Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade star center Mathias Lessort made the most important day in the life of two Partizan fans even more memorable on Saturday when he served as the best man in their wedding in Belgrade, Serbia.

A little more than a month ago, Partizan fan Damir came up with a big plan, and saw it all the way through with some help from the club.

At halftime of a Round 16 game against FC Bayern Munich, Damir appeared to be chosen to shoot from mid-court and compete for the prizes. Once on the floor, however, he invited his surprised then-girlfriend Jovana to join him, got on his knee, and proposed.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sr" dir="ltr">Пре неколико седмица, Дамир је на паркету препуне Арене запросио Јовану на утакмици <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PartizanBC</a>!<br><br>Она је том приликом питала <a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThiasLsf</a> да јој буде кум на венчању! Јуче је победио, а данас је испоштовао традицију!<br><br>Честитке Јовани и Дамиру, а дубок наклон Матијасу 🖤🤍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/partizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#partizan</a> <a href="https://t.co/BPHWAQ3cit">pic.twitter.com/BPHWAQ3cit</a></p>&mdash; Partizan.net (@PartizanNet) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanNet/status/1619374849071398913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

She said 'yes' in front of 18,000 cheering fans at Stark Arena, but Damir did not stop there. The second part of the plan was asking Lessort to be the best man in their wedding, to which he agreed.

So, one day after a big Belgrade derby win over Crvena Zvezda, Lessort took part in the ceremony in the Serbian capital, creating a memory for a lifetime for everyone involved.

Lessort serves as best man at Partizan fans' wedding

ALBA's Maodo Lo uses a pick set by Luke Sikma against Valencia guard Jared Harper

Shaquielle McKissic throws down a slam against Maccabi 

Dee Bost of ASVEL looks upcourt with Fenerbahce's Scottie Wilbekin playing defense

Walter Tavares of Real Madrid dunks in 'El Clasico'

Giorgios Papagiannis of Panathinaikos defends against Zalgiris's Arnas Butkevicius 

Steven Enoch of Baskonia dunks against Anadolu Efes

Monaco's Mike James drives past Milan's Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot

Maccabi's Josh Nebo dunks against Olympiacos on Piraeus

Luca Vildoza of Crvena Zvezda and Alen Smailagic of Partizan fight for the ball during the Belgrade derby

Mam Jaiteh of Virtus dunks over Bayern's Freddie Gillespie 

Look back at all the action from Round 21 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week!

The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 21

Milan adds point guard Shabazz Napier

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan has secured the arrival of [Shabazz Napier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) on a deal until the end of the season, the club announced on Saturday. Napier (1.85 meters, 31 years old) last played for Capitanes of the G League, where he averaged 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals in 19 games. The point guard will make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut when he takes to the floor in a Milan jersey. Napier had joined Zenit St. Petersburg ahead of the 2021-22 season, but he suffered an ankle injury in September 2021 and left in late February, having not played a game in the EuroLeague.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">📝 Shabazz Napier è la scelta dell&#39;Olimpia: &quot;&quot;Entusiasta di giocare per questo club, davanti a questi tifosi&quot; ➡ <a href="https://t.co/FGJroQcfbw">https://t.co/FGJroQcfbw</a><br><br>📝 <a href="https://twitter.com/ShabazzNapier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShabazzNapier</a> is coming to Milan: &quot;Excited to play for this fans and the opportunity to try to win&quot; ➡ <a href="https://t.co/tkdf7ljrYH">https://t.co/tkdf7ljrYH</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://t.co/TgNYXvBojx">pic.twitter.com/TgNYXvBojx</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1619381636231237632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Napier first made a name for himself at the University of Connecticut, winning two NCAA Tournament championships in 2011 and 2014, before going on to play for Miami, Orlando, Portland, Brooklyn, Minnesota and Washington in the NBA between 2014 and 2020. The 24th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft also played for Sioux Falls of the G League in 2014-15. He joined Zenit in the summer of 2020 and made an instant impact, scoring 33 points in a pre-season Russian Super Cup win over UNICS Kazan, but 30 seconds into his second appearance for the club, he sustained an ankle injury. Napier, a member of the Puerto Rican national team, represented Capitanes in the first half of this season, but he will now finally get a chance to play in the EuroLeague with Milan.

