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.

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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.

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


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)

Daniel Hackett had plenty of reasons to perform well for Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the season finale home meeting with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Thursday night.

Motivated Daniel Hackett led Virtus to a happy ending

Daniel Hackett had plenty of reasons to perform well for Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the season finale home meeting with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Thursday night.

Firstly, he wanted to help his team rebound from a five-game losing run to give the home fans something to cheer on the final night of their continental campaign. Hackett also had the motivation of playing against his former team, and the additional responsibility of being the absolute backcourt leader in the absence of Milos Teodosic, Alessandro Pajola, Nico Mannion and Isaia Cordinier through injury. Oh… And his father, former professional player Rudy Hackett, was in attendance at Virtus Segafredo Arena.

So when you put all those ingredients together, perhaps it’s no surprise that Hackett responded by delivering one of the best performances of his 11-season, 275-game EuroLeague career. He started as he meant to continue by scoring his team’s first 5 points, and never let the pace drop as he spent nearly 34 minutes on the floor, leading Virtus to a rousing 89-84 victory by scoring 25 points and dishing a personal best 10 assists for a PIR of 36, not far short of his all-time high of 39.

The always eloquent Hackett summed up the motivation for himself and his team after the game, noting: "We wanted to play our last home game with pride and give our fans a win. They’ve been supporting the team all season long, they travel all over Europe and they didn’t deserve the last four or five games in which we were not at a good level. 

"We didn’t want to make excuses tonight, we played with pride, we played as a team, we shared the ball and we played with energy. We were in an emergency with injuries but this is part of the game. We were missing a lot of ball handling tonight – Teo, Pajola, Mannion and Cordinier were out, so I took on the responsibility to be aggressive, to make plays for my team."

Heading into his team’s fifth game in just 10 days, ALBA Berlin head coach Israel Gonzalez stressed that all players would need to contribute on Thursday evening against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. 

Rotation was key to ALBA’s win over ASVEL

Heading into his team’s fifth game in just 10 days, ALBA Berlin head coach Israel Gonzalez stressed that all players would need to contribute on Thursday evening against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Gonzalez hinted at possible rotations and not only did his bench deliver, but it provided 53 of ALBA's 88 points to lead the hosts to their second straight victory and help them end the season on a good note.

In fact, no ALBA player featured for more than 25 minutes, while eight men scored at least 8 points each. Luke Sikma led the way with 12 points, but it was Johannes Thiemann who stepped up in key moments off the bench in the first quarter and at the end of the third quarter to provide the hosts with a much-needed boost in energy and help them maintain their lead.

“Congratulations to the players who played their fifth game in 10 days with only one day off after every game," Gonzalez said at the post-match press conference. "It’s amazing. It’s very difficult because the EuroLeague level is always very high and it is great to be able to survive these 10 days."

Only two teams had recorded a better average on assists than ALBA (19.8 apg.) heading into the last round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the hosts proved once again that they are one of most altruistic sides this season. ALBA produced 23 assists as its players successfully tried to get everyone involved in the game.

Smith led the way with 7 assists, with all but two of the ALBA players recording at least 1 assist in the game. Gonzalez called it "the ALBA way" after Thursday's clash and pointed out that he was proud of his players for the team effort. His rotations against ASVEL bore fruit and his men looked anything but tired throughout the game to secure their 11th victory this season.

ALBA Berlin v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-04-13T17:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus clinched first place for the regular season on Thursday night with an 86-78 win over Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. A feel-good night for the accomplishment of finishing with the best record in the regular season was even better for the performance of point guard Kostas Sloukas.

Recovered Sloukas was the Reds' biggest gain

Olympiacos Piraeus clinched first place for the regular season on Thursday night with an 86-78 win over Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. A feel-good night for the accomplishment of finishing with the best record in the regular season was even better for the performance of point guard Kostas Sloukas.

