EuroLeague Live Blog: Fenerbahce vs. Milan

<incrowd-live-blog id="6419d303ebc4d4eb9d95b7f4" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>



<script>
(function (document) {
  setTimeout(() => {
    const script = document.createElement('script');
    script.async = true;
    script.defer = true;
    script.src = 'https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js';
    document.body.appendChild(script);
  }, 1000);
})(document);
</script>

Tuesday Blog: Napier, Milan upend Fenerbahce in Istanbul

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-03-21T17:15:00.000Z)

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

"I am very very happy, We are coming off a loss in the Italian League that we didn’t want to have, but unfortunately we dropped the game. And my team today, my players played with great desire, with great will. It’s very difficult to win here against a very talented team, very physical. I think we had the lead almost 40 minutes, which is very difficult. So congratulations to my players for a fantastic game.

"Tim \[Luwawu-Cabarrot\] had a good game, but he's had already some big games for us. It's not easy for anybody to arrive in the middle of the season and get into the team and understand how you can help and what you should do. So today he had a very good game on both ends of the floor, offense and defense, and I just hope he continues like this."

### Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Dimitris Itoudis:

"Congratulations to Milano. It was a must-win game for us. Unfortunately, we didn’t show up with the same mindset and mentality that we wanted to. At the beginning of the game, we gave too many easy situations to Milano. We managed though to defend in the second quarter. We tied the game, unfortunately, as is evident because after that we protested a mistake of the referees that counted the basket, which was already counted and they took it back. But this goes to the procedure. I don’t want to analyze this. I’m just saying the facts, we almost tied the game. 

"We couldn’t stop Napier. He had 0 assists, but you could see whenever he was doubled, he was passing the ball and they found secondary creators, whether it was Kyle \[Hines\] or Tonut or other players. We fought until the end but we shot the ball poorly on twos and threes."

Game Videos

### EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard Shabazz Napier:

"It was a team effort. We were communicating great on defense. I think we were just trying to limit as much as we can from their guards and just trying to help rebound where we needed it. It was a team effort… In the first half, I didn’t want to be too aggressive. I was telling the coach and the team that I just wanted to see the defense they were playing. In the second half, I decided I was going to be a little more aggressive and I was just fortunate enough to make some shots and my teammates were able to find me in good spots, but it was definitely a team effort today."

 

### EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot:

"They came back. We were expecting that. They are a great team, they have great players and we were expecting them to fight until the end, like everybody should. We stayed focused, we kept our composure and came away with a win. We want all the wins we can get."

Game News

Coach Messina, Milan: 'My players played with great desire'

[Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/) has become the second team to reach the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. Real (20-9) qualified on Tuesday without playing, when Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul lost its Round 24 postponed game against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Now, no matter how many teams match its 20 victories, Real would finish in eighth place or higher due to tiebreakers. As such, Real is already qualified for the playoffs.

Real currently sits alone in second place, just one victory behind first-place Oympiacos Piraeus (21-8), the only other playoffs qualifier to date. After booking its place in the postseason, Real will now have its sights set on gaining home-court advantage. Last season, *Los Blancos* finished fourth in the regular season standings and swept Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 3-0 in the playoffs.

### Road to playoffs

Under new head coach Chus Mateo, Real recovered from a 2-3 start, which included losses to FC Barcelona, Olympiacos Piraeus and Virtus Segafredo Bologna by a total of eight points, to blast off for six consecutive victories. That streak opened with a 94-85 triumph over the team it lost to in the 2022 championship game, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, and included the team's sole 100-point game this season, a 105-97 victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. An overtime home loss to AS Monaco started a 2-3 stretch after which Los Blancos put together a dominant 8-1 run to anchor themselves near the top of the standing.

