Shane Larkin was back to his best this week, inspiring Anadolu Efes S.K. to back-to-back wins and getting his team's EuroLeague season back on the right track.

Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes bounced back to complete perfect double-round week

Two-time Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul had a rough start to the 2023-24 season, losing its two first games against a couple of Spanish giants.

In the opening game of the campaign, Efes lost 91-74 on the road at FC Barcelona, while Real Madrid spoiled the Turkish team’s home opener by coming away with an 80-103 blowout-win in Round 2. Against *Los Blancos*, [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) was a shadow of himself, recording just 5 points in 24 minutes and a painful -47 in the plus-minus category.

### Getting back on track

But everything changed in the first double-game week of the new EuroLeague season, as Efes grabbed two important, hard-fought wins at home against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, 89-84, and [a previously unbeaten Valencia Basket side, 77-73](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-anadolu-efes-sk-vs-valencia-basket/). In both games, Larkin displayed the best version of himself, putting in back-to-back MVP-level performances.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Çift maç haftasında 2’de 2! ✅<br>Anadolu Efes 77 - 73 Valencia | Maç Sonucu<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Together?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Together</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/36CCWsLrTv">pic.twitter.com/36CCWsLrTv</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1715451097198796803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

When Efes took on ASVEL, Larkin ended the night with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and a PIR of 23, while he was a +16 in his time on the floor. Seventy-two hours later, Larkin excelled again against Valencia by flirting with a triple-double, providing 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a PIR of 26. Across those two games, he averaged 16.5 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, elevating his team’s performance to the level the home fans expected.

“I’ve got to be better at that, I’ve been in these situations before and I cannot let my team down like that. They built me up today,” Larkin confessed after beating Valencia.

Shane Larkin scored 15 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished 6 assists as Anadolu Efes Istanbul beat Valencia Basket 77-73 in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Shane Larkin's highlights vs. Valencia

### Larkin showed his clutch gene once more

The best version of Larkin emerged in the second half of this game, as he came to the fore and helped Efes rally from a 9-point deficit in the third quarter. Later, he also kept his team calm with 3 made free throws in crunch time.

“I think in the second half we really locked in our defense,” he added. “They are the best offensive rebounding team in the league, but we were better on the defensive end in the second half and that got us transitions and we picked up a big \[win\] at home.”

After clinching these two wins, Efes improved to 2-2 and can now look forward with renewed confidence and ambition. One of the main reasons for that is Larkin bouncing back and leading the team to a perfect double-round week.

More Efes News

Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul in action against Valencia Basket in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The 31-year-old, a two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, came to the fore against both LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Valencia Basket over the last few days.

Larkin, Efes bounced back to complete perfect double-round week

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Valencia Basket (2023-10-20T17:30:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-10-17T17:30:00.000Z)

Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward Achille Polonara will undergo surgery on Tuesday to address a recently discovered testicular tumor, the club announced. His recovery period will be determined after the operation.

Virtus's Polonara to undergo surgery

Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward [Achille Polonara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/achille-polonara/002084/) underwent surgery a couple of weeks ago to address a recently discovered testicular tumor. Then, on Saturday, the club announced that the player will follow a chemotherapy treatment that will have him sidelined for at least four weeks. After this period, the medical staff of the club will reevaluate Polonara's situation. He will be practicing on his own during this period.

Polonara, 32, played as recently as the opening round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season last Thursday, when he was on the floor for 10 minutes as Virtus lost at home to Zalgiris Kaunas. He actually joined Virtus from Zalgiris in the summer. He had played the first half of last season with Anadolu Efes Istanbul before moving to Zalgiris at the start of 2023 and helping the team reach the playoffs.

Polonara debuted in the EuroLeague with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2019 and took the competition by storm in the 2020-21 season, averaging 12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds – [second behind only Walter Tavares of Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2020&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds) – 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals for a 16.5 PIR that ranked 11th among all players.

His playing time and numbers dropped slightly to 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists during the 2021-22 season with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul before he moved to Efes and Zalgiris last season.