### Sanli's El Clásico block party

Going against Walter Tavares, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's all-time leading shot blocker, can be intimidating. However, it wasn't that way for FC Barcelona center [Sertac Sanli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sertac-sanli/002968/), despite his team's [91-86](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/real-madrid-fc-barcelona/E2022/184/) overtime loss on Real Madrid's floor. Sanli posted a career-high 5 blocks, tying Barcelona's club record, while Tavares had 2. What's more, Sanli blocked the 2.20-meter Tavares twice. Interestingly, Tavares had never had his shot blocked 2 times in any single game during his 162-appearance EuroLeague career before this season. Back in Round 14, it happened for the first time at the hands of Zalgiris Kaunas players Kevarrius Hayes and Rolands Smits. But as of Thursday, the 2.12-meter Sanli has become the only player ever to block Tavares twice in one EuroLeague game.

Sertac Sanli's blocks vs Real Madrid

### Deck helped fuel Real

On the winning side in El Clásico was [Gabriel Deck](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/gabriel-deck/009005/), who matched his career high with a PIR 33. He scored 23 points, which is the second most in Deck's career and the fifth most by a Real Madrid player this season. The 27-year-old got Real's offense going by scoring 7 points in the third quarter, before following that up with 8 more in the fourth and overtime. In addition, Deck was tied for the most rebounds by a member of Los Blancos, 7, and he also played a game-high 33 minutes.

Gabriel Deck (23 points) Highlights vs. Barcelona, 01/26/2023

Gabriel Deck highlights vs Barcelona

### Lee's career-best performance

Second-year point guard [Paris Lee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/paris-lee/011225/) played a key role as Panathinaikos Athens rallied from 15 points down at halftime to defeat Zalgiris Kaunas [89-65 ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/panathinaikos-athens-zalgiris-kaunas/E2022/183/)on Thursday. Lee scored 22 of his game-high and career-high 24 points in the second half. He missed his lone three-point attempt in the first half, but he was 5-for-5 from long range in the second. He also finished the game making 4-of-6 two-pointers. Lee had all 3 of his steals in the second half, as well as 2 of his 4 assists. In addition to his point total, Lee also set a new career best in PIR (27), while matching his career highs in three-point and two-point makes.

Paris Lee (24 points) Highlights vs. Zalgiris Kaunas, 01/26/2023

Paris Lee highlights vs Zalgiris Kaunas

### Sorkin soared despite Maccabi's loss

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv could not catch host Olympiacos Piraeus in a [95-89](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2022/187/) loss on Friday, but it wasn't for lack of trying by [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/). The second-year power forward shattered several of his own personal bests, including 23 points and 33 PIR, while he tied another with 9 rebounds. Sorkin nearly played mistake-free basketball, hitting 9-of-11 two-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws, two more career highs for him, while committing 0 turnovers and drawing 5 fouls.

The best plays of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Roman Sorkin in his career-best performance against Olympiacos Piraeus.

Roman Sorkin's best plays vs. Olympiacos

### Alexander filled a big void for Valencia

Valencia Basket extended its winning run to four games by holding off ALBA Berlin [88-94](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/alba-berlin-valencia-basket/E2022/181/) on Thursday in the German capital. In the absence of two centers, team captain Bojan Dubljevic and Jasiel Rivero, several players stepped up, among them first-year forward [Kyle Alexander](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kyle-alexander/011973/). The 26-year old scored a personal-best 14 points, shooting an efficient 5-for-7 on two-pointers and making 4 perfect free throws, including a pair with 2:03 to go that put Valencia up for good, 81-83. Alexander also pulled down 4 rebounds in 21 minutes on the floor and had a PIR of 17, another personal best.

Kyle Alexander (14 points) Highlights vs. ALBA Berlin, 01/26/2023

Kyle Alexander highlights vs ALBA Berlin

### Hall dunks his way to season highs

AS Monaco big man [Donta Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donta-hall/011196/) played an instrumental role in his team's [101-88](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/as-monaco-ea7-emporio-armani-milan/E2022/185/) win over the visiting EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Hall finished the game with a season-high 11 points, making 5-of-6 two-point shots, and matched his season best with 8 rebounds. He also contributed with 2 steals and a block. All of Hall's points came in the first three quarters, helping Monaco set a club record with 80 points scored by the end of the third quarter. Monaco led 80-74 at that point, and it added 21 more in the fourth, breaking the 100-point barrier for the first time this season.

