Ognjen Dobric stepped up in the fourth quarter to guide Virtus Bologna past Olympiacos B.C. in Round 15 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Ognjen Dobric ignited Virtus Bologna's come-from-behind win against Olympiacos B.C.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna used yet another fourth-quarter comeback [to edge Olympiacos Piraeus 69-67](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-olympiacos-piraeus/E2023/131/) and remain undefeated in December, getting its fourth victory in as many games. In large part, it had [Ognjen Dobric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ognjen-dobric/004007/) to thank for the win.

Virtus showed great character after a horrible second quarter in which it was outrebounded by Olympiacos 5-18. At halftime, Virtus had hit just 5-of-25 two-pointers and trailed 28-40. Olympiacos still kept a solid lead, 57-65, at the end of the third quarter and had stopped the hosts' first comeback attempt.

### Ognjen Dobric came to the fore

Head coach Luca Banchi then found a response through Dobric, who had been scoreless until then. Dobric checked back into the game at the start of the fourth quarter and needed just 44 seconds to score, getting the ball from [Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) to hit a floater. Once [Bryant Dunston](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bryant-dunston/003048/) followed that with a one-handed slam, Virtus knew it had a chance to come back.

Dobric made sure of that, getting a steal and going coast-to-coast for a layup and burying a couple of three-pointers. He splashed the second one from the right wing to complete Virtus's comeback, 67-65, with under 3 minutes remaining. Not many more points were scored after that: [Giannoulis Larentzakis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/giannoulis-larentzakis/010392/) hit a pair of free throws and Hackett sank a jumper from the free-throw line to fix the final score, 68-67, with 44.7 seconds left.

Ognjen Dobric had all of 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead Virtus Segafredo Bologna to a 69-67 home win over Olympiacos Piraeus.

Dobric's outstanding fourth quarter

### Daniel Hackett’s added motivation

Once the final buzzer had gone, birthday boy Daniel Hackett dedicated the win to a special someone, which made the victory even sweeter for the Virtus faithful.

"This was the biggest prize, the win. I also have to dedicate this victory to my daughter Victoria because today, she went into a small surgery,” explained Hackett. “She is at the hospital watching the game with her mom, so ciao Vicky, this is for you.

"Amazing effort in the second half. We flipped the game completely. I think the effort to stay behind Olympiacos was extremely tough, and we knew it was a hard-nosed game. Our character showed, everybody did some small things to do win the game and it is a pleasure to play with this team."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A very special win for <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VirtusSegafredo</a> and even more important for Daniel Hackett and his daughter 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ul4sv6uAjJ">pic.twitter.com/Ul4sv6uAjJ</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1737226077615902739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Dobric scored all 10 of his points in a 7-minute span in which Virtus got back into the game. He had been struggling lately, averaging 2.5 points in the last four games, and it could be a turning point for him.

Above all, Virtus showed great depth and proved to be very unpredictable in the sense of anybody being able to score. On a night in which star forward [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) was limited to 6 points, Virtus found new ways to be effective, and that is great news in both the short and long run.

The Serbian swingman gave the Italian side the impetus it needed to record its eighth straight home win.

Ognjen Dobric ignited Virtus's come-from-behind win against Olympiacos

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-12-19T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan kept 'proving things' in win at Valencia

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade did a lot of firsts in its 67-72 road win over Valencia Basket. To register its fifth consecutive win, Partizan won in a place it has not won before, against a team it never beat before, and in a type of game that suited the hosts.

Partizan held the opposition under 70 points for the third time this season - and the second time in three games, but entering this contest Partizan had not scored fewer than 82 points in a game. Also, in 54 EuroLeague games under Coach Zeljko Obradovic, this was the first time Partizan won a game in which it scored fewer than 73 points.

To win the low-scoring affair the way they did, Partizan's players needed to adapt. Not only going into the game, but also at halftime at which Valencia held a 34-33 lead.

"Yes, players did that", Obradovic confirmed. "The way to win was to play hard like Valencia played."

Partizan scored the first 6 points of the second half, claiming 3 steals in the first 2 minutes of the third quarter to take the lead which it never relinquished. The main figure was Zach LeDay, who was scoreless at halftime, and had 12 in the third quarter to finish tied for a team-high 14 points.

"My team needed me", LeDay said to EuroLeague TV after the win. "I had to make some adjustments to what I was doing in the first half."

He did, and his teammates did.