Chemotherapy will leave Virtus's Polonara out at least four weeks

Here are the leaders in the main statistical categories for Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. 

Round 4 individual highs: Brady Manek, Zalgiris Kaunas, 14 rebounds

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

[China Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/) of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz led all scorers with 32 points, becoming the first player this season to score at least 30 points in a single game. [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is the competition's leading scorer at 20.0 points per game.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

Zalgiris Kaunas center [Brady Manek](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/brady-manek/012715/) was the top rebounder in Round 4 with 14 boards, also the most by any player this season. [Tadas Sedekerskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tadas-sedekerskis/007230/) of Baskonia leads all rebounders at 9.0 per night.

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv playmaker [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) had 12 assists, a new club record and more than any other player this round. Real Madrid point guard [Facu Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) ranks first in assists at 8.5 per contest.

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

Brown also had 5 steals, the most in Round 4, and leads the overall standings with 2.3 per game.

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

Two players, [Isaia Cordinier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/isaia-cordinier/009549/) of Virtus Segafredo Bologna and [Kostas Antetokounmpo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-antetokounmpo/011221/) of Panathinaikos Athens, had 3 blocks each in this round. [Serge Ibaka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/serge-ibaka/003583/) of FC Bayern Munich ranks first in blocks at 2.0 per night.

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=E2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

There were three double-doubles in this round: Manek had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Brown got 12 points and 12 assists, while Campazzo paired 12 points with 10 assists.

Nikola Milutinov stepped up for Olympiacos Piraeus against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, his former team, as he led a 14-point point comeback en route to a 98-94 overtime victory in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Thanks to his performance at Peace and Friendship Stadium, he has earned the seventh MVP of the Round honor of his career.

Round 4 MVP: Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos Piraeus

[Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) stepped up for Olympiacos Piraeus against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, his former team, as he led a 14-point point comeback en route to [a 98-94 overtime victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/olympiacos-piraeus-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2023/29/) in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Thanks to his performance at Peace and Friendship Stadium, he has earned the seventh MVP of the Round honor of his career.

Milutinov dominated inside, scoring 16 points on 2-for-4 two-point shooting while using 10 drawn fouls for a career-best 12 free throws made on 14 attempts, the best by an Olympiacos player since 2016. Milutinov also collected 7 rebounds and 2 assists, as well as 10 fouls drawn, accumulating a 30 PIR, the best among all winning players in Round 4.

Nikola Milutinov | RS Round 4 MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

This round's highest PIR, 37, belongs to Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz forward [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/), however it came in [an 82-99 home loss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-zalgiris-kaunas/E2023/31/) against Zalgiris Kaunas. Moneke scored a career-high 32 points and had 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 1 assist. [Shabazz Napier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade amassed a PIR of 28 in [his side’s 85-79 road loss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/36/) against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. He posted 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 8 fouls drawn. Two Zalgiris big men, [Brady Manek](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/brady-manek/012715/) and [Rolands Smit](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rolands-smits/007109/)s, each had performance index rating of 27. Manek amassed 17 points on 5-for-5 three-point shooting and 14 rebounds, while Smits had 21 points on 3-for-4 three-point shooting and 8 rebounds. They round out the top performers in Round 4.

Olympiacos Piraeus v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-10-19T18:15:00.000Z)

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 4 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our fourth winner in the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime!](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) Pedja Markovic beat everyone else in Round 4 with his team Picenzi 2, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 230.05.

Pedja had the following lineup: team captain Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos, his teammate Giannoulis Larentzakis, China Moneke of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Will Clyburn of Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Isaia Cordinier of Virtus Segafredo Bologna as starters, Alen Smailagic of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade as sixth man, Yam Madar of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Keenan Evans of Zalgiris Kaunas, Niklas Wimberg of FC Bayern Munich and Josep Puerto of Valencia Basket as bench players, as well as Dimitris Itoudis of Fenerbahce as head coach. The prize for finishing first in Round 4 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2024-25 season!