In that span, Los Blancos responded to a Round 26 loss at Olympiacos by defeating archrival Barca 91-86 one round later, a win that helped secure the tiebreaker between them after Real had lost their earlier encounter by 75-73. In keeping with the theme of paybacks, the most recent fixture that brought joy to Real's supporters was a 91-95 win at Monaco in Round 23 in a playoff-esque environment. That triumph also saw Real secure the tiebreaker over Monaco. Real won two of its last four contests entering Round 30 to reach 20 wins and set itself up for another trip to the playoffs.

### Playoff experience

With seven nine consecutive playoffs appearances with some of the same players, there is plenty of experience on Real's roster. The likes of Sergio Rodriguez, Fabien Causeur, Rudy Fernandez and Walter Tavares have all become EuroLeague champions with Real, while Sergio Llull – a two-time champ – is expected to be back in time for the playoffs. A couple of newer members of Real, such as Gabriel Deck and Guerschon Yabusele, already played in last year's Final Four, but roster newcomers Dzanan Musa, Mario Hezonja and Petr Cornelie will have to quickly adjust to the playoff pressure.

### Playoff history

In the 2021-22 season, Real lost 57-58 to Efes in the championship game, having beaten Barca 83-86 in the semifinal of the Final Four. The team reached that stage after winning all three of its games against Maccabi in the playoffs with relative ease: 84-74 and 95-66 in Madrid, then 76-87 in Tel Aviv.

As a whole, Real has won eight playoff series and lost six, with its first playoff appearance this century taking place in the 2000-01 season. Its playoff record stands at 20-6 in Madrid and 9-15 on its travels. *Los Blancos* have made it to seven Final Fours and have become EuroLeague champion on two occasions since 2000: in 2015 and 2018.

Real Madrid is second into the playoffs!

After [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/olympiacos-is-first-to-the-playoffs/) became the first qualifier to the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs with a game-winning shot last week, up to three more teams can mathematically secure their spots in the postseason during Round 30. What's more, the Reds can become the first team to clinch home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Already-qualified [Olympiacos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2022-23) (21-8) will earn home-court advantage in the playoffs with a Round 30 win at Partizan (16-13) if Fenerbahce (17-11) loses one of its two games this week.

[Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2022-23) (20-9) will qualify for the playoffs if Fenerbahce loses its Round 24 postponed game on Tuesday against Milan.

If not already qualified, Real will qualify with a Round 30 road win over Virtus (13-16).

Real will qualify if any of the following teams lose in Round 30: Partizan, Maccabi (16-13), Baskonia (15-14) or Zalgiris (15-14).

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/roster/bar/?season=2022-23) (19-10) will qualify with a Round 30 road win over Panathinaikos (10-19).

Barcelona will qualify if Valencia (14-15), Baskonia, and Zalgiris all lose in Round 30.

Barcelona will qualify if Valencia, Efes (14-15) and one of Maccabi, Baskonia or Zalgiris loses in Round 30.

[AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/roster/mco/?season=2022-23) (19-10) will qualify with a home win over Valencia if one of Maccabi, Baskonia or Zalgiris loses in Round 30.

Playoff possibilities: Real, Barca, Monaco aim for qualification

Valencia Basket shooting guard Klemen Prepelic is set to miss the remainder of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season due to a leg injury. 

Valencia: Prepelic, out 4 weeks 

Valencia Basket shooting guard [Klemen Prepelic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/klemen-prepelic/002661/) is set to miss the remainder of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season due to a leg injury. Prepelic was injured in a Spanish League game against Granada last weekend. He underwent tests that revealed a muscle tear in his left leg. It is estimated that Prepelic will be sidelined for the next four weeks, so Prepelic would only return to action in the EuroLeague only if Valencia makes it to the playoffs. Prepelic is averaging 7.1 points, 3.1 assists and a PIR of 6.9 in 27 EuroLeague games this season, ranking second overall in free throw percentage (94.3%).

Behind all the excitement that fans see on the court in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the players put in just as much work away from the hardwood. As part of a new series by the EuroLeague Players' Association (ELPA), 'A day in the life', join AS Monaco center Donatas Motiejunas on a typical game day in the principality.