Donta Hall highlights vs EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

### LeDay gave his all for Partizan

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade pulled out a [78-79](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2022/186/) road win over archrival Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, and in the center of it all was forward [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/). He scored 9 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and shot 4-for-5 from long range in the game. " I just want to do whatever it takes to help my team win, whether it's giving my body, energy, effort", LeDay said afterwards to EuroLeague TV. And he did just that in a hard-fought, high-energy game where the players put everything on the line. LeDay not only played a game-high 32 minutes and 18 seconds, but he remained on the floor for all but six seconds during the second half. The American big man was the main reason why Partizan never relinquished the lead in the final three quarters, as it exacted revenge against its greatest rival.

Zach Leday highlights vs Crvena Zvezda

Round 21 roll call: Sertac Sanli's unique achievement

Real Madrid v FC Barcelona (2023-01-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos Athens coming back from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat visiting Zalgiris Kaunas 89-65 was historic in many ways.

After trailing 27-42 at the break, Panathinaikos outscored Zalgiris 62-23 in a furious second half, tying a EuroLeague and club record for score difference in any half of a game this century. The only other time that any team won a half by 39 points was Panathinaikos outscoring EWE Baskets Oldenburg 60-21 in the 2009-10 season.

On Thursday, Panathinaikos established a high lead at 89-64 before Zalgiris added a final free throw to its total. The full swing from 15 down to 25 ahead equalled the EuroLeague record for the biggest turnaround within a game, 40 points, previously set by Anadolu Efes Istanbul against Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 25 of the 2020-21 season.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In 2022-23 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> Regular Season Round 21 between 🇬🇷 Panathinaikos Athens and 🇱🇹 Zalgiris Kaunas, the score swinged from 27-42 (-15) to 89-64 (+25).<br><br>40 point swing is the largest swing in league&#39;s history (since 2007) where the deficit was at least 15 points. <a href="https://t.co/3K69Ws50uA">pic.twitter.com/3K69Ws50uA</a></p>&mdash; Darius Garuolis (@DariusGaruolis) <a href="https://twitter.com/DariusGaruolis/status/1619107761970892802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

At the same time, Panathinaikos set a new record by any team coming back from at least 15 points behind to win by 24. That was one point more than the winning margin of Efes against Olympiacos in what was the previous best final margin in such a comeback.

Finally, in terms of difference from any deficit of 15 points or more to the final score, Panathinaikos tied the record of 39 points that had been set by AS Monaco last season in a win over CSKA Moscow. In that game, Monaco had trailed by 22 points and won by 17.

Game Videos

Game News

The Greens' gigantic comeback made history

Panathinaikos Athens v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-01-26T19:00:00.000Z)

[Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/) starred for Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in a thrilling 114-111 overtime win against two-time defending Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champ Anadolu Efes Istanbul, which has seen him pick up his first-ever MVP of the Round honor. Thompson, a EuroLeague rookie, had a Baskonia season-high PIR of 36, the best in Round 21. His 16 assists were a club record and the league's highest total in almost two years. Thompson also scored 19 points, making 3-of-6 two-pointers and 2-of-5 threes, in addition to pulling down 6 rebounds and recording a victory-sealing block. This is the third MVP award won by a Baskonia player this season.

The round's second-best PIR of 33 was shared by three players, and it was a career high for each of them: [Mathew Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/matthew-costello/010444/) of Baskonia, [Gabriel Deck](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/gabriel-deck/009005/) of Real Madrid and [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. Costello scored a career-best 33 points, making 6-of-8 two-pointers and 5-of-8 three-pointers, and grabbed 5 rebounds in a win over Efes. Deck led Real in a 91-86 overtime clásico win against FC Barcelona, scoring a game-high 23 points. He made 6-of-7 two-point shots and 8-of-8 free throws on the night. Deck also had 7 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Sorkin posted 23 points on 9-for-11 two-point shooting and 9 rebounds in just over 20 minutes on the floor during Maccabi's 95-89 loss against Olympiacos Piraeus. Rounding out the list of top performers in Round 21 are [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and [Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/) of ALBA Berlin, both of whom had a PIR of 30. De Colo recorded 26 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds in a win over his former team, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, while Lo scored 25 points and had 3 rebounds in a loss against Valencia Basket.