Nikos Iasonidis is the new leader of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge overall standings with 781.2 points.

Trades are now open for Round 5. Remember, unlimited trades are allowed between Rounds 4 and 5, so make the most out of this opportunity!

The first game in Round 5, Partizan vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, is scheduled to tip off on Thursday, October 26 at 18:30 CET, and thus marks next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

Virtus Bologna defeated KK Crvena Zvezda 85-79 in Round 4 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season, which improved its record to 3-1.

Virtus Bologna overcame turnovers with consistent effort and balance 

Virtus Segafredo Bologna had its worst game of the season in terms of turnovers on Friday night and faced a strong and physical visitor in Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. Yet, the home side prevailed thanks to a consistent effort and good balance.

Luca Banchi’s side committed a season-high 19 turnovers – up from its average of 12.7 per game – but still grabbed an 85-79 victory over Zvezda to improve to 3-1, having recorded its third straight victory. Toko Shengelia scored 19 points, pacing six Virtus players in double figures.

“The team is doing a great job. We have won three straight since the first game. That was a good game to learn from,” Shengelia said afterward, referring to Virtus’s Round 1 defeat to Zalgiris Kaunas.

“The team is doing an amazing job. The team is in the flow offensively and defensively. We are just out there enjoying the game.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Siamo questi e siamo bellissimi 🤍🖤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmarsiAncora?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmarsiAncora</a> <a href="https://t.co/pjXo1V4JSY">pic.twitter.com/pjXo1V4JSY</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1715468528923422799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Plenty of players stepped up

Marco Belinelli drained 4 of the team’s 12 three-pointers for 15 points, Jordan Mickey added 13 points and 8 rebounds and Isaia Cordinier chipped in 11 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. Iffe Lundberg and Alessandro Pajola both scored 10 points and four players hit at least 2 three-pointers.

“The mentality was great. We attacked the game from the first second,” Belinelli commented. “Everybody really tried everything they could, especially on defense. But we have to improve – too many turnovers. Sometimes we have to move the ball more. But it will come.”

Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 4 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Virtus still produced 23 assists, 3 more than the team’s average coming into the game. And the 46.2% it shot on three-pointers was up from 40.0% through the first three games.

“Tonight, we showed we are a team with constant effort – not always the discipline and quality that we need. All the players who played tonight really showed how strong they are and how much they wanted to get this win tonight,” added Coach Banchi.

More Virtus News

Jordan Mickey of Virtus Segafredo Bologna has possession during his team's game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Italian side downed Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 85-79 to improve to 3-1.

Virtus overcame turnovers with consistent effort and balance 

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-10-20T18:30:00.000Z)

In a thrilling contest that went to overtime, Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. was able to defeat Panathinaikos B.C. 81-86 at OAKA in Athens, Greece, in Round 4 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. survived spirited Panathinaikos B.C. fightback

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ended the first double-round week of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season on a high note by securing [a captivating 81-86 overtime win at Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc/). The Greens had turned the game on its head after having head coach Ergin Ataman ejected midway through the third quarter, but they eventually fell short in a strength-sapping contest.

Following Wednesday’s 75-66 defeat at Valencia Basket, Maccabi made a flying start to the game and led 24-39 at halftime on the back of 15 points from forward Bonzie Colson, who followed on from last season’s heroics at OAKA when he posted career highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds.

Colson’s performance then went unrewarded as PAO prevailed 88-86, but he got sweet revenge on the Greek side this time, finishing on 21 points and 8 boards which paved the way for a morale-boosting victory.

Bonzie Colson had 21 points and 8 rebounds as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv beat Panathinaikos Athens 81-86 in overtime in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bonzie Colson's highlights vs. Panathinaikos

### Impact of Ataman’s ejection

Maccabi appeared to be in cruise control before Ataman got ejected, but the incident galvanized the home team to find an extra gear and claw its way back into the contest. Luca Vildoza and Dinos Mitoglou, who both had a nondescript first half, found their range beyond the three-point arc and PAO sent its passionate home fans into raptures when it nosed ahead 67-66 with several minutes left in the fourth quarter.

