AX Armani Exchange Milan recorded its second victory in two games by downing still winless LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 87-73 at home on Friday. 

Milan dominates ASVEL to get first home win

AX Armani Exchange Milan recorded its second victory in two games by downing still winless LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 87-73 at home on Friday. Shavon Shields led the winners with 17 points. Sergio Rodriguez added 13 while Zach LeDay and Riccardo Moraschini each had 10 for Milan. Amine Noua led ASVEL with 12 points while Norris Cole and Moustapha Fall both scored 10. Milan led 45-40 at halftime, extended its margin to 61-54 after 30 minutes and then again to 73-59 soon after that to seal the outcome.



Kyle Hines got Milan going with a jumper but Cole and Rihards Lomazs soon gave ASVEL a 2-6 lead. Hines kept pacing the hosts but Noua hit a jump hook and Cole added a coast-to-coast layup for a 6-11 score. Michael Roll and Rodriguez struck from downtown but David Lighty kept ASVEL in charge. LeDay and Kaleb Tarczewski fueled a 7-0 run highlighted by Moraschini's three-point play which allowed the hosts to get a 20-17 lead after 10 minutes. Ismael Bako dunked early in the second quarter but Rodriguez struck from beyond the arc, igniting a 9-0 run which Hines capped with a big basket for a double-digit lead, 29-19. Malcolm Delaney found his first points and assisted Luigi Datome for a three-pointer that boosted the hosts' margin to 34-22. Fall and Noua stepped up for ASVEL, then Antoine Diot and William Howard each buried a three-pointer. ASVEL stayed strong behind Noua's play inside, but LeDay and Rodriguez keep the hosts ahead, 45-40, at halftime.

Hines buried a jumper soon after the break but Noua and Cole brought ASVEL as close as 47-45. Delaney stepped up with 5 quick points, igniting a 10-0 run that Shields capped with a three-pointer, 57-45. Cole and Delaney traded driving layups, then Guerschon Yabusele dunked. Moraschini scored in penetration but Lighty and Diot kept ASVEL within 61-54 after 30 minutes. Yabusele followed a three-pointer with a driving layup early in the fourth quarter but LeDay and Datome kept Milan way ahead, 68-59. Shields kept pacing the hosts with a put-back basket and Rodriguez added a three-pointer that broke the game open, 73-59, after a 10-0 run. Shields put the exclamation mark with a fast break slam and even though ASVEL kept trying, Milan cruised to a well-deserved win.

### Pivotal performer

Shavon Shields hit the game-winner in Round 1 and had a great all-round performance in this game, showing he will have a crucial role for Coach Ettore Messina going forward. He finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, a block and 4 fouls drawn for a game-high PIR of 19.

### Game-changing moment

Guerschon Yabusele managed to keep ASVEL within 63-59 early in the fourth quarter. But Milan then found a go-to guy in Luigi Datome, who scored the opening 5 points of a 10-0 run that sealed the outcome.

### Stellar stats

Milan finished the game with 17 assists and just 11 turnovers. On the other hand, ASVEL had more turnovers, 17, than assists, 11. Milan also crashed the offensive glass better, finishing with 13 offensive rebounds and only allowing ASVEL to get 7.

### Did you notice?

Milan won all four quarters: 20-17, 25-23, 16-14, 26-19. Before this game, the Italian team hadn’t done that at all in the last three seasons. The last time Milan won all four quarters in a EuroLeague game was against Anadolu Efes Istanbul (25-24, 30-25, 24-18, 26-25) in a 105-92 victory on November 10, 2016.

Rodriguez-CVM.jpg

AX Armani Exchange Milan recorded its second victory in two games by downing still winless LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 87-73 at home on Friday. 


AX Armani Exchange Milan v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2020-10-09T18:45:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul maintained its perfect start by gaining a hard-fought 71-80 derby win at Anadolu Efes Istanbul, which remains looking for its first victory.

Fenerbahce claims derby win over Efes

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul maintained its perfect start by gaining a hard-fought 71-80 derby win at Anadolu Efes Istanbul, which remains looking for its first victory. Efes had a 9-point lead in the first half, but Fenerbahce battled hard to go ahead before halftime. The home team regularly threatened throughout the second, half but Fenerbahce stayed strong to claim a huge road win. Nando De Colo led the way with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Lorenzo Brown added 17 points, Jan Vesely had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Edgaras Ulanovas scored 10 points. Krunoslav Simon starred for Efes with 24 points and 5 assists, but Rodrigue Beaubois (11 points) was the only other player to score in double figures for the home team.



