The first player to visit The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas in its third season is Zalgiris Kaunas guard Marius Grigonis, who was named MVP of October in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The Lithuanian scorer takes Joe on his basketball path, from growing up in Kaunas to leaving for Spain as a teenager, then playing for ALBA Berlin and returning home to star for Zalgiris.

Grigonis's love for basketball was passed down from his grandfather to his father to his brother, who is older than Marius by four years and served as a barometer for the younger sibling to understand his potential. When Marius started to beat his brother in one-on-one games, something clicked. Soon he developed into an elite prospect who starred in youth tournaments and for Zalgiris's B team, prompting scouts around Europe to keep tabs on him. However, the way his move to Spain went down is not the way many might have expected.

[0:09:36] "When I moved to Spain, it was just so random. I mean, I had no agent and then one guy called me and he said, 'Hey, do you want to go to Spain?' And I was like, 'Alright,' "Grigonis revealed. "It was just random and I didn't overthink it."

Although being a teenager alone without family while playing in Spain's second division posed a challenge, Grigonis adapted to have a strong season with Huesca and learned many basketball and life lessons along the way.

[0:10:50] "I saw the level and I thought, 'Okay, here I for sure I can play,' " Grigonis recalled. "I had Coach Quim Costa. He told me, 'If you not willing to work hard in practice, you're not going to play.' And I thought, 'I'm better than everybody, I can for sure, I can play.' And after the first games that I was playing – I don't know, 10 minutes or something – then I realized how the basketball world works. And I talked with him and he helped me a lot to realize that, and I mean, for sure it was hard. I think I was 18, 19 and the first time without the parents to cook by myself. I mean, I Googled everything. 'How much time do I need to put these spaghettis in the boiling water?' or whatever. But it's, you know, it's experience."

The one season with Huesca showed the bigger clubs in Spain what kind of talent Grigonis possessed. He had offers to choose from before signing with Manresa for two seasons. Then came the 2016-17 campaign with Tenerife, which resulted in his first trophy when they won the Basketball Champions League. Soon came a call to join ALBA Berlin, which is where he played under Coach Aito Garcia Reneses and made his 7DAYS EuroCup debut. One of the things that helped Grigonis continue to improve from stop to stop was that he was never satisfied.

[0:39:34] "I think you never achieve your own expectation because you always expect more. You know, and you always expect that you're going to be a better player," Grigonis explained. "And if you don't achieve that, that's the thing when you get, you know, pretty upset. 'I wanted more' or whatever."

Coming home to join Zalgiris under Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius in 2018 was a defining moment. Grigonis was able to play in front of friends and family while wearing the jersey of the club that he had cheered for as a boy. He was able to make them proud with his strong play down the stretch as Zalgiris won its final six regular-season games to sneak into the playoffs.

[0:55:40] "One of the EuroLeague coaches said that it was impossible to go to the playoffs for Zalgiris. When we started winning, everybody was like, 'Hold on. What's going on?' When we won in Madrid [to clinch a playoffs qualification], it was one of the best parties. It was amazing!"

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 Toko Shengelia, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Ettore Messina, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others. The first guest in Season 3 as FC Bayern Munich Coach Andrea Trinchieri.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [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.

October's MVP from Zalgiris chats with Joe Arlauckas

The Crossover welcomes Marius Grigonis

Valencia Basket nearly wasted a 20-point lead, but held on to collect an 88-82 home win over Khimki Moscow Region on Wednesday. 

Valencia holds on to beat Khimki

Valencia Basket nearly wasted a 20-point lead, but held on to collect an 88-82 home win over Khimki Moscow Region on Wednesday. Martin Hermannsson led the way with 16 points and 9 assists for Valencia, which has won three of its last four games and improved to 10-6. Derrick Williams chipped in 15 points, Bojan Dubljevic had 11 points and Klemen Prepelic and Mike Tobey both had 10 points for the hosts, who rebounded from a loss to Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in Round 15. Khimki’s losing streak extended to eight games in falling to 2-14 despite Errick McCollum scoring 16 points. Alexey Shved added 14 and Devin Booker scored 11.



Booker’s jumper got the scoring going for Khimki while fellow big man Dubljevic got Valencia’s first points to start an 8-1 surge including 4 points from Jaime Pradilla for an 8-3 lead. Shved and Jonas Jerebko drained back-to-back triples and Khimki was back up 8-9. Valencia’s defense kept Khimki scoreless for nearly 3 minutes and a 6-0 spurt had the hosts up 16-11. It was 16-13 after 10 minutes. After Prepelic scored first for Valencia in the second quarter, McCollum got 5 quick points to knot the game at 18-18. The Khimki offense once again sputtered, going 4 minutes without a score. Nikola Kalinic had 4 points in a 10-0 run to open a 28-18 lead. The duo of Williams and Dubljevic was too much with 12 points in a 15-7 close to the first half as Valencia went into the break up 45-29.

