Real Madrid returned to winning ways in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season by topping Valencia Basket 95-91 in the Spanish capital in Round 28 on Thursday. *Los Blancos* improved to 19-8 to remain second in the standings, while Valencia dropped to 13-15 and is on a four-game losing streak, two wins behind the playoff spots with six regular season games left.

Gabriel Deck led the winners with 18 points on 8-of-8 free throws and 7 rebounds. Walter Tavares added 14 points on 6-of-7 two-point shots, with Vincent Poirier and Petr Cornelie each contributing 11 for Real, who outrebounded Valencia 33-25. Chris Jones led Valencia with 19 points. Jasiel Rivero added 17 while Bojan Dubljevic had 10 for the guests.

Game Videos

Jonas Radebaugh and Dubljevic each nailed a three-pointer apiece to give Valencia an early 6-10 lead. Cornelie and Mario Hezonja powered a 6-0 run that put Real in charge, 16-12. Vincent Poirier scored down low, then Hezonja and Cornelie buried one triple each for a 24-20 Real lead after 10 minutes. 

Valencia found a go-to guy in Rivero, who had his team's next 9 points to bring the guests as close as 30-29. Adam Hanga and Rudy Fernandez each struck from beyond the arc, getting help from Tavares and Nigel Williams-Goss to boost *Los Blancos*' lead to 49-40 at halftime.

Game News

James Webb struck from beyond the arc right after the break, Dubljevic followed a fastbreak layup with a triple, and Xavi Lopez-Arostegui's four-point play completed Valencia's comeback, 53-55. Deck and Sergio Rodriguez combined for all 7 points in a 7-0 run which saw Real regain a 64-59 lead. Poirier's layup fixed the score at 71-65 after 30 minutes. 

Shannon Evans scored 5 quick points to give Valencia hope, 75-72, early in the fourth quarter. Deck and Poirier fueled a 6-0 run that gave *Los Blancos* plenty of fresh air, 81-72. Webb and an outstanding Jones brought Valencia back to life, 85-84, with two minutes left. But, Dzanan Musa hit a triple, Tavares dunked and Deck went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, making sure Real kept a safe, slim margin until the final buzzer.

Deck leads Real Madrid past Valencia, 95-91

Real Madrid v Valencia Basket (2023-03-09T19:45:00.000Z)

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

(On finding energy in defense through the opening three quarters): “We found energy there, but we played much more balanced offense from the middle of the third quarter until the end. Brandon Davies gave us the presence inside and we were disciplined in trying to find Billy Baron.

The two point guards \[Shabazz Napier and Kevin Pangos\] controlled the tempo and that was a big key for us, but yes, but we can’t imagine winning a EuroLeague game without playing good defense. Probably \[Partizan\] played a little below their usual standard, while we played a good game and came out with the win.

 “We are all extremely happy because we beat a tough team that plays defense with great discipline. You could see how Coach Obradovic has kept improving his team throughout the season. After a slow start, when we missed shots because we weren’t competing, the team reacted extremely well. We stepped up the defense and we were very disciplined in looking for \[Billy\] Baron’s shots. Brandon \[Davies\] had a very good game together with Kyle \[Hines\] and Nicolo \[Melli\]. The two point guards \[Shabazz Napier and Kevin Pangos\] controlled the tempo and that was of big help to us. We will keep trying to improve and go game by game, so we’ll see what happens. Let me also thank the fans again, who were challenged big time in the fans’ contest by this incredible crowd of Serbian people who came here. It was a great game for both sides as it was really hard-fought by all players on the court.”

### Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach

“We didn’t play well offensively at all. First of all, because Milan was aggressive while we were very slow. They deserved to win the game.

"I want to congratulate Milan for their victory – they deserved to win the game because they played very aggressive. For us, it was the worst game offensively because of Milan’s aggressiveness and because we were very slow. It was impossible to win the game as we had 8 assists and 18 turnovers. The opening three quarters were very close, but the last quarter decided everything and, once again, congratulations to Milan. They played a very good game. We were without energy and played very slow on offense."

### Brandon Davies, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan center

“We played great as a team, everyone shared the ball and was looking for each other. The point guards we have, I get spoon-fed and it makes my job easy. We did it collectively. We were all helping each other and taking care of our duties defensively. We made mistakes but we played hard and that made the difference.”

