After suffering a heartbreaking loss in last week's Belgrade derby, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (1-4) will look to respond against an FC Bayern Munich (2-3) team which is also hurting after consecutive losses.

Pre-game quotes: Zvezda vs. Bayern

Zvezda, playing its first home game under new coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos, is starting to find leadership from its new backcourt pairing of Shabazz Napier and Yago Dos Santos, who combined for 25 points and 9 assists in the derby. Bayern is the league leader in rebounding with 40.4 per game, led by 7.5 from Serge Ibaka, but must start to find better outside looks after converting a competition-worst 24.2% of three-point attempts so far. Andreas Obst, in particular, would love to start firing after making just 8 of his 28 long-range attempts so far.

### Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Zvezda head coach

"We have to have energy from the first until the last minute of the game. Now we shift our attention and our focus completely on the next opponent, on Bayern. Now it is more important to be more consistent and to improve our defensive game. I don't want us to allow so many easy points, and as far as our offense is concerned, it's important to have a team game."

### Marko Simonovic, Zvezda center

"The coach told us to forget previous matches and that our season is just starting. I hope for a win and a good atmosphere in the stands. We didn't start as we wanted, for sure there is pressure, but now we are playing in front of our fans. The right time to show a reaction and play a good game."

### Pablo Laso, Bayern head coach

"Crvena Zvezda has always been a classic team in the EuroLeague for me. They play at home in a fantastic atmosphere and are very aggressive. They've recently changed their coach, which always provides a boost because players want to prove themselves anew. Ioannis has probably made some changes. He has outstanding players at every position, such as Teodosic, Napier, Hanga, Davidovac, Bolomboy and Tobey. We know how tough it is to play in Belgrade and that we need to reach our top level to bring the victory back to Munich."

### Sylvain Francisco, Bayern guard

"The fans there are very loud, and playing in front of such a large crowd is big and exciting for me. They are currently in a tough position and want to get out of it quickly. We need to be ready and stay close to them in the first 10 minutes. Defense, rebounds, and minimizing mistakes will be the key."

### Andreas Obst, Bayern guard

"The atmosphere in Belgrade is always unique, so we need to defend very well, especially since they have many players who can make the difference. It's going to be tough there, but these are the exact kind of games that define the EuroLeague."

Game Videos

Game News

Pre-game quotes: Crvena Zvezda vs. Bayern

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v FC Bayern Munich (2023-11-02T17:30:00.000Z)

After going to five games in last season's playoffs, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Olympiacos Piraeus hold their first re-encounter of the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season in Round 6 on Thursday.

Fenerbahce vs. Olympiacos: Many crossed paths

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul hosts Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2023/50/) in Round 6 in a game with multiple storylines.

Mainly, this is the first time Fenerbahce and Olympiacos meet in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague since last season's playoffs. In an exciting series, both teams won at home and on the road to force [a do-or-die Game 5](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/323/) in which Olympiacos prevailed, 84-72. [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) buried a game-winning three-pointer in Game 3 that gave Olympiacos [a 71-72 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/315/), regaining the home-court advantage in the series, and had 22 points in Game 5. Sloukas, who has played for both Fenerbahce and Olympiacos, is now with the Reds' archrivals Panathinaikos Athens.

### 2017 finalists meet again

Olympiacos has a 16-15 winning record against Fenerbahce since the EuroLeague started with the new millennium. Fenerbahce claimed the biggest victory in the series, conquering its only continental title by topping Olympiacos [80-64 in the EuroLeague Championship Game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2016-17/fenerbahce-ulker-olympiacos-piraeus/E2016/263/) in Istanbul. It was the first-ever EuroLeague title for a Turkish team and Fenerbahce's only continental crown to this date.

Lookback: 2017 Championship Game, Fenerbahce-Olympiacos

Team captain [Melih Mahmutoglu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/melih-mahmutoglu/002969/) is the only current Fenerbahce player who was also there in 2017. In fact, he had the honor to lift the trophy. [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) and [Kostas Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/) were then and now with the Reds, too.

This game is also a chance to see arguably the two most successful Greek coaches of the 21st century go face to face. Georgios Bartzokas and Dimitris Itoudis are the only coaches from their country ever win the EuroLeague. Bartzokas did it with Olympiacos in 2013 and Itoudis won two titles as head coach with CSKA Moscow in 2016 and 2019, as well as five as an assistant with Panathinaikos between 2000 and 2012.