When all was said and done, Partizan finished the game with 12 steals. In the second half alone, the visitors forced 9 turnovers, picking up 8 steals. And no steal was bigger than James Nunnally's with 30 seconds to go.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GAME WINNING STEAL 🥷<a href="https://twitter.com/allornunn21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@allornunn21</a> ❄️ ices the game as <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PartizanBC</a> grab a valuable road W <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/IeqAr4h75M">pic.twitter.com/IeqAr4h75M</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1737231771899494667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

It helped Partizan overcome Valencia's 42-32 rebounding advantage, including 17-8 on the offensive glass.

"We showed character in the second half", Obradovic pointed out.

Valencia entered the game allowing a league low 74.1 points and managed to keep the high-scoring Partizan below that average, but Partizan embraced the challenge and won the defensive battle.

"We proved we can win a low-scoring game, too", LeDay said. "We keep proving things every game, and keep learning things about ourselves."

Now, at 9-6 and with back-to-back road wins, Partizan heads to the Spanish capital to face league leader Real Madrid, the reigning champ which dramatically ousted Partizan in a memorable five-game playoff series last May.

Thursday will be a chance for Partizan to prove another thing or two.

More Partizan News

Zach LeDay and co. showed they can win even when the game isn't Partizan's preferred tempo.

Valencia Basket v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-12-19T20:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv engineered an 89-81 home win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on the back of highly productive performances from center Josh Nebo and forward James Webb, who racked up 17 points apiece to lead the Israeli outfit.

James Webb and Josh Nebo dominated at both ends for clinical Maccabi

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv engineered an 89-81 home win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on the back of highly productive performances from center Josh Nebo and forward James Webb, who racked up 17 points apiece to lead the Israeli outfit.

Nebo got Maccabi’s offense going with 7 first-quarter points and Webb picked up the mantle in the second half, as Maccabi stifled the visitors with ironclad defense down the stretch.

Usually lethal from long range, Baskonia was confined to shooting 10 of 33 from downtown and 15 of 30 from two-point territory, having been forced to take a barrage of tough shots in the last few minutes of the fast-paced game in Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.

With the rollercoaster swinging both ways throughout, Maccabi prevailed after winning the fourth quarter 21-14 with Nebo and Webb reigning supreme at both ends of the floor. They combined for 19 rebounds, with Nebo picking up 11 as Maccabi dominated the boards 50-35. The hosts prevailed 16-7 on the offensive end, compensating for mediocre shooting as they hit 22 of 48 from two-point range and 8 of 26 from beyond the arc.

James Webb and Josh Nebo dominated at both ends against Baskonia

“We turned up our defensive intensity in the second half,” Webb pointed out the key to victory in a post-game interview on EuroLeague TV. “We rebounded the ball well and in the end, we got the stops, that was the key. They are a very fast-paced and high-scoring team, so we knew we had to pick up the energy.”

Maccbi head coach Oded Kattash echoed Webb’s views. “There are no easy games in the EuroLeague, especially against dangerous teams like Baskonia,” he said.  “We talked at halftime and said the game plan worked pretty well. I felt we needed to relax a little bit and I like the way the team reacted in the second half. It wasn’t our best offensive game, but I told the players we needed to stay calm and play our game.”

Kattash also said the team needed to recuperate ahead of Thursday’s “home” game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, a team all too familiar with the gym where Maccabi has been hosting its rivals due to the ongoing armed conflict in Israel.

“Another tough game in the double-round week and it’s a home court game, but we can’t count on that basically because we are playing Red Star,” said Kattash.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Finish the sentence: <a href="https://twitter.com/WassupWebb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WassupWebb</a> performance tonight was _______ <a href="https://t.co/ZkWRldLBJb">pic.twitter.com/ZkWRldLBJb</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​🇮🇱​🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1737231387625656751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

More Maccabi News

The duo came up big to subdue Baskonia as the visiting team’s long-range firepower dried up in crunch time.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-12-19T19:05:00.000Z)

KK Partizan defeated Valencia Basket 67-72 in Round 15 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

KK Partizan wins a defensive battle at Valencia Basket, 67-72

<incrowd-live-blog id="658027bc4904318b457fa389" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Kevin Punter of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade looks to maintain possession against Valencia Basket in Round 15 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The visitors made some big plays down the stretch to grab an important road victory.

Partizan wins a defensive battle in Valencia, 67-72

ALBA Berlin downed Barça Basket 74-70 in a shock result in Round 15, with Matt Thomas, Johannes Thiemann, Gabriele Procida and Sterling Brown all shining.

Multiple players shined as ALBA Berlin downed Barça Basket

ALBA Berlin had lost nine straight games to FC Barcelona in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, but at the 10th time of asking, [the German side won 74-70 at Mercedes-Benz Arena](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-alba-berlin-vs-barca-basket/) in Round 15 of the 2023-24 season. Head coach Israel Gonzalez saw 10 of the 11 ALBA players who stepped on the floor score at least 2 points, while as many as five of his men reached double digits in scoring.

