Daniel Hackett of Virtus Segafredo Bologna, a 35-year-old former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion, made sure to end his 12th season in the competition with a bang as he earned Round 34 MVP honors after leading his team to a derby victory. Hackett was a man on a mission in Virtus's 89-84 home win over Italian rival EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, as he enjoyed one of the best performances of his 275-game EuroLeague career. He amassed a PIR of 36, the third-highest total of his career, by scoring 25 points and dishing 10 assists, which ties his personal best. He made 7-of-7 two pointers, 2-of-4 triples and 5-of-9 free throws. Hackett had never made more than 5 two-pointers without a miss before in his career.

Round 34 MVP: Daniel Hackett, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

[Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) of Virtus Segafredo Bologna, a 35-year-old former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion, made sure to end his 12th season in the competition with a bang as he earned Round 34 MVP honors after leading his team to a derby victory. Hackett was a man on a mission in [Virtus's 89-84 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/virtus-segafredo-bologna-ea7-emporio-armani-milan/E2022/302/) over Italian rival EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, as he enjoyed one of the best performances of his 275-game EuroLeague career. He amassed a PIR of 36, the third-highest total of his career, by scoring 25 points and dishing 10 assists, which ties his personal best. He made 7-of-7 two pointers, 2-of-4 triples and 5-of-9 free throws. Hackett had never made more than 5 two-pointers without a miss before in his career.

Daniel Hackett of Virtus Segafredo Bologna, a 35-year-old former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion, made sure to end his 12th season in the competition with a bang as he earned Round 34 MVP honors after leading his team to a derby victory.

Daniel Hackett | Round 34 MVP | 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

[Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) followed with a PIR of 31, as he propelled Olympiacos Piraeus to a first-place finish with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds in an 86-78 over Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. The third-best performance of Round 34 belonged to [Guerschon Yabusele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/guerschon-yabusele/010357/) of Real Madrid, despite his team's 100-96 overtime road loss to Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. Yabusele compiled a PIR of 29, based on his 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. In the same game, [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) of Maccabi had 22 points and 6 assists for a 27 PIR in a victory that was worth a fifth-place finish for his team. [Dante Exum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dante-exum/011302/) of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade also amassed a PIR of 27 in his side's 83-81 home win against Panathinaikos Athens. Exum had 18 points, 4 assists, 4 steals and 4 fouls drawn. 

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-04-13T18:45:00.000Z)

[Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) of Baskonia led all Round 34 scorers with 29 points. [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) finished as the regular season's top scorer with 17.6 points per game. The top rebounder of the round was [Tibor Pleiss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tibor-pleiss/lhk/) of Anadolu Efes Istanbul with 12. [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) of Partizan nipped Vezenkov for the top regular-season rebounding average with 7.3 boards per night. [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/) of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul dished 12 assists, the most in Round 34. [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/) of Baskonia led the league with 6.7 assists per contest to close the regular season. [Dante Exum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dante-exum/011302/) of Partizan made 4 steals to lead all Round 34 players. [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) of Olympiacos was the regular-season steals king with 1.9 per game. The best shot blocker in Round 34 was ALBA Berlin's [Ben Lammers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ben-lammers/010385/), who rejected 3 efforts. [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) broke a EuroLeague record with 77 total blocks, 38 more than any other player, for a league-leading 2.3 per game, the best average in the competition this decade. Double-doubles were registered in their regular-season finales by: Round 34 MVP [Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) of Virtus, with 25 points and 10 rebounds; Vezenkov of Olympiacos, with 23 points and 10 rebounds, [Josh Nebo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/josh-nebo/011199/) of Maccabi, with 15 points and 11 boards; Calathes, who had 18 points and 12 assists; and Pleiss, who got 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Individual highs: Markus Howard, Baskonia, 29 points

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 34th winner in the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/home?_ga=2.174160994.1731050278.1681152655-884385655.1669721726)! Theodoros Gkountelias beat everyone else in Round 34 as his team Goudel2 had a whopping Fantasy Challenge score of 241.25.