The three-time EuroLeague champ has missed a total of five games this calendar year with injuries, one in January, three more in February, and another one in March. When he did play, he was limited as were his minutes and he averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 assists, while making just 28.6% from long range.

Last week's showing in a road loss against Crvena Zvezda hinted Sloukas is doing well to be fully back, and his performance in the regular season finale confirmed it.

Sloukas played 25 minutes, the most minutes in a game since Round 18, and had 15 points, making 3-of-5 two-point shots and 2-of-3 threes. He also had 6 assists and 3 rebounds, and even a blocked shot that sealed the outcome with 65 seconds to go.

Having healthy and in-form Sloukas is a major gain for the Reds ahead of the playoffs.

Josh Nebo, Maccabi: 'The fans kept pushing us'

### Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach

"That's great for us. Not only this game, we beat a great team. Great atmosphere. We almost lost it in the end, we missed some good shots in the last 2 minutes, but we hung in there and I'm very happy for the players, for the crowd. That's big for us.

(What connected in crunch time): "I think our character. We built the team from zero, but our biggest advantage is the friendship that we've got and our character.

(On facing Monaco): "We've got time until then. Hopefully Lorenzo \[Brown\] will be okay. Either way, Monaco is a great team with great talent."

 

### Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach

"It was very tough. It is not easy to win here in Tel Aviv. We fought until the end, we tried our best and we competed until the end. Anyway, they got lucky at the end because both teams could have won today.

"It was a great game for the fans, probably, because the two teams tried their best and they fought to win in the last game of the regular season. At the end, Maccabi was lucky and they got the victory. I am very proud of the effort of my guys, and now we have to keep fighting in the playoffs to go to the Final Four. Fighting like this, we will be able to get \[to the Final Four\]."

 

### Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard

"This is Maccabi right here, man. Atmosphere is always like this every game. Our team feeds off that energy and we get wins, so that's what important for us.

(On his ankle injury): "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 \[the playoffs\].

(On facing Monaco): "That's a great team, we've just got to come prepared and do our job. They have a great backcourt, great bigs, so, like I said, we've just got to come prepared and be ready to fight."

 

### Josh Nebo, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv center

(Key to the win): "I think, honestly, it was the fans. The fans kept pushing us to go harder. We were very tired, but the fans kept supporting us. I think that was the extra push we needed.

(On facing Real's bigs): "It was very tough. They have one of the best frontcourts in the league, so it was a very physical game, it was very tiring, but I'm glad we got the win.

(His best game this season): "I'm not sure, I think it was."

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

Virtus Segafredo Bologna finished the season by earning Italian derby bragging rights with an 89-84 victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. 

Virtus downs Milan in Italian derby, 89-84

Virtus Segafredo Bologna finished the season by earning Italian derby bragging rights with an 89-84 victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Virtus finished with a 14-20 record and Milan dropped to a final record of 15-19.

Milan edged the first quarter and led by as many as 14 in the second. But Virtus roared back in the second half and kept pushing in the final stages to triumph. Daniel Hackett starred with a double-double of 25 points and 10 assists and Marco Belinelli added 21 points. Tornike Shengelia paired 15 points with 7 assists, and Mam Jaiteh also scored 13. Milan was paced by 19 points from Johannes Voigtmann.

Hackett and Voigtmann both scored 5 early points before Brandon Davies netted twice for a 10-14 edge. A pair of three-pointers from Belinelli couldn’t stop Milan from leading, 22-26, after 10 minutes. 

Two tough inside scores from Kyle Hines pushed Milan further ahead, and Kevin Pangos hit a triple for a 25-37 advantage. Jaiteh ended Virtus’s 6-minute drought with two scores, but triples from DeShaun Thomas and Pangos kept Milan ahead at the break, 39-47. 

Belinelli hit two triples early in the second half, and Hackett’s three-point play tied it up, 54-54. Davies scored twice to send Milan back ahead, 59-64, before another Hackett three-point play made it 65-68 with 10 minutes left. 

