Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz played its final regular-season home game of the 2022-23 campaign on Thursday night, downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 120-100 in Round 33. Soon, it hopes to be enjoying another European night at Buesa Arena, only this time in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Baskonia put on one last regular-season show at Buesa Arena

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz played its final regular-season home game of the 2022-23 campaign on Thursday night, downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 120-100 in Round 33. Soon, it hopes to be enjoying another European night at Buesa Arena, only this time in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Baskonia has been almost unbeatable at home this season, recording 14 wins from its 17 games in Vitoria-Gasteiz. It reached 114 points or more on four occasions in front of its home fans, scoring 114 against Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Valencia Basket, 116 against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and 120, a new club record, against ASVEL. At Buesa Arena, Baskonia averages a league-best 96.1 points, hitting 60.4% of its two-point shots and going 41.8% from downtown, which is first in both categories in the EuroLeague for teams playing at home.

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz grabbed 14 regular season wins at Buesa Arena!

Baskonia: A 14-3 regular-season record at Buesa Arena

Baskonia, however, may need to beat Olympiacos Piraeus on the road – and that's a different story. This season, Baskonia is 4-12 on its travels and Olympiacos is 13-3 at home. On the road, Baskonia averages 77.4 points, ranking 11th overall. It shoots the ball with much less efficiency (54.8% 2FG, 30.8% 3FG), too. Baskonia ranks first in three-point shooting at home, while it is 17th on the road.

Coach Joan Penarroya's team has been able to beat Real Madrid, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Valencia Basket on the road this season, and a fifth win, this time at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, would allow Baskonia to lock up a playoff spot, regardless of other scores. However, it won't be easy: Baskonia is 4-18 on the road against Olympiacos, losing against the Reds in 16 of its last 17 trips to Piraeus.

Game Videos

Game News

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-04-06T19:00:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket took advantage of easy baskets and second-chance points to pull away from Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the latter stages of their Round 33 matchup at La Fonteta on Thursday night, a game the hosts won 79-68.

Valencia's energy saw it past Virtus

Valencia Basket took advantage of easy baskets and second-chance points to pull away from Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the latter stages of their Round 33 matchup at La Fonteta on Thursday night, a game the hosts won 79-68.

Valencia forced 20 Virtus turnovers and turned them into 30 points, while the Italian team had 15 points off 10 turnovers by the Spanish side. The hosts came up with 11 steals, too, of which 3 came from Josep Puerto and 2 were made by Shannon Evans.

The entire Valencia team did a great job of crashing the offensive glass, with 14 offensive rebounds to Virtus's 6. Eight players came up with offensive boards, topped by Victor Claver, Xabi Lopez-Arostegui and Jonah Radebaugh, all of whom had 2. That led to an 18-6 advantage in second-chance points for Valencia.

Valencia Basket v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-04-06T18:30:00.000Z)

John Holland has generally suffered a tough first year with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, but that very much changed in his team’s impressive victory over league leader Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday night.

John Holland finally hits the big time

John Holland has generally suffered a tough first year with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, but that very much changed in his team’s impressive victory over league leader Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday night.

After enjoying a breakthrough campaign with Frutti Extra Bursaspor last season, helping the team reach the 7DAYS EuroCup Final, the charismatic veteran made the step up for his EuroLeague debut at the age of 34 but has rarely played a significant role, averaging just 8:53 minutes, 3.2 points and 0.6 rebounds over 20 appearances heading into the meeting with Olympiacos. But on Thursday, he enjoyed an explosive night to fire Zvezda to a memorable 87-79 win – and nearly all of his contribution came in the fourth quarter.

The best plays of John Holland in Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade's 87-79 win against Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 33 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

John Holland's best plays vs. Olympiacos

Holland entered the final period with just 4 points to his name, all of which had come from the free-throw line. But, with his team leading by just 3 points, he soon made his mark by downing a pair of three-pointers in the space of 47 seconds. Then came a couple of two-pointers – the second coming with a big dunk after he stole an inbounds pass – followed by another triple, taking his tally to 13 points in just over five minutes and giving Zvezda a decisive 80-71 lead.