### Dorsey faces his former team

There are more crossed paths, of course. Fenerbahce sharp shooter [Tyler Dorsey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tyler-dorsey/009849/) played for Olympiacos in the past. In his first season with the Reds, Dorsey started in all 38 games he took part of, averaging 12.8 points and helping Olympiacos make it to the Final Four, losing there against Fenerbahce's rivals Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Tyler Dorsey is one of 11 players to wear both teams' jerseys.

Fenerbahce's Tyler Dorsey plays against former team Olympiacos

Dorsey is one of 11 players who have worn the jerseys of both teams this century. Two of them, Sloukas and [Pero Antic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/pero-antic/bae/), won EuroLeague titles with both Olympiacos and Fenerbahce. The list also includes three players who reach the Final Four with one of these teams: [Lynn Greer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lynn-greer/crr/) (Olympiacos 2009), [Erick Green](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/erick-green/005159/) (Fenerbahce 2019) and [Linas Kleiza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/linas-kleiza/001925/) (Olympiacos 2010).

Fenerbahce arrives to Thursday's showdown on a three-game winning streak. Olympiacos has won its last two games and will look for its second road victory of the EuroLeague season, after beating Panathinaikos [78-88](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-athens-olympiacos-piraeus/E2023/7/) in overtime in the season opener. Both coaches know each other well and last season's fantastic playoffs series only made this sports rivalry even better.

After going to five games in last season's playoffs, Fenerbahce and Olympiacos hold their first re-encounter of the new season on Thursday.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-11-02T17:45:00.000Z)

A heavyweight battle between title candidates will see Fenerbahce (4-1) attempt to extend its three-game winning run with a visit from reignited Olympiacos (3-2), which has won two in a row. 

 Pre-game quotes: Fenerbahce vs. Olympiacos 

The Reds got back to basics with a smothering defense to defeat Efes 75-57 last week, and the endlessly energetic Kostas Papanikolaou will try to have the same effect against in-form Scottie Wilbekin, who has scored 18 and 17 points in the last two games. In the paint, there's a battle of giants as Nikola Milutinov (12.4 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) goes up against a familiar foe in former Panathinaikos man Georgios Papagiannis (9.6 ppg., 2.8 rpg.), who is gradually settling in his new home.

### Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce head coach

"Olympiacos's team has been built for the Final Four. They have tons of experience. They play good basketball. They have size, shooting, creation, and they always go for offensive boards. We need to match all these in order to be competitive. We have to be competitive from the beginning."

### George Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach

"We are going to play against a talented and high-quality team. They have an exceptional record in the EuroLeague, so we must play brilliantly if we want to beat them. We definitely need to perform better than we did against Panathinaikos in the Greek League. It's always hard to play there, the atmosphere is always intense. In the end, it's about basketball, so if you play well, you'll win."

### Nate Sestina, Fenerbahce player: 

"It is going to be a big game against Olympiacos on Thursday. We have to be focused for 40 minutes. We need to follow the game plan, what the coaching staff needs from us. I also want to call our fans to be here with us and be loud. With their support behind us, we want to get the win against a very good team."

### Alec Peters, Olympiacos player

"Fenerbahçe played us hard last year and we expect nothing less now. It will be a tough game in a great atmosphere, and we will have to try to play better than our last game in the Greek League. There are many reasons for the lack of productivity on offense, but we have no excuse. We haven't found a rhythm yet. We've had some good moments and great games, but also some bad moments. This is part of a new season, some guys are back and I think we will slowly start to find a rhythm. We will then be able to show what we can do, because I believe we have shown it, and if we start doing it consistently all these questions will disappear."

Pre-game quotes: Fenerbahce vs. Olympiacos

KK Crvena zvezda welcomes FC Bayern Munich to Stark Arena in Round 6 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, with this game pitting Ioannis Sfairopoulos and Pablo Laso up against one another on the sidelines.

Sfairopoulos, Laso meet again as Crvena zvezda hosts Bayern

Ioannis Sfairopoulos and Pablo Laso, two of the most esteemed coaches in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, are now overseeing two new projects. As such, when Sfairopoulos’s Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (1-4) welcomes Laso’s FC Bayern Munich (2-3) to Stark Arena this Thursday evening (18:30 CET), it will be a good litmus test to judge where the two teams stand.