Theodoros used the following lineup: Sasha Vezenkov (team captain) of Olympiacos Piraeus, Dante Exum of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Dzanan Musa of Real Madrid, Josh Nebo of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and his teammate Lorenzo Brown all as starters. Mathias Lessort also of Partizan was his sixth man.

The bench featured Marko Guduric and DyShawn Pierre of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Marius Grigonis of Panathinaikos Athens, and Alex Abrines of FC Barcelona. His coach was Israel Gonzalez of ALBA Berlin.

The prize for finishing first in Round 34 is a free subscription to EuroLeague TV for the 2023-24 season!

Christos Anatolitis stays atop the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge overall standings. Christos leads everyone else with a score of 5,929.8 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for the playoffs. Remember, unlimited trading is allowed before each round until the end of the season, throughout the playoffs and the Final Four!

The first playoff game is AS Monaco vs. Maccabi, scheduled on Tuesday, April 25 at 20:15 CET, making that the next round's deadline for trades.

Try to improve your teams and challenge for more prizes at the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge: Round 34 winner!

Zalgiris Kaunas has made it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs for the third time in six years. This time, it heads into the playoffs with combo guard Lukas Lekavicius on its roster.

Just like Zalgiris, Lekavicius was in the playoffs in 2018 and 2019, but at that time he was suiting up for Panathinaikos Athens. This is his seventh season with Zalgiris across two stints, and Lekavicius is set to return to this stage against FC Barcelona, which has the 29-year-old's former head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius on its bench and former backcourt companion Rokas Jokubaitis on its roster. In Round 34, Lekavicius made sure that Zalgiris punched its playoff ticket with a great performance off the bench.

Lukas Lekavicius had 20 points to lead Zalgiris Kaunas past. FC Bayern Munich, 80-83.

Lekavicius leads Zalgiris to playoffs

Lekavicius finished the game with 20 points in as many minutes, hitting 5-of-7 two-pointers, 2-of-4 three-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws, while he also added 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn. He had 12 points in the final 6 minutes, and he sank a bomb from downtown that seemed to seal the win, 68-78, with less than 2 minutes remaining. When Bayern rallied within 78-79, Lekavicius drew a foul and calmly made free throws to keep Zalgiris on the right track. When the dust settled, Zalgiris had clinched a playoff berth.

"It was a very difficult game. We didn't play well in the first half, but we stepped up defensively in the second half. I had to step up and, thank God, everything went correctly," Lekavicius said after the game, crediting head coach Kazys Maksvytis for his team's reaction after the break. "He said that we are not playing 100%. It seemed like we forgot that we were playing for the playoffs. He reminded us how important this game was, and we did a good job in the second half."

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Lukas Lekavicius led Zalgiris to the playoffs

FC Bayern Munich v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-04-14T18:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas qualified to the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, downing FC Bayern Munich 80-83 in a truly intense showdown. Improving its shot selection after the break was the key to Zalgiris's success.

Zalgiris's improvement sealed the deal at Bayern

Zalgiris Kaunas qualified to the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, downing FC Bayern Munich 80-83 in a truly intense showdown. Improving its shot selection after the break was the key to Zalgiris's success.

Zalgiris had a quiet first half, trailing 38-34 at the break. It hit 7-of-15 two-pointers (46.7% 2FG) and 4-of-14 three-pointers (28.6% 3FG) in the first half. Zalgiris managed to turn the situation around in the second half, scoring 49 points after the intermission and shooting the ball much better. In the third and fourth quarters, Zalgiris buried 11-of-18 two-pointers (61.1% 2FG) and 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc (57.1% 3FG).