Holland ended the game with 17 points in more than 20 minutes on the floor, along with 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot for a PIR of 21, all of which equalled or set personal bests for the season. Naturally, he was delighted to have played such a starring role, laughing: “That’s life – that’s the way the game goes, that’s the way that life goes. One day your girl leaves you, and the next day you come out and hit shots. So, the trick is to keep the same mindset no matter what’s going on, and just to stay locked in. Fortunately, tonight was my night.”

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-04-06T17:00:00.000Z)

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is assured of having a new champion after Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul edged closer to the playoffs on Thursday by turning back Anadolu Efes Istanbul in their Istanbul derby, 103-86.

 New champion in store after Fenerbahce eliminates Efes 

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is assured of having a new champion after Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul edged closer to the playoffs on Thursday by turning back Anadolu Efes Istanbul in their Istanbul derby, 103-86. The victory spelled elimination from the playoffs race for Efes, which had won the last two EuroLeague titles, finished second in 2019, and dominated the truncated 2019-20 season, which ended with no title due to the pandemic. As such, a new team will put its name on the championship trophy for the first time this decade. 

Fenerbahce's bid to reach the postseason now rests on the last round of the regular season next week. The competition's 2017 champion will be assured of a playoff berth if it beats Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on the road. Otherwise, the Turkish side will need either Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz or Zalgiris Kaunas to lose their games in order to finish in the top eight. Zalgiris visits Bayern Munich while Baskonia faces pace-setting Olympiacos Piraeus on the road.

Fenerbahce forward Nigel-Hayes Davis produced a stellar performance with a career-high 26 points against Efes, having spent the entire 40 minutes on the court for the short-handed hosts, who missed several key players through injury. Dyshawn Pierre followed in his footsteps, posing 17 points and 8 rebounds as he also played the full 40 minutes after missing several games with an injury. Tyler Dorsey also chipped in with 17 points and Nick Calathes added 14, while Marko Guduric netted 10 as Fenerbahce's fast-flowing offense generated too much firepower for Efes. At the other end, Will Clyburn sank 21 points for the visitors, Vasilije Micic had 16 and Shane Larkin scored 13, with center Ante Zizic adding 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Efes took an early 5-7 lead but then trailed for the rest of the rip-roaring contest as the fervent home fans cheered Fenerbahce into turning the tide and the home side never looked back after swinging the momentum its way. Known for defensive versatility throughout his career, Calathes was on fire in a less familiar role through the first quarter as he netted 9 points in the opening period to put Fenerbahce in the driving seat. The hosts carved out a 23-17 lead and then pulled away to 34-24 midway through the second, with Hayes-Davis doing most of the damage with a vast array of offensive weapons, mixing shots off the glass in the paint with three-pointers.

Efes refused to roll over, though. Having trailed 48-40 at halftime, the visitors slashed the deficit to just 2 points several times and they were able to breathe down the hosts' necks (63-61) late in the third quarter. Crucially, Fenerbahce pulled away again ahead of the final 10 minutes (72-64) and, having kept the upper hand, the home team had more left in the tank down the stretch. 

Micic and Clyburn had kept Efes afloat for as long as they could but there was no stopping Hayes-Davis, who led the home side's fourth quarter charge as Fenerbahce forced its cross-town rival into submission in the last 5 minutes. An 8-0 run late in the game turned an 89-83 advantage into an unassailable 97-83 lead with a little over 2 minutes left on the clock. The home payers were given a standing ovation by their fans after the buzzer and will now hope to carry Thursday night's form into what is shaping up to be the decisive clash with eliminated Crvena Zvezda, with the Turkish team's season on the line in the Serbian capital.