Catch up on Valencia Basket vs Khimki Moscow Region highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 23rd December 2020

Valencia Basket vs Khimki Moscow Region Highlights - Round 16 - 23rd December, 2020

McCollum tallied the first points of the second half only to see Prepelic drain back-to-back three-pointers as the gap rose to 51-31. Khimki showed just what it can do offensively with Jordan Mickey hitting a three-pointer and Janis Timma going back-to-back from deep to cut the margin down to 53-46 through a 2-15 run. Six Khimki free throws cut the deficit down to 55-52, but Valencia scored the final 4 points of the quarter and was up 59-52 after 30 minutes. Vyacheslav Zaytsev scored first in the fourth quarter and McCollum’s next triple trimmed the gap to 61-57. Hermannsson answered right back from deep to start a 7-0 spurt that sent the lead to 68-57. Khimki had one more push with Jerebko, Dairis Bertans and Shved all hitting three-pointers to pull within 74-68 with less than 4 minutes to play. Valencia would not be broken and Tobey made it 78-68. Bertans managed 3 free throws, but Mickey’s three-pointer was off with the team down 7 points with 76 seconds remaining. Khimki would not go down without a fight with Booker hitting a triple and Shved converting a three-point play to pull within 82-77 with 19 seconds remaining. Hermannsson showed he has ice in his veins, draining 2 free throws to lock up the win.

### Khimki could not slow down Valencia

The game went according to the season team stats as Valencia came into the game as the third-highest scoring team in the league with 83.3 ppg and Khimki had allowed a league-high 88.3 points.

### Pivotal performer

Martin Hermannsson came off the Valencia bench and guided the team with 16 points to go along with 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 1 steal for an index rating off 22.

### Telling numbers

Valencia shot 67.4% on two-pointers and made all 18 of its free throws while holding Khimki to just 48.3% on two-pointers and forcing 18 turnovers.

Hermannsson-008780.jpg

Valencia Basket nearly wasted a 20-point lead, but held on to collect an 88-82 home win over Khimki Moscow Region on Wednesday. 


Valencia Basket v Khimki Moscow Region (2020-12-23T20:00:00.000Z)

Marius Grigonis scored the game-winning jumper with 0.6 seconds left as Zalgiris Kaunas survived a 74-73 battle with visiting FC Bayern Munich to extend its winning streak to four games.

Grigonis game-winner extends Zalgiris streak

Marius Grigonis scored the game-winning jumper with 0.6 seconds left as Zalgiris Kaunas survived a 74-73 battle with visiting FC Bayern Munich to extend its winning streak to four games. Grigonis ended the game with 22 points while Arturas Milaknis tallied 11 for Zalgiris, which continued its roll since ending a six-game losing streak and improved to 9-7 to stay in the top eight of the standings. Jalen Reynolds paced Bayern with 17 points and 7 rebounds while Nick Weiler-Babb had 16 points and Paul Zipser chipped in 14 in the loss. Bayern has now dropped three straight road games and fell to 10-6 but still holds onto fourth place alone.



JaJuan Johnson and Leon Radosevic put Bayern up 0-4 to start as Zalgiris needed more than 2 minutes to score until Joffrey Lauvergne tossed down a pair of alley-oop dunks and Milaknis hit a three-pointer in a 9-0 run to move ahead 9-4. Reynolds stopped the run and D.J. Seeley's three-pointer had Bayern within 11-9. Next, Paulius Jankunas, Grigonis and Augustine Rubit all converted three-point plays in an 11-2 surge for a 22-11 Zalgiris advantage, which was down to 22-16 after 10 minutes. Lukas Lekavicius and Rokas Jokubaitis soon pushed the hosts' lead back to double digits, 26-16. Bayern held Zalgiris to a single free throw over the next 3 minutes while Zipser scored 6 straight points to make it 27-24. Reynolds stayed strong inside for Bayern, but Milaknis kept Zalgiris in charge, 38-30, from deep. Weiler-Babb came off Bayern's bench for 5 straight points to trim the difference to 40-35 at the break. 