Matt Thomas led the way with 13 points and Johannes Thiemann paired his 12 points with 7 rebounds. Gabriele Procida went 4-for-5 from inside the arc (80.0% 2FG), including some big baskets in the last quarter, to end the game with 11 points. Sterling Brown scored all 10 of his points in the first half, netting 7 important points in the last stretch of the second quarter. That inspired a 5-0 ALBA run, which brought his team within 36-39 with 1:23 left on the clock.

“It’s a really big \[win\],” Thomas said in the post-game flash interview. “Barcelona is having a great season. They are super talented and have lots of size. It just came down to competing, I think. We played really hard. The game didn’t start well for us, but we responded.”

Barça wish to restore its usual defensive high standards after allowing at least 80 points in each of the last five, with former ALBA forward Oscar Da Silva likely to play a key role. Berlin hope that Johannes Thiemann can continue his great season and dominate the inside battle to help secure a shock win.

ALBA Berlin-FC Barcelona | Round 15 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### ALBA asserted itself in the third quarter

Barcelona took a 38-41 cushion into the second half, but ALBA went on a 9-0 surge (47-41) straight after the break to take the lead for the first time on the night. A solid Wetzell scored 8 of his team’s first 13 points in the third quarter and ended the game with 10.

“\[Coach Gonzalez\] basically told us \[at halftime\] to keep going and play with confidence,” Thiemann said after the final buzzer. “We were down 3 at halftime, which I think was great for us to compete with Barcelona.”

ALBA outscored Barcelona 18-11 in the third quarter and even secured a 13-point cushion, 70-57, midway through the closing quarter. The guests did bounce back and scored 13 points in the next 4 minutes, but they did not manage to complete the comeback. ALBA held on in the last minute of the duel and clinched its third victory this season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="in" dir="ltr">Best of ALBA bei Sieg gegen Barcelona: <br><br>🟡<a href="https://twitter.com/Theiceman_21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Theiceman_21</a>: 13pt 3rb 3as 1st <br>🔵<a href="https://twitter.com/Thiemann32?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Thiemann32</a>: 12pt 7rb 3as <br>🟡 Procida: 11pt 2rb 2as 2st <br>🔵 <a href="https://twitter.com/thatnegus_sb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thatnegus_sb</a>: 10pt 3st<br>🟡 <a href="https://twitter.com/YWetzell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YWetzell</a>: 10pt 3rb <br><br>📸 Tilo Wiedensohler <a href="https://t.co/7zPpem4mfe">pic.twitter.com/7zPpem4mfe</a></p>&mdash; ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin/status/1737221831386681741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### More surprises on the cards?

Meanwhile, there are more reasons for the ALBA players to be confident ahead of this last stretch of the calendar year, as the German side’s next two games are against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Olympiacos Piraeus at Mercedes-Benz Arena. That is where ALBA has recorded all three of its wins this season, including Tuesday night’s major upset against the *Blaugrana*.

More ALBA News

The ALBA Berlin players at the end of their Round 15 game against FC Barcelona in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The German side notched just its third win of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season on Tuesday night.

Multiple players shined as ALBA downed Barcelona

ALBA Berlin v FC Barcelona (2023-12-19T19:00:00.000Z)

Follow all the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 15 action.

Game Center: Last double-round week of 2023 starts tonight

### Wednesday, December 20

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 80-78 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-zalgiris-kaunas/E2023/135/)

In a thriller that came down to the final shot, Fenerbahce grabbed its second consecutive win by edging Zalgiris at home. Fenerbahce improved to 8-7 while Zalgiris dropped to 5-10 and is now on a four-game losing streak. Tyler Dorsey paced the winners with 19 points and Scottie Wilbekin added 17 on 5-of-7 three-point shooting. Keenan Evans led Zalgiris with 19 points. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Evimizde kazanmaya devam ediyoruz! 💪<br><br>Tebrikler Fenerbahçe Beko! 👏<br><br>Maç Sonucu | Fenerbahçe Beko 🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bczalgiris</a>: 80-78<br><br>Skor dağılımımız: Dorsey 19, Wilbekin 17, Motley 16, Pierre 7, Guduric 7, Hayes-Davis 6, Calathes 5, Sertaç 3. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/oDLmOgRhX4">pic.twitter.com/oDLmOgRhX4</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1737558910259929499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[AS Monaco 90-91 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/132/)

