real beat Virtus 85-94 behind 35 points from Wayne Brabender. Virtus won arguably the most significant game between them, the 1989-90 Cup Winners' Cup final. Michael Ray Richardson led Virtus to a 79-74 win in Florence, Italy, under head coach Ettore Messina, only 30 years old at the time. Virtus has had a 4-3 record against Real since the turn of the millenium. Its last win in the Spanish capital came last season, when Virtus beat Real 91-95 on October 27, 2022 with 18 points from Iffe Lundberg.

### Real's current skid

Real is on a rare three-game losing streak. It features consecutive home losses, which had not happened since last season's playoff series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. In order to find Real losing three straight regular season games, we have to go back to the 2021-22 campaign, with consecutive losses against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and FC Bayern Munich. Real had almost its entire roster available, only Rudy Fernandez missed some games. What has happened, then?

To begin with, Real stopped scoring fluently. The defending champs are averaging 80.3 points, with 49 assists against 45 turnovers (1.09 assists per turnover), just 51.8% shooting on two-pointers (57 of 110) during this losing streak. These are much lower numbers than during the rest of the season. In the first 25 games, Real averaged 89.6 points on 58.4% two-point shooting, dishing 531 assists against 308 turnovers (1.72 assists per turnover). Real has a lot to improve but running its offense through its centers Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier should be a turning point for head coach Chus Mateo's team.

### Virtus: No place like home

Virtus has been rock-solid at home throughout the season, losing just a couple games: against Zalgiris Kaunas on opening night and against AS Monaco. Virtus managed to win 11 consecutive home games in between those defeats. Meanwhile, Virtus is on a five-game road losing streak, with no wins away from Bologna since January 5, when it downed ALBA Berlin 68-83. Virtus has nine road losses. The only top-10 team with more is Fenerbahce (5-10).

Jordan Mickey averages 10.6 points on 35 of 64 two-pointers (54.7% 2FG), 4.8 rebounds and a PIR of 12.1 in 10 home games this season. On the road, Mickey averages 7.9 points on 18 of 42 two-pointers (42.9% 2FG), 4.1 rebounds and a PIR of 6.8.

2023-24 EuroLeague highlights: Jordan Mickey, Virtus

Perhaps no other player shows that two faces better than center Jordan Mickey, who posts way better numbers at home than on the road. Mickey averages 10.6 points on 35 of 64 two-pointers (54.7% 2FG), 4.8 rebounds and a PIR of 12.1 in 10 home games this season. On the road, Mickey averages 7.9 points on 18 of 42 two-pointers (42.9% 2FG), 4.1 rebounds and a PIR of 6.8. It will be a special game for Mickey, one of four players to play for both teams in the EuroLeague since the turn of the millenium, along with Charles Smith, Marko Jaric and Stefano Attruia. Mickey had 8 points against Real in Round 7 but amassed a PIR of -1.

### Best Defenders battle at center

It is a very anticipated matchup. Real's Walter Tavares and Virtus's Bryant Dunston, two of the four players that won multiple Best Defender titles in EuroLeague history. Dunston won the award with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2014 and 2015, while Tavares was chosen as the competition's Best Defender with Real in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Dimitris Diamantidis (6 times) and Kyle Hines (3) are the other two players to win the award more than once. All of them are multiple EuroLeague winners, which kind of proves one of the biggest cliches in basketball: at least in the EuroLeague, defense wins titles.

Three years together were plenty for Olympiacos Piraeus and savvy big man Moustapha Fall to know that they want three more together. On Friday, Olympiacos announced a new contract with the 2.18-meter center that will keep them together through the 2026-27 season, by which time Fall will be 35.

Since Fall joined the Reds in the summer of 2021, they have been to two Final Four together, losing last season's EuroLeague title in the final seconds to Real Madrid. After winning the Greek Derby on Thursday night to sweep archrival Panathinaikos Aktor Athens, Olympiacos is 18-11 and sharing fourth place with the Greens and AS Monaco.

Moustapha Fall Top Plays from 09/30/2023 to 03/15/2024

Moustapha Fall extends deal with Olympiacos till 2027

Fall has been central to all that success. He has been a full-time starter since landing in Piraeus and has gone from strength to strength in his 22 minutes on average over 101 games with the Reds. He ranks 24th among all EuroLeague players with a per-game performance index rating of 13.2 per game. The fact that on that top 25 list, only he and Mike James have appeared in 100 games or more attests to his durability as well as his success.

Overall, for the last three seasons, Fall has averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocks. His 73.1% two-point shooting in that span ranks second in the league, as does his 72.3% career rate inside the arc.

Fall preceded his Olympiacos stint in the EuroLeague with one season at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in his native France. he had started as a pro in 2011 with Poitiers and stayed home to play for Monaco, Antibes and Elan Chalon before moving abroad with Sakarya of Turkey in 2017. He spent the next season at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in Russia before returning to Turkey with Turk Telekom in 2019-20. By age 30 he was at Olympiacos and now it stands to become the team where he will have spent more season of his career than any other.

The Reds made sure to wrap up their versatile center for the foreseeable future.

Olympiacos, Moustapha Fall together until 2027!

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv exorcised its Stark Arena demons with Thursday's come-from behind 80-84 win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. After the game, Maccabi players and Coach Kattash tried to explain how the turnaround happened.