At 10:30am, Motiejunas goes through his morning active stretch with his personal trainer. Then, in the early afternoon, he heads to a restaurant for lunch that has become a "good luck charm" after morning shootaround. Fast-forward some hours and Motiejunas is at Monaco's arena, taking part in more active stretch routines with his personal coach ahead of the team's game against Panathinaikos Athens. The 32-year-old finally joins his teammates on the floor to warm up with the basketball, and the action commences shortly after.

Following an 84-70 victory, Monaco president Alexey Fedorychev came down to the locker room to congratulate the players. Motiejunas ends the day with his usual drive home, before getting into cold recovery pool in order to let his muscles relax. For Motiejunas, it was just another day at the office.

A day in the life of… Donatas Motiejunas: 'It's a good luck charm'

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's star guard is Joe Arlauckas's latest guest on The Crossover as they talk about hoops and life

Lorenzo Brown hops aboard The Crossover

**Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's star guard is Joe Arlauckas's latest guest on The Crossover as they talk about hoops and life**

[Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) is in the midst of his best Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season to date. The combo guard seems to have found a home with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, which recently signed him to a three-year extension. Now at home on the Mediterranean coast in Israel, Brown spoke about his upbringing and the challenges along the way that led to him becoming a EuroLeague star. 

His path included going to a military academy for high school and changing positions after his first year of college. Brown continued to excel and shined in the G-League, where he was twice an all-star before being named 2018 MVP. Despite that, he never got his chance to play regularly in the NBA. And things didn't go so well in Europe, either.  

"When I first came overseas, I went to Russia, it was actually UNICS. I don’t know why but I failed a physical. There was something going on inside my body. They kind of told me I would never play ball again. They were like, ‘you might want to go back home and get checked out,’ “ Brown recalled. 

“So I go home and I’m sitting there for a month or two.  And I’m just sitting, I’m depressed. I’m like, ‘what am I gonna do now? ’ I’m like 25 maybe, 26. And I’m never gonna play basketball again.

“Long story short, it wasn’t what they were saying it was. And I ended up getting another job in China for two months and went on from there." 

That was in November 2016. Brown ended up back in North America and split the next two seasons between Toronto in the NBA and Raptors 905 in the G-League. After that, he decided to give Europe one more shot and that changed his career forever. 

Brown signed with Crvena Zvezda Belgrade for the 2019-20 season and, though he had an idea of what to expect, he was blown away by the crowd from the start. 

"Quincy Miller played in Red Star probably two years prior, and I’d seen a clip. And everybody is just yelling, they’re chanting. I’m just in awe at the situation. My first game is the same way. Every game is like that. So I’m just like, ‘yeah, I’m gonna love it here.’”

After that Brown spent a season with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and another with UNICS Kazan. In that time, he emerged as one of the top guards on the continent. Croatia had shown interest in naturalizing Brown to play for its national team, but he instead took Spanish citizenship and competed for that country at EuroBasket 2022 where he was a teammate of EuroLeague stars he had played against for years. 

"They showed me a picture and it was like all of them and they were sitting on a bus and they were like 12 \[years old\]. And I’m like, y’all have been playing together this long? And they’re like yeah, we’ve been at this for like plus amount of years. I’m like, okay, this is really it for y’all then, y’all want this this bad. It took me a while to click in and grasp what they were feeling."

Brown was a dominant force when Spain needed him; he averaged 20.3 points, 9 assists and 1.5 steals in the elimination games and was named to the all-tournament team. Then he started the season in Tel Aviv – his fourth home in as many seasons in the EuroLeague. 

With Maccabi, Brown has emerged as a team leader and he has the club knocking on the door of the playoffs and that's where he hopes to be over the next few years as this summer, for the first time in his career, Brown will head home to the United States knowing exactly where he is coming back to for the start of the next season.

