Buducnost VOLI made a statement of intent with a comprehensive 107-75 drubbing of Joventut Badalona which put the Montenegrin team on the verge of reaching the EuroCup Playoffs.

Rampant Buducnost fired on all cylinders against Joventut

[Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/bud/) made a statement of intent with a comprehensive [107-75 drubbing of Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/buducnost-blows-away-joventut-107-75-edges-closer-to-playoffs/) which put the Montenegrin team on the verge of reaching the BKT EuroCup Playoffs.

Buducnost visits [Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-twinsbet-vilnius/wol/) in the final round of the regular season and a win in Lithuania would seal qualification for the knockout stages of the competition.

The hosts sank an impressive 14 of 24 from downtown and limited Joventut to just 8 of 35, as they also won the battle of the boards 37-23. The two teams racked up 10 offensive rebounds each but Buducnost overwhelmed Joventut in their own paint, having also dished out 26 assists to the Spanish side’s 17.

The result means Buducnost has won five of its last six games to claw its way back into the playoff picture and will head to Vilnius buoyed by a fantastic performance, with player of the game [Yogi Ferrell](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yogi-ferrell/011281/) coming off the bench to pace the hosts on 20 points and 5 assists.

Five other players posted double digits as Buducnost shared the ball superbly on offense, while grinding Joventut to a halt with ironclad third-quarter defense which forced the visiting team to commit a barrage of turnovers.

“It was a great victory and a shout-out to the first unit for their defense,” a delighted Ferrell said in his postgame comments. “It gave us a lot of confidence out there. The last four games have been must-win, so we’ll go there \[to Vilnius\] poised to execute the game plan.” 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Place Yogi’s picture under the term “volume scorer”! Pure Indiana shooting flavor 👌<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hukmora%C4%8De?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hukmorače</a> <a href="https://t.co/1YjBRweF8l">pic.twitter.com/1YjBRweF8l</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1884716907053428964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Coach [Andrej Zakelj](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/bud/zakelj-andrej/) also had one eye on next week’s tough matchup in Lithuania, with Wolves too vying for a top-six finish which would secure a berth in the business end of the competition.

“Congratulations to my players, they managed under pressure and played aggressive defense in the second half,” he said. “It’s not over yet, though, so we must focus and move on after getting some rest.”

Game News

The home team shot the lights out from deep and prevailed at both ends in the paint 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Joventut Badalona (2025-01-29T18:00:00.000Z)

Despite leading 19-15 at the end of the first quarter and finishing with a 91-72 victory, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv struggled through a tough start against last-placed Trefl Sopot

Hapoel fixed early offensive woes to take over against Trefl

Despite leading 19-15 at the end of the first quarter and finishing with [a 91-72 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-tel-aviv-dominates-trefl-91-72/), [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/roster/hta/?season=2024-25) struggled through a tough start against last-placed [Trefl Sopot](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/trefl-sopot/roster/tso/?season=2024-25). Hapoel simply shot the ball terribly in the first 10 minutes, going 5-of-15 from two-point range (33%) and 0-of-2 from behind the arc, as free-throw shooting and offensive rebounding were the only good news for Coach Dimitris Itoudis’s team.

“I have to congratulate the team for the win, but I gotta be honest. It was not our best game,” he confessed. “We did not play well offensively. That's one of the worst games. We did not move the ball well, we were stuck on a lot of isolations and individual plays, but we were hustling, that’s the good point.”

Everything changed in the second quarter, though, as [Marcus Foster](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marcus-foster/010386/) and [Antonio Blakeney](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/antonio-blakeney/013402/) combined to help Hapoel gear up on offense and play at a higher pace. The result was a 30-point performance with 21 of those coming from the American duo. The percentages rose, as Hapoel made 10 out of 12 two-pointers (83%) and hit twice from downtown on 5 attempts (40%).

As a result, Hapoel escaped to lead 49-32 at halftime and the margin never went below the 10-point mark until the end of the game.

Game Videos

Itoudis praised his players' performance despite the offensive woes and a below-par output at some moments of the game: “\[Even\] not having the best performance, we scored 91 and had the lead almost from the beginning until the end. It says something about this team, so congratulations.”

With this win, Hapoel needs just one more win in the last round against [ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/roster/ulm/?season=2024-25) on the road, or a loss by [Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2024-25), to secure second place in Group A and to enter the playoffs with more guarantees, something that seemed not to worry Itoudis so much now.

“I don't look that far, for the quarterfinals or whatever,” he confessed. “We have one more game left, a crucial game for us on the road against a very good team.”

The team from Tel Aviv scored 30 points in the second quarter to take control of the game

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Trefl Sopot (2025-01-29T17:00:00.000Z)

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys gave its fans one final home victory in the BKT EuroCup with a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback against U-BT Cluj-Napoca, despite already having been eliminated from playoff contention.

Lietkabelis gave its fans one final EuroCup home win 

[7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys/lkb/) gave its fans one final home victory in the BKT EuroCup with a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback against [U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/clu/), despite already having been eliminated from playoff contention.

Lietkabelis’s recent struggles, which had seen the team lose four straight, ended its hopes of the eighthfinals, but [Dovis Bickauskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/dovis-bickauskis/009898/)’s game-winning floater with 2.2 seconds provided some joy with a thrilling 92-91 win in the team’s final EuroCup home game of the season.

“Amazing win for us. We fought to the end. We cannot go to the playoffs, but we want to fight as much as possible and win for the fans, for the club,” said [Martynas Varnas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/martynas-varnas/005521/), who collected 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in the win.

The victory improved Lietkabelis’s record to 5-12 in Group B, including a 4-6 mark at home.

