Anadolu Efes Istanbul overcame AS Monaco 87-72 on Friday evening to end its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season on a positive note. The back-to-back champions will miss out on the postseason after finishing 11th with a 17-17 record. Monaco dropped to 21-13, but it had already secured fourth spot and will take on Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the playoffs. The visitors bounced back after a solid Efes start, but they failed to stay close after the break and the hosts killed the game off in the last quarter to secure the victory.

Efes grabs bittersweet win over Monaco, 87-72

Anadolu Efes Istanbul overcame AS Monaco 87-72 on Friday evening to end its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season on a positive note. The back-to-back champions will miss out on the postseason after finishing 11th with a 17-17 record. Monaco dropped to 21-13, but it had already secured fourth spot and will take on Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the playoffs. The visitors bounced back after a solid Efes start, but they failed to stay close after the break and the hosts killed the game off in the last quarter to secure the victory.

Tibor Pleiss paced Efes by pairing his 21 points with 12 rebounds for a PIR of 25. Vasilije Micic and Elijah Bryant scored 12 points each, while Shane Larkin and Ante Zizic had 11 apiece. Yoan Makoundou led Monaco with a career-high 16 points and 8 rebounds. Matthew Strazel scored 14 points off the bench and Donta Hall added 11 points and 9 boards.

Game Videos

Efes hit the ground running in the first quarter, with Zizic scoring 6 of his 11 points in the first couple of minutes as the hosts raced out to a 9-0 lead. Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic was forced to call an early timeout, and James scored from the free-throw line to end his team’s 3-minute scoreless run, 10-2. Zizic dominated in the paint, recording 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal in the opening 4 minutes, 12-4. The Efes center boosted the hosts’ lead to double digits, 18-8, with a dunk, before Makoundou came off the bench to score his first points of the night and reduce the deficit, 23-16, after 10 minutes.

Monaco bounced back in the second quarter, with Elie Okobo putting his first points on the board and Jaron Blossomgame taking his tally to 5 points to bring the visitors within 23-20 in the second quarter. Then, it was time for Pleiss to step up, with the Efes big man scoring 9 points and downing 6 rebounds in less than 6 minutes on the floor. Monaco stayed close, mostly thanks to a solid Matthew Strazel display off the bench. Strazel was leading his team with 9 points, but Efes held a narrow 41-39 lead heading into halftime.

Game News

What followed after the break was a see-saw game, with Hall completing a three-point play to give Monaco its first lead in the game with 6:19 to play in the third quarter, 45-46. Yet, its lead was short-lived, as Micic sank one from behind the arc, reaching 3,000 EuroLeague points in the process and extending Efes's lead to 51-46. After three quarters of play, Efes had a 6-point advantage, 60-54, over the visitors.

Efes started strong in the last quarter and went on a 5-0 run after Larkin hit a triple to take his tally to 7 points, 67-57. Micic and Clyburn scored 4 unanswered points for Efes’s largest lead of the night at that point, 75-61, at which point the hosts began to slow down the tempo. Larkin netted a pull-up triple to put the game to bed, as Efes boosted its lead to 84-68 with less than 2 minutes to play. Despite a disappointing season, the Efes fans gave the back-to-back EuroLeague champions a standing ovation in the last seconds of the game.

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

EuroLeague Live Blog: Zalgiris seeks the playoffs; Barcelona, Partizan chasing seeding

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Friday Blog: Zalgiris to the playoffs, Barcelona second, Partizan sixth with wins!

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

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

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

It is the final date of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. For good or bad, its game tonight will go down in Zalgiris Kaunas history. It faces FC Bayern Munich at Audi Dome in the Bavarian capital, the city where Zalgiris lifted its only EuroLeague trophy back in 1999. 

Zalgiris returns to Munich for another big goal

It is the final date of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. For good or bad, its game tonight will go down in Zalgiris Kaunas history. [It faces FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fc-bayern-munich-zalgiris-kaunas/E2022/306/) at Audi Dome in the Bavarian capital, the city where Zalgiris lifted its only EuroLeague trophy back in 1999. 

After last night's results, Zalgiris (18-15) has a chance to reach the playoffs with a win or be eliminated with a loss. Bayern (11-22) made it to the playoffs in each of the last two previous seasons, forcing a do-or-die Game 5 against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in 2021 and FC Barcelona in 2022. This time, Bayern is eliminated from the playoffs race but plays a critical role in its final picture. 