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Mike James, Nicolo Melli and Vasilije Micic, coaching greats such as Georgios Bartzokas, Dimitris Itoudis and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on  [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rYpAbSLlCc), [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

There is less than a month remaining in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Olympiacos Piraeus became the first team to punch its playoffs ticket last week and is already looking to wrap up home-court advantage for its series. Several others could follow this week. It is going to be a tight race with many critical games. In Round 30, you have at least one team in each game, if not both, fighting for a playoff spot. This should impact the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge powered by Ardu Prime. Every game matters and all the stars should be out fighting for big goals.

Fantasy tips, Round 30: It's crunch time!

There is less than a month remaining in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Olympiacos Piraeus became the first team to punch its playoffs ticket last week and is already looking to wrap up home-court advantage for its series. Several others could follow this week. It is going to be a tight race with many critical games. In Round 30, you have at least one team in each game, if not both, fighting for a playoff spot. This should impact the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge powered by Ardu Prime](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/home?_ga=2.124176010.1642942346.1679299913-884385655.1669721726). Every game matters and all the stars should be out fighting for big goals. Here are some recommendations for Round 30: 

[Facu Campazzo, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) (13.8 credits) – Zvezda is a little bit behind in the playoff race with a 12-17 record, but plays four of its last five games at home. That should boost Campazzo's chances to have a monster performance. It could very well be against high-scoring Baskonia, a team he knows very well. 

[Shabazz Napier, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) (13.3 credits) – Napier has been playing really well lately, averaging 18.3 points and 6.3 assists for a PIR of 20.0 over his team's last three games. Kevin Pangos is set to be sidelined for at least two weeks, which makes Napier an even more interesting player in the game. He comes highly recommended. 

Facundo Campazzo, Shabazz Napier, Youssoupha Fall, Maik Kotsar Top Plays from 03/12/2023 to 03/21/2023

Fantasy tips Round 30 It's crunch time!

[Youssoupha Fall, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/) (11.3 credits) – His size and coordination turn him into a nightmare matchup for most teams. Fall has posted a double-digit PIR in each of his last eight games, and comes off a strong performance against Panathinaikos: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 7 fouls drawn and a PIR of 28. 

[Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) (15.7 credits) – Barca is fighting for big goals: playoffs first and then the home-court advantage. It will need Mirotic's best version and he has been delivering lately, averaging 21.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and a PIR of 22.3 in the last four games. Chances are he won't stop until the end of the season. 

[Maik Kotsar, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maik-kotsar/004603/) (11.4 credits) – A more affordable, yet very strong option at center, Kotsar has recorded a PIR of 14 or higher in his team's last seven games. In the last two, he boosted his numbers up to 11.5 points on 9-of-11 two-point shooting, 7.0 rebounds and a PIR of 20.5. Baskonia needs him in the playoff race.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Real Madrid (2023-03-24T18:00:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-03-24T19:00:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v FC Bayern Munich (2023-03-24T20:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Valencia Basket (2023-03-24T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-03-24T17:45:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos Athens v FC Barcelona (2023-03-23T18:30:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2023-03-23T19:00:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-03-23T19:00:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-03-23T18:00:00.000Z)

Virtus Segafredo Bologna's 21-year-old guard Nico Mannion went through all the steps expected of an American basketball prodigy. He was on magazine covers in high school, was a five-star college recruit and - after just one season in college with the Arizona Wildcats - was drafted in the NBA and made his debut in that league with the Golden State Warriors while still a teenager.

Nico Mannion, Virtus: 'My mom's a badass'

Virtus Segafredo Bologna's 21-year-old guard [Nico Mannion](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/niccolo-mannion/011064/) went through all the steps expected of an American basketball prodigy. He was on magazine covers in high school, was a five-star college recruit and - after just one season in college with the Arizona Wildcats - was drafted in the NBA and made his debut in that league with the Golden State Warriors while still a teenager.