Ulanovas started red-hot with a pair of triples from his team’s first two possessions. Adrian Moerman opened Efes’s account from deep, but Fenerbahce went inside to stay ahead through Brown and Ahmet Duverioglu. Simon then took over with four consecutive scores, including a three-pointer for Efes’s first lead at 12-10. Moerman completed a 12-0 run from mid-range before Melih Mahmutoglu stopped the rot with a floater. A three-point play from Brown made it closer and it was 23-16 after the first quarter. Ulanovas also opened the second quarter scoring before Mahmutoglu sank a deep three and De Colo hit a long two to tie the game, 23-23. Johnathan Hamilton threw down two dunks as Fenerbahce moved ahead, but Tibor Pleiss also scored twice to keep it close and James Anderson struck from deep for a 32-32 tie. Vasilije Micic’s triple changed the lead again, but Vesely and Brown put Fenerbahce back on top. A pair of threes from De Colo ended the first half at 35-42 with a 0-10 run.

Duverioglu started the second half with a put-back slam, but Simon answered from the corner before a low-scoring passage of play. De Colo’s off-balance layup protected Fener’s lead. Then 5 straight points from Beaubois brought Efes closer. Simon made another triple and Beaubois’s foul shots briefly changed the lead, 51-50, on a 10-0 run. But Jarell Eddie snapped that with a three-pointer and Ali Muhammed’s pull-up three made it 51-56. Brown joined the three-point party and following free throws it was 54-61 after three quarters. Anderson started the fourth quarter by scoring from long-range and Simon added another to make it a 1-point game. Brown’s corner three kept Fenerbahce ahead before Moerman and De Colo traded baskets. Vesely’s open dunk and De Colo’s steal and layup made it 64-74 inside the last 3 minutes and there was no way back for Efes.

### Simon’s 4 perfect minutes

With Shane Larkin out through injury, Krunoslav Simon took over as Efes’s key man – especially during a red-hot run in the first quarter when he scored 10 points, dished an assist, grabbed a rebound, made a steal, drew a foul and blocked a shot by Jan Vesely… all in the space of 4 minutes!

### Turnovers make Fener’s life complicated

In the face of Efes’s intense defense, Fenerbahce was troubled by turnover problems throughout the game. The visiting team committed 6 in the first quarter alone and maintained a similar pace throughout to finish with 21 turnovers. Lorenzo Brown was the biggest offender with 6.

### Rebounding record for Fener

Those turnover woes were outweighed by Fenerbahce totally dominating the rebounding battle, claiming 48 boards compared to just 24 from Efes. Vesely led the way with 10 rebounds, followed by 9 from Dyshawn Pierre, but it was a team effort with 8 different players claiming at least 2 boards.

### Long-range accuracy makes a difference

Excellent long-range shooting also propelled Fenerbahce to victory. Six different players made three-pointers in a total of 9 from 17 attempts (52.9%). Efes, on the other hand, only made 9 of 28 attempts (32.1%), with 4 of those coming from Simon.

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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul maintained its perfect start by gaining a hard-fought 71-80 derby win at Anadolu Efes Istanbul, which remains looking for its first victory. 


 Fenerbahce claims derby win over Efes

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2020-10-08T17:30:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket remained undefeated in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by downing Real Madrid 77-93 in the Spanish capital on Thursday.

Valencia thrashes Real on the road

Valencia Basket remained undefeated in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by downing Real Madrid 77-93 in the Spanish capital on Thursday. Valencia improved to 2-0 in the standings while Real dropped to 0-2. Bojan Dubljevic led the winners with 24 points, Mike Tobey added 14 and Nikola Kalinic scored 10 for Valencia. Walter Tavares paced Real with 15 point, Facu Campazzo netted 14 and Rudy Fernandez and Trey Thompkins each had 12 for the hosts, which led 19-17 after 10 minutes. Valencia took a 39-44 lead at halftime, extended it to 51-68 late in the third quarter and then again to 55-80 soon after that, more than enough to seal the outcome.