Catch up on Zalgiris Kaunas vs FC Bayern Munich highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 23rd December 2020

Zalgiris Kaunas vs FC Bayern Munich Highlights - Round 16 - 23rd December, 2020

Grigonis started the second-half scoring before Weiler-Babb and Johnson combined to keep Bayern within 42-39 as Zalgiris didn't score for 3 minutes. Thomas Walkup's triple soon meant a 47-39 advantage before Wade Baldwin and Rubit traded 4 points each as Zalgiris stayed up 51-43. The back-and forth continued as Milaknis and Zipser swapped triples until a 56-51 score after 30 minutes. Seeley and Nihad Dedovic scored quickly and Reynolds down a go-ahead put-back at 56-57 to start the fourth quarter with the first of four straight lead changes until Grigonis and Nigel Hayes hit three-pointers to make it 64-59 for Zalgiris. Weiler-Babb punched back with back-to-back triples and Bayern was ahead again, 64-65, midway through the quarter. Zalgiris answered back with 6 straight points as Bayern went scoreless for more than 3 minutes. Reynolds and Grigonis traded layups to make it 72-67 with 52 seconds to play, but Bayern was not done. Seeley downed a quick three-pointer, and after a Grigonis missed his triple attempt, Weiler-Babb converting layup-and-one with 4.3 seconds to put Bayern up 72-73. That, however, was enough time for Grigonis to hit the game-winning jumper over Seeley with 0.6 seconds left for the win.

### Threes not needed

Zalgiris connected on just 6 of 15 three-pointers, which is a solid 40.0%, but showed it can win games without making triples in volume. The EuroLeague's most accurate long-distance shooters had drained 13, 18 and 16 three-pointers in its previous three wins.

### Did you notice?

Paulius Jankunas scored a season-high 8 points as he hit both of his field goal attempts and 4 of 5 free throws. The 36-year-old also grabbed 3 rebounds and picked up 1 assist and 1 steal in just 11:20 minutes.

### Telling numbers

Zalgiris made up for 18 turnovers by holding Bayern to just 46.8% on two-pointers and hitting 16 of 19 free throws to 8 of 10 for Bayern.

Grigonis-002328.jpg

Marius Grigonis scored the game-winning jumper with 0.6 seconds left as Zalgiris Kaunas survived a 74-73 battle with visiting FC Bayern Munich to extend its winning streak to four games.


Zalgiris Kaunas v FC Bayern Munich (2020-12-23T17:00:00.000Z)

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz marked its 500th game in the EuroLeague by beating AX Armani Exchange Milan 86-79 on Wednesday night at Mediolanum Forum. 

Baskonia celebrates 500th game with rare triumph in Milan

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz marked its 500th game in the EuroLeague by beating AX Armani Exchange Milan 86-79 on Wednesday night at Mediolanum Forum. The win, which boosted Baskonia's record to 7-8 this season, ended a seven-game losing streak in Milan dating back to 2012. Baskonia led by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter before Milan scored 9 unanswered points and rallied to within 2 in the final minute. Pierria Henry stepped up for Baskonia with a basket-plus-foul to clinch the win. Zoran Dragic paced the winners with 16 points, Henry tallied 15 points and 8 assists, Tonye Jekiri posted 12 points and 12 rebounds, Rokas Giedraitis scored 11 and Youssoupha Fall 10. Kevin Punter led Milan with 15 points, Malcolm Delaney added 12 points and Luigi Datome scored 11. The loss dropped Milan's record to 9-6.



Baskonia took control with the game's first 6 points before Shavon Shields got going with 7 straight of his own to give Milan the lead. Tadas Sedekerskis's three-pointer gave Baskonia a 7-11 edge midway through the opening quarter. Delaney and Kyle Hines helped Milan close the gap, but the hosts had no answer for Fall, who scored inside on three consecutive possessions to make it 13-21. Threes by Datome and Sergio Rodriguez got Milan within 19-23 after 10 minutes. After a three by Datome got the hosts within 1, Giedraitis scored the next 5 points and Dragic extended the difference to 24-32 midway through the second quarter. Punter heated up to twice get Milan within 4, but Fall and Dragic kept Baskonia in control. Delaney's second three of the game made it a 1-point game only to see Alec Peters end the half with a triple that gave the visitors a 41-45 lead.

