The race for the EuroLeague playoffs intensifies with Round 28 providing several scintillating matchups between direct rivals. 

Round 28 Game Center

### Friday, March 8

[Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 85-67 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-ldlc-asvel/)

Panathinaikos registered its third consecutive win in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by topping ASVEL 85-67 at OAKA in Round 28 on Friday. Panathinaikos improved to an 18-10 record while ASVEL dropped to 6-22. Jerian Grant paced the winners with 21 points. Mathias Lessort added 17, Marius Grigonis and Kostas Sloukas each had 14 while Kendrick Nunn got 10 for Panathinaikos. Nando De Colo led ASVEL with 15 points. Joffrey Lauvergne netted 11 and Noam Yaacov had 10 for the guests.

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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/LDLCASVEL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LDLCASVEL</a> 85-67<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/purpleON?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#purpleON</a> <a href="https://t.co/9dz8jO1yh4">pic.twitter.com/9dz8jO1yh4</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1766210749104361619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 88-71 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-vs-alba-berlin/)

Baskonia (15-13) eased to an 88-71 home win over ALBA (6-22) and boosted its hopes of making the postseason, after a dominant performance in which Codi Miller-McIntyre stood out with 14 points, 10 assists and 4 rebounds. A balanced team effort saw Chima Moneke pour in 16 points for the home side, Vanja Mainkovic added 15 while Matt Costello racked up 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. At the other end, Matt Thomas and Khalifa Koumadje paced ALBA with 12 points apiece, Elias Rapieque scored 11 in just 5:21 minutes on the court and Yanni Wetzell added 10.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">IT´S A WIIIIIINNNNNNNNNN 🔥🔥🔥🔥<br><br>1⃣5⃣✅✅✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/mK7IEie1yx">pic.twitter.com/mK7IEie1yx</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1766212221875401013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 85-83 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-kk-partizan/)

Milan kept its postseason hopes alive with a nail-biting 85-83 victory over Partizan thanks to Shabazz Napier’s game-winner with 5 seconds remaining. Shavon Shields starred with 19 points and 6 assists, while Nikola Mirotic also scored 19 and Devon Hall added 18, with game-winner Napier providing 15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Aleksa Avramovic again paced Partizan with 19 points, with Bruno Caboclo adding 13 points and 5 rebounds.

<center>

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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4ROF2-tGPd/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Olimpia Milano (@olimpiamilano1936)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

### Thursday, March 7

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul 109-86 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/anadolu-efes-istanbul-fc-bayern-munich/E2023/244/)

Efes grabbed its third win in four games by thrashing Bayern 109-86 at home on Thursday. Both teams now have 12-16 records and Efes earned the tie-break advantage between them, overcoming an 86-71 loss in Munich in Round 15. Shane Larkin paced the winners with 28 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting. Will Clyburn added 21 points, Ercan Osmani had 11 while Elijah Byrant and Darius Thompson each got 10. Carsen Edwards led Bayern with 19 points. Vladimir Lucic added 18, Serge Ibaka 15 and Leo Bolmaro 10.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Kritik maçta galibiz! 👊<br>Anadolu Efes 109 - 86 Bayern Münih | Maç Sonucu<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/E%C5%9FitlikBirG%C3%BCneS%C4%B1%C4%9Fmaz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EşitlikBirGüneSığmaz</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZJgYeiAKHt">pic.twitter.com/ZJgYeiAKHt</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1765821505882271951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[AS Monaco 99-75 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/245/)

Monaco notched its seventh straight win by swatting aside Zvezda 99-75 on a special night for [Mike James, as he surpassed Vassilis Spanoulis to become the EuroLeague’s all-time record scorer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/mike-james-becomes-the-euroleague-all-time-leading-scorer/). Following this victory, Monaco has improved to an 18-10 record while Zvezda dropped to 10-18. James was the leading scorer in the game with 20 points, with Elie Okobo and Donatas Motiejunas both adding 14 for Monaco. Jaron Blossomgame had 12 and Donta Hall 10 in the win. For Zvezda, Luka Mitrovic posted 18 points, Yago Dos Santos 16, Rokas Giedraitis 13 and Joel Bolomboy 12.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🌊 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 🤳😁<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/Y1CqZAhQJI">pic.twitter.com/Y1CqZAhQJI</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1765851081748144128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 83-76 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-zalgiris-kaunas/E2023/246/)