Alberto Abalde got Real going with a three-pointer, but Derrick Williams and Kalinic soon put Valencia ahead, 3-4. Tavares dunked and Gabriel Deck added a fastbreak layup for a 7-4 Real lead. Dubljevic struck twice from downtown and Guillem Vives scored in penetration to tie it at 12-12. Abalde stepped up with a put-back layup and Campazzo scored in penetration for a 16-12 Real lead. Campazzo hit his second three-pointer, but Kalinic and Louis Labeyrie kept Valencia within 19-17 after 10 minutes. Martin Hermannsson took over with a driving layup early in the second quarter. Fernandez and Tavares combined for all the points in a 6-0 run, but Labeyrie hit a triple to make it 25-22. Tavares dunked again and Anthony Randolph found his first points. Sam Van Rossom took over with a wild three-point play and Tobey followed a layup with an alley-oop dunk in a 3-15 run in which Labeyrie and Dubljevic each struck from beyond the arc to put Valencia in charge, 32-37, after a 3-15 run. Kalinic surprised Real's defense with a backdoor layup and Dubljevic nailed another triple for a 34-42 Valencia edge. Sergio Llull scored from way downtown and Campazzo kept Real within 39-44 at halftime.

Dubljevic fired in his fifth and sixth triple immediately after the break to make it a double-digit game, 41-52. Prepelic bettered Garuba's layup with a three-point play, but Fabien Causeur and Campazzo brought the hosts within 47-55. Kalinic scored in the low post and Vives added a driving layup, which prompted a Real timeout at 47-59. Dubljevic kept pacing the guests and Williams added a coast-to-coast bucket and a three-pointer that broke the game open, 51-68. Llull brought his team within 53-68 after 30 minutes. Hermannsson stepped up with a three-point play early in the fourth quarter. Tobey scored down low and Fernando San Emeterio added a jumper and a three-pointer for a 55-78 Valencia lead with 7 minutes left. Real never gave up but Valencia had cruised to an outstanding road win.

### Pivotal performer

Dubljevic was the star of the game, taking advantage of pick-and-pop situations to get open shots from beyond the arc. He finished the game with 24 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting and 4-of-4 on free throws. He posted a performance index rating of 23 in less than 19 minutes on the court.

### Game-changing moment

Valencia led 39-44 at halftime and a Real reaction was expected after the break. Dubljevic had other ideas, however, as he immediately buried a couple of three-pointers. Prepelic added 5 quick points and the whole Real defense collapsed. Valencia ended up scoring 24 points in the third quarter for a 51-68 lead that allowed it to control the game until the end.

### Stellar stat

Valencia took much better care of the ball, finishing the game with 21 assists and just 11 turnovers. On the other hand, Real had 17 assists and 15 turnovers. Valencia also shot the ball slightly better from downtown, making 11 of 23 three-point shots (47.8%) and limiting Real to 10-of-29 shooting (34.5%).

### Did you know?

It is Real's worst home loss in more than eight years. Montepaschi Siena defeated Real 69-88 in the Spanish capital on January 25, 2012. Its largest home loss in the EuroLeague - and all European competitions - came against Kinder Bologna, 58-86, on March 20, 2002.

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Valencia Basket remained undefeated in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by downing Real Madrid 77-93 in the Spanish capital on Thursday.


Real Madrid v Valencia Basket (2020-10-08T19:00:00.000Z)

CSKA Moscow outlasted Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 76-72 in a tough contest on Thursday night at Megasport Arena in the Russian capital.

Clyburn, James power CSKA past Maccabi

CSKA Moscow outlasted Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 76-72 in a tough contest on Thursday night at Megasport Arena in the Russian capital. Mike James scored 25 points and Will Clyburn added 19 to lead the 2019 champs. The two combined for 25 of their team's 31 fourth-quarter points to carry CSKA to victory. Toko Shengelia was also instrumental with 8 points and 12 rebounds. Scottie Wilbekin led Maccabi with 20 points and 5 assists, Tyler Dorsey added 16 points and Ante Zizic tallied 13 points and 9 rebounds.



An aggressive Shengelia drew a pair of fouls from Othello Hunter in the game's first 90 seconds, which caused the visitors to go to the bench early. The CSKA big man's second basket gave his team their first lead, 6-5. An issue at the scorers' table paused the game for several minutes, after which Daniel Hackett and Nikita Kurbanov completed an 8-0 run. A pair of threes by Dorsey ended the visitors' drought, however, Darrun Hilliard responded for CSKA. Chris Jones's jumper made it 20-15 after 10 minutes. Dragan Bender helped Maccabi trim the deficit with a put-back and a free throw, but Clyburn came alive with a jumper, a steal and a slam to make it 28-20. Wilbekin came up with a pair of steals that led to layups for his teammates. A three-point play by Dorsey drew Maccabi within 31-30 at the break.

Zizic opened the second half with a pair of free throws that gave the visitors their first lead since the first quarter, but a triple by Joel Bolomboy put CSKA back on top. Maccabi twice tied and both times James answered. A dunk by Bender kept it close, 45-44, through three quarters. Zizic scored three times early in the fourth quarter to push Maccabi ahead 48-50. A CSKA timeout got the hosts back on track as Clyburn drained a three, but Wilbekin found his touch with a pair of triples to make it 53-58. James connected from downtown to keep CSKA in touch. Back-to-back threes by James and Nikita Kurbanov put CSKA in front 64-62 and prompted a Maccabi timeout with less than 3 minutes to play. With the game in the balance, CSKA stopped Maccabi on four consecutive possessions before Wilbekin sank free throws. Clyburn sank a clutch three over his former teammate hunter to make it 72-66 with 38 seconds remaining. Maccabi pressed on, but 4 free throws by Clyburn settled the outcome.

### Pivotal player

Will Clyburn showed during the second quarter that his explosiveness is back after the knee injury that cost him most of the 2019-20 season. He did that when he poked free a steal and raced downcourt for a thunderous slam and foul. But it was late in the game where the clutch skills that made him the 2019 Final Four MVP came to the fore. Clyburn knocked down a clutch three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining and added 4 free throws late to secure the victory. He scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, in which he also blocked a pair of three-point shots.

### Three-point woes

In a game where so many team statistical categories were close, the differences in three-point shooting stood out greatly. CSKA made 10 of 26 three-point tries for a 38.5% conversion rate. Maccabi struggled mightily, making 7 of 31 for 22.6%. Two players accounted for much of that with Scottie Wilbekin shooting 4 for 15 and Tyler Dorsey 3 for 10. Elijah Bryant and Dragan Bender were each 0 for 3.

### A milestone for Hunter

An offensive rebound for Maccabi center Othello Hunter early in the second quarter made him the 17th player in competition history to reach 1,000 career rebounds. It also gave him sole possession of seventh place on the all-time offensive rebounding charts with 419. He surpassed Kerem Gonlum for that mark.

CSKA Moscow outlasted Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 76-72 in a tough contest on Thursday night at Megasport Arena in the Russian capital.  


CSKA Moscow v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2020-10-08T17:00:00.000Z)

Exactly one decade ago, Vasilije Micic was preparing to become a pro at age 16. Considered one of the most talented young point guards on the continent at the time, he went on to have a great first season playing against grown men.

Today, the Anadolu Efes Istanbul star and All-EuroLeague point guard is entering his sixth Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season with the prime of his career still ahead of him. It may not seem surprising that this great talent from the basketball-loving country of Serbia has achieved such success. But a closer look reveals that Micic had a unique journey to stardom, one that involved overcoming a major injury at a young age, and later deciding to leave the EuroLeague just four years ago in order to improve enough to return to an important role in it

"Everyone has his own journey," Micic says. "My story, for me, is a nice example that a lot of things in life are possible." 

"My story, for me, is a nice example that a lot of things in life are possible." 

Micic's first pro season back in 2010 was with Mega Basket Belgrade, the breeding ground of such stars as former EuroLeague champ Nikola Pekovic, former All-EuroLeague center Boban Marjanovic, and NBA superstar Nikola Jokic. Micic nearly averaged double-digits in scoring as Mega reached the final stage of the Serbian League. His second season started even better, with Micic averaging 15.8 points. But during a game in late November, six weeks short of his 18th birthday, it all came crashing down when Micic tore his ACL.

"It was a mental shock", Micic recalls. "Everything shut off in a day. From being in the Serbian media every week to the point where no one was calling me anymore. It is hard to describe what kind of shock it is for a young player when everyone forgets about you all of a sudden."

Nine years later, his story obviously has had a happy ending, but that wasn't how it felt at the time, however.

"I could easily not have come back from it, which happens to many who suffer such an injury, especially at such a young age, because they do not recover from the injury in their own head," Micic says. "That's besides the physical part, all the pain, all the complex recovery and treatment after the surgery."

He worked hard on his recovery, and took it as a life lesson. 

"The worst scenario I would ever wish for myself is if I remained a talent that never used his potential." 

"I learned a lot, and at 17 years old I already started investing in my body, taking care of it," he says. "It was not the best thing at 17 years of age to think if I have to hit the ice tub, how many therapies I have left. At that age you should enjoy basketball, practice with players from your generation and sometime go out with your friends. I was doing recovery and listening to my body."

Micic thinks that one silver lining was getting hurt in November, giving him plenty of time for quality recovery before his first game back, eight months and 20 days after knee surgery.

"It was not easy," he recalls. "Fear is a big factor in getting back to doing the same moves and steps you did before the surgery. But I think I was brave, and that bravery helped me recover quicker. Not only to recover, but to recover and restore confidence in yourself."

From the outside, Micic seemed not to have skipped a beat. Two more impressive years with Mega led him to FC Bayern Munich, where he made his EuroLeague debut in 2014 at age 20. A season later, following an elbow injury, Bayern loaned him to Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, whom Micic helped to reach the EuroLeague playoffs a few months later.

"Zvezda and Coach Dejan Radonjic helped me a lot," Micic says. "I got there without any confidence and he gave me a chance even though he knew I would be playing up and down."

Nonetheless, Micic did not have a significant role yet, and he wanted more. In 2016, weeks after finishing the EuroLeague playoffs, Micic made an unusual decision. He had offers to sign with EuroLeague teams, but he decided take a sizeable step back.

"I did not want to stay in the EuroLeague just for the purpose of lingering around at this level," Micic explains. "I thought I had something in me, and that if I show it on the court, that – and only that – would be the measure of the level of my performance. The worst scenario I would ever wish for myself is to remain a talent who never used his potential."

To get the playing time he felt he needed, Micic joined just-promoted Tofas Bursa of the Turkish League, a team he knew little about. Even people close to him questioned the move, but Micic calls it a key moment of his career.

"I got the best outcome that I could ever imagine," he says. "That was the moment when I started to believe again in myself, and my game started again to be visible on the basketball court."

Micic improved his outside shot and regained confidence. A successful season at Tofas led him back to the EuroLeague, where he immediately helped Zalgiris Kaunas reach the 2018 Final Four, the club's first of this century. He purposely chose Zalgiris as the destination for his EuroLeague return and credits his head coach in Kaunas, Sarunas Jasikevicius, with helping him improve by understanding the game better.

"The intention was to prove myself by playing, but a year in Zalgiris with Saras helped me mature," he says. "It feels like I spent five years playing in that one season on the EuroLeague level; that's how much I feel like I learned. Saras molded me and simplified basketball for me so much. Basketball feels so simple for me now, I feel like I am a veteran with 20 years of experience. Saras summarized it all for me so nicely. Basketball now sometimes feels so slow and easy."

"Saras molded me and simplified basketball for me so much." 

Micic signed next with Efes, where he took his game to another level and reached All-EuroLeague status while helping lead the team to the 2019 championship game. Efes became dominant last season, holding first place from mid-November until the pandemic intervened while Micic compiled EuroLeague career highs of 14.5 points and 5.8 assists per game. 

After a long break, Micic is now delighted to be back to running the Efes offense, with his prime years still ahead of him 10 years after his brush with major injury.

"I know am still just 26 and I am very happy that things turned out for me the way they did, so maybe my story can be a good example for some up-and-coming talent, some kid in a similar situation, not to give up but to stay himself. Sacrifice, but keep working," he concludes.

"You make a decision, you stay behind it and move forward with it and go to work. That's what has been the story in my career in the last five years, and it made the success is even sweeter."


A decade since he was stopped cold by a major injury, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard Vasilije Micic enters his prime having become a star after following a unique path that required a lot of trust in himself.

Vasilije Micic, Efes: 'I thought I had something in me'

Having started his pro career in 2004, Charles Kahudi is among the true veterans of French basketball. A teenager back then, Kahudi progressed quickly to become a multiple medal-winner with the French national team last decade. That's when he met Tony Parker, the biggest basketball legend in France, who would soon became the owner and president of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

"My friendship with Tony started back with the national team," Kahudi recalls. "I joined the team in 2010 and I was kind of the underdog. I had had a good year and those were my first steps in the national team. They took me in and really helped me."

One of the players who guided Kahudi most was Parker.

"Over the years, we got closer and talked more," he said. "I learned about him and his family; he learned more about me and my family." 

That teammate relationship evolved into a friendship, and that friendship took a new turn when, in 2015, Parker asked Kahudi to join his project in Villeurbanne. Kahudi did not hesitate to grab the opportunity.

"I was looking for another challenge, he said, "especially because I wanted to play in the EuroLeague."

That was Parker's idea, as well, to take ASVEL back to the EuroLeague and make the club's name rise again in French and European basketball.

"That was my goal, too" says Kahudi. "I wanted to show myself that I was able to play against those EuroLeague guys. So the EuroLeague was our challenge."

Everything went according to plan as ASVEL won the 2015.16 French League. Unfortunately, due to the Euroleague Basketball-FIBA conflict, the club could not be a part of the EuroLeague that year. "It was a big frustration for him and for me," Kahudi said.

The ASVEL project seemed to stall for a little while, and Kahudi even had thoughts of leaving the team, but it was Parker, again, who got him to stay.

"I wanted to leave because I wanted a challenge other than ASVEL, maybe outside of Europe," Kahudi says. "But I obviously was not going without my family. We talked at home and we decided to stay put in Lyon because the job was not done. I wanted to play the EuroLeague."

One of the key factors in Kahudi's new stint at ASVEL was that Parker wanted to integrate him more in the structure of the club.

"I stay in my lane, but we like to discuss about the team, the temperature of the situation," he says. "Tony likes the feedback, how the team feels, a lot. On the court or in the offices, I talk to a lot of people around here and then I take my impressions to him. I try to be a link, when I can, between the team, staff, offices... I want to show I am involved."

"I love to ask questions, all kinds of questions. And I always expect answers," Kahudi adds with a laugh.

Now 34, with 16 years as a pro behind him, Kahudi's playing career is in its late stages. It's only natural that he would think about how to parlay his veteran's role at ASVEL into a post-playing career in basketball.

"I love to ask questions, all kinds of questions." 

"Of course, this part of managing people and environments... I am the team captain, so I am already doing that!" he says. "We have young people, we have to keep egos in check. We set rules and boundaries to feel good and live good together. This is also a big part of personnel managing."

The ASVEL organization is keen on listening to its players' suggestions. Kahudi's his role in that interaction and his relationship with Parker plays a key part in that process.

"Tony grew up as a player with the [San Antonio] Spurs, and he wanted to do the same kind of thing here in ASVEL that he had there," Kahudi says. "With the Spurs, they had players, key figures, who helped with that. He was obviously one of those players and that is what he tried to do with me here in this team." 

Veteran forward Charles Kahudi's commitment to the project that resulted in LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne joining the EuroLeague goes beyond even his role as team captain.

Charles Kahudi, ASVEL: 'The EuroLeague was our challenge'

Shavon Shields hit a three-pointer with 9 seconds left in overtime to give AX Armani Exchange Milan a dramatic 79-81 road win over FC Bayern Munich. 

Shields triple lifts Milan over Bayern in OT

Shavon Shields hit a three-pointer with 9 seconds left in overtime to give AX Armani Exchange Milan a dramatic 79-81 road win over FC Bayern Munich. Neither team led by more than 5 points before Milan forced overtime on a runner by Sergio Rodriguez in the final minute of regulation, and then Shields hit a tough game-winner with a hand in his face. Malcolm Delaney paced Milan with 17 points and 8 assists, while Kyle Hines scored 16 points, both in their Milan debuts. Shields, another newcomer, finished with 9 points. Wade Baldwin IV led Bayern with 18 points, and Jalen Reynolds had 14 points plus 11 rebounds, including 9 on the offensive end. Nihad Dedovic also scored 14, and dished 7 assists, while Vladimir Lucic had 12 points in the loss.



The teams traded leads throughout the first quarter as Delaney led Milan's offense with 4 assists and Michael Roll strung together 8 consecutive points, including two three-pointers. But Bayern had answers with Dedovic's three-point play and Leon Radosevic scoring a pair of baskets to tie it at 12-12. Bayern had success on the offensive boards, and a long-range shot from Paul Zipser gave the hosts a 17-15 lead at the start of the second quarter. The rhythm picked when Delaney returned to the floor, as he traded triples with Dedovic to cap a 3-10 run and restore Milan's lead. Another three from Delaney made it 25-30 later in the second, but Bayern kept attacking the glass and a jumper from Wade Baldwin IV cut it to 31-32 at halftime.

Zach LeDay scored twice from close range and Delaney hit from long range, but Baldwin, Dedovic and Lucic knocked down triples as the lead kept changing hands. Bayern kept hustling and went ahead 48-44 behind close-range baskets from Reynolds, before Datome's buzzer-beating triple made it 55-54 after 30 minutes. Rodriguez and Hines converted the first two possession of the fourth quarter to put Milan up, but Dedovic ended a 0-7 run with a runner before jumpers from Radosevic and Baldwin secured another lead change, 63-60. Hines answered with 5 straight points to put Milan back in front with 4:30 left. But the hosts responded with close-range baskets from Reynolds and Baldwin, and after Shields and Lucic traded threes, a driving layup from Rodriguez with 55 seconds to go made it 70-70, which ended up the score at the end of regulation. Delaney scored 6 points early in the extra period, but Baldwin brought Bayern back to 77-78. Nick Weiler-Babb made it 79-78 from the free throw line, but Shields struck to send Milan ahead and Baldwin couldn’t make an attempted game-winning triple on the buzzer.

### Nearly new starting five

Milan's starting lineup featured four players who joined the club this summer: Malcolm Delaney, Shavon Shields, Zach LeDay and Kyle Hines. The only returnee among the starters was Michael Roll, who got Milan's offense going with 8 early points.

### Close game magic

This game featured 26 lead changes and 12 ties, and the score was as tight as it gets at the end of each quarter. Milan led 14-15 after the first quarter, and held a 31-32 lead at halftime. Bayern was up 55-54 after three quarters, and teams were tied at 70-70 at the end of regulation.

### Did you know?

This was seventh head-to-head game between Bayern and Milan, and the fourth meeting decided by 2 points or fewer.

### Offensive boards domination

Bayern big man Jalen Reynolds was a monster on the offensive glass. He had 11 rebounds, a career high, and his 9 offensive boards are not just his personal best but also shattered Bayern’s club record. Bayern finished the game with a 14-7 advantage in offensive rebounds.

Shields-2-007831.jpg

Shavon Shields hit a three-pointer with 9 seconds left in overtime to give AX Armani Exchange Milan a dramatic 79-81 road win over FC Bayern Munich. 


FC Bayern Munich v AX Armani Exchange Milan (2020-10-02T18:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens started its new era with a hard-fought 76-78 victory at Khimki Moscow Region to tip off the 2020-21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season. 

Greens grab rare road win at Khimki

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens started its new era with a hard-fought 76-78 victory at Khimki Moscow Region to tip off the 2020-21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season. Panathinaikos saw myriad off-season changes, including Georgios Vovoras taking over as head coach and a number of new players joining the roster. But the six-time EuroLeague champs used a balanced effort to get the win with Ioannis Papapetrou pacing six players in double figures on 16 points. Kostas Mitoglou had 12 points and 9 rebounds. Ben Bentil scored 11 more and Eleftherios Bochoridis and Marcus Foster both chipped in 10 each in the victory. Khimki fought back from a 13-point deficit to take the lead but ended up falling short despite Devin Booker's 15 points and 7 rebounds. Dairis Bertans added 14 points, Jordan Mickey had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Vyacheslav Zaytsev picked up 11 points and 5 assists in the defeat.

Zach Auguste's putback put the guests on the board with the first points of the season. While Booker was Khimki's only scorer early, numerous Panathinaikos players contributed, Bochoridis and Foster with three-point plays in opening a 7-15 lead. Mitoglou nailed a triple and center Georgios Papagiannis knocked down a long jumper for an 11-24 advantage. Janis Timma scored 4 points and Booker added a dunk to complete a 6-0 Khimki spurt for a 17-24 score after 10 minutes. Despite Sergey Karasev's 3 free throws, Khimki find no rhythm offensively while Bentil push the Greens' lead to 20-29. Worse for Khimki, Booker sat with 3 fouls then. Jonas Jerebko snapped snap Khimki's four-minute scoreless stretch with free throws before he and Timma drained triples. Bertans added 2 three-point plays in a 16-4 run as Khimki surged ahead 38-35. But Papapetrou's 4 points restored a 39-41 Panathinaikos lead at the break. 

Triples by Mitoglou and Nemanja Nedovic kept Panathinaikos up 43-48 before Booker punched back with a monster dunk and-one and Zaytsev added 5 points for a new Khimki lead 53-51. With 6 more points and a steal, Zaytsev pushed Khimki's advantage to 62-59 after 30 minutes. As Papapetrou and Mickey traded baskets, the score remained tight at 67-65. Despite Sergey Monia triple for Khimki, Papagiannis fought back with 2 free throws and a putback to even the score 73-73 with less than 3 minutes left. Papapetrou followed with a putback plus free throw before Foster's free throws with 36 seconds left made it 73-78. Bertans kept Khimki alive with a corner triple, his first in 7 tries, lowering the difference to 76-78 with 27 seconds remaining. Bertans had one more shot but missed his jumper at the buzzer as Panathinaikos grabbed the win.

### Khimki missing leaders

Khimki opened its season missing some major names as Alexey Shved, Stefan Jovic and Greg Monroe were all unable to go for the Russian side.

### Road team finally wins again

These teams were playing their 10th EuroLeague matchup since 2000 and Panathinaikos's win evened the record at 5-5. Khimki had won three of the last four as well as its last four home games against the Greek side. In fact, the home team had won the last six games in this series, with the last road victory being Khimki's 67-79 victory in November 2012.

### Telling numbers

Panathinaikos turned the ball over 13 times but committed only 4 turnovers in the second half. The Greens also won the rebounding battle 42-35 including 19 offensive rebounds. That helped compensate for hitting just 5-of-23 three-pointers (21.7%).

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Panathinaikos OPAP Athens started its new era with a hard-fought 76-78 victory at Khimki Moscow Region to tip off the 2020-21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season. 


Khimki Moscow Region v Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (2020-10-02T17:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul defended its home court to overcome Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 77-63, giving new coach Igor Kokoskov a comfortable winning start. 

Fenerbahce starts Kokoskov era with win

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul defended its home court to overcome Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 77-63, giving new coach Igor Kokoskov a comfortable winning start. The Turkish team used strong defense to establish a double-digit lead before the break, and moved further ahead during a low-scoring third quarter. Zvezda, led for the first time by Sasa Obradovic, kept fighting but could never get the margin down to single digits, and the home team cruised home. Nando De Colo led Fenerbahce’s offense with 12 points and 7 assists, while debutant Lorenzo Brown top scored with 17 points on 8-of-12 field goal shooting. Edgaras Ulanovas and Ali Muhammed both made 3 three-pointers in their respective totals of 13 and 11 points. Zvezda was led by 15 points from Jordan Loyd while Langston Hall added 12, but the visiting team suffered through committing 17 turnovers.



Zvezda got moving through Hall’s mid-range jumper and a triple by Marko Jagodic-Kuridza, and Hall’s deep strike made it 3-8. Ulanovas made his second three-pointer and Danilo Barthel tied the score from the foul line before feeding Jan Vesely for a big slam. Corey Walden answered with a threeball but Fenerbahce moved back ahead with free throws and another Ulanovas triple made it 18-13. Hall and Duop Reath pulled Zvezda level, but Muhammed made back-to-back triples for 24-20 after ten minutes. Melih Mahmutoglu and Muhammed scored inside, but Hall and Ognjen Kuzmic did the same to keep Zvezda close. Defenses prevailed for the next few minutes before a flying slam from Brown made it 35-25. Dejan Davidovac reignited Zvezda from the corner, but Brown twice danced through to score and De Colo netted his first field goal from deep to give Fenerbahce a 42-30 half-time lead. 

Two sharp close-range finishes from Ulanovas extended the advantage shortly after the break, and Vesely’s jumper stretched the gap to 50-32 before Hall ended a 8-0 run from deep. Muhammed and Vesely made it a 20-point game, but three-pointers from Walden and Ognjen Dobric pulled it back to 57-41 after three quarters. Dobric struck again but Brown settled Fenerbahce from the corner, before Kuzmic and Vesely exchanged highlight reel dunks. De Colo and Barthel extended the lead to 67-50. A flurry of points from Loyd ensured the margin didn’t grow, but the home team was always comfortable and Jarell Eddie finished the game with a deep strike.

### Bogdanovic and Guduric in the stands

The game was played behind closed doors but was still attended by two very special guests: former Fenerbahce players Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marko Guduric. Bogdanovic began his career with Zvezda’s cross-town rivals Partizan Belgrade, while Guduric started out with Zvezda so had split loyalties on this occasion.

### New signings make their mark

Fenerbahce had a lot of help from its new signings, led by former Zvezda player Lorenzo Brown who top scored with 17 points. Brown, Edgaras Ulanovas (13), Danilo Barthel (5), Jarrell Eddie (5) and Dyshawn Pierre (3) combined for 56% of Fenerbahce’s points, while Johnathan Hamilton made 3 blocks in the first half.

### Long-range shooting helps host

After a close start, Fenerbahce pulled into the lead with back-to-back triples from Ali Muhammed, and long-range shooting accuracy proved to be one of the differences between the teams. Fenerbahce finished with 10-of-24 three-pointers (41.7%), while Zvezda made just 9-of-29 (31%).

### Milestones for Kuzmic

There was a double milestone for Zvezda’s big man Ognjen Kuzmic, who paired 7 points and 7 rebounds to take his respective EuroLeague career totals to 505 points and 403 rebounds.

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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul defended its home court to overcome Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 77-63, giving new coach Igor Kokoskov a comfortable winning start. 


Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2020-10-02T17:45:00.000Z)