Zalgiris earned its right to battle for a playoffs spot with three consecutive home wins against AS Monaco, Valencia Basket and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. Zalgiris, however, has struggled on the road this season, and enters this game with a 5-11 record outside of Lithuania. At home, Zalgiris has been almost undestructible, winning 13 of its 17 showdowns at Zalgirio Arena, which is also the home of this season's Final Four.

Defense has been the biggest key for Zalgiris being so competitive at home. Head coach Kazys Maksvytis's team allows 82.1 points per game on the road, where opponents have hit 55.8% of their two-point shots and 37.6% from beyond the arc. At home, Zalgiris forces opponents to somewhat lower percentages (51.5% 2FG, 35.0% 3FG), thereby allowing a league-low 72.5 points per night in its own arena.

In Round 15, Zalgiris edged Bayern 73-67 at home behind a career night from Keenan Evans, who finished that game with 33 points and a PIR of 39. Two weeks later, Evans got severely injured and has been unavailable ever since. Augustine Rubit led Bayern with 17 points. Rubit, who was chosen as the EuroLeague MVP for January, is also out due to injury, so other players are meant to step up in Friday's game.

Since that Round 15 game, Zalgiris signed playmaker [Isaiah Taylor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/isaiah-taylor/012068/) and power forward [Achille Polonara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/achille-polonara/002084/). [Lukas Lekavicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lukas-lekavicius/003210/) will be available this time. Bayern will have six players who were not on the court for that game, when it played without [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/), [Andreas Obst](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/andreas-obst/004508/), [Ognjen Jaramaz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ognjen-jaramaz/004058/) and two-time All-EuroLeague selection [Vladimir Lucic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/vladimir-lucic/001288/). Since then, Bayern has signed [D.J. Seeley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dennis-seeley/004862/) and [Zylan Cheatham](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/zylan-anthony-cheatham/012406/). 

Rubit is one of six players who have worn the jersey of both teams in the EuroLeague. Bayern forward [Niels Giffey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/niels-giffey/001557/) played for Zalgiris last season. The most notable name in the list is Vasilije Micic, who made his EuroLeague debut with Bayern in the 2014-15 season, helped Zalgiris reach the 2018 Final Four, and went on to be a superstar with Anadolu Efes Istanbul as back-to-back champion and Final Four MVP in 2021 and 2022. Deon Thompson, K.C. Rivers and Vladimir Stimac have also played for both teams in the past. 

Zalgiris has won only once in its five previous trips to the Audi Dome, in the 2019-20 season. Zalgiris thrashed Bayern 73-98 with 19 points each from Arturas Milaknis and Zach LeDay. 

However, that doesn't mean that Zalgiris doesn't have good memories from playing in Munich. More like the other way around. Zalgiris made it to the 1999 EuroLeague Final Four in the Bavarian capital, downing Olympiacos Piraeus 87-71 in the semifinal and beating Virtus Bologna 82-74 in the title game to lift the trophy at Olympiahalle. Tyus Edney was chosen the 1999 Final Four MVP and got plenty of help from Jiri Zidek, who will announce tonight's game on EuroLeagueTV. 

Zalgiris's goal this time is different but very important: to survive what has arguably been the most competitive regular season of all time and keep fighting for EuroLeague glory in the playoffs! 

The final standings of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season will come down to the outcomes of three games on Friday of Round 34. One playoff berth and five of the eight playoff positions are to be determined on the last night of the regular season. Four places are currently assured: Olympiacos Piraues in first place, AS Monaco in fourth and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in fifth.

 Round 34, Friday, playoff possibilities and seedings scenarios 

The final standings of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season will come down to the outcomes of three games on Friday of Round 34. One playoff berth and five of the eight playoff positions are to be determined on the last night of the regular season. Four places are currently assured: Olympiacos Piraues in first place, AS Monaco in fourth and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in fifth.

### Top three seeding scenarios

[Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2022-23) (24-10) clinched first place.

[Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2022-23) (23-11) will finish second if Barcelona (22-11) loses.

Real will finish third if Barcelona (22-11) wins.

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/roster/bar/?season=2022-23) (22-10) will finish second if it wins vs. Valencia.

Barcelona will be third if it loses.

[AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/roster/mco/?season=2022-23) (21-12) has finished in fourth place.

### Playoff qualification

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/roster/ulk/?season=2022-23) (19-15) has qualified for the playoffs.

[Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/bitci-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/roster/bas/?season=2022-23) (18-16) will qualify for the playoffs if Zalgiris (18-15) loses.

Baskonia is eliminated if Zalgiris wins.

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2022-23) (18-15) will qualify for the playoffs with a win at Bayern.