Zalgiris managed to limit its turnovers to just 8, its best mark on the road this season, in its biggest game of the campaign. It dished 14 assists, too. Zalgiris was solid from the foul line all night long, hitting 23-of-26 attempts (88.5% FT). Lukas Lekavicius and Edgaras Ulanovas each hit a pair of foul shots in the final 13 seconds to help Zalgiris put the victory on ice. Bayern had a bigger team PIR (46) than Zalgiris (34) in the first half. After the break, Zalgiris had a PIR of 60, and Bayern only amassed a PIR of 37.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade will be heading into its best-of-five playoff series against Real Madrid devoid of any pressure, but hoping to pull off the kind of upset which saw the Serbian club reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in 2010, when it knocked out better-ranked Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Gritty Partizan out to impress again after fine regular season

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade will be heading into its best-of-five playoff series against Real Madrid devoid of any pressure, but hoping to pull off the kind of upset which saw the Serbian club reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in 2010, when it knocked out better-ranked Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The two teams split Games 1 and 2 in Tel Aviv and after the series moved to Belgrade, Partizan engineered two wins in front of a fervent home crowd at Stark Arena – a scenario the 1992 champion hopes to repeat against Real.

Head coach Zeljko Obradvic, who has won a record nine EuroLeague titles with five different clubs, will relish facing Real after guiding the royalty of European basketball to the 1995 title during his three-year stint in Madrid. The trophy-laden 63-year old has masterfully steered Partizan into the postseason as the Serbian side returned to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since the 2013-14 season, marching into the playoffs after a 16-5 run in its last 21 regular-season games.

“We have a lot of reasons to be proud of our EuroLeague season,” Obradovic said during his post-game press conference after Partizan ground out a comeback 83-81 home win over Panathinaikos on Friday. “The support we get from our fans is incredible and so is our connection with them. I am proud that we will be hosting at least one postseason game here in the Arena, hopefully two. It’s an incredible achievement to be in the playoffs and we know the level we need to be on. We know who we’re up against and we have 10 days to prepare ourselves.”

Real will start the series as firm favourites, but Partizan’s point guard Aleksa Avramovic stressed that the Serbian team would do its best to pull the red carpet from under the Spanish giant’s feet.

“This win paints a picture – the way we fought until the very last moment in every game of the regular season’s second half,” Avramovic said in a flash post-game interview after Partizan saw off Panathinaikos. “Real may be the most difficult opponent in the playoffs but we’ll go there full of confidence and to enjoy the basketball. No one can take away from us our dream of reaching the Final Four.”

Exum, who led Partizan’s effort against Panathinaikos with 18 points, was just as excited about Partizan locking horns with Real. “It’s only going to get harder from here but the fans will give us the energy we need," he said. “I am really looking forward to it, as it’s going to be a great series. I just can’t wait for it.”

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Panathinaikos Athens (2023-04-14T18:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona experienced a tough battle against Valencia Basket to finish the regular season on a high. The home team managed to exit Palau Blaugrana with an 85-71 win, but despite getting ahead early in the first period, the game was not decided until the last 4 minutes. A 9-0 run at that moment turned a 6-point advantage into a 83-68 gap that the visitors simply could never recover from.

Rebounding, three-pointers helped Barcelona make up for turnovers vs. Valencia

FC Barcelona experienced a tough battle against Valencia Basket to finish the regular season on a high. The home team managed to exit Palau Blaugrana with an 85-71 win, but despite getting ahead early in the first period, the game was not decided until the last 4 minutes. A 9-0 run at that moment turned a 6-point advantage into a 83-68 gap that the visitors simply could never recover from.

One of the reasons Barca struggled to seal the outcome earlier was due to its erratic ball retention. Barca had 7 turnovers in the first period and finished with 21 overall, granting its opponent several extra possessions.

“I think we were playing very good basketball for some monents, but 21 turnovers didn’t allow us to take off," recognized Barca head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius in his post-game press conference. “I think that to score so many points in the EuroLeague with so many turnovers is a great result. We should be happy with this win and in general with the regular season."

Barca made up for its turnover woes by having a great shooting night and dominating the boards. The hosts made 13 three-points on 29 attempts (44.8% 3FG) against Valencia’s 7-of-23 (30.4% 3FG). In addition to enjoying a better night from long range, Barca almost doubled Valencia's total amount of rebounds, grabbing 43, including 14 on the offensive end. Valencia was much weaker inside, pulling down just 17 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds.