A tug-of-war ensued and the home team was on the cusp of victory as it held a 72-70 lead with 6 seconds left on the clock, but Maccabi was able to force overtime thanks to a last-gasp offensive rebound from Nebo, who tipped it in.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Together we can <a href="https://t.co/l5TkMevJti">pic.twitter.com/l5TkMevJti</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​🇮🇱​🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1715477446684750057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Leaning on a quartet of players

Maccabi’s superior individual quality made the difference in the extra 5 minutes, as Lorenzo Brown, who racked up 12 points and a club-record 12 assists, showed his superior class, as did Colson, DiBartolomeo and Nebo.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇺🇸 Lorenzo Brown of 🇮🇱 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv set a club record of 12 assists dished in a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> game.</p>&mdash; Darius Garuolis (@DariusGaruolis) <a href="https://twitter.com/DariusGaruolis/status/1715473676181684493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This quartet personified Maccabi’s resilience and swung the game the visitors’ way in a fervent atmosphere, with the home fans getting behind PAO in the second half and overtime.

Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash made it clear in no uncertain terms just how much the win meant to the Israeli side. “The last two weeks were not easy for us, but today we promised ourselves that we were going to focus on basketball more than on other things,” Kattash said in a post-game flash interview. “It’s what we do best, and I am very proud of the guys that we were able to do it. It’s never easy to win here.”

For PAO assistant coach Christos Serelis, who replaced Ataman on the sidelines after the Turkish tactician was ejected, he lamented the team’s missed opportunities to complete the comeback. “We’re very disappointed,” he stated. “In the last minute we missed 2 free throws, committed an offensive foul and conceded a crucial rebound. We were aggressive in the second half but in the end we only have ourselves to blame for losing.

“Our defense in the second quarter was terrible and allowed Maccabi to open up a 15-point lead.”

More Maccabi News

Lorenzo Brown and Jake Cohen come together for a high-five during Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's 81-86 overtime win against Panathinaikos Athens in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The hosts erased a 15-point halftime deficit and came within a whisker of victory before being forced into submission.

Maccabi survived spirited Panathinaikos fightback to come out on top in overtime

Panathinaikos Athens v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2023-10-20T18:15:00.000Z)

Jan Vesely, Willy Hernangomez and James Nnaji were dominant as Barça Basket defeated FC Bayern Munich 98-59 in Round 4 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Centers led Barça Basket to historic win over FC Bayern Munich

FC Barcelona kept on rolling in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, as it grabbed one of its biggest wins in competition history. Up against FC Bayern Munich at Palau Blaugrana, [Barca blitzed Pablo Laso’s side 98-59](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-fc-barcelona-basket-vs-fc-bayern-munich-basketball/) in a truly dominant display, which was perhaps best epitomized by the forceful play of centers Jan Vesely, Willy Hernangomez and James Nnaji.

Barca tied its third-biggest winning margin in EuroLeague history in 613 games in the competition, having won by 39 points. The Blaugrana had a 44-point win, 97-53, against Cibona Zagreb on December 1, 2005, and beat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul by 43 points, 97-55, on November 12, 2020. It is Barca's third 39-point win in the EuroLeague, as it previously beat Fenerbahce 60-99 on February 21, 2013 and PGE Turow Zgorzelec, 65-104, on December 5, 2014.

It was also Bayern's biggest-ever loss in the EuroLeague. Its previous biggest losing margin was 33 points, 93-60, against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on November 1, 2019.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="pt" dir="ltr">Bona nit, família 💙❤ <a href="https://t.co/lhdDNh6NFM">pic.twitter.com/lhdDNh6NFM</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1715487052513366355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### The centers led the way against Bayern

Vesely got Barca going with 6 quick points, fueling an opening 13-2 run that put his team on the right track. The Czech big man took advantage of his mid-range game, hitting several jumpers. Hernangomez soon came off the bench, giving Barca even more of a scoring punch down low. Later, Nnaji offered power and athleticism against Serge Ibaka, one of the most physical and dominant centers in the competition.