New champion in store after Fenerbahce eliminates Efes

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-04-06T17:45:00.000Z)

Baskonia became the third team ever to score 120 points or more in EuroLeague history. Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos Athens share the all-time record with 123 points: Maccabi got them against Scavolini Pesaro on November 25, 2004, and Panathinaikos achieved it against Chorale Roanne on November 21, 2007. Baskonia's previous club record was 116 points against Maccabi earlier this season, in Round 6. 
Baskonia finished the game with 33 assists, also a new club record. Its previous record was 31 assists, set against Khimki Moscow Region on March 8, 2019. 

 Baskonia sets club records in critical win 

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz thrashed LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 120-100 in Round 33 to go up to 18-15 in the standings and improve its chances to reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs. It was a record-breaking night, too.

Baskonia became the third team ever to score 120 points or more in EuroLeague history and the first one in more than 15 years. Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos Athens share the all-time record with 123 points: Maccabi got them against Scavolini Pesaro on November 25, 2004, and Panathinaikos achieved it against Chorale Roanne on November 21, 2007. Baskonia's previous club record was 116 points against Maccabi earlier this season, in Round 6.

Baskonia finished the game with 33 assists, also a new club record. Its previous record was 31 assists, set against Khimki Moscow Region on March 8, 2019. Darius Thompson contributed to this assists record more than anyone else, getting 12. Baskonia had 9 turnovers, finishing the game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.67. On the other hand, ASVEL had more turnovers, 16, than assists, 13.

Baskonia sets club records in critical win

### Joan Penarroya, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coach

"It was an offensive game; \[we scored\] 120 points. Our defense didn't exist, but we didn't have problems in our offensive situations, and \[scoring\] 120 points is a good victory, and our fans are happy. \[The game against Olympiacos next week\] is final. Zalgiris won, Fenerbahce won, and it is a final. We depend on our game."

### T.J. Parker, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne head coach 

"Let's keep the positive things."

### Darius Thompson, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz guard 

"It is a great win. I'm glad we got the win for our fans. Let's keep moving forward and looking forward to the next game. I think, as a team, we just like to play fast. Our rhythm, our pace, if shots are going in, we are capable to score a lot of points. So tonight, we scored a lot of points, but have to get a little better on the defensive end."

### Rokas Giedraitis, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz forward 

"That was a strange game overall. I don't know, defense didn't exist, not them, not us – it was a super strange game. But I want to say, first of all, thank you to our fans for coming. We see more and more every time. Let's move forward. We are playing good at home. We are scoring 90+ points at home, but now we need to watch our next game – away against Olympiacos – and try to improve in that away game."

Darius Thompson, Baskonia: 'We just like to play fast'

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz stayed in the race to make it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 120-100 at Buesa Arena in Round 33 on Thursday. Baskonia improved to 18-15 and is still reliant on its own results to reach the postseason, regardless of any scores tomorrow and in Round 34. ASVEL dropped to 8-25 and is on a 12-game losing streak.

Baskonia defeats ASVEL, 120-100, keeps playoff hopes alive

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz stayed in the race to make it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 120-100 at Buesa Arena in Round 33 on Thursday. Baskonia improved to 18-15 and is still reliant on its own results to reach the postseason, regardless of any scores tomorrow and in Round 34. ASVEL dropped to 8-25 and is on a 12-game losing streak.

Darius Thompson paced the winners with a 23-point, 12-assist double-double. Rokas Giedraitis added 19 points, Maik Kotsar had 15 and Daulton Hommes got 12, while Arturs Kurucs and Vanja Marinkovic each contributed 10 for Baskonia, which became just the third team to reach 120 points in EuroLeague history. Jonah Mathews led ASVEL with 25 points. Nando De Colo chipped in with 19, David Lighty and Dee Bost each had 12, and Charles Kahudi got 11.