In the case of Laso, he took charge of Bayern over the summer and has been tasked with trying to turn the German side into one of the EuroLeague’s powerhouse clubs. [Sfairopoulos, meanwhile, was parachuted in at Zvezda](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/zvezda-brings-ioannis-sfairopoulos-back-to-the-euroleague/) following a 1-3 start under now departed head coach [Dusko Ivanovic, who has since landed at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/dusko-ivanovic-returns-for-a-fourth-stint-at-baskonia/).

### Sfairopoulos’s first game as Zvezda head coach

In Round 5, Sfairopoulos came ever so close to making the perfect start to his reign as Zvezda boss. Despite falling behind 17-2 to archrival Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade with 3:14 to go in the first quarter, the team responded brilliantly and went into halftime with the score tied at 42-42. Down the final stretch, however, Partizan’s Aleksa Avramovic and Zach LeDay made sure that it was their squad that [grabbed an 88-86 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/).

Partizan-Zvezda | Round 5 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Nevertheless, there were plenty of positive signs for Sfairopoulos’s Zvezda. On a night when eight players scored 7 points or more, one of the main highlights was the play of Yago dos Santos, who had 11 points and 5 assists. Under Coach Ivanovic, he managed just 4:09 of action, which came in a defeat to Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 4. Comparatively, Coach Sfairopoulos gave Yago just under 21 minutes of game time in the derby.

Looking ahead to Thursday's game, we should get a further glimpse of not only the sort of role that Dos Santos will enjoy, but also how fellow new signings Shabazz Napier, Milos Teodosic, Adam Hanga, Rokas Giedraitis and Joel Bolomboy are adapting to Sfairopoulos’s methods. Zvezda may have lost four straight games in the EuroLeague, but crucially it will be keen to get back on the right track after back-to-back losses to Partizan, having also lost to its archrival in the ABA League, 98-87, on Monday night.

### Bayern looking to right the ship

Bayern, meanwhile, is looking to end its two-game losing streak in the EuroLeague after [falling 98-59 at FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-fc-barcelona-basket-vs-fc-bayern-munich-basketball/) and [67-76 against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-fc-bayern-munich-vs-fenerbahce-basketball/) in Rounds 4 and 5, respectively. Laso’s squad may be topping the standings in the German League, but it has had a stop-start beginning to the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

FC Bayern Munich-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Round 5 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Particularly on offense, Bayern is averaging a league-worst 70.6 points per game, which has been a big part of its problem. Last time out against Fenerbahce, only guard Sylvain Francisco reached double digits in points, while center Serge Ibaka was the only player to do so against Barca. Therefore, it will be important that Carsen Edwards, Leandro Bolmaro and others start to step it up offensively, starting on the road at Zvezda.

### The history between Sfairopoulos, Laso

If we go back over eight years ago to the 2015 EuroLeague Final Four in Madrid, Spain, Sfairopoulos had led Olympiacos Piraeus to the championship game in his first season as a EuroLeague head coach. In European basketball’s deciding game, Laso’s Real Madrid was the opponent. The result? A 78-59 win for Los Blancos in the first-ever battle between Sfairopoulos and Laso on the EuroLeague sidelines.

Real Madrid vs. Olympiacos: 2015 Championship Game: 

Since then, they have come up against one another 12 more times, but it is Laso and his Real side that dominated matchups against Sfairopoulos’s Olympiacos (2014-18) and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2018-22), with the Spanish coach having a 9-4 record against his Greek counterpart.

This Thursday night, Sfairopoulos and his new Zvezda squad have the chance to build on the club’s 5-4 all-time record against Bayern in a game that could go either way. Zvezda will be able to lean on its passionate support inside Stark Arena, so will that make the difference? We’ll have to tune in to find out!

Ioannis Sfairopoulos and Pablo Laso during the pre-game press conference before the 2015 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game between Olympiacos Piraeus and Real Madrid.

The two head coaches faced off in the 2015 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game.