While following that basketball path, Mannion also embraced his family's Italian roots. Nico was born in Siena, Italy, to two professional athletes. His mother Gaia is a former volleyball player, who was born and raised in Rome, and his father Pace is a former basketball player, who played six seasons in the NBA and more than a decade in Italy.

"Actually, when I was born, my dad was an Italian citizen, so technically I was born to two Italian parents," Nico explained. "He was already here for 13 years, he speaks fluent now, and he has embraced the culture just as much as I did growing up."

"I think that my mom did a really good job of keeping the Italian culture."

When Nico was less than three years old, the Mannion family decided to move back to the United States and that's where he would grow up. However, a big part of his upbringing was the strong connection he kept with his native country, mainly thanks to his mother's sense of family.

"I spent one month out of every summer in Rome. My mom's whole side of the family still lives in Rome, so we'd spent a month of our time back there."

Young Nico's constant contact with Italy helped him develop a sense of awareness that kids of his age didn't necessarily have. On top of that, his mother always went the extra mile to keep the Italian ties strong in the household.

"I think that my mom did a really good job of keeping the Italian culture. In America, for instance, family dinners are not a huge thing. People go about their own day, they eat when they can," Nico recalled. "My mom made it a habit for us to sit down together every night as a family. She would cook or my dad would grill, but we'd sit down together as a family. It was later dinners of course, like Italians. Americans like to eat earlier."

Nico was also fluent in two languages from the cradle, even though, at the beginning, he needed some guidance with that.

"When I was little and started speaking, I would mix the languages, because I didn't know the difference between Italian and English as I heard them both," Mannion said. "So growing up, my mom would only speak Italian to me, and my dad spoke in English, and that's how I kind of learned how to separate them. So I never really got to learn a language, I just had them and had to learn how to separate them, which was interesting."

Being born to two professional athletes, it's no big surprise that Mannion ended up following the same path and even inheriting a competitive side. From his dad or his mom? He has a theory about that.

"My mom... she's a badass. She's super-competitive. Both my parents were athletes, of course, and I think I get my competitive side from both of them, but my mom is very competitive. She played volleyball," Nico explained. "I like to joke with my dad like 'I got my athletic ability from mom, you're not that athletic' to mess with him. She's my rock, one of the best people I have ever been around. She's there for me through thick and thin, she's really my support system. She's like superwoman to me, she can do it all."

Mannion has been playing for the Italian national team since he joined the U16 team in 2017 and in 2019 he made his debut with the senior national team. However, it wasn't until the summer of 2021 that he had the opportunity to get back where it all started, with an offer from Virtus. The fact that his father had been a professional player in Italy for more than 10 years in the late 1980s and the '90s, was another factor that helped him make the big decision to play on this side of the pond.

"She's my rock, one of the best people I have ever been around."

"He was telling me stories and saying 'You're gonna love it over there,' because when I decided to come over here... he was pumping me up about how much he loved it, and he said he got over here and never wanted to go back home to the United States. He's not wrong, I love it here as well," Nico said. 

Mannion won the 7DAYS EuroCup last season, his first with Virtus, to match his father's count of continental trophies. Pace helped Cantu capture the 1991 Korac Cup; he averaged 34 points in the two-game total-points finals against Real Madrid. Now the younger Mannion is enjoying his first season in the EuroLeague and appreciating that his upbringing made him more open-minded to this experience than perhaps some of his American counterparts. 

"You never really know where life's going to take you and I've had my fair share of ups and downs," Mannion concluded. "Having that open-mindedness of 'that's not where you're stuck', knowing that tomorrow's gonna come, knowing that there is always going to be a brighter day, and also knowing that when you are having a good day you can think 'It's okay to have a bad day or not feel good one day'... it helps you see through all that. Nothing is set in stone, you have to take the good with the bad, roll with the punches and continue to strive and do what you love to do."