Maccabi (15-13) came out on top 83-76 against visiting Zalgiris (11-17) and stayed on course to reach the playoffs after scoring the last 7 points of a game in which the lead had changed hands time and again. Wade Baldwin paced five double-digit Maccabi scorers with 16 points. Tamir Blatt added 11 points while James Webb, Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo chipped in with 10 each, the latter also racking up 9 rebounds. At the other end, Keenan Evans netted a game-high 18 points for Zalgiris while Edmond Sumner added 14, but his shooting dried up when the chips were down as he sank 12 in the first quarter. Edgaras Ulanovas amassed 10 points for Zalgiris, which committed 16 turnovers while managing as many assists.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The run continues 💪 <a href="https://t.co/xXUZApD4JH">pic.twitter.com/xXUZApD4JH</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1765846504034480432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Valencia Basket 78-88 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/valencia-basket-fc-barcelona/E2023/249/)

Barcelona defended its spot in second place in the standings with a hard-fought 78-88 victory at Valencia. Jan Vesely shot a perfect 10-for-10 on two-pointers and hit his sole free throw for 21 points as Barcelona moved to 19-9 and assured itself a top 10 finish which comes with participation, at the very least, in the new Play-In Showdown phase between the regular season and the playoffs. Nikola Kalinic and Nicolas Laprovittola added 13 each and Jabari Parker 12 for the winners. Semi Ojeleye had 19 points and Chris Jones 15 in a loss that drops Valencia's record to 13-15. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨̀𝐫𝐢𝐚 importantíssima a La Fonteta! 👊 <a href="https://t.co/ecbTWbKoJZ">pic.twitter.com/ecbTWbKoJZ</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1765850066969882912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Real Madrid 79-89 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/real-madrid-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2023/248/)

Fenerbahce was dominant through the 40 minutes and clinched a well-earned win away at leader Real Madrid. The visitors improved to a 17-11 record, while *Los Blancos* dropped to 22-6 and missed out on the opportunity to become the first EuroLeague team to clinch playoff qualification on Thursday night. Nigel Hayes-Davis recorded a double-double by pairing his 17 points with 12 rebounds, with Scottie Wilbekin and Nick Calathes recording 12 points each. For Real Madrid, Sergio Llull netted 17 points and Walter Tavares registered 14.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Madrid&#39;de Maç Bizim! 💪<br><br>Tebrikler Fenerbahçe Beko! 👏<br><br>Maç Sonucu | <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> 🆚 Fenerbahçe Beko: 79-89<br><br>Skor dağılımımız: Hayes-Davis 17, Calathes 12, Wilbekin 12, Motley 10, Biberovic 10, Guduric 8, Sertaç 7, Dorsey 5, Papagiannis 4, Sestina 2, Noua 2. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/TGOcdSMoNf">pic.twitter.com/TGOcdSMoNf</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1765858718653063395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Olympiacos Piraeus 74-69 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/olympiacos-piraeus-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/247/)

Olympiacos overcame injuries and rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat Virtus on Thursday. Both teams now have a 17-11 record but Olympiacos secured the tie-break advantage between both squads. Kostas Papanikolaou paced the winners with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Isaiah Canaan added 12 points while Moustapha Fall had 11 for Olympiacos. Toko Shengelia led Virtus with 15 points. Daniel Hackett and Marco Belinelli each added 10 for the guests.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The game stats 📊 | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OLYVIR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OLYVIR</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/FL3k6yaJ6P">pic.twitter.com/FL3k6yaJ6P</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1765862594009497982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After consecutive thrilling home wins, fast-rising Partizan bid to make it three in a row against a Milan team longing to bounce back from two straight losses. Energy reserves are to be tested with both fresh from overtime showdowns with Partizan overcoming Monaco, while Milan feel to defeat at Bayern.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 13 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

The race for the playoffs is reaching boiling point following another thrilling round of action in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Game Center: Three home wins from three to close Round 28

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v ALBA Berlin (2024-03-08T19:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-03-08T19:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-03-08T19:15:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-03-07T19:45:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket v FC Barcelona (2024-03-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-03-07T20:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-03-07T19:05:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-03-07T18:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v FC Bayern Munich (2024-03-07T17:30:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket big man Jaime Pradilla has renewed his contract at the club until the end of the 2026-27 season.