Sfairopoulos, Laso meet again as Zvezda hosts Bayern

A busy first month in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague ended with a surprise contender, Virtus Bologna, whose veteran leader, Tornike Shengelia, is Euroleague Basketball's choice as MVP for October 2023, 

MVP of October: Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

After collapsing late in its season opener at home, days before learning that a key new player required surgery for a tumor, Virtus Segafredo Bologna could have descended into negativism. Instead, Virtus came together around the iron will and positivity of veteran [Tornike Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/), Euroleague Basketball's choice as MVP for October 2023, to become the biggest early-season surprise in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.

Remarkably, Virtus held leads for all except one possession over the next three games and capped off the month with a thrilling road victory to finish October sharing [second place at 4-1](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/standings/). Shengelia was nothing short of excellent the whole time, posting the EuroLeague's highest accumulated performance index rating and second-best point total so far, making him a resounding choice to open the MVP of the Month award's 19th season.

The winner of MVP of the Month award is named by Euroleague Basketball based on his and his team's performance during the month in question. The award for October was based on the five games that most teams played during the month. This marks the second time that Shengelia has been honored as MVP of the Month. His first such award came in March of 2018 while playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

### From sadness to euphoria

Two weeks after Sergio Scariolo left the bench suddenly and was replaced by Luca Banchi in the late stages of preseason, Virtus blew a 15-point lead to lose [79-82](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-zalgiris-kaunas/E2023/5/#boxscore) to visiting Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 1 despite Shengelia combining 17 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. [Much worse news](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/virtuss-polonara-to-undergo-surgery/) dropped five days later, however, when Shengelia's fellow power forward, [Achille Polonara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/achille-polonara/002084/), was found to have a testicular tumor and was soon operated on in advance of chemotherapy treatments.

Tornike Shengelia | October MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

On the road at AS Monaco in Round 2, Virtus responded by handing the hosts their wort-ever EuroLeague home loss, [59-83](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/15/#boxscore), after which Polonara's teammates brandished his jersey to show they had him at the center of their thoughts while playing so well. Shengelia had the team's highest PIR, 18, based on 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. It was Virtus's widest margin of victory in a EuroLeague road game since 2002.

Virtus kept it going with a double-round sweep the next week. In leading ALBA Berlin from tipoff to the final buzzer for an [87-76](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-alba-berlin/E2023/27/#boxscore) victory, Shengelia scored 26 points on near-perfect shooting – 8-for-9 on two pointers, 1-for-2 from downtown and 7-for-8 at the free-throw line – and also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists for a 32 PIR that made him MVP of Round 3. Two nights later, Virtus again did not trail as it downed visiting Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade [85-79](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/36/#boxscore), with Shengelia posting a team-high 19 points, as well as 6 rebounds and 5 assists en route to a PIR of 18.

In October's final game, Virtus visited LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and never trailed by more than 4 points on the way to an [84-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/42/#boxscore) win, its fourth in a row. Shengelia's 4 points in a row broke a late 79-79 tie and he finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 29.

### Leading by example

From a one-possession 5-4 deficit early in Round 3 at Monaco to the end of its Round 5 win against Zvezda, Virtus went a stunning 113 consecutive minutes without being behind on the scoreboard, a monument to the team's mental toughness in the face of adversity. Shengelia had his fingerprints all over that effort.

The 32-year-old from Georgia, in his 11th EuroLeague season with a total of 227 games played, finished the month with a 23.6 PIR average, [ranked second overall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=Valuation&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS), and 18.4 points per night, [ranked third](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=Score&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS). His 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game were the second-best marks among Virtus’s players during the month. Most remarkably, he converted 75.0% of his [two-point shots](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=FieldGoals2Percent&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS), 52.9% of his [three-pointers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=FieldGoals3Percent&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=RS) and 85.0% of his [free throws](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=50&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=FreeThrowsPercent&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=RS) in October.

For his efforts, Virtus fans not only see their team near the top of the standings, but they will be able to serenade the club's first-ever MVP of the Month honoree, Toko Shengelia, at an upcoming home game.

More Shengelia news

A busy first month in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague ended with a surprise contender, Virtus Bologna, whose veteran leader, Tornike Shengelia, is the MVP of October.

Saski Baskonia has completed the signing of former NBA guard Chris Chiozza until the end of the season.