The story behind Maccabi's 'winning time' performance and 'precious' win

For the first 20 minutes of last night's game, it seemed as if Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv was heading towards another disappointing defeat at Belgrade's Stark Arena. The team was on a truly unbelievable negative run at this venue in the Serbian capital.

"It is a big one for us, we had some memories here in this gym," Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash commented, unprompted, after his team came back to beat Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 80-84.

Back in Round 21 in January, Maccabi played at the same venue against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and led 15-39 with 7 minutes left in the first half. Coach Kattash's men went on to squander that lead by the fourth quarter, lose against Partizan by 9 points. They then displayed more worrying basketball in the first half against Crvena Zvezda, finding themselves down 49-31 in the opening minute of the third quarter.

In those four-plus quarters of EuroLeague basketball at Stark Arena, separated by two months, Maccabi was outscored by a-believe-it-or-not 51 points. Precisely, 122-71.

But, there was still one half of basketball to play, and even though only the most optimistic Maccabi fans still believed in a turnaround, it did happen. It was a memorable one, and it meant a lot.

"It's a kind of a closure for us," Kattash said of the comeback win at Stark Arena.

So, how did Maccabi do it?

"I told the guys the only way we can come back to the game is together. But that we have to relax," Kattash touched on his halftime locker room speech.

It started with the belief that after playing some of its worst basketball of the season, on both ends of the floor, Kattash and the team still felt they just needed to string together a few minutes of good basketball to regain confidence.

But it was not the offense that started clicking right after the break for Maccabi, the second best scoring team in the competition, which entered the night averaging 87.0 points per game. It was the defense that made the difference.

Maccabi's third-quarter defensive highlights

Maccabi deployed a 2-2-1 zone press that started shaking the confidence of Zvezda point guard Yago Dos Santos, the only true ball-handler the depleted Zvezda had. The energy for Maccabi first came from Antonius Cleveland, whose aggressive defense helped force back-to-back turnovers leading to easy buckets and cutting the margin to 12 points.

Zvezda recouped, but Maccabi did not allow the hosts to pull away again, rather waiting to strike again.

Cleveland's role was an example of the team "sticking together," as star guard Wade Baldwin explained later.

But even though Cleveland might have been the one to jump-start the team with a much-needed boost of energy, it was Maccabi's poker of stars – Lorenzo Brown, Baldwin, Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo, who led the key fourth-quarter run.

Maccabi was still down by 8 points entering the final quarter, only to open it with a 2-17 run to grab a 63-70 lead, which it never relinquished.

Brown and Baldwin orchestrated the offense, Josh Nebo dominated in the paint, especially on the offensive glass, and Colson was just about everywhere.

"I really liked the way we played in the second half, both sides \[of the ball\]," Kattash said. "We showed character."

Game Videos

"I think we just started to compete harder," Nebo added after a huge game with 18 points, 13 rebounds, including 8 on offense, and 3 blocks. The big man did not hide that he was particularly tired, having spent 30 minutes on the floor. "We got down big in the first half so we had to exert a lot of energy in the second half just to cut it close."

He called it a "precious" win, while Baldwin, who finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, pointed out it is a "very important time of the season".

"It's winning time, it's March, it's time to make a playoff push and we executed late in the game," Baldwin said.

That focus, effort and execution in the second half led Maccabi to ending several streaks. It was team's first road win over Zvezda in more than a decade and snapped a six-game losing streak against the same opponent.

It also put all the Stark Arena ghosts to rest.

And it was also the team's third consecutive win which improved it to 16-13, not losing a step in the playoff race. Something that did not look very likely after two quarters of play.

Game News

Maccabi exorcised its Stark Arena demons with Thursday's come-from behind win over Crvena Zvezda


Already looking ahead to next season, Zalgiris Kaunas has decided to lock up forward Brady Manek for at least another year. Manek (2.06 meters, 25 years old) is making his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut this season and had an option to leave before next season. The new contract removes that option, commits Zalgiris and Manek to another season together, and leaves an option for a third season together in 2025-26.

In 22 EuroLeague games so far this season, Manek is averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. He has downed 42.9% of his three-point attempts. In the Lithuanian League, Manek is even more solid with 8.3 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 47.3% on three-pointers.

In 22 EuroLeague games so far this season, Manek is averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. He has downed 42.9% of his three-point attempts.

Brady Manek hihglights in the 2023-24 season

His best game on the EuroLeague floors came in Round 4, when Manek collected 17 points and 14 rebounds in a road win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. The power forward has come off the bench in all but four of his appearances, and has scored in double figures six times. However, he has made at least one three-point shot in 18 game in his first season in the competition.

"As an organization, we are always looking forward, so when we are thinking about next season's team, we definitely want to have Brady on it," club director Paulius Jankunas said. "He has adapted to the EuroLeague, fits well in the coaches' schemes and is an elite shooter. We see more potential, so we are very happy that he also believed in our organization and decided to stay in Kaunas."

Manek previously played for Perth Wildcats of Australia and Bursa Tofas of Turkey.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shooter gonna shoot! 🎯<br><br>Zalgiris has renewed contract with <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyManek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BradyManek</a>, who will play at least one more season in Kaunas. ✍️ <a href="https://t.co/6MNFrbpBEN">pic.twitter.com/6MNFrbpBEN</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1768576078933635101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Zalgiris has a new contract with American forward.