Zalgiris is eliminated if it loses.

### Sixth through eighth seeding scenarios

[Fenerbahce](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/roster/ulk/?season=2022-23) (19-15) will finish sixth if Partizan and Zalgiris both lose.

Fenerbahce will finish seventh if Partizan wins and Zalgiris loses.

Fenerbahce will finish seventh if Partizan loses and Zalgiris wins.

Fenerbahce will finish eighth if Partizan and Zalgiris both win.

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/roster/tel/?season=2022-23) (20-14) has clinched fifth place.

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/partizan-nis-belgrade/roster/par/?season=2022-23) (19-14) will finish sixth if it wins vs. Panathinaikos.

Partizan will finish sixth if Zalgiris wins.

Partizan will finish seventh if it loses and Zalgiris loses.

[Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/bitci-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/roster/bas/?season=2022-23) (18-16) will finish eighth if Zalgiris loses.

Baskonia will finish ninth if Zalgiris wins.

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2022-23) (18-15) will finish seventh if it wins and Partizan wins.

Zalgiris will finish eighth if it wins and Partizan loses.

Zalgiris will finish ninth if it loses.

Round 34, Friday, playoff possibilities and seedings scenarios

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Real Madrid (2023-04-13T18:05:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-04-13T18:00:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-04-13T17:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv booked its place in the playoffs last week, but on Thursday night, it secured its place as the fifth seed following a 100-96 overtime victory against Real Madrid at Menora Mivtachim Arena. That triumph ensured that Maccabi will take on AS Monaco in the playoffs in the 4-5 matchup, and the nature of the win not only added to the Israeli side's confidence but it should also have its French opponents worrying about what is to come.

Maccabi sent a message to Monaco with Real Madrid victory

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv booked its place in the playoffs last week, but on Thursday night, it secured its place as the fifth seed following [a 100-96 overtime victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-real-madrid/E2022/301/) against Real Madrid at Menora Mivtachim Arena. That triumph ensured that Maccabi will take on AS Monaco in the playoffs in the 4-5 matchup, and the nature of the win not only added to the Israeli side's confidence but it should also have its French opponents worrying about what is to come.

Not only did Maccabi get back to winning ways, following its 68-67 Round 33 defeat at Zalgiris Kaunas, but its victory means that it closed the regular season with a mightily impressive 15-2 record at home; the next best home record is Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz's 14-3 mark at Buesa Arena. Monaco may have home-court advantage in the postseason, but its two games in Tel Aviv – in Games 3 and potentially 4 – are going to be far from easy.

The best plays of Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin, Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo in Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's 100-96 overtime win against Real Madrid in Round 34 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Best plays of Maccabi's starters vs. Real Madrid

Part of the reason behind that is down to the way that head coach Oded Kattash has got his team playing. Maccabi has won seven of its last eight games, following an 86-67 defeat at – you guessed it – Monaco in Round 26, and the six-time champion is arguably the hottest team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague heading into the playoffs. 

During the game against Real, Maccabi showed all the hallmarks of a successful playoff team, as it had a mix of grit and determination, in addition to quality from its starters and support from its bench. In particular, in a game that Real needed to win to either clinch the top seed or the second seed, Maccabi remained calm and weathered the storm on several occasions as the visiting team looked to flip the script.

Each side went on differing runs throughout the contest, but even when the night's action advanced into overtime, Maccabi took its game up a notch to make sure of the victory. Bonzie Colson shined in a do-it-all performance for the hosts, recording 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks, while Josh Nebo had his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards. Lorenzo Brown led the way in points, scoring 22, on a night when his backcourt sidekick, Wade Baldwin, had 11 but didn’t have his usual scoring groove, although he did dish a team-high 8 assists.

The best plays of Roman Sorkin, Darrun Hilliard, Jarell Martin and John DiBartolomeo in Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's 100-96 overtime win against Real Madrid in Round 34 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Best plays of Maccabi's bench players vs. Real Madrid

One thing that will have pleased Coach Kattash is the way in which his bench players stepped up, too. Roman Sorkin and Darrun Hilliard both finished with 10 points apiece, while Jarell Martin and John DiBartolomeo also had 7 each. Those 34 points proved vital in Thursday's win over Real, and should these four be able to replicate a similar level of performance in the playoffs, it could spell bad news for Monaco.

There was one moment that will have left all Maccabi fans with their hearts in their mouths: the health of Brown. The star guard rolled his ankle on the first play in overtime and had to be helped to the bench, but when asked about the condition of his ankle by EuroLeague TV afterward, he was calm: "It's great. It's just got a little bump, that's all. But I'm ready for the next game. I can't miss it \[the playoffs\]."