Catch up on AX Armani Exchange Milan vs TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 23rd December 2020

AX Armani Exchange Milan vs TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Highlights - Round 16 - 23rd December, 2020

Baskonia opened the second half with both of its top point guards on the court together and Henry and Luc Vildoza fueled a 0-7 surge to establish the game's first double-digit lead, 45-55. Shields and Datome soon halved the Milan deficit, but baskets by Vildoza and Henry kept Baskonia rolling. Rodriguez sank a three-pointer to bring the hosts within 57-63 through three quarters. Jekiri completed an alley-oop finish and Peters scored 5 quick points as Baskonia stretched its lead to 59-70. A deep three by Vildoza gave Baskonia even more confidence and the lead reached 63-79 on free throws by Jekiri. Vildoza fouled out with 4 minutes remaining and Milan scored 8 straight points before Baskonia called timeout. Punter split free throws to make it 72-79 with 2 minutes remaining. Jekiri sank a mid-range jumper, but Milan was now hot; Delaney buried a three with 1 minute left that made it 77-81. Michael Roll's first basket got his team within 2 with 32.7 seconds to go. Henry attacked the Milan defense for a three-point play with 11.3 seconds on the clock to all but seal the victory.

### Game-deciding play

The momentum was all Milan's after the hosts trimmed a 16-point deficit with 4 minutes left to 79-81 with 32.7 seconds to go. It needed a defensive stop and it would have the ball with a chance to force overtime – or win with a three-pointer. Baskonia turned to Pierria Henry, who wound the clock down before attacking the basket, drawing a foul and scoring, ultimately putting his team up 5 and clinching the win.

### A victory eight years in the making

The win was Baskonia's first in Milan since October 2012, when it grabbed an 85-95 victory at the same arena. Milan had captured seven straight wins in games between them since. Coach Dusko Ivanovic was also on the Baskonia bench for that game; he is the only member of either team who was also involved in that game.

### Telling numbers

Baskonia outshot Milan from all distances, making 61.1% of its two-pointers, 47.4% of threes and 76.5% of free throws. The home team was 43.9%, 42.9% and 70% from the corresponding distances. The visitors' 24 assists were 10 more than what Milan had.

Henry-2-006754.jpg

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz marked its 500th game in the EuroLeague by beating AX Armani Exchange Milan 86-79 on Wednesday night at Mediolanum Forum. 


AX Armani Exchange Milan v TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2020-12-23T19:45:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul survived a late scare to claim a nervy and much-needed 84-77 victory over Olympiacos Piraeus on Wednesday night. 

Vesely fires Fenerbahce to win over Olympiacos

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul survived a late scare to claim a nervy and much-needed 84-77 victory over Olympiacos Piraeus on Wednesday night. A fast-paced and closely contested first half saw the lead regularly swap hands as Fenerbahce clung to a 45-41 lead at the break. The hosts stretched that to 13 points in the third quarter but Sasha Vezenkov hit a flurry of three-pointers for Olympiacos to come back within 75-74 with 2 minutes left. Jan Vesely produced some big late plays to seal the deal, capping a fine performance of 17 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Nando De Colo also did a bit of everything with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Dyshawn Pierre scored 14, Melih Mahmutoglu 12 and Danilo Barthel 11 in victory. Vezenkov made 5-of-7 triples among his 17 points, with Livio Jean-Charles (12), Aaron Harrison (11) and Vassilis Spanoulis (11) also in double figures for Olympiacos. Fenerbahce halted a three-game losing run to improve to 6-10, while Olympiacos dropped to 7-8.



Jean-Charles and Vesely traded early blows inside before the visitors raced ahead 2-8 on long-range strikes from Harrison and Kostas Papanikolaou. Vesely, Marko Guduric and De Colo scored before Barthel completed a 9-0 run to an 11-8 Fenerbahce lead with a layup. Harrison and Jean-Charles hit back from deep, but Mahmutoglu banked in a triple to force a 16-16 tie. Jean-Charles, Papanikoalou and Kostas Sloukas all buried three-balls as Olympiacos took a 22-27 lead after one quarter despite big dunks from Barthel and Edgaras Ulanovas. Sloukas fed Hassan Martin for an alley-oop layup to stretch the lead, but Mahmutoglu and Jarrell Eddie hit triples and Lorenzo Brown capped an 8-0 run from mid-range for as Fenerbahce regained a 30-29 lead. Spanoulis kept Olympiacos red-hot from long range but Eddie and Brown scored inside before Vesely dunked at 36-34. Guduric, Vesely and Pierre filled a new Fenerbahce surge, but Vezenkov hit with a triple and Octavius Ellis dunked for a 45-41 halftime score.