### Kevin Pangos, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard

“I thought we played well today. We had some lapses; we weren’t making shots, but overall we were having fun out there. When we’re having fun and playing together, we are at our best. I missed basketball for three or four months and it was really difficult, I missed that competitiveness. I just wanted to be out there and compete again, there is nothing like it.”

Kevin Pangos, Milan: 'We were having fun out there'

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-03-09T19:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan celebrated its sixth successive win in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after a strong fourth quarter helped the Italian side to a 76-62 home win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Thursday night, which improved it to 12-15 while the visitors dropped to 15-13.

Center Brandon Davies paced Milan with 14 points, 10 of which came in the final quarter, with guard Billy Baron adding as many in a balanced effort. Kevin Pangos and Shabazz Napier added 10 points each for Milan, whose ironclad defense brought Partizan to a screeching halt after the Serbian side beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 79-88 on the road on Tuesday.

Kevin Punter netted 15 points for Partizan but 9 of them came in the first quarter, when the visitors carved out a 13-19 lead. That was as good as it got for the Serbian team, with its players largely failing to match Milan’s intensity. Matthias Lessort netted 11 points for Partizan, who also had Dante Exum and James Nunnaly score 10 apiece.

Partizan looked the more composed side early on as Milan struggled to find its offensive rhythm, with the visitors finding themselves 15-23 ahead early in the second quarter before they started to misfire. 

Milan stepped up its defense and the hosts were soon on level terms, 25-25, before nosing ahead at halftime, 30-29.

The two teams stayed deadlocked throughout the third quarter, with Milan again carving out a slender lead, 49-46, before the final 10 minutes, when Napier hit a buzzer-beating triple which set the tone for the home stretch.

That bucket ignited a 15-0 run by Milan which took the game out of Partizan’s reach, as the visitors committed a series of turnovers with their usually free-flowing offense falling apart. Davies toyed with his rivals in the paint in the fourth quarter, Baron nailed a pair of long three-pointers and Pangos put the icing on the cake with a behind-the-back assist to Davies for Milan’s final bucket, sparking vociferous celebrations at Mediolanum Forum.

Milan finishes strong to steamroll Partizan, 76-62

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Thursday Blog: Important wins in the playoff hunt

ALBA Berlin v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-03-09T17:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-03-09T18:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v FC Bayern Munich (2023-03-09T19:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus showcased its outside shooting in a dominant 102-74 home win over FC Bayern Munich by hitting a club-record 19 three-pointers. Sasha Vezenkov and Giannoulis Larentzakis both knocked down 4 three-pointers while Thomas Walkup and Shaquielle McKissic added 3 each for the team of head coach Georgios Bartzokas. 

 Olympiacos buried a club-record 19 threes 

Olympiacos Piraeus showcased its outside shooting in a dominant 102-74 home win over FC Bayern Munich by hitting a club-record 19 three-pointers. 

Sasha Vezenkov and Giannoulis Larentzakis both knocked down 4 three-pointers while Thomas Walkup and Shaquielle McKissic added 3 each for the team of head coach Georgios Bartzokas. 

The Reds eclipsed their previous best of 18 three-pointers nailed in a 72-93 road win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan early last season. Larentzakis had 5 triples in that one, too. 

The EuroLeague single-game record is 22 triples made by Anadolu Efes Istanbul from February 24, 2022 against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. 

Olympiacos’s 27 assists on Thursday were excellent but not as good as the 33 assists the team had in the 117-71 win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 12 this season.

Additionally, the Reds 15-0 start on Thursday, which included 2 triples by Walkup, was the second-best in club history after a 19-0 run after tipoff against Montepaschi Siena in the 2011 playoffs.

Olympiacos buried a club-record 19 threes

Olympiacos Piraeus finished the double-round week in fine fashion, with a comprehensive 102-74 home victory over FC Bayern Munich. The Reds connected on a club-record 19 three-pointers at a 63.3% rate and dished out 27 assists in improving to league-best 20-8 record with a six-game winning streak at home. Sasha Vezenkov hit 4 three-pointers in scoring 18 points. Shaquielle McKissic added 15, Giannoulis Larentzakis 14 and Thomas Walkup 13. Bayern saw its two-game winning streak end, falling to an 11-17 record despite Isaac Bonga scoring 16 points.

