It went down to the wire, but the hosts held onto their position in playoffs positions of the Group B standings with just three games left.
Trento outlasts Slask for crucial 85-79 win
Dolomiti Energia Trento avoided a slip-up in its fight for the playoffs as it fended off Slask Wroclaw 85-79 at home. Trento took control of the game with an 11-2 run in the fourth quarter against the last-place team in Group B to win its third game in the last four for a 7-8 record. Kamar Baldwin paced Trento with a double-double of 26 points and 11 assists and Andrejs Grazulis added 15 points. Trento entered the game in a three-way tie at 6-8 with Aris Midea Thessaloniki and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, who play on Wednesday. The Italian club still faces both of those teams down the stretch. Slask was unable to make it back-to-back victories in falling to 2-13. Dusan Miletic poured in 17 points in the losing effort.
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Baldwin scored 5 quick points and the home side was up 8-5. Trento grabbed 5 offensive rebounds in the first 4 minutes and 5 more points from Baldwin made it 15-10. Slask forced a couple of turnovers and an Andrii Voinalovych triple put the guests back up 15-16. The score was 20-20 after 10 minutes. Trento scored 7 straight points spanning the first two quarters and built a 24-20 advantage. Slask held Trento scoreless for more than 3 minutes to even the game 24-24. Trento temporarily regained a four-point lead at 28-24 but it remained close, with Trento answering Slask's scores. The guests tallied the final 5 points of the first half and led 38-43 at intermission.
Grazulis scored 7 points early in the second half to vault Trento back into the lead and Davide Alviti's triple had the hosts up 55-51. Back-to-back scores by Baldwin and Toto Forray's triple left Trento up 65-59 after 30 minutes. Myles Stephens and Mattia Udom both hit triples and Baldwin converted a three-point play in an 11-2 surge to extend the cushion to double digits 76-63 early in the fourth. Slask was not done, though, scoring the next 10 points - which could have been more had Kendale McCullum not missed 4 free throws. Baldwin ended a Trento drought of more than 4 minutes only to see Hassani Gravett drain a triple for Slask to make it 78-76. Paul Biligha scored and blocked a shot, and then Baldwin gave Trento some breathing room with a three-pointer for a 83-76 margin with 88 seconds left. Slask could not come back from that.