Catch up on Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs Olympiacos Piraeus highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 23rd December 2020

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs Olympiacos Piraeus Highlights - Round 16 - 23rd December, 2020

De Colo's free throws and Vesely's towering tip-in saw the lead grow to 50-41 after the break. Jean-Charles netted the visitors' first points of the second half and Harrison added a triple. Barthel scored inside before Brown's deep strike and Vesely's dunk opened a big 59-46 gap in the score. Martin's three-point play and Shaq McKissic's fastbreak finish reignited Olympiacos, but Ahmet Duverioglu and Pierre restored the double-digit lead, 66-54 after three quarters. Mahmutoglu opened the fourth quarter scoring under the basket before triples from Vezenkov and Spanoulis gave the Reds fresh hope. Barthel's layup-and-one calmed Fenerbahce, but 5 fast points from Vezenkov kept Olympiacos in contention, 73-68 with 4 minutes remaining. Vezenkov would land another pair of deep strikes to set up a nervy finale, 75-74 with 2 minutes left. De Colo from the foul line and Pierre on the baseline pushed the hosts further ahead, and Spanoulis's score was bettered by Pierre from deep, icing the game with 18 seconds left.

### Fener keeps it moving

Fenerbahce had great ball movement throughout the team, registering a season-high 25 assists through nine different players. Nando De Colo and Jan Vesely led the way with 5 assists each, followed by Edgaras Ulanovas (4), Marko Guduric (3) and Dyshawn Pierre (3).

### Solid return for Guduric

Marko Guduric, making his first appearance for Fenerbahce after returning to the club, had a solid contribution of 4 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in his 20 minutes on the floor.

### Sloukas dishes but doesn't score

Olympiacos guard Kostas Sloukas, making his first return to Fenerbahce after spending five seasons with the club, had a strong night of distribution, dishing a game-high 7 assists, but he went just 1-for-5 from the field for a total of 5 points.

### Milestone night for Olympiacos

This was the 500th game in the modern era of the competition for Olympiacos, which became the third team to reach that milestone after FC Barcelona and CSKA Moscow, while TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz duly followed to become the fourth later on Wednesday.

Vesely-000925.jpg

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul survived a late scare to claim a nervy and much-needed 84-77 victory over Olympiacos Piraeus on Wednesday night. 


Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Olympiacos Piraeus (2020-12-23T17:45:00.000Z)

Zenit St Petersburg set numerous records in destroying Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 98-69 on Tuesday night. The home side led 30-12 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, despite Zvezda briefly getting closer with a 0-13 run to bridge the second and third quarters. Zenit enjoyed a 12-0 run early in the second half and Zvezda never threatened again. KC Rivers led the way with 7-of-8 three-point shooting in his total of 23 points, while Kevin Pangos added 17, Billy Baron scored 13 and Arturas Gudaitis netted 12. Johnny O’Bryant (13 points) and Dejan Davidovac (10) offered some resistance for Zvezda. Zenit (9-5) protected its place in the playoffs zone, while Zvezda dropped to 5-11.

Rivers inspires record-setting Zenit to destroy Zvezda

Zenit St Petersburg set numerous records in destroying Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 98-69 on Tuesday night. The home side led 30-12 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, despite Zvezda briefly getting closer with a 0-13 run to bridge the second and third quarters. Zenit enjoyed a 12-0 run early in the second half and Zvezda never threatened again. KC Rivers led the way with 7-of-8 three-point shooting in his total of 23 points, while Kevin Pangos added 17, Billy Baron scored 13 and Arturas Gudaitis netted 12. Johnny O’Bryant (13 points) and Dejan Davidovac (10) offered some resistance for Zvezda. Zenit (9-5) protected its place in the playoffs zone, while Zvezda dropped to 5-11.


Three-pointers from Will Thomas and Pangos sent Zenit racing ahead, before Ognjen Dobric’s tip-in got Zvezda on the scoreboard. Two more baskets for Pangos made it 11-2 and he soon added his third triple for a double-digit lead. O’Bryant’s triple made it closer, but Pangos drove to score again and Andrey Zubkov scored twice for a 21-11 advantage. Gudaitis added a pair of buckets, including a three-point play, and Baron struck a long two to make it 30-12 after 10 minutes. Baron made a trio of free throws to take the lead past 20 points and Alex Poythress dunked twice before Baron struck from deep as the lead kept growing. Dobric, Ognjen Kuzmic and Marko Simonovic scored inside for Zvezda, but Mateusz Ponitka hit a three to keep Zenit comfortable, 43-22. Baron netted another triple, but Zvezda scored free throws and continued to enjoy success inside through O’Bryant and Dobric, before Corey Walden’s driving layup completed a 0-10 run to make it 48-37 at halftime.first half goes here 

Catch up on Zenit St Petersburg vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 22nd December 2020

Zenit St Petersburg vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade Highlights - Round 16 - 22nd December, 2020

Branko Lazic got it back to 48-40 from long-range, but Rivers struck a quickfire trio of triples to restore a strong lead, 59-42. Gudaitis scored 4 points to complete a 12-0 run, before Davidovac made it closer with a powerful layup and a three-pointer. Zvezda’s new signing Quino Colom netted a floater and a triple, making it 69-54 at the end of the third. Rivers netted his fourth triple and Thomas scored underneath for another 20-point lead. A pair of three-point shots and an easy layup from Rivers made it 82-56 and Ponitka hit an open triple for 87-58. O’Bryant scored twice inside for Zvezda, but the on-fire Rivers scored from deep again, 90-60. Zubkov added another triple and Zenit eased home in the final minutes.