Baskonia strengthens backcourt by adding Chris Chiozza

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz has completed the signing of Chris Chiozza on a deal until the end of the season. Chiozza (1.80 meters, 27 years old), who has 91 games of experience in the NBA, will make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut when he first plays for Baskonia in the competition. So far this season, the American guard has averaged 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists in eight games for UCAM Murcia.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">✍️ OFICIAL | Chris Chiozza, nueva pieza para la dirección de juego azulgrana 🧠<br><br>📎 <a href="https://t.co/6WJ4BB8RyU">https://t.co/6WJ4BB8RyU</a><br><br>Ongi etorri, Chris! 🧀🔵🔴 <a href="https://t.co/OmxJ7YNZJL">pic.twitter.com/OmxJ7YNZJL</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1719632936046092754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Another body for Baskonia

Chiozza joins a Baskonia side that has been down to the bare bones of late, with the team having just eight players available in [a Round 5 loss on the road at Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/). The addition of Chiozza should help lighten the load on star guard Markus Howard, who returned to form with 22 points last week, while he will also provide competition for fellow guards Nico Mannion and Codi Miller-McIntyre. He is the first signing of [Dusko Ivanovic's fourth spell as Baskonia head coach](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/).

### Four seasons in the NBA

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Chiozza ended up spending the next few years between the NBA and the G League. He made his NBA debut in the 2018-19 season after first appearing for the Houston Rockets in March 2019. The 27-year-old ended up playing seven games in a Houston jersey.

Chiozza played a total of 32 games in the 2019-20 campaign, having played 10 times for the Washington Wizards before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he made 18 regular-season appearances. The American featured in four playoff games for Brooklyn, too.

The Call Up | Chris Chiozza

He remained with Brooklyn for the 2020-21 season, playing 22 times in the regular season before making six appearances in the postseason. Chiozza’s last NBA campaign was in 2021-22, when he featured 34 times for the Golden State Warriors. He received an NBA championship ring during his time with Golden State.

Across his 91-game NBA career, of which he has made four starts, Chiozza averaged 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Now, after spending the 2022-23 season with the Long Island Nets in the G League and the last six months with Murcia, he brings his talents to the EuroLeague for a Baskonia side looking to recover from a 1-4 start to the season.

More Baskonia News

New Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz signing Chris Chiozza in action for the Golden State Warriors in the 2021-22 NBA season.

The American guard has been playing in Spain since April 2023 but will now make the leap to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Jasiel Rivero celebrated his 30th birthday in style by enjoying a commanding performance in Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.'s 90-98 win at Olimpia Milano in the EuroLeague on Tuesday night.

Birthday boy Jasiel Rivero led Maccabi to victory at faltering Olimpia Milano

Jasiel Rivero served up a majestic performance as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv romped to [a 90-98 win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc/) in a rescheduled Round 2 game of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The forward celebrated his 30th birthday with a rock-solid display at both ends of the court, having paced his team with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field while he also collected 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He finished with a career-high 26 PIR, which – as well as the win – was probably the best present he could have asked for.

Jasiel Rivero had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 90-98 in a rescheduled Round 2 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Jasiel Rivero's highlights vs. Milan

Rivero turned out to be the X-factor for Maccabi as he spent only 19:25 minutes on the court, while Lorenzo Brown bounced back from a poor night in last week’s road drubbing by AS Monaco.

### Other players stepped up, too

Brown delivered 20 points and 12 assists as Maccabi overturned a 32-25 first-quarter deficit, when Milan was firing on all cylinders thanks to top scorer Nikola Mirotic. From there on, however, Rivero made a telling impact as Milan could not handle his speed and physicality, with the Cuban doing plenty of damage in the paint.

The roles of Bonzie Colson, Antonius Cleveland and Josh Nebo were just as vital, as all three also finished in double figures to underline Maccabi’s fast-flowing offense and dominance in the paint.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That&#39;s the Maccabi spirit! <a href="https://t.co/SeTqOqdNzX">pic.twitter.com/SeTqOqdNzX</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​🇮🇱​🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1719471872390094967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Kattash praised Maccabi’s character

“It’s a great win for us,” Maccabi’s head coach Oded Kattash said during the post-game press conference. “We came here after a big loss at Monaco; we’re having lots of ups and downs on and off the court. Competing in the EuroLeague is never easy, especially under the circumstances, but we showed a lot of character. I am very happy for the players, the staff and the fans, but most of all for the people in Israel.”

Kattash also heaped praise on Rivero: “He was great for us tonight. He is one of the reasons we outrebounded a team like Milan, which has great size. I am also very happy that he found a way to score, it was a big night for him.”

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | Round 2 | Highlights

Maccabi improved to a 3-2 record while Milan slipped to 1-4, piling the pressure on head coach Ettore Messina, who was livid with his team’s lackluster defense.

“We lost a game in which we had 25 assists and shot 40% on three-pointers,” he stated. “Another game in which we conceded \[nearly\] 100 points. Our identity is to play strong defense and protect our half of the court, but that has disappeared recently. We were no opposition today, as Maccabi ran, rebounded on offense, scored on the pick and roll and scored on isolation. Our defense was embarrassing.”

More Maccabi News

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Jasiel Rivero smiles with teammates Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo after the club's 90-98 road win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in a rescheduled Round 2 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Cuban forward produced the best EuroLeague performance of his career as the visitors came out on top.

Birthday boy Jasiel Rivero led Maccabi to victory at faltering Milan

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2023-10-31T19:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. improved to a 3-2 record in the 2023-24 EuroLeague standings with an impressive 90-98 win at Olimpia Milano, which dropped to 1-4 after losing in this rescheduled Round 2 clash on Tuesday.

Maccabi Tel Aviv overpowers Olimpia Milano, 90-98, thanks to smooth team effort

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James Webb of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv dunks the basketball during his team's rescheduled Round 2 win against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Israeli side had five players reach double digits in points en route to an important road victory.

Maccabi overpowers Milan, 90-98, thanks to smooth team effort

When EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv cross paths on Tuesday in a game from Round 2, a perimeter matchup between Kevin Pangos and John DiBartolomeo could be key to the final outcome.

Pangos, DiBartolomeo have another backcourt meeting

One of the key matchups in [Tuesday's lone Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fixture](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ea7-emporio-armani-milan-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2023/12/) is the one between point guards [Kevin Pango](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-pangos/006433/)s of Milan and [John DiBartolomeo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/john-dibartolomeo/007990/) of visiting Maccabi. The two are set to square off against one another for the eighth time since they were first on the opposite sides in the 2017-18 campaign.

That was the season of DiBartolomeo's EuroLeague debut, and has since made 165 appearances for Maccabi. At the time Pangos was in his second with Zalgiris Kaunas as one of team's main protagonists. He averaged 14.0 points and 8.5 assists as Zalgiris and Maccabi split home wins. DiBartolomeo played just 10 minutes combined in those two games while attempting, and missing, a single field goal try.

Pangos then went on to play with FC Barcelona and Zenit St Petersburg, and averaged 10.2 points and 5.0 assists in games against DiBartolomeo and Maccabi, helping his teams win three of those four clashes.

DiBartolomeo, on the other hand, averaged just below 14 minutes in those games with Pangos on the other side, but always found ways to be productive, having PIRs of 8 or more in three of the four.

Then last season, when Maccabi beat Milan 85-66 in Tel Aviv, DiBartolomeo proved to be one of the main protagonists, with 8 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds, accumulating a 12 PIR and a plus/minus of +13 while Pangos was held to 5 points.

Overall, in seven head-to-head games against Pangos, DiBartolomeo has made 10 triples on 20 attempts. It will be important for Maccabi that he continues the trend of shooting such good percentages against Pangos's teams, as well as playing his trademark solid defense.

John Dibartolomeo, Kevin Pangos Top Plays from 09/30/2023 to 10/31/2023

John DiBartolomeo Kevin Pangos best plays in 2023-24

That is especially true early this season, in the absence of injured Maccabi star guard Wade Baldwin, during which time DiBartolomeo has taken a big load for Maccabi. He is playing a career-high 22 minutes per night going into Tuesday's game and has been good for 1.8 triples made and 4.5 rebounds per game so far.

Pangos is averaging 8.0 points this season, but half of his production has come in one game, Milan's lone win of the season, and impressive 65-53 triumph over Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 3.

That, in a way, tells a story how important has Pangos been for Milan, just like DiBartolomeo has been for Maccabi. Which player who gets the upper hand in this head-to-head duel would certainly give his team a big edge in this make-up Round 2 game on Tuesday night.