 Olympiacos blast Bayern, 102-74, to stay first 

Olympiacos Piraeus finished the double-round week in fine fashion, with a comprehensive 102-74 home victory over FC Bayern Munich. The Reds connected on a club-record 19 three-pointers at a 63.3% rate and dished out 27 assists in improving to league-best 20-8 record with a six-game winning streak at home. Sasha Vezenkov hit 4 three-pointers in scoring 18 points, Shaquielle McKissic scored 15 points, Giannoulis Larentzakis had 14 and Thomas Walkup chipped in 13. Bayern saw its two-game winning streak end, falling to an 11-17 record despite Isaac Bonga scoring 16 points.

Bayern missed its first 9 shots and allowed Olympiacos to race away to a 15-0 lead Walkup hit from deep twice. Bayern did get three-pointers from Bonga, Othello Hunter and Paul Zipser but still trailed 26-12 after 10 minutes. Alec Peters hit 2 of Olympiacos’s 4 three-pointers in the opening 4 minutes of the second quarter to extend the lead to 38-22. The long balls just kept falling and the advantage was 55-35 at the break.

 The Reds' sharpshooting continued in the second half in pushing the lead to 24 points at 59-35. Bayern managed a 0-11 run sparked by Ognjen Jaramaz to get within 11 points at 66-55 but Olympiacos punched right back and led 81-65 after 30 minutes. The hosts made back-to-back triples early in the fourth quarter and pushed the advantage back to 22 points. Olympiacos just kept hitting shots, and in the final moments eclipsed the century mark for the second time this season after scoring 117 points against Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 12. 

Olympiacos blast Bayern, 102-74, to stay first

 Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos: 'We shot the ball super well' 

### Olympiacos Piraeus head coach Georgios Bartzokas

"We were lucky in the last game. We didn’t need to overuse some players. The main players, Vezenkov and Walkup, did not have to play more than 25 minutes. So we were fresh today. It was a game that, offensively, we were really good. We shot the ball very well. But I have to say that our third quarter defensively was really bad. We allowed 30 points. But anyway, we appreciate the win. Congratulations to the players and fans, who made another great atmosphere here today.

“We don’t have a lot of things to say about today’s game. Our players said it all during the game. They had desire. In the first half we were really good, playing simple and passing the ball a lot. Offensively, we were really good in both halves. Defensively, we had three good quarters. The third quarter was a little bit of a loose approach and Bayern scored 30 points, showing the ability that they had to shoot the ball with five players. It was a great win.”

### FC Bayern Munich head coach Andrea Trinchieri

“First off, I would like to sincerely congratulate Georgios \[Bartzokas\] and Olympiacos for this game, for the quality of their basketball on both ends of the court. Tonight, the task for my players was too big without four players from the starting five. We were trying to find a way to play and we didn’t make it. We had one good quarter: the third quarter. And the rest were really difficult to compete. On one side, there is the high quality of a team that plays with great chemistry and the ball is moving in an amazing way. They made 19 three-pointers. You have to make 19 threes. Even if you are open, it’s not easy to make so many threes. At the other end, we didn’t understand how we had to play. The second and third quarters were better, but definitely not enough in order to compete against the best team in the EuroLeague at the moment."

### Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov

"We are really happy. Before the game we talked about the last couple of games we haven’t started as good as we have to. We started really well from the beginning. We did a great job again in the second quarter. Bayern is a team that always comes back. But today we played really excellently for, say, 35 minutes. And we deserved to win this game. We have more than 70 games this season. Everybody will have their moments. Everybody knows their roles in the team. The most important thing is we have a great team chemistry. We are like a family from the first to the last guy. That is the most important thing."

### Olympiacos Piraeus guard Thomas Walkup

"We were a little worried about the big win against Barcelona on Tuesday, but we came out here and played a really, really good game. We shot the ball super well. I don’t think that was the true reflection of the score. I think Bayern played better than that. We made a lot of threes and it kind of came together. So we’re happy."

Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos: 'We shot the ball super well'

Zalgiris mandhandles ASVEL, 85-67

Zalgiris Kaunas used bruising defense to manhandle visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne for a 85-67 victory on Thursday to sweep the double-round week in the heat of the playoffs race. Its second-biggest victory this season after a month away from home pushed Zalgiris to a 15-13 record, keeping it right on the bubble for a playoff spot with seven rounds remaining. ASVEL was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention as its record fell to 8-20 despite Nando De Colo reaching a milestone.