### Records fall in rout

The 29-point winning margin was easily the biggest recorded by Zenit in the competition and its totals of 98 points, 16 three-pointers and 115 PIR were also club records in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

### Pangos starts with fireworks

Kevin Pangos made a superb start to the game, scoring 13 points in the opening 6 minutes by making all of his field-goal attempts - including three three-pointers. He then turned provider to finish the first quarter with 15 points and 3 assists.

### Milestone night for Rivers

KC Rivers tied Zenit’s competition record by making 7 of his 8 three-point attempts. His tally of 23 points also saw him move past 1,500 points in his EuroLeague career. And the win saw the well-traveled forward record his 100th victory in the competition to complete a memorable evening.

### Unhappy debut for Colom

Zvezda gave a debut to newly-signed point guard Quino Colom. The playmaker scored 5 points in just under 10 minutes on the floor.

Colom-006533.jpg

Zenit St Petersburg v Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2020-12-22T17:00:00.000Z)

League leader CSKA Moscow never trailed, but was never able to pull away before taking a 78-87 victory at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne to extend its winning streak to 11 games. 

CSKA holds off ASVEL for 11th straight win

League leader CSKA Moscow never trailed, but was never able to pull away before taking a 78-87 victory at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne to extend its winning streak to 11 games. Mike James poured in 31 points with 6 assists while Nikola Milutinov picked up 17 points and 14 rebounds for CSKA, which improved to 13-3. Toko Shengelia added 13 points and Darrun Hilliard 11. ASVEL saw its two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 5-10. Guerschon Yabusele paced ASVEL with 16 points and 6 rebounds, Allerik Freeman scored 13 points and David Lighty had 12 points and 6 rebounds. It was ASVEL’s first loss at home since November 13 - a stretch of four wins.


Hilliard’s layup started the scoring for the visitors with Moustapha Fall doing the honors for ASVEL. The hosts could not slow down CSKA with four different players scoring in a 2-9 surge to move ahead 4-11. ASVEL fought to stay in the game with Fall making it 10-15. Hilliard drained a three-pointer at the other end as the advantage grew to 10-19. Noris Cole made a triple for the hosts, who trailed 15-21 after 10 minutes. Ismael Bako’s alley-oop dunk opened the second quarter, but James began taking over with 7 straight points and the margin reached 19-30. ASVEL managed a mini 5-0 spurt, but Shengelia and Nikita Kurbanov hit triples as the advantage grew to 27-42. ASVEL used the long ball to get back into the game as Freeman made a pair of triples and Antoine Diot and Yabusele went back-to-back from deep to get the deficit down to 41-46 at the break.

Catch up on LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs CSKA Moscow highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 22nd December 2020

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs CSKA Moscow Highlights - Round 16 - 22nd December, 2020

ASVEL got three-pointers from Yabusele and Lighty early in the second half to get within 47-48. CSKA answered with baskets by Milutinov and a James triple to lead 49-57. The home side would not go away as Kevarrius Hayes scored 5 straight points. Five points from Will Clyburn had CSKA up 57-66 and the cushion was 60-66 after 30 minutes. Charles Kahudi’s first basket opened the final frame and the hosts were within 4 points. CSKA punched back yet again with a James steal and dunk and then a Johannes Voigtmann triple to make it 64-73. The battle would continue with a Cole jumper trimming it to 69-73 only to see James and Freeman swap three-pointers. CSKA stepped up its defense and held ASVEL scoreless for nearly 3 minutes. Shengelia rebounded and put back his own missed free throw to lead 72-83. Milutinov came up with a big putback of his own to make it 74-85 with less than 2 minutes to play.

### Pivotal performer

Nikola Milutinov once again was outstanding as CSKA’s big man collected 17 points and 14 rebounds - five of them on the offensive glass - for an index rating of 30. It was Milutinov’s fourth straight double-double and a season-high in PIR.

### Did you notice?

ASVEL’s big man Moustapha Fall was limited to just 7:21 minutes in which he scored 4 points and committed 2 fouls. He had tallied 31 points with 11 rebounds and 8 assists in the last two games combined.