Panathinaikos grabbed a memorable road victory at Monaco as Marius Grigonis sank a game-winning triple on the final buzzer. It was a remarkable comeback for the Greek giant, which trailed by as many as 15 points and by 10 with less than 5 minutes remaining, but never said die mostly thanks to Kendrick Nunn, who netted 13 of his 14 points in the final quarter. Grigonis totaled 15 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting for the winning team, which scored 35 points in the fourth period. Kostas Sloukas top scored with 17 points. Alpha Diallo led Monaco with 17 points, with Mike James providing 16 points and 6 assists.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Running out of words to describe this game... 🤯 <br><br>Grigonis calls GAME 🚨 🚨 🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoment</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a> <a href="https://t.co/kWJjh83S0E">pic.twitter.com/kWJjh83S0E</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1737567991892504627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 84-61 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ea7-emporio-armani-milan-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/E2023/133/)

Milan took care of business on its home floor to beat ASVEL. The win, its second in a row, improved Milan to 6-9 on the season, while ASVEL dropped to 2-12 with its seventh consecutive loss. Melli paced the winners with 17 points, Shields had 13, while Alex Poythress and Johannes Voigtmann scored 11 apiece in a win. Joffrey Lauvergne had 12 points for ASVEL, while Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Paris Lee finished with 10 apiece in defeat.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">VITTORIA!! ✅ L’Olimpia in controllo per tutta la partita dilaga nel secondo tempo e vince 84 - 61<br>(Melli 17 pts, Shields 13, Poythress 11)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/olimpiamilano?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#olimpiamilano</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a> <a href="https://t.co/l4EwB90O3x">pic.twitter.com/l4EwB90O3x</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1737584438429556789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Bayern Munich 86-71 Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-bayern-munich-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2023/134/)

Bayern grabbed a convincing victory over Efes in Round 15. The hosts improved to 7-8, while Efes dropped to the same record. Andreas Obst paced Bayern with 17 points on perfect shooting and Isaac Bonga scored 15 points. For  the guests, a sublime Dan Oturu netted a season-high 19 points and paired his 8 rebounds with 5 blocks for a game-high PIR of 30. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starting the last <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> double week in 2023 with a BIG WIN!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAYEFS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAYEFS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBallTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeBallTogether</a> (c) Eirich</p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1737584740822102021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 58-72 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-crvena-zvezda-vs-real-madrid-baloncesto/)

Real Madrid notched its 14th win of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season by defeating Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 58-72 at Stark Arena on Tuesday evening. This victory improved *Los Blancos*' record to 14-1, while Zvezda dropped to a 5-10 mark.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">👏 ¡Sumamos la 14ª victoria europea, nuestro mejor arranque en la historia de la <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Euroleague</a>! 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HalaMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HalaMadrid</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/UnicajaBanco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnicajaBanco</a> <a href="https://t.co/MOQdkD0ini">pic.twitter.com/MOQdkD0ini</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1737196487308652874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[ALBA Berlin 74-70 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/alba-berlin-fc-barcelona/E2023/127/)

ALBA put forward a strong second-half display to defeat Barcelona at home. The hosts improved to a 3-10 record, while Barcelona dropped to 10-5. Matt Thomas paced the hosts with 13 points, Johannes Thiemann had 12 and Gabriele Procida added 11, while Sterling Brown and Yanni Wetzell scored 10 each. Nicolas Laprovittola netted a game-high 15 points, but he was the only Barcelona player on double digits in scoring. Tomas Satoransky paired his 5 points with 10 rebounds.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">🤯 Excuse me? 🤯<br><br>Wir legen im wahrsten Sinne Leib und Seele aufs Feld und schlagen vor über 10.000 Fans in der Mercedes-Benz Arena den <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a>-Tabellenzweiten <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBbasket</a>. Ganz starkes Spiel! 🤩🔥<br><br>📸 Tilo Wiedensohler <a href="https://t.co/6Ds3LwmzC4">pic.twitter.com/6Ds3LwmzC4</a></p>&mdash; ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin/status/1737216092429324767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 89-81 Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/E2023/129/)

Maccabi ground out a hard-fought win over Baskonia in Belgrade thanks to strong defense in the home straight, forcing a barrage of misses from the visiting team's shooters when the chips were down. Maccabi improved to 9-6 while Baskonia dropped to 8-7 after a second successive defeat. A balanced effort saw James Webb and Josh Nebo post 17 points each for Maccabi. Markus Howard led Baskonia with 19 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We keep on running! 💪 <a href="https://t.co/ktqk2UTgHN">pic.twitter.com/ktqk2UTgHN</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​🇮🇱​🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1737218602426646630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Virtus Segafredo Bologna 69-67 Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-olympiacos-piraeus/E2023/131/)

In a thriller that went down to the final seconds, Virtus rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to beat Olympiacos 69-67. Virtus improved to 11-4 in the standings, while Olympiacos dropped to 7-8. Isaia Cordinier paced the winners with 13 points and Marco Belinelli added 12 and Ognjen Dobric had 10, all in the fourth quarter, for Virtus. Giannoulis Larentzakis led Olympiacos with 13 points. 