Ignas Brazdeikis led Zalgiris with 19 points. Isaiah Taylor added 15, while Achille Polonara added 11 and 6 rebounds. All three players came off the bench. Jonah Matthew paced ASVEL with 18 points while Youssoupha Fall and Dee Bost had 10 each. De Colo added 9 and with his last 2, on a fourth-quarter layup, passed Juan Carlos Navarro to become t[he competition's second-best scorer ever](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/de-colo-becomes-second-best-all-time-scorer/), with 4,154 career points.

De Colo and Charles Kahudi scored 5 points each as ASVEL took over in the early going to lead by as much as 5-14 before Brazdeikis hit Zalgiris's first three-pointer to begin the comeback. ASVEL still retained a 16-22 advantage after 10 minutes but  Polonara and Taylor came off the Zalgiris bench to fill a 7-0 run that soon put the hosts in front 36-32. Taylor kept it going with a feed to Laurynas Birutis for a slam dunk and his own triple to make it 41-32. Brazdeikis converted a three-point play with 2.2 seconds left for the first double-digit lead, 47-37, at halftime.

The Zalgiris defense gave no quarter after the break as the lead climbed to 55-40 on free throws from Edgaras Ulanovas and Rolands Smits. ASVEL could find little in the way of shooting room as the difference soon swelled to 65-48 on four points in a row by Lukas Lekavicius and settled at 65-50 after 30 minutes. Ulanovas and Polonara hit back-to-back three-pointers for a new high lead of 71-52 early in the final quarter. Mathews kept it from getting bigger for a while but the last highlight for ASVEL was De Colo's milestone-breaking layup with 3:37 left to make it 77-62. Tomas Dimsa and Brazdeikis responded with triples and the sold-out Zalgiris crowd of almost 15,000 fans was dancing in the aisles the rest of the way, waiting for four more home games in the next month that could well decide their team's playoffs fate.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna bounced back in style from its Round 27 loss to Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade by pulling out a convincing 74-96 victory against ALBA Berlin at Mercedes Benz Arena on Thursday evening. The visitors dominated all game long, despite of a slow start, and won all four quarters on their way to their 13th win of the season. Virtus is now 13-15 and remains in the fight for a playoff spot, while already eliminated ALBA slipped to 7-21 after losing its third game in a row and its ninth in the last 10.

Kyle Weems scored a season-high 22 points in as many minutes, going for 9-of-12 from the field, to lead all scorers. Milos Teodosic followed with 21 points and 6 assists, while Iffe Lundberg and Mam Jaiteh provided 12 points each. Jaleen Smith tallied 12 points and 7 assists, Luke Sikma had 11, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Louis Olinde and Yanni Wetzell chipped in 10 apiece in the losing effort.

Virtus needed some time to get into the game, as ALBA built an early 6-0 lead after the first four minutes. Jaiteh was the one who chose to wake up Virtus, exploding for 6 points against Christ Koumadje. Teodosic joined the party, both with his scoring and playmaking, to get the visitors’ offense going. A 2-9 run late in the first period allowed Virtus take a solid 14-22 lead after 10 minutes.

Weems came up big early in the second quarter, boosting Virtus lead to double digits, 19-35. ALBA tried - in vain – to stop Virtus's smooth offense, and 4 three-pointers from Teodosic, Jordan Mickey and Marco Belinelli established a 33-49 score at halftime.

ALBA came out of the break with far more energy, attacking the offensive glass and making the most of second-chance shots that reduced the margin to single digits midway through the third quarter, 48-56. The joy didn’t last long, though, as an unsportsmanlike foul called on Koumadje turned into 4 points for Jaiteh. That sparked a 2-12 run to return a safe margin to Virtus, 50-68. Teodosic and Weems then stepped up from long range, extending the advantage to 59-77 after 30 minutes.

The final blow came early in the last period, when Virtus responded from a 4-0 ALBA run by outscoring the hosts 0-16 over the next six minutes, good for a 30-point margin, 63-93, that put the win on ice.

Deck leads Real Madrid past Valencia, 95-91

Kevin Pangos, Milan: 'We were having fun out there'

Milan finishes strong to steamroll Partizan, 76-62

Thursday Blog: Important wins in the playoff hunt

Olympiacos buried a club-record 19 threes

Olympiacos blast Bayern, 102-74, to stay first

Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos: 'We shot the ball super well'

Zalgiris mandhandles ASVEL, 85-67

Virtus rolls over ALBA in Berlin, 74-96