### Telling numbers

CSKA controlled the boards 33 to 27 including 14 offensive rebounds for an 18 to 6 advantage in second-chance points.

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League leader CSKA Moscow never trailed, but was never able to pull away before taking a 78-87 victory at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne to extend its winning streak to 11 games. 


LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v CSKA Moscow (2020-12-22T19:45:00.000Z)

Real Madrid got its 10th victory in its last 11 EuroLeague games by beating ALBA Berlin 91-62 in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. 

Real thrashes ALBA in Madrid

Real Madrid got its 10th victory in its last 11 EuroLeague games by beating ALBA Berlin 91-62 in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. The no-doubt-about-it win lifted Real's regular-season record to 11-5 while ALBA dropped to 6-9. Real led 19-18 after 10 minutes and took off after that, extending its margin to 45-30 at halftime and then to 72-44 at the end of the third quarter to seal the outcome. Edy Tavares led Madrid with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Usman Garuba added 15 points and Fabien Causeur scored 10 for Real. ALBA got 13 points apiece from Maodo Lo and Luke Sikma.



Sikma and Tavares traded jump hooks to get their respective teams going. Jayson Granger hit a jumper, which Garuba bettered with a corner triple for a 5-4 Real lead. Neils Giffey and Johannes Thiemann each scored around the basket, but Jeffery Taylor tied it with a three-pointer. Garuba struck from beyond the arc and Tavares added a put-back basket, but Thiemann downed back-to-back triples for a 13-14 ALBA edge. Nico Laprovitolla and Garuba rescued Real and Taylor scored in penetration for a 19-18 lead after 10 minutes. Causeur took over with a driving layup and found Sergio Llull for a rainbow three-pointer. Llull scored in penetration, but Louis Olinde hit a three-pointer to make it 26-21. Trey Thompkins scored twice down low and Causeur buried back-to-back triples to make it a double-digit game. Olinde kept pushing ALBA with a tip-in, but Rudy Fernandez struck from downtown and Tavares added a wild alley-oop slam to break the game open, 41-26. Lo cut ALBA's deficit to 45-30 at halftime.

Catch up on Real Madrid vs ALBA Berlin highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 22nd December 2020

Real Madrid vs ALBA Berlin Highlights - Round 16 - 22nd December, 2020

Giffey buried a jumper soon after the break and Granger erased Tavares's floater with a driving layup. Jaycee Carroll downed consecutive three-pointers and got help from Laprovittola and Tavares to boost the hosts' lead to 63-36. Sikma struck from downtown, but Garuba dunked twice for a 67-39 Real margin. Laprovittola buried a triple and Tavares scored in the paint. Lo kept ALBA within 72-44 after 30 minutes. ALBA kept struggling to score early in the fourth quarter and Gabriel Deck and Taylor kept Real way ahead, 76-49. Little changed in the final 6 minutes as Real cruised to a well-deserved win.

### Pivotal performer

Since he's developed an effective offensive game, Tavares has become one of the best players in the competition and proved it again on this night. He finished the game with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double, adding an assist, 3 steals and a block for a PIR of 27.

### Game-changing moment

ALBA came within 26-21 on a three-pointer by Olinde. Real found its flow on offense as Thompkins scored twice in the paint, Causeur downed a couple of three-pointers, Fernandez also struck from beyond the arc and Tavares added a big alley-oop dunk. All of a sudden, Real led 41-26 and there was no way back for the German champs.

### Stellar stat

Real outrebounded ALBA 39-23 with 11 offensive boards. It also dished 26 assists - 10 more than its opponents. Real made 20 of 29 two-pointers (69.0%); ALBA took more two-point shots (34) and made fewer baskets (16), which led to a much-worse percentage (47.1%).

### Did you know?

Real remained undefeated at home against ALBA with eight wins in as many games in the Spanish capital. Real is also on an 11-game winning streak against the German champs, whose last victory against Los Blancos came in November 1999.

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Real Madrid got its 10th victory in its last 11 EuroLeague games by beating ALBA Berlin 91-62 in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. 


Real Madrid v ALBA Berlin (2020-12-22T20:00:00.000Z)

Resurgent Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv held on to beat Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 89-81 on Tuesday night at Menora Mivtachim Arena for the Israeli champs' fourth win in five games.

 Maccabi survives Nedovic onslaught to win

Resurgent Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv held on to beat Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 89-81 on Tuesday night at Menora Mivtachim Arena for the Israeli champs' fourth win in five games. To do so, Maccabi needed to overcome a brilliant offensive night from Nemanja Nedovic, who scored a career-high 39 points and led the Greens back from a 16-point deficit to within 2 in the fourth quarter. The victory lifted Maccabi's record to 7-9 on the season, while Panathinaikos fell to 5-10. Scottie Wilbekin paced the Maccabi attack with 22 points and Elijah Bryant and Othello Hunter added 13 points apiece. Hunter also grabbed 7 rebounds. Georgios Papagiannis posted 11 rebounds and 4 blocks for Panathinaikos in defeat.