[Valencia Basket 67-72 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/valencia-basket-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2023/130/)

Partizan continued its winning streak, pulling out a hard-fought win at Valencia Basket. The win improved Partizan's record to 9-6 for a share of fourth place in the standings, while Valencia dropped to 8-7. Zach LeDay scored all of his 14 points in the second half and James Nunnaly also scored 14 for Partizan. Kevin Punter netted 13 with a career-high 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Chris Jones paced Valencia with 14 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">BRAVO CRNO-BELIIII!🖤🤍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/g7hWhjwEkN">pic.twitter.com/g7hWhjwEkN</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1737232028947423705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game Center: Fenerbahce, Greens take thrillers; Bayern, Milan win big

FC Bayern Munich v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2023-12-20T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-12-20T17:30:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Real Madrid (2023-12-19T18:00:00.000Z)

Virtus Bologna rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to beat Olympiacos B.C. 69-67 in Round 15 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Virtus Bologna went up a few gears in the second half to beat Olympiacos B.C.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit [to beat Olympiacos Piraeus 69-67 in Round 15](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-virtus-bologna-vs-olympiacos-bc/). What did Virtus do well after the break to turn things around? Let's take a look at the numbers.

Virtus struggled in the second quarter, as Olympiacos dominated the boards. The hosts won the battle of the boards in the first quarter, 11-10, but the Reds pulled down 18 rebounds in the second quarter alone. Virtus managed to grab just 5 rebounds in those 10 minutes, and only 3 of them on the defensive end.

### Olympiacos couldn't capitalize on Virtus's struggles

Olympiacos excelled on defense, as it only allowed Virtus to hit 5-of-25 two-point shots (20% 2FG) in the first half. The Reds dominated the paint through Moustapha Fall and Nikola Milutinov, who allowed their team to hit 12-of-19 two-pointers (63.2%) in the first 20 minutes. All that led to a huge difference in both teams' PIR at the break. Virtus had amassed a PIR of 16 as a team, while Olympiacos had a PIR of 63. The Reds struggled from downtown in the first half, however, hitting just 2-of-12 first-half three-pointers (16.7%); only that prevented the visitors from breaking the game open before the break.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Olympiacos Piraeus 69-67 at home in Round 15.

Virtus's outstanding second half

Things completely changed after the break. Virtus hit 11-of-17 two-point shots (64.7%) in the second half and only allowed the Reds to bury 6-of-11 shots inside the arc (54.5%). The hosts outrebounded Olympiacos 20-10 after halftime, as the Reds could only pull down 2 offensive boards. Virtus grabbed 13 defensive rebounds, that is 86.7% of all rebounds under its rim compared to 52.9% before the break.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">AMAZING 🤯🤯 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmarsiAncora?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmarsiAncora</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fue8rWVBUG">pic.twitter.com/Fue8rWVBUG</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1737228946691764372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

When the dust settled, Olympiacos still had a higher PIR (83) than Virtus (72), mainly because of its 4 blocked shots. Yet, Virtus registered a 69-67 win, which is what matters, and remained undefeated in December, improving to 7-1 at home, too.

More Virtus News

Daniel Hackett of Virtus Segafredo Bologna is defended by Isaiah Canaan of Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 15 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Italian side trailed by double digits at halftime but managed to secure the victory.

Virtus went up a few gears in the second half to beat Olympiacos

Virtus Bologna notched another victory in the 2023-24 EuroLeague season by beating Olympiacos B.C. 69-67 in Round 15.

Virtus Bologna rallies late to down Olympiacos B.C., 69-67

<incrowd-live-blog id="658027794b597687cb605ab3" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Marco Belinelli of Virtus Segafredo Bologna shoots a jumper against Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 15 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The game went right down to the wire, but it was the hosts who saw the win over the line.

Virtus rallies late to down Olympiacos, 69-67

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. secured an 89-81 win against Saski Baskonia (8-6) at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Round 15 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Resilient Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. overpowers Saski Baskonia, 89-81

<incrowd-live-blog id="658027304b597687cb605aaf" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Roman Sorkin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is defended by Chima Moneke of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 15 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The hosts pulled away in the final quarter to secure the win.