Nnaji finished the game with a career-high 10 points on 3-of-4 two-pointers and provided the biggest highlight of the game, getting an inbound pass from Nico Laprovittola before detonating a two-handed alley-oop dunk. He matched his personal-best PIR of 12.

Vesely needed less than 12 minutes to get 14 points on 5-of-7 two-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws, adding 4 rebounds and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 18. As for Hernangomez, he had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 fouls drawn and a big block on Ibaka, all in less than 18 minutes.

Jan Vesely, Willy Hernangomez and James Nnaji led FC Barcelona to a resounding 98-59 home win against FC Bayern Munich.

Vesely, Hernangomez, Nnaji take over in Round 4

### A big test on the way

Above all, Barca proved that it is really solid at the '5' position right before arguably the biggest test any team in the EuroLeague can face at that spot – a night up against Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier.

Next week, Barca faces Real Madrid in a direct battle for first place in the standings. Real and Barca are the only undefeated teams in the competition, and what happens under the basket could determine the winner of *El Clásico*.

More Barcelona News

Jan Vesely of FC Barcelona in action against FC Bayern Munich in Round 4 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Spanish side absolutely dominated on Friday night and kept up its unbeaten start to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Centers led Barcelona to historic win over Bayern

FC Barcelona v FC Bayern Munich (2023-10-20T18:30:00.000Z)

AS Monaco's second win this week reinforced the fact that when this team shares the ball, it's really dangerous.

All hands were on deck – and passing – for Monaco's second win in a row

Monaco came into the season as one of the favorite to challenge for another Final Four run after its first one last spring, but promptly lost its opening two games, including an [unexpected 24-point home defeat to unheralded Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/15/) in Round 2.

The fans in the principality got to see on Friday how much their team learned in a week as Monaco aced the double round with [a handy 86-75 victory against visiting ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-alba-berlin/E2023/33/) to even its record at 2-2.

It's not every day that a team piles up 86 points with just one double-digit scorer, and therein lies the second plus for Monaco fans and their team. No heroics were required because everyone up and down the roster contributed to the victory.

The ever-dependable [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) was that sole double-digit scorer, with 17 points. Interestingly, Monaco joined FC Barcelona on the same night as the first two teams this season whose entire lineup scored. It was the second such accomplishment for Monaco in its three EuroLeague seasons, and the first time was last year, in the only game in five that it has won against Barcelona.

AS Monaco Top Assists of the 2023-24 Regular Season Round 4

AS Monaco assists-makers vs. ALBA Berlin

In the end, though, Jame's team-leading 7 assists were more indicative of everything that went right for Monaco. All 12 of Monaco's players found their way into the scoring column because nine of them also shared 24 assists.

That abundance came two days and one plane ride after Monaco's first victory came on the road at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. In [that 76-82 decision](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade-as-monaco/E2023/25/), head coach Sasa Obradovic's men dished 23 assists.

Contrast that to the two losses that preceded this week, in which Monaco's combined total of assists was 22. The Roca team literally doubled its generosity from the first two unsuccessful games of the season and turned its fortunes around in the process

This time, James was followed by [Alpha Diallo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alpha-diallo/011226/) with 4 assists, [Kemba Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kemba-walker/012709/) and [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/) with 3 each, and [John Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/john-brown/010588/) and [Jaron Blossomgame](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jaron-blossomgame/011231/) with 2 each. [Petr Cornelie](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/petr-cornelie/004790/), [Donatas Motiejunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donatas-motiejunas/lcz/) and [Matthew Strazel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/matthew-strazel/008099/) all chipped in 1.

The upshot of all the passing was good shots. The Roca Team's 62.5% shooting on two-pointers (25 for 40) and 47.4% on threes (9 for 19) were both its highes accuracy rates of the season so far. 

Game News

AS Monaco's second win this week reinforced the fact that when this team shares the ball, it's really dangerous.


AS Monaco v ALBA Berlin (2023-10-20T17:00:00.000Z)