Maccabi has not reached the Final Four since 2014, when it went on to lift the trophy in Milan following an 86-98 triumph over Real in overtime, but its fans are already dreaming of a trip to Kaunas in the middle of May. Everything seems to be pointing in the right direction for Coach Kattash and his players, and playing like it did against Los Blancos on Thursday night, the sky really is the limit.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade roared through the final stretch of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague’s regular season, having won its last five games, but fell short of making the playoffs as inconsistency and some shock defeats to lower-ranked teams cost the Serbian side a chance to slug it out with Europe’s elite clubs for the title.

Late surge leaves Zvezda wondering what might have been

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade roared through the final stretch of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague’s regular season, having won its last five games, but fell short of making the playoffs as inconsistency and some shock defeats to lower-ranked teams cost the Serbian side a chance to slug it out with Europe’s elite clubs for the title.

Zvezda finished on 17 wins and as many losses in a topsy-turvy campaign, having beaten regular season top seed Olympiacos Piraeus 87-79 in the penultimate round before Thursday’s enthralling [91-89](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/298/) overtime home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

It was a bittersweet win for Zvezda, whose center Filip Petrusev told Serbian media the day before the game that the entire team rued missed opportunities to reach the postseason.

"We could have strolled into the playoffs as we showed that we have the quality to stand our ground against the best teams, but some defeats in games where we took victory for granted cost us dearly," said Petrusev, who enjoyed a vastly improved season in Europe’s premier club competition after being on the fringes at outgoing champ Anadolu Efes Istanbul last term.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach

"It would have been very difficult for anyone to beat us in the postseason." 

Head coach Dusko Ivanovic was even bolder, claiming that Zvezda could have won this season’s EuroLeague if only it had made the top eight.

"It would have been very difficult for anyone to beat us in the postseason," he told a press conference after seeing his team overpower Fenerbahce in a cracking atmosphere.

Despite having only pride to play for against Fenerbahce, which limped through after Olympiacos did the Turkish side a favor, Zvezda produced a gritty and spirited performance highlighting the team’s die-hard spirit.

Zvezda was given a standing ovation by a full house after the strength-sapping contest, with Argentine playmaker Facundo Campazzo standing out as he paced the home team with 24 points. In a post-game interview, Campazzo made it clear how much the victory meant to Zvezda despite the disappointment of missing out on the playoffs.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade - Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul  | Round 34 | Highlights

"We played for the fans and for ourselves and I think we did a great job," said Campazzo. On missing out on the playoffs, he added: "It is what it is. We’ve done a really great job in the last five or six games, we couldn’t make it to the playoffs and we have a lot to learn."

Fellow Argentinian Luca Vildoza echoed his compatriot’s thoughts: "It still hurts that we didn’t make the playoffs... We are a good team and we fought until the end, as Facu said, it is what it is. We had some ups and downs throughout the season, but at least we showed everybody that we are a good team."

Fenerbahce head coach Dimitris Itoudis acknowledged his team was forced into submission by a superior backcourt, with Ognjen Dobric netting 22 points and Vildoza adding 17 to complement Campazzo.

"The game could have gone the other way and we would have been worthy winners too," said Itoudis. "We failed to contain the creativity and scoring prowess of Zvezda’s three main players of late – Dobric, Campazzo and Vildoza. Those three hurt us a lot. We are in the process of building a new team.

“We were in the playoff spots from Round 1 to 33, but due to the competitiveness of the league, we were in a situation where we had to play for our \[postseason\] lives here. We have no regrets, we fought and although the defeat to Zvezda left a bitter taste, we are convinced that we can build on this."

Fenerbahce lost four of its last six regular season games and Itoudis now faces the challenge of getting his team back on track in time for the playoffs, with key players Devin Booker and Scottie Wilbekin still sidelined by injuries.

One of the best rookies in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, without any doubt, is Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Bonzie Colson, and the 27-year-old played a key role as his side beat Real Madrid 100-96 in overtime to secure the fifth seed in the playoffs. 

Bonzie Colson was everywhere as Maccabi downed Real Madrid

One of the best rookies in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, without any doubt, has been Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Bonzie Colson, and the 27-year-old  played a key role as his side beat Real Madrid 100-96 in overtime to secure the fifth seed in the playoffs.