Jaime Pradilla renews at Valencia Basket until 2027

Valencia Basket big man [Jaime Pradilla](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jaime-pradilla/010393/) has committed his future to the club by signing a two-year extension to his contract, meaning his new deal expires at the end of the 2026-27 season.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">¡NO VAS A CREER lo que Pradilla tiene que enseñarte! 👀 <a href="https://t.co/i0a1FLIqKM">pic.twitter.com/i0a1FLIqKM</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1766131934604780006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The 23-year-old Pradilla, who has been at Valencia since 2020, has averaged 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12:16 minutes per game this season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. This is his third campaign in Europe's premier club basketball competition, having made 17 appearances in 2020-21, 30 in 2022-23 and, so far, 25 in 2023-24.

Pradilla has had to wait patiently for opportunities at Valencia, with the likes of Brandon Davies, Boubacar Toure and Semi Ojeleye all ahead of him in the pecking order, but this renewal signals the club's commitment to his future.

"I am very happy due to the confidence that the club gives me, that all the people give me every day," said Pradilla after renewing. "I am happy to be able to continue at this great club and in this great city which gives me all its support every day".

The best plays of Valencia Basket big man Jaime Pradilla in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Pradilla's top plays this season

A gold medal winner with Spain at EuroBasket 2022, Pradilla is one of the most promising Spanish players and is regularly called up to represent *La Roja*.

More Valencia News

Jaime Pradilla dunks in a game for Valencia Basket in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The young Spaniard has extended his contract by a further two years

Jaime Pradilla renews at Valencia until 2027

Thursday's victory made Fenerbahce the first team to beat Real twice this season.

Road win in Madrid provided Fenerbahce with confidence boost as playoff battle intensifies

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul came into the game against Real Madrid holding a poor record on the road. The Turkish side had managed just four victories in 14 games away from home and it was their dominance at the Ulker Sports And Event Hall that allowed them to be in playoff contention. In fact, no team has recorded fewer home defeats than Fenerbahce, which boasts a 12-1 record in Turkey.

Chus Mateo praised the confidence of Fenerbahce’s players before the game, but Sarunas Jasikevicius was aware that a victory away at the defending champion could serve as a turning point this season. Fenerbahce is the only Turkish Airlines EuroLeague side to have swept Real Madrid [after it beat Los Blancos 79-89 on Thursday night](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/real-madrid-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2023/248/) after also becoming the first team to down Los Blancos this season by grabbing a Round 11 overtime victory at home. 

“It’s very important for us to go to the opposing team's courts and get the road games,” Jasikevicius said at the post-game press conference. “We hadn’t been a really good road team and I think this is a huge step in a good direction. For the majority of the game, we stuck to our game plan and we executed well.”

Fenerbahce hit the ground running at the WiZink center and imposed its game on Real Madrid from the get-go. Its confidence on offense, coupled with solid defense, frustrated the hosts who looked unable to respond. Fenerbahce’s 17 offensive rebounds dealt a major blow to Real Madrid’s morale, while the Turkish side’s ability to find points from 11 of the 12 players who stepped on the floor showed that Jasikevicius’s plan worked to perfection.

Hayes-Davis, Calathes post-game interviews

“We had a solid game plan,” said Nigel Hayes-Davis, who registered a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. “Credit to the guys. I think we have the right mix of guys to be able to compete with what \[Real Madrid\] like to do defensively. We had extreme discipline. It was a very important game for us, as every EuroLeague game is.”

The battle for a playoff spot has intensified with just six rounds remaining. Boasting a 17-11 record, Fenerbahce is currently tied with Olympiacos Piraeus and Virtus Segafredo Bologna. All three sides are pushing for a top-four spot that would allow them to clinch home-court advantage. Fenerbahce holds the head-to-head advantage over the Italian side, but it will have to travel to Greece to face Olympiacos in the last game of the season. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is 17-10 with one game in hand, sitting below AS Monaco (18-10), FC Barcelona (19-9) and leader Real Madrid (22-6). 

“It’s hard not to look \[at the standings\], but we want to take each game at a time, try to play the best basketball and be in the best shape at the playoffs,” said Nick Calathes, who ended the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

With their confidence sky-high after grabbing a statement win in Madrid, Fenerbahce will host Valencia Basket next week. Then, in the last double-round week of the Regular Season, it will face FC Barcelona in Turkey before traveling to Italy to take on EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. On Thursday night, Fenerbahce proved that it has what it takes to win at any court and this is key for a team that wants to succeed in the demanding EuroLeague playoffs.

Mike James became the all-time leading scorer in EuroLeague history on Thursday. Here's how it happened and what lies ahead.

Mike James and a historic night: How it unfolded and what’s next

Everybody had been talking about it for so long, yet when [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) put AS Monaco 38-31 ahead against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to [become the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/mike-james-becomes-the-euroleague-all-time-leading-scorer/), everybody inside Salle Gaston Medecin collectively came together to recognize one of the best players in competition history.

With that make, James moved to 4,457 points – 2 clear of Olympiacos Piraeus legend Vassilis Spanoulis. The American had actually tied the Greek’s total of 4,455 with a couple of free throws and one had to wonder if he would break the record from the free-throw line.

Instead, what we got was a shot straight out of the Spanoulis and James handbook: a right side-step jumper. It is a move that Spanoulis made famous and one that James himself told Basket News that he’d added to his arsenal after seeing its success. We have seen the 33-year-old make that shot time and time again over the years, but it felt rather poignant that it is also a shot we associate with Spanoulis. A passing of the torch, if you will.

After Mike James became the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, the game between AS Monaco and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade was temporarily paused.

Game paused to honor Mike James

### How James’s night unfolded

All eyes were on James right from tipoff and, needing 12 points to surpass Spanoulis coming into the contest, it didn’t take long for him to trim that gap. With 7:24 remaining in the first quarter, the Monaco star used his speed to get away from Branko Lazic before being fouled by the Zvezda guard as he got his shot up. Not only did James’s shot fall but he also converted the and-one free throw. Now he needed just 9 more points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">-9 <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNatural_05?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNatural_05</a> <a href="https://t.co/b4a0GZzuTN">pic.twitter.com/b4a0GZzuTN</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1765801283984773355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It felt like everything was geared up for James to get his business done early, but a couple of shots hit the rim and came back out. Then, with 3:54 to go in the first, a couple of made free throws cut the required distance to 7.

Disaster almost struck shortly after, though, as James came up limping as he looked to stop on a dime. There were 3:07 minutes on the clock at that point and, clearly affected by a left ankle issue, he withdrew to the bench with 2:36 to go. Understandably, there was a sense of fear among the Monaco fans, not only that he may not reach the record on Thursday night but that this injury could affect the team’s chances moving forward.

Well, with 8:47 remaining in the second, James reentered the game. Twenty seconds later, he drained a floater after stepping in from the three-point line. Now he needed 5 more points.

He would further reduce that to 3 points after another make, this time after forcing Adam Hanga to backtrack before pulling up and scoring with 7:37 to go. And with 6:40 left on the clock, James tied Spanoulis’s record with a pair of made free throws. That gave him plenty of time to get the job done in the remainder of the contest.

It took James another 2 minutes and 47 seconds, but he finally made history with the aforementioned right side-step jumper from mid-range. That led to a pause in the game as James soaked in all of the love and affection. However, in the post-game press conference, he revealed that he was still in game mode when that stoppage occurred.

“I was just so focused on making sure we won because I didn’t want to break the record and then we lose, then it’s kind of a weird feeling,” James commented. “It’s like, ‘Can he really be happy?’ So I was just more focused on the win, to be honest. I was trying to make sure the attention on me breaking the record didn’t distract us from focusing on what really mattered. Just happy we got the win and now we can go and celebrate.”

The best plays of Mike James during AS Monaco's win against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Mike James highlights vs. Zvezda

James ended up scoring another 7 points, all in the fourth quarter, to finish with 20 points in a 98-80 triumph, Monaco’s seventh in a row. On a night in which he went atop the mountain in terms of scoring, it was rather fitting that he would also finish as the game’s leading scorer.

The Monaco fans made sure that the Mike James love-fest continued long after he’d broken the record, too, as they chanted his name with 1:20 left in the game after he made his way to the bench for the final time with the hosts 98-76 ahead. It didn’t stop there, though, as they kept chanting his name until the final buzzer sounded.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">📣 Standing ovation pour MJ sur cette fin de match 🙌<br><br>🗣MIKE JAMES 🗣MIKE JAMES 🔊<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/pVlfJGGQd0">pic.twitter.com/pVlfJGGQd0</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1765830016254845406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### What’s next for Mike James?

James is still at the very top of his game and it doesn’t look like he’s going to slow down any time soon. So, after reaching this milestone of becoming the EuroLeague’s most prolific scorer, what’s next?

The answer is short and sweet: winning a title. James is one of the best-ever players to have not won a EuroLeague title and given Monaco is in the midst of a seven-game winning streak that has seen it catapult up the standings, it’s not unreasonable to think that he’s got a good shot this year.

After all, having guided Monaco to its first-ever playoff appearance in 2021-22, then its first-ever Final Four in 2022-23, the trajectory suggests a first-ever title in 2023-24. But, obviously, it’s not as easy as that, even if that is the goal for James and co.

“Clinching the playoffs and then, you know, trying to get to the Final Four and trying to win a championship,” he noted in the post-game press conference. “That’s been our goal all year. We went to the Final Four and didn’t get a chance to compete for a championship. I think we all want a shot at it.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝐏𝐎𝐕 : 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 😮‍💨<br>#️⃣5️⃣5️⃣<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/RJohRjgTjJ">pic.twitter.com/RJohRjgTjJ</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1765856676983214556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The question therefore begs: would James switch his status as the competition’s all-time leading scorer if it meant winning a EuroLeague title?

“I don’t know. I would appreciate a EuroLeague title, for sure, but it’s hard to say, honestly. A lot of people win EuroLeague titles, but there’s only one top scorer, so selfishly I kind of want both.”

Given everything that James has done in his EuroLeague career and the joy he has brought many people, including this writer, with his play on the court, a EuroLeague title – and a first MVP award – would be very much deserved. This special season by James certainly has a few more chapters to be written.

More Mike James News

Mike James celebrates after a night in which he made history during AS Monaco's win against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.

It was a perfect evening for the AS Monaco guard

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul scored 16 second-chance points, but most importantly every offensive rebound was a blow to Real Madrid’s morale 

Rebounding dominance carried Fenerbahce to Real Madrid sweep

Coming into Thursday’s clash between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Real Madrid, head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius emphasized the importance of controlling the boards against a team that boasts two of the most talented bigs in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

“A lot will be decided by rebounding, trying to keep \[Edy\] Tavares and \[Vincent\] Poirier off the offensive glass,” Jasikevicius said in his pregame remarks.

Before the duel at the WiZink Center, Real Madrid ranked top in defensive rebounds with 26.9 per game and second-top in total boards with 36.4. Meanwhile, only four players boasted better averages in rebounding than Tavares (6.7 rpg.). Yet, Real Madrid finished the duel with 21 defensive and 30 total rebounds, with Tavares and Poirier combining for 11. Fenerbahce managed to dominate in the paint and collected 45 rebounds, including 17 offensive boards that hurt Los Blancos.

The Turkish side scored 16 second-chance points, but most importantly every offensive rebound was a blow to Real Madrid’s low morale following back-to-back defeats to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

“We did many things to win this road game,” Jasikevicius said in the post-game press conference. “First of all, the rebounding numbers are incredible for us.”

Game Videos

Fenerbahce was solid on defense and circulated the ball smoothly to find open looks on the other end. In fact, the Turkish side’s outing in the Spanish capital was epitomized by the numbers and performance of Nigel Hayes-Davis, who made the difference and inspired Fener to a 79-89 victory. The 29-year-old forward recorded a double-double by pairing his 17 points with 12 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive.

“They collected 45% of the rebounds on our end,” Real Madrid head coach Chus Mateo told the post-game press conference. “That’s a lot. We can’t afford that. They got easy second chances with the offensive rebounds. They shot many more times than us because they had more possessions than us. They also dominated the rebounds on their end, as we took only 25% of the rebounds on that end.”

As Panathinaikos already demonstrated last week, it takes a very solid performance both on defense and offense to overcome the EuroLeague defending champion. Beating Real Madrid once this season is breaking news, but doing so twice sends a clear message to all aspirants: Fenerbahce is a legitimate title contender and it showed it at the home of the league leader.

Game News

Valencia Basket came into its Spanish derby with FC Barcelona as the team with the more acclaimed defense, but it was Barcelona that came up with a stronger defense in the second half to earn an important win. 

Barcelona's defense changed tide in the second half 

Valencia Basket came into its Spanish derby with FC Barcelona as the team with the more acclaimed defense, but it was Barcelona that came up with a stronger defense in the second half to earn an important win.

With three teams just one victory behind in the standings, Barcelona used a strong defensive second half and good work after offensive rebounds to knock off Valencia 78-88.

“I am happy that we managed to get ourselves focused, especially in the second half. We didn’t turn the ball over a lot and we got the win. We matched their intensity and it got us a win,” said Jan Vesely, who led the way with 21 points.

Jan Vesely scored 21 points versus Valencia Basket, 03/07/2024

Jan Vesely scored 21 points versus Valencia Basket

Valencia came into the game allowing just 76.4 points per game - the second-fewest in the league. And the hosts ranked first in the league in defensive three-point shooting at 32.1%. Barcelona scored 88 points and made 10 of 24 three-pointers (41.7%).

“They are an incredible defensive team. We managed to find solutions in the second half and played tougher and that gave us the result,” added Nikola Kalinic, who had 13 points in the win.

Barcelona struggled to handle the ball in the first half with 10 turnovers. But just as importantly, Coach Roger Grimau’s men forced just 1 Valencia turnover, and the home side had an advantage of 13-0 in points off turnovers and 12-2 in fast break points in the first half.

Barcelona ended up with 19 turnovers - though it dished out 26 assists. But the winning team forced 11 Valencia turnovers in the second half, coming up with 14 points off those miscues.

Barcelona also controlled the boards 37-25 including 11-8 on offensive rebounds. That led to a 17-10 advantage on second-chance points.

Valencia also made just 6 of 28 three-pointers (21.4%) in an area of the game where Barcelona’s defense actually excels. The Catalan team ranked fourth in opposing three-point percentage at just 34.4%. Barcelona proved once again that it too can play some good defense - even matching one of the best defenses in the league.

Olympiacos Piraeus overcame injuries and rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 74-69 at home in Round 28 on Thursday. Both teams now have a 17-11 record but Olympiacos secured the tie-break advantage between both squads.

Olympiacos leapfrogs Virtus after 74-69 win

<incrowd-live-blog id="65e848d2434c4e5addc287b3" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

EuroLeague Live Blog: Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

Thanks to claiming the tiebreaker, the Reds improved to 17-11 and moved ahead of Virtus in the standings. 

Olympiacos Piraeus had its back against the wall in its Round 28 game against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. It found the way to rally from a 12-point deficit and register a 74-69 victory. 


Everything clicked for Olympiacos after the break

There was an unusual cold atmosphere in the Peace and Friendship Stadium at the start of the game. Olympiacos's football team had just lost 1-4 against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League eighthfinals. Virtus took advantage of it, playing an outstanding first half to get a 34-46 margin 30 seconds before the break.

Virtus made 10 of 17 two-pointers (58.8% 2FG) and 6 of 12 three-pointers (50% 3FG) in the first half, dishing 13 assists and committing just 4 turnovers. On the other hand, Olympiacos had more turnovers (9) than assists (7) in the opening 20 minutes, missing starting point guard Thomas Walkup way too much. Both teams' PIR said it all: Virtus had amassed a PIR of 56, limiting the Reds to just 19.

Everything changed in the second half, as team captain Kostas Papanikolaou sparked his team's comeback with back-to-back three-pointers, one in each half. It was the start of a 16-0 run in which the hosts held Virtus scoreless for 5 minutes. Moustapha Fall and Alec Peters contributed in a run that Nigel Williams-Goss capped with a floater. By then, Olympiacos fans were fully into the game and pushing their way as they usually do.

Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus had 16 points and 8 rebounds in his team's 74-69 Round 28 home victory against Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

Papanikolaou leads Olympiacos's comeback

"When a team like us that wants to be a good defensive team receives 46 points in the first half, something is quite wrong," Papanikolaou said after the game. "So everybody stepped up, came out in the second half and received a total of 23 points, 5 points in the third quarter. That is who we want to be, that is what gave us the win, what gave us the energy and the opportunities on offense to shoot with good confidence and make shots."

Indeed, Virtus's second-half numbers were very different. The visitors made just 8 of 22 two-pointers (36.4% 2FG) and 1 of 12 three-pointers (8.3% 3FG), were outrebounded by 24-20 and only had 3 assists against 7 turnovers. In other words, it was a completely different game.

Papanikolaou led the way with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Olympiacos also managed to get the tie-break advantage against Virtus. The Reds play their next game at home, and Olympiacos fans will need no wake-up call, as archrival Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens will be at Peace and Friendship Stadium for a very important Greek derby.

Everything clicked for Olympiacos after the break 

Telling numbers: Efes improved defense to beat Bayern

Anadolu Efes Istanbul grabbed its 12th win in this Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, downing FC Bayern Munich 109-86 at home in Round 28 on Thursday. Its defensive improvement after the break was critical.

It was a back-and-forth first half in which both teams exchanged leads and had good runs. Bayern shot the ball really well before the break, downing 7 of 13 three-pointers (53.8% 3FG) and dishing 9 assists against 5 turnovers. The fifth one came almost at the halftime buzzer, allowing Elijah Bryant to get an easy layup that fixed the score at 53-49 at the teams headed back to the locker rooms.

Bayern opened the second half with three consecutive turnovers. Efes took advantage of those, as Shane Larkin and Ercan Osmani each hit a three-pointer to quickly make it a double-digit game. Efes showed its best defensive version after the break, forcing Bayern to pick up as many as 12 second-half turnovers. Bayern only buried 4 of 15 three-pointers in the second half (26.7% 3FG).

Anadolu Efes Istanbul grabbed its 12th win in this Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, downing FC Bayern Munich 109-86 at home in Round 28. Efes hit 17 of 35 three-pointers.

Efes buries 17 three pointers against Bayern

Both teams had the same exact numbers at the boards, each getting 20 defensive and 7 offensive rebounds. Efes managed to share the ball more effectively, dishing 20 assists and picking up just 9 turnovers. Efes shot the ball really well throughout the entire game, burying 20 of 28 two-pointers (71.4% 2FG) and 17 of 35 three-pointers (48.6% 3FG).

It was Efes's second-best two-point shooting percentage this season: it buried 73.3% of its shots inside the arc in an 89-84 home win against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Only Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (19) hit more three-pointers in a game than Efes did against Bayern.

Efes has been able to turn its home court into a fortress since Tomislav Mijatovic stepped in as head coach, averaging 97.7 points in three wins but an average margin of 14.3 points. Efes now has to confirm its improvement by winning on the road, and goes against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in France next week.

Here's a look at some of the numbers that helped Efes triumph on Thursday. 