Jaiteh and Hackett scored twice for a 74-72 lead, which was protected in the closing stages with Jordan Mickey’s dunk helping seal the deal.

Zvezda thrived from a majestic backcourt performance as Facundo Campazzo, Ognjen Dobric and Luca Vildoza netted a combined total of 63 points, blowing away their Fenerbahce rivals.

Prolific backcourt fired Zvezda past Fenerbahce

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (17-17) ended its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season on a high note with a 91-89 overtime home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (19-15), which earned the Serbian team a rising ovation from its fans after the rip-roaring contest in the cauldron of Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Thursday.

It wasn’t enough to send Zvezda through to the playoffs despite the win being its fifth in a row, while Fenerbahce was still able to stagger into the postseason by virtue of another result going the Turkish team’s way, with Olympiacos Piraeus beating Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 86-78 at home.

Zvezda thrived from a majestic backcourt performance as Facundo Campazzo, Ognjen Dobric and Luca Vildoza netted a combined total of 63 points, blowing away their Fenerbahce rivals. At the other end, Nick Calathes, Marko Guduric and Tyler Dorsey only managed 34 points between them, hence a huge night by center Jonathan Motley (27 points) was not enough for Fenerbahce.

Shots from two-point territory were also a factor, as Zvezda made 26 of 40 while Fenerbahce was 21 of 43, with the visiting backcourt trio sinking just 4 of 13 from inside the arc. They didn’t shine from three-point range either, netting 6 of 17 as Fenerbahce shot 10-of-28 from downtown.

Zvezda was a slightly better 8-of-21, compensating for Fenerbahce’s rebounding superiority as the visitors racked up a total of 38 boards against Zvezda’s 29. In a game of thin lines, it was Campazzo’s brilliance that made the difference as the Argentine playmaker netted 24 points to go with 3 assists and as many rebounds, with the effervescent Dobric contributing with 22 points on the back of 9-of-14 shooting from the floor.

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

Daniel Hackett, Virtus: 'We played with pride'

###  Sergio Scariolo, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach:

"Even though the game was not relevant for the rankings, both teams tried to win and played hard. Offenses prevailed over defenses, but it was an enjoyable game. They played better in the first half, we played better in the second. I think we played with consistency and seriousness in the second half without too many fouls. In the first half, we had a few that cost us mid-size gaps, 12 to 14 points, but we came back and the attitude was consistently excellent in the second half. All the players contributed. We are happy our fans came to the game and enjoyed a nice game and a win."

 

### Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach:

“Both teams played hard. We had at least two good quarters, but the beginning of the third quarter decided the game. Daniel Hackett basically created 50 points for them, with 25 points and 10 assists, which is remarkable. It was a great performance, he and Belinelli were outstanding and led Virtus to the win."

### Daniel Hackett, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard:

"We wanted to play our last home game with pride and give our fans a win. They’ve been supporting the team all season long, they travel all over Europe and they didn’t deserve the last four or five games in which we were not at a good level. We didn’t want to make excuses tonight, we played with pride, we played as a team, we shared the ball and we played with energy, and that’s the way we’ve got to keep playing until the end of the season. We were in an emergency with injuries but this is part of the game. We were missing a lot of ball handling tonight – Teo, Pajola, Mannion and Cordinier were out, so I took on the responsibility to be aggressive, to make plays for my team. Things turned out well. It’s unfortunate we can’t keep going in EuroLeague but hopefully, we will be back next year."

 

### Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward:

"It’s very hard to be motivated for this kind of game, the last game when you haven’t made the playoffs. But we had to do this for the fans, first of all, they deserved this and more, which we unfortunately couldn’t give them in EuroLeague. And we had to do this for ourselves. We’re in a time of struggle now but it’s always good to finish on a positive note and now we need to build on this in the Italian championship. We want to concentrate 100% on ourselves, we had many good things in this game. We played as a team offensively and defensively, and we need to build on these good habits."