Kahudi sank a triple and Lighty scored down low to give ASVEL an early 3-5 lead. Thompson and Kotsar rescued Baskonia, then Giedraitis's three-pointer boosted his team's lead to 17-11. Steven Enoch dunked twice and Markus Howard soon made it a double-digit game, 30-18. Mathews brought ASVEL within 32-24 after 10 minutes. 

Yves Pons and De Colo stepped up for ASVEL and Retin Obasohan's layup made it a 2-point game, 38-36. Giedraitis and Hommes combined for all points in a 7-0 run, and Dani Diez struck from downtown for a 52-44 Baskonia lead. Mathews and De Colo got ASVEL as close as 55-51 at halftime.

Marinkovic scored around the basket after the break, Hommes struck from beyond the arc and Kotsar's alley-oop layup made ASVEL call a timeout at 66-54. Giedraitis buried a couple of three-pointer and Hommes added another one to keep Baskonia out of trouble, 81-69, after 30 minutes. 

Pons and Obasohan gave ASVEL hope. 90-80, early in the fourth quarter. Marinkovic sank a three-pointer and Matt Costello added a powerful layup for a 95-82 scoreline in Baskonia's favor. Thompson and Kotsar allowed Baskonia to seal the outcome, 108-91, as ASVEL did not recover in the final four minutes.

Valencia Basket took the first step towards finishing its season on a high note as it defeated Virtus Segafredo Bologna 79-68 at home to snap a negative run of results. Valencia used a 17-2 start to the fourth quarter to take control and move to 15-18, snapping a three-game losing streak and having dropped seven of the last eight. Shannon Evans led the way with 15 points and 6 assists and Kyle Alexander chipped in 14 points. Virtus dropped to 13-20 with a fifth straight loss and seventh defeat in the last eight. Semi Ojeleye paced the Italian side with a career-high 21 points.

 Late run carries Valencia past Virtus 79-68 in last home game  

Virtus needed more than 2 minutes to score and Valencia went up 5-0. Chris Jones scored 7 straight points for Valencia, which pushed the lead to 10-4. Virtus answered with a 2-8 surge to take its first lead. The rest of the quarter was tight and the lead went back and forth with Virtus leading 17-19. Virtus’s defense held strong to start the second quarter, keeping Valencia off the scoreboard for nearly 4 minutes for a 19-23 cushion. The hosts responded with the next 6 points to reclaim the lead with Alexander leading the way. Neither team could gain any clear advantage with 3 points the biggest lead over the rest of the first half and four lead changes.

The game remained tight with Valencia managing a 46-42 cushion. Alexander continued his strong game for the hosts with the lead changing hands four times and it was 58-57 after three quarters. Valencia opened the fourth quarter with a 17-2 spurt thanks to 8 points from Evans and 8 Virtus turnovers to take its biggest lead at 75-59. And that decided the game.

Late run carries Valencia past Virtus, 79-68

 Kyle Alexander, Valencia: ' The competition is amazing' 

### Valencia Basket head coach Alex Mumbru: 

"At times, we have played very well in the EuroLeague. We had a terrible moment the last 10 days. La Fonteta deserves a win like this. We only have one more game in EuroLeague but we will fight in Barcelona. We tried in all of the games. We suffered some difficult moments, especially in the last 10 days. We fought until the end and I am proud of my players. But now we need to continue."

### Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo

"I like how we played for three quarters with some mistakes of course. But playing on the road with a lot of players out. Unfortunately in the fourth quarter we ran out of energy, especially some of our veteran players. Some of them were completely out of gas. And it showed. They took the 10-point lead and they kept it deservedly until the end."

### Valencia Basket guard Shannon Evans

"We all just have to stay ready. We have a lot of games. You don't know which night will be your night. So you just work hard every game and when your time comes you play hard. We really needed this one for the fans and the community and ourselves."

### Valencia Basket forward Kyle Alexander

"There are not many things better than a win at home. We just need to enjoy it and build on it and keep going. The competition is amazing. The fans are incredible. This organization is awesome. I had a lot of fun."