The two centers opened the scoring with Papagiannis getting a hook shot to fall for the Greens before Ante Zizic netted a layup for the hosts. The offenses took time to settle in with the scoreboard reading 4-4 after 4 minutes. Wilbekin's jumper in the lane gave Maccabi its first lead, 6-4. Bryant free throws extended the margin to 7. Shelvin Mack came off the bench to drill a three for Panathinaikos, but Yovel Zoosman did the same at the other end. A basket-plus-foul by Hunter extended the margin to double figures and it reached 12 before Nedovic's triple made it 21-12 after 10 minutes. Ben Bentil struck from behind the arc to open the second quarter. Maccabi scored the next 6 points before Nedovic sank a three for the Greens. Omri Casspi scored on back-to-back possessions to extend the margin to 31-18 midway through the second quarter. After a timeout, Dragan Bender scored twice to stretch the lead to 35-19. However, Howard Sant-Roos set up Nedovic and Aaron White for baskets to get Panathinaikos going, prompting a Maccabi timeout. Wilbekin and Chris Jones sandwiched threes around Nedovic free throws. Nedovic kept firing and scored twice more to bring his team within 41-30 at the break.

Catch up on Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs Panathinaikos OPAP Athens highlights from Round 16 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 22nd December 2020

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs Panathinaikos OPAP Athens Highlights - Round 16 - 22nd December, 2020

Dinos Mitoglou free throws early in the second half got the margin down to 9 before Wilbekin and Tyler Dorsey got Maccabi going again. Nedovic and Mitoglou closed the gap to 47-38. Dorsey and Nedovic traded threes to make it 50-41 midway through the third quarter. Nedovic starting dishing assists and a basket by Mitoglou and a three by Marcus Foster got the visitors within 4. Bryant scored 5 straight points to give Maccabi some breathing room. A pull-up three by Ioannis Papapetrou kept Panathinaikos close at 57-52. Free throws by Hunter granted Maccabi a 59-52 advantage after three quarters. Nedovic's fourth three-pointer and a slam by Papagiannis made it 63-57 early in the fourth quarter. Another Papagiannis dunk made it 65-61. Bender scored on Maccabi's next two possessions to stretch the lead to 7. Nedovic drained a four-point play to close the gap to 70-67 midway through the fourth quarter. After Wilbekin and Sant-Roos traded threes, Nedovic connected on his seventh triple to get within 75-73. Wilbekin was up for the duel with free throws and a pair of floaters to keep Maccabi in control. After a timeout, Bentil and Wilbekin traded threes. Hunter sank a pair of free throws to make it 84-76 with 1:14 to play. A jumper by Nedovic and a free throw by Papapetrou got Panathinaikos within 5 with 30 seconds left. Free throws by Bryant for a 6-point lead with 13.3 seconds left put the game on ice.

### Historic night for Nedovic

Nemanja Nedovic had a special night for Panathinaikos with 39 points on 7-for-12 three-point shooting. He set a career-high in scoring and PIR (45) and tied his personal best for three-pointers made. After scoring 3 in the first quarter, Nedovic went for 11 in the second. But his best quarter was the fourth with 19 points. He tied teammate Ioannis Papapetrou for the second-most points in a game by a Panathinaikos player; Tyrese Rice owns the record with 41. His PIR is also second-best for the Greens; Jaka Lakovic had 51 in a March 2004 game.

### Wilbekin's response

Scottie Wilbekin went shot for shot with Nedovic at times in the fourth quarter, during which he scored 12 points to keep Maccabi in control. Wilbekin also dished 4 assists and made 4 three-pointers from 8 tries. In doing so, Wilbekin leapfrogged Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul players Nando De Colo and Ali Muhammed on the career list for three-pointers. Wilbekin reached 308, which put him in 18th place. De Colo and Muhammed, who play on Wednesday night, are 19th with 304.

### Telling numbers

Both teams shot well, but Maccabi was excellent from the line where it made 20 of 23 free throws (87.0%). The visitors, in contrast, were 10 for 14 (71.4%). Maccabi also outrebounded Panathinaikos 36-27.

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Resurgent Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv held on to beat Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 89-81 on Tuesday night at Menora Mivtachim Arena for the Israeli champs' fourth win in five games.


Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (2020-12-22T19:15:00.000Z)