FC Barcelona v Valencia Basket (2023-04-14T18:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona earned a well-deserved 85-71 home win against Valencia Basket that ensured it closed the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with the second seed in the playoffs. But the final double-digit margin was not an accurate way of describing how the game went, as Valencia resisted Barca's attempts to pull away throughout the whole night. In fact, the game as close as 6 points in the last quarter.

Alex Abrines exploded from downtown as Barcelona beat Valencia

FC Barcelona earned a well-deserved 85-71 home win against Valencia Basket that ensured it closed the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with the second seed in the playoffs. But the final double-digit margin was not an accurate way of describing how the game went, as Valencia resisted Barca's attempts to pull away throughout the whole night. In fact, the game as close as 6 points in the last quarter.

Despite Valencia’s resistance, Barca never lost control and showed confidence, even though the visitors were breathing down its neck. One of the keys to building that confidence was Alex Abrines, who came to the fore as a deadly weapon on Friday night. He finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 from behind the arc, with all of those points coming in the second quarter. He hit his first when Valencia trailed just by 5, 34-29, and from there on, Abrines went into trance.

Alex Abrines hit 5 three-pointers in the second quarter as FC Barcelona beat Valencia Basket 85-71 in Round 34 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Alex Abrines's 5 three-pointers vs. Valencia

He added 4 more triples in as many attempts, scoring all but 2 of Barca's points in the last 6 minutes before halftime. Abrines helped his team build a double-digit lead, 51-41, right before the break, which proved to be a key foundation for the hosts to stay in front for the remainder of the game.

“I think we played a little bit hard \[in the second half\], and on offense we were excited today,” Abrines admitted after the game. “Everything was going in and we were having fun. I think it’s a good way to end the regular season, and now we want more \[in the playoffs\].”

Back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul closed its 2022-23 season with a convincing 87-72 victory over AS Monaco on Friday. Tibor Pleiss, the man who stole the limelight in last year’s championship game triumph over Real Madrid, came off the bench and dominated in the paint against Monaco, registering a double-double of 21 points with 12 rebounds to ensure that Efes ended the season in style after missing out on the playoffs.

Tibor Pleiss gave Efes fans one last reason to smile

Back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul closed its 2022-23 season with a convincing 87-72 victory over AS Monaco on Friday. Tibor Pleiss, the man who stole the limelight in last year’s championship game triumph over Real Madrid, came off the bench and dominated in the paint against Monaco, registering a double-double of 21 points with 12 rebounds to ensure that Efes ended the season in style after missing out on the playoffs.

Pleiss’s PIR of 25 was his highest total this term, as he recorded season highs for both points scored and rebounds. The Efes center went 9-for-13 on two-pointers (69.2% 2FG) and 1-for-2 from behind the arc (50.0% 3FG). He came to the fore midway through the first quarter, which was just as Monaco was trying to mount a comeback. Pleiss brought to down 6 rebounds and took his tally to 9 points in less than 6 minutes to help Efes maintain its lead. Pleiss scored a total of 17 points before the break, with 12 of those coming in the second quarter.

Tibor Pleiss had a 21-point, 12-rebound in Anadolu Efes Istanbul's 87-72 win against AS Monaco in Round 34 in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Tibor Pleiss's best plays vs Monaco

It is perhaps fitting that the man who logged 17 of his 19 points in the second half of the 2022 championship game was stepping up yet again in a late-season game, but this time there was no trophy on offer; just pride. After winning two consecutive EuroLeague titles, Efes finished 11th (17-17) in the standings, two wins behind local rivals Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, who snatched the last playoff spot.

Efes head coach Ergin Ataman stressed before Friday’s game that the team needed a victory at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall to end the season on a positive note in front of their fans. Led by Pleiss, the players delivered and the supporters applauded their effort, as they recognized the great feats that this team has been able to achieve in recent times. It may have been a difficult season for Efes, but the last few years have been a historic period in the club's history, something that will never be forgotten.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v AS Monaco (2023-04-14T17:30:00.000Z)