 

The do-it-all nature of Colson's game regularly stands out during Maccabi's games, particularly at Menora Mivtachim Arena, which was again the case on Thursday night as he finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks. At all points in the contest – when Real was coming back; when Maccabi was ahead; and when Maccabi found itself behind – Colson continued to stand out.

Bonzie Colson had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks in Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's 100-96 overtime win against Real Madrid in Round 34 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bonzie Colson's highlights vs. Real Madrid

Colson helped set the tone for Maccabi early on, recording 1 block and 1 steal inside the opening 2 minutes, which helped the hosts open a 7-3 lead. He added a triple as Maccabi looked to stop Real from going on a big run of its own, 10-11, midway through the first quarter, too.

 

The American recorded his second block of the night with 3:21 remaining in the second quarter, before scoring Maccabi's last 6 points of the half, as he nailed a two-pointer and then went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line to cut the deficit to 5 points, 37-42. Before Colson's two-point make, Real had opened what was at the time a game-high 31-40 lead.

 

His energetic performance did not stop there, though. He made steal No. 2 in the third, as well as adding a further 5 points to his tally. Yet, curiously, he went from having 0 rebounds in the first half to 9 – 4 offensive and 5 defensive – in the second half and overtime. He got his third steal in the overtime period, too.

 

There are some things that don't show up on the stats sheet, such as hustle and desire, but Colson has that in abundance. Maccabi's do-it-all forward has enjoyed a wonderful debut season in the EuroLeague, and he will now get a taste of playoff basketball for the first time. He seems to be getting better and better with each passing performance, which should be worrying news for Maccabi's opponents in the playoffs, AS Monaco.

Olympiacos Piraeus dominated inside and shot efficiently from the outside in its 86-78 win over visiting Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, a win that clinched first place at the end of regular season for the Reds.

Olympiacos's all-round dominance sank Baskonia

Olympiacos Piraeus dominated inside and shot efficiently from the outside in its 86-78 win over visiting Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, a win that clinched first place at the end of regular season for the Reds.

Olympiacos set the tone in the first half, going 12-of-15 on two-point shots, and outrebounding the visitors 25-12 in the first two quarters. It led the Reds to a 45-33 halftime lead, which they never relinquished mostly thanks to its long-range shooting after the break.

In the third and fourth quarters combined, Olympiacos was just 4-of-10 on two-point shots, but the hosts went 7-of-17 from long range, keeping the cushion safe and never allowing Baskonia closer than 4 points, before opening a 17-point fourth-quarter lead and closing out the game.

On top of all of that, Olympiacos's defense held Baskonia to just 51.4% shooting on two-pointers and 28.6% on three-pointers.

When all was said and done, Sasha Vezenkov had his eighth double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds, Kostas Papanikolaou and Kostas Sloukas combined for 31 points on 6-for-8 three-point shooting, and Thomas Walkup dished 7 assists while going scoreless on jus 2 shot attempts.

By getting key contributions from several different sources, Olympiacos led from start to finish en route to a rather comfortable win that secured it a regular-season best 24-10 record and entrance into the playoffs as the number one seed.


One of Italian basketball’s favorite sons perhaps waved goodbye to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on Thursday night and Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s sharpshooter Marco Belinelli made sure that his farewell was something to remember as he rolled back the years by scoring 21 points in his team’s 89-84 victory against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.


Is Belinelli leaving on a high?

One of Italian basketball’s favorite sons perhaps waved goodbye to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on Thursday night and Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s sharpshooter Marco Belinelli made sure that his farewell was something to remember as he rolled back the years by scoring 21 points in his team’s 89-84 victory against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

The 37-year-old – a veteran of nearly 1,000 NBA appearances including the 2014 title with San Antonio Spurs – was given an early and perhaps sentimental boost by Virtus coach Sergio Scariolo as he was named in the starting lineup for the first time all season.

He immediately started by doing what he does best: shooting three-pointers. A couple of them came early on, and Belinelli kept unloading from deep throughout the night as he ended with 21 points – his second-highest of the season – on 5-of-10 three-point shooting, also converting his only two-point shot and 4-of-5 from the foul line.

Belinelli started his career with hometown club Virtus way back in 2002 and then joined crosstown team Fortitudo for four seasons. Then came his long stint in the United States, before making an emotional return to the club where it all started in 2020, helping Virtus back into the EuroLeague by triumphing in last season’s 7DAYS EuroCup. With the club’s future EuroLeague status uncertain, this might be the last time we will see Belinelli at the continent’s highest level and draining three-pointers to help win an Italian derby was the perfect way to sign out.

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