Round 21 MVP: Darius Thompson, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

[Matt Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/matthew-costello/010444/) of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz led all scorers in Round 21 with 33 points. [Dwayne Bacon](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dwayne-bacon/011286/) of Panathinaikos Athens is the EuroLeague's top scorer with 19.9 points per game.

Another Baskonia player, [Rokas Giedraitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-giedraitis/006436/), had a career-high 18 rebounds in this round, which ties a EuroLeague season high. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade center [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) is the league leader in rebounding with 7.4 per game.

This round's MVP, Baskonia's [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/), had the most assists in Round 21 with a season-high 16 assists. [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) of Olympiacos Piraeus leads the EuroLeague in this category, averaging 6.7 assists per contest.

Two players had 4 steals in the most recent set of fixtures: [Nicolo Melli ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolo-melli/002849/)of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and the reigning EuroLeague MVP, [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) of FC Barcelona. Olympiacos guard [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) tops the steals' charts with 2.1 per game.

FC Barcelona center [Sertac Sanli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sertac-sanli/002968/) led all players this week with 5 blocked shots. Real Madrid center [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) is this season's top shot blocker with 2.7 per game.

The three players with double-doubles in Round 21 were Thompson, AS Monaco's [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) with 18 points and 10 assists, and Maccabi's [Bonzie Colson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bonzie-colson/009783/) with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Round 21 individual highs: Rokas Giedraitis, Baskonia, 18 rebounds

Baskonia signs sharpshooter Max Heidegger

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz has completed the signing of Max Heidegger until the end of the 2023-24 season, the club announced on Saturday. Heidegger (1.91 meters, 25 years old) joins from Yukatel Merkezefendi of Turkey, having averaged 19.5 points on 37.5% three-point shooting, as well as 2.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists, in 15 Turkish League games this season. The guard will make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut when he first takes to the floor for Baskonia.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🚨 OFICIAL | Max Heidegger, refuerzo para la dirección de juego baskonista 💪<br><br>📎 <a href="https://t.co/LOdr3Ldmku">https://t.co/LOdr3Ldmku</a><br><br>Welcome to the family, <a href="https://twitter.com/max_heidegger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@max_heidegger</a>! 🔵🔴 <a href="https://t.co/qa1P6lXcPm">pic.twitter.com/qa1P6lXcPm</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1619289033309573121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Heidegger agreed to terms with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in September 2020 and played two games for the team in the Israeli League before being loaned to Bnei Herzliya, who also played in the Israeli top division. After shining while with Bnei Herzliya, he signed for Oldenburg of Germany in July 2021. Heidegger displayed his shooting ability in both the German League and the Basketball Champions League in 2021-22, averaging 18.3 points and 15.8 points, respectively. Last summer, he joined Merkezefendi and made an impressive impact in his first 15 games with the club, but he will now begin his journey in Europe's premier club competition with Baskonia.

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 21st winner in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime! Alex Klf beat everyone else in Round 21 with the team Zigouri, which had a whopping Fantasy Challenge score of 253.15.

 

Stella has the following lineup: Maodo Lo of ALBA Berlin, Paris Lee of Panathinaikos Athens, Sasha Vezenkov (team captain) of Olympiacos Piraeus, Dwayne Bacon also of Panathinaikos and Johannes Thiemann of ALBA, all as starters. Augustine Rubit of FC Bayern Munich was his sixth man.

 

The bench featured Ognjen Dobric of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Matt Costello of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Roman Sorkin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Thomas Walkup of Olympiacos. His coach was Sasa Obradovic of AS Monaco.

 

The prize for finishing first in Round 21 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

 

Ilias Tef. stays atop the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge overall standings. Ilias leads everyone else with a score of 3,585.8 fantasy points.

 

Trades are now open for Round 22. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

 

The first game in Round 22 is Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Olympiacos, scheduled on Tuesday, January 31 at 18:45 CET, making that the next round's deadline for trades.

 

Try to improve your teams and challenge for more prizes at the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime!