Panathinaikos B.C. downed Valencia Basket 81-82 in Round 19 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, with Luca Vildoza stepping up to end the Greens' 18-game losing run on Spanish soil.

Luca Vildoza fired on all cylinders as Panathinaikos B.C. ended its Spanish jinx

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ground out a somewhat fortuitous but ultimately [well-deserved 81-82 win at Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-valencia-basket-vs-panathinaikos-bc/), which gave the Greens their first win in 19 road games against Spanish rivals on Friday.

It also erased the bitter taste of a tough 75-73 loss at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Wednesday, as the Greek team improved to 11-8 and boosted its hopes of reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. Valencia dropped to 10-9 after seeing victory slip through its fingers in a dramatic finish.

### Luca Vildoza was the star man

With Kostas Sloukas unexpectedly sidelined several hours before the game, the visiting team’s backup playmaker Luca Vildoza stepped up to the plate and inspired Panathinaikos as he finished on a game-high 19 points, shooting 5-of-7 from downtown and 7-of-10 overall.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When the MVP enters the room 😬<br><br>Luca, are you okay? 🫨🤣<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://t.co/SPP6APq7Gl">pic.twitter.com/SPP6APq7Gl</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1743398404430946451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It was a welcome and timely reprieve for Vildoza, who came under scrutiny after some patchy performances, having struggled to hit the ground running at Panathinaikos after joining the six-time former EuroLeague champion from Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade during the offseason.

He produced his best performance this term at a happy hunting ground which brought back the fondest memories. “This court brings back a lot of happy memories as I won the \[Spanish\] League here with Baskonia,” a delighted Vildoza said in a flash post-game interview.

“I’ve been working hard and to be here is amazing. The team is showing character as we are building something great here. I am really happy for the team, but we have to keep working and keep improving,” he added.

Luca Vildoza of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens had a game-high 19 points against Valencia Basket in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Vildoza's highlights vs. Valencia

### A game that went down to the wire

The visitors won in the most dramatic fashion, as Mathias Lessort sank the game-winning free throw with 1.9 seconds left on the clock after Valencia had committed an offensive foul. Harper’s desperate attempt to force a final twist came to nothing as his shot at the buzzer was well off the mark.

The outcome was a welcome relief for head coach Ergin Ataman, who saw his team suffer a tough loss at Baskonia in similar circumstances.  “We won the same way that we lost two days ago at Baskonia,” he said.

“We didn’t play well offensively as we were without Sloukas, who is the key to our offense. Kendrick Nunn had one of his worst games of the season, but Luca \[Vildoza\] and \[Jerian\] Grant kept the team up. We played good defense in the last 3 or 4 minutes and never gave up. It’s a very important win for us as we’ve now beaten Valencia twice this season.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">WIN 💚☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://t.co/eJU6t7hYTs">pic.twitter.com/eJU6t7hYTs</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1743396863946965422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Grant was also instrumental in the visiting team’s success, having posted 13 points and 8 rebounds to complement Vildoza’s shooting prowess and Lessort’s die-hard approach. Grant pointed out that Panathinaikos was tailor-made for tough matchups going down to the wire.

“Our team is built for close games like this, we’ve been playing them all year and we’re getting better and better,” he commented. “We did it together, getting stops and sharing the ball, as well as making shots when we needed to.”

More Panathinaikos News

Luca Vildoza of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens scores against Valencia Basket in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Argentine guard came up big for the Greens, who snapped their 18-game losing streak on Spanish soil.

Luca Vildoza fired on all cylinders as Panathinaikos ended its Spanish jinx

Valencia Basket v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-01-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Giordano Bortolani had his best week to date in an Olimpia Milano jersey, following an 11-point night at Olympiacos B.C. by scoring 12 against FC Bayern Basketball on Friday night.

Giordano Bortolani provided a spark as Olimpia Milano kept Bayern’s offense in check

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan managed to restrict FC Bayern Munich’s offense in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, with the Italian side getting a big boost off the bench by Giordano Bortolani [en route to a 76-62 triumph](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-fc-bayern-basketball/).

The 23-year-old Bortolani scored a career-high 12 points with 3 three-pointers in his 12th game in the competition, while Devon Hall led Milan with 19 points to help his team improve to 8-11.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Oioioi oioioioi Bortolani segna per noi!! ✅💪🏻<br>Un’Olimpia attenta e sempre in controllo della partita vince 76 - 62.<br><br>(Hall 19 pts, Bortolani 12, Poythress 10)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/olimpimilano?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#olimpimilano</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a> <a href="https://t.co/JlIDMIMkuC">pic.twitter.com/JlIDMIMkuC</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1743386230060925187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Giordano \[Bortolani\] gave us a big spark. But Devon Hall played an outstanding game. Everybody competed. For us it was a must win to stay alive and wait for our injured players,” said Milan head coach Ettore Messina, who was missing star players such as Nikola Mirotic, Shavon Shields, Maodo Lo and Billy Baron.

“Everybody contributed at least on defense, even those who didn’t have their best offensive night. We held them to a very low scoring game. We also got the tiebreaker. So, it’s a very big night. We continue to work and hopefully we will get better.”

### A week to remember for Bortolani

Bortolani did his best Billy Baron impression with 3 three-pointers for the second consecutive game as he topped his previous career best of 11 points, which came earlier this week [against Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olympiacos-bc-vs-olimpia-milano/).

“Giordi came in and played with a lot of confidence,” Hall said of Bortolani, who has scored a combined 23 points in the last two games after netting 25 total points in his previous 10 appearances.

Giordano Bortolani had a career-high 12 points as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan beat FC Bayern Munich 76-62 in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bortolani's highlights vs. Bayern

### Frustrating Bayern with defense

Milan did enough on offense thanks to a strong defensive showing, holding Bayern to just 62 points, 17.6 points below the German side’s average. Bayern shot just 47.1% on two-pointers and made only 5-of-23 three-pointers for 21.7%.

Just as important was Milan holding its own on the glass against the number one rebounding team in the league. Bayern won the battle of the boards 33-30 and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. But the guests really couldn’t punish Milan, though it did have a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points.

But Milan was able to get some easy points to not have to worry about Bayern’s set defense as much. After all, Milan outscored Bayern 8-0 on fastbreak points and 23-15 on points off turnovers.

More Milan News

Giordano Bortolani of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan shoots against FC Bayern Munich in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The 23-year-old EuroLeague rookie built on an impressive display in Round 18 by going for a career-high number of points in Round 19.

Giordano Bortolani provided a spark as Milan kept Bayern’s offense in check

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v FC Bayern Munich (2024-01-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Joel Parra came to the fore as Barça Basket beat Saski Baskonia 89-85 in Round 19 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Joel Parra is Barça Basket's X-factor against Baskonia 

FC Barcelona registered its second consecutive win in 2024, rallying from a double-digit deficit in the final 8 minutes to [edge Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 89-85](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-barca-basket-vs-saski-baskonia/) at Palau Blaugrana in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Once again, Jan Vesely led the way with 23 points and a PIR of 28. He had 11 points in the final 5 minutes, and 13 in the fourth quarter. Barely two days before, Vesely led Barca to an 83-78 home win against Real Madrid in *El Clásico*, scoring 11 fourth-quarter points.

### Joel Parra was the surprise hero in Round 19

Despite Vesely's clutch performance against Baskonia, Barca would not have won the game without Joel Parra, who stepped up in a key moment to give his team a chance to win the game.

Down 62-73, Barca had been scoreless for more than 3 minutes when Jabari Parker hit a three-pointer. Chima Moneke fouled on Vesely while the ball was in the air, allowing Barca to get the ball back. That allowed Parra to bury a three-pointer: Barca scored 6 points in 8 seconds. It was the start of a 14-4 run which Parra capped with a follow-up layup and the free throw that came with it. All of a sudden, Barca trailed 76-77 with 5:33 remaining, plenty of time for Vesely to step up and lead the hosts in crunch time.

Parra finished the game with career-highs of 13 points and a PIR of 18. He only missed one shot, grabbed 5 rebounds, 4 of them on the offensive end, and also got a steal, an assist and 3 fouls drawn.

Parra leads Barca past Baskonia

Parra was not done, however. When Markus Howard hit a three-pointer to bring Baskonia within 86-85, Parra drew a foul with 11.0 seconds left and made both free-throw attempts. That forced Baskonia to take an off-balance three-point shot at the other end, which allowed Vesely to grab the rebound and put the victory on ice from the foul line.

"I think we started the game very well against one of the best teams, Baskonia. But I think that, in the third quarter, we started so bad, with low energy and in the last quarter, we put more energy than Baskonia and made threes," Parra said. "It is an important win, we have to keep playing and keep working. Winning here at Palau is so important in front of our fans."

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">Seny, pit i Parra 😜 <a href="https://t.co/oFm6WnQoXx">pic.twitter.com/oFm6WnQoXx</a></p>&mdash; Alex Abrines (@alexabrines) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexabrines/status/1743406741063442740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

On a night that saw Barca without starting power forward Oscar da Silva, Parra finished the game with career highs of 13 points and a PIR of 18. He only missed 1 shot, grabbed 5 rebounds, 4 of them on the offensive end, and also got 1 steal, 1 assist and 3 fouls drawn.

Above all, Parra was one of Barca's five players in double digits, proving that he can be ready to make a solid contribution when his number is called. In such a tough competition as the EuroLeague, bench depth often separates good teams from Final Four contenders.

More Barcelona News

Joel Parra of FC Barcelona celebrates against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The bench player made a decisive impact for the Blaugrana in Round 19.

Joel Parra was Barcelona's X-factor against Baskonia 

FC Barcelona v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-01-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid Baloncesto beat Anadolu Efes S.K. 130-126 in an incredible quadruple overtime bout in Round 19 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Real Madrid comes out on top in thrilling 4OT contest with Anadolu Efes, 130-126

<incrowd-live-blog id="6598281576bfbe64654e54fc" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Mario Hezonja of Real Madrid celebrates during the Round 19 contest against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

In a game that will forever be remembered, Los Blancos came out on top after an hour-long contest.

Real Madrid comes out on top in thrilling 4OT contest with Efes, 130-126

Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2024-01-05T19:45:00.000Z)

Olimpia Milano defeated FC Bayern Basketball 76-62 at the Forum in Round 19 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Olimpia Milano races away from FC Bayern Basketball, 76-62

<incrowd-live-blog id="659825d2743fc621205ad4c4" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Devon Hall of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan shoots a jumper against FC Bayern Munich in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Italian side got back on track after falling at Olympiacos earlier this week.

Milan races away from Bayern, 76-62

Panathinaikos B.C. secured an 81-82 win at Valencia Basket in the final seconds in Round 19 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Panathinaikos B.C. edges Valencia Basket, 81-82, in a frantic finish

<incrowd-live-blog id="65982205743fc621205ad4bc" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Jerian Grant of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in action against Valencia Basket in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The game went down to the wire, before the Greens came out on top.

Panathinaikos edges Valencia, 81-82, in a frantic finish

Barça Basket trailed against Saski Baskonia entering the fourth quarter of their Round 19 matchup in the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, but the hosts stepped up their game to secure an 89-85 win.

Barça Basket rallies to beat Saski Baskonia, 89-85

<incrowd-live-blog id="65982460009596a931bd9341" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Jabari Parker of FC Barcelona in action against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Roger Grimau's squad had a perfect double-round week after having downed Real Madrid earlier on Wednesday.

Barcelona rallies to beat Baskonia, 89-85

In a tale of youngsters vs. oldsters in the second game of a double-round week, the lesson came from the players who have been there and done that.

 Virtus's veterans taught a lesson to ALBA's kids 

A first-quarter connection between 37-year-olds told the story of Virtus Segafredo Bologna's no-doubt-about-it 68-83 victory at ALBA Berlin on Friday.

[Marco Belinelli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/marco-belinelli/bcn/) sneaked a pass through that sent [Bryant Dunston](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bryant-dunston/003048/) for a rip-roaring dunk to make it 5-11 early in the game and let everyone present know that second-place Virtus was not about to have a letdown against the next-to-last team in the standings.

Belinelli, born on May 25, 1986, would quickly bury 3 shots from long range, giving him a remarkable 16 out of the last 17 games with multiple three-pointers made. And Dunston, born three days later on May 28, 1986, contributed 2 three-point makes for just the second time in his 313-game EuroLeague career. 

They are the second- and third-oldest players in the EuroLeague this season, after 38-year-old Rudy Fernandez of Real Madrid. Two more 30-somethings, [Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) (36) and [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) (32) were also in the Virtus starting lineup.

It didn't matter that ALBA had an extra day between games of the double-round week or that Virtus was by far the older roster of the two. Just the opposite, in fact. Virtus was there to take care of business and showed the youthful, less-experienced hosts from ALBA just how that is done.

Marco Belinelli connects big-time with Bryant Dunston

Magic Moment: Belinelli to Dunston the detonator!

### Virtus stormed out of the gates

The first quarter ended 9-26 for Virtus and late in the second the visitors led by 22-48, prompting ALBA head coach Israel Gonzalez to say at halftime, "We are not in the game."

ALBA tried with a 4-for-4 start from downtown after the break to show that it had learned the lesson that Virtus taught during the first 20 minutes. But even after getting the difference down to single digits at 49-58 late in the third, there seemed to be no groundswell to complete a comeback.

Dunston, for one, was never worried.

"No, not really," he said after the game. "Last time we played against them in Bologna they scored like 50 points after halftime, so we knew they were capable of making a run. The most important thing was to maintain our poise."

Letting the big lead drop did not sit well with another of those Virtus veterans, Shengelia.

"We have to learn how to play seriously for 40 minutes," he said. "Sometimes when we are up by many points, we get away in our heads and we have to learn how to stay focused."

That may be, but the way Virtus manhandled the hosts in the first 20 minutes was impressive. On the way to a 27-48 halftime lead, Virtus forced 11 turnovers on ALBA while committing just 4 and led the rebounding battle 20-13. At one point, the difference in team performance index rating was 52-8. Virtus finished with 14 rebounds to just 7 for the hosts and made 8 steals to ALBA's 4.

In its second game in 48 hours, the lesson was clear that in the EuroLeague, you come to play or you get trouble, even on your home floor. And it was taught by the old guard of Virtus to an ALBA team that aspires to be like them someday.

Game Videos

Game News

Virtus's veterans taught a lesson to ALBA's kids

ALBA Berlin v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-01-05T18:00:00.000Z)

Virtus Bologna kept rolling in the EuroLeague in Round 19, downing ALBA Berlin 68-83.

Virtus Bologna comes out on top at ALBA Berlin, 68-83

<incrowd-live-blog id="6598207076bfbe64654e54f6" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Isaia Cordinier of Virtus Segafredo Bologna has possession against ALBA Berlin in Round 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Italian side had a dominant first 20 minutes before holding off a comeback attempt by the hosts in the second half.

Luca Vildoza fired on all cylinders as Panathinaikos ended its Spanish jinx

Giordano Bortolani provided a spark as Milan kept Bayern’s offense in check

Joel Parra was Barcelona's X-factor against Baskonia

Real Madrid comes out on top in thrilling 4OT contest with Efes, 130-126

Milan races away from Bayern, 76-62

Panathinaikos edges Valencia, 81-82, in a frantic finish

Barcelona rallies to beat Baskonia, 89-85

Virtus's veterans taught a lesson to ALBA's kids

Virtus comes out on top at ALBA, 68-83