Varnas was happy to give the home fans one final win at the Kalnapilio Arena.

“They support us through everything and big thanks to them,” he added.

Coach [Nenad Canak](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys/lkb/canak-nenad/) agreed with Varnas, saying: “They always support us, even in those moments when we had bad results and had bad performances. They were always with us.”

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Lietkabelis shocked Cluj by coming back from 12 points down with 5 minutes to go to keep the Romanian side from locking up its spot in the playoffs.

“I am very proud of my players. We didn’t give up. We were down 12 points and we kept playing and I think we deserved the win,” Canak stated. “What a win for us. It will give us a lot of confidence and motivation for the rest of the \[domestic\] games this season.”

Lietkabelis once again missed out on the playoffs after finishing ninth in its group last season, though it was just one win behind Turk Telekom Ankara in the final spot. The Lithuanian side had reached the eighthfinals in the previous two EuroCup seasons.

Canak and co. will close out their 2024-25 EuroCup campaign next week on the road at an [Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/umana-reyer-venice/vnc/) side needing a win to reach the postseason.

Magical comeback against Cluj helped the team losing streak

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2025-01-29T17:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem got back to winning ways by demolishing Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse 67-94 at Ekinox behind 31 points from Jared Harper in Round 17 of the BKT EuroCup

Jerusalem trashes Bourg, 67-94, to book playoff berth

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem got back to winning ways by demolishing Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse 67-94 at Ekinox on Wednesday evening. The visitors hit the ground running, imposed their game on Bourg and led by double digits for the majority of the duel. Having improved its record to 10-7, Jerusalem clinched a playoff spot and will push for a top-two finish in the last round of the regular season next week. Bourg dropped to 9-8, but remained in playoff contention.

Jared Harper led all scorers with 31 points, with Khadeen Carrington and Justin Smith netting 15 and 14, respectively. Maksim Salash paced Bourg with 16 points and Brandon Jefferson bagged 10 in a losing effort.

Smith opened the scoring with a layup before 4 points from Harper and a triple by Jeremy Morgan gave Jerusalem a 2-9 lead. Harper added another 3 points to his tally and Tarik Phillip scored inside, stretching the margin to 4-16. Then, Khadeen Carrington took over with 4 points and a dish off the bench for a 9-24 cushion after 10 minutes.

Or Cornelius opened the second quarter with a long two-pointer before a triple from Harper gave the visitors a 20-point lead. Jean-Marc Pansa responded with a three-point play before a bucket by Salash and a Brandon Paul triple slashed the deficit to 18-29. Jefferson made 3 from the line to extend Bourg’s surge to 12-0, but Smith, Phillip and Gabriel Chachashvili scored inside to restore a 23-37 lead. A Hugo Benitez layup was followed by 8 points from Salash to bring Bourg within 33-41. Harper answered with a four-point play on the other end to make it 33-45 at halftime.

Buckets from Adrian Nelson and Joel Ayayi sandwiched a Carrington three before Smith and Kevin Kokila traded baskets in an exchange of blows that saw Jerusalem maintain a double-digit lead, 39-50. Jordan Usher opened his account from deep before going all the way to the rim to cut the difference to 46-55. Harper responded with one from downtown and Derek Ogbeide slammed it home. A Phillip triple allowed Jerusalem to pull away again, 47-63. Jefferson nailed a triple on the other end, but 4 points from Yovel Zoosman and 6 by Harper gave Jerusalem a 55-72 cushion heading into the closing quarter.

Smith netted back-to-back buckets, but Benitez responded with a three-point play. Yet, Carrington scored twice inside for a 58-80 lead midway through the fourth. Benitez tried to inspire a Bourg fightback, but Jerusalem would have none of it, running the clock down to seal the outcome.

An extraordinary Jared Harper finished the game with 31 points 

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2025-01-29T18:30:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI took a big step towards clinching a playoff spot in the EuroCup as it improved its Group A record to 9-8 after an emphatic 107-75 home win over shorthanded Joventut Badalona, which was missing several key players.

Buducnost blows away Joventut, 107-75, edges closer to playoffs 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica took a big step towards clinching a playoff spot in the BKT EuroCup as it improved its Group A record to 9-8 after an emphatic 107-75 home win over shorthanded Joventut Badalona, which was missing several key players.

The result means that Buducnost is assured of making the postseason if it beats Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius on the road in its final regular-season matchup, while a defeat may not turn out to be costly if other results go the Montenegrin team’s way.

Among half a dozen home players who posted double figures, livewire playmaker Yogi Ferrell stood out with a team-high 20 points and 5 assists, shooting 6 of 7 from three-point range. Teenager Djordje Jovanovic capped a perfect night with 13 points, having sank all his five shots from the floor. Big man Kenan Kamenjsas chipped in with 12 points and 8 boards, while Rasheed Sulaimon, Fletcher Magee and Nikola Tanaskovic added 10 points each.

At the other end, Sam Dekker paced Joventut on a game-high 26 points, Yannick Kraag scored 12 and Michael Ruzic netted 11 for the visitors, who had lost any hope of advancing into the business end of the competition with a defeat in the last round.

Buducnost raced into an early 17-9 lead before Joventut enjoyed its best spell of the game and briefly turned the tide with a 4-14 run which allowed the Spanish team to nose ahead at the end of the first quarter, 21-23. That, however, was as good as it got for the visiting team as Buducnost ramped up its defense in the second and led 46-38 at halftime, having been roared on by a fervent home crowd in the iconic Moraca gym.

The writing was on the wall for the visitors at the end of the third quarter as Buducnost fed off a barrage of offensive boards and steals as well as Joventut’s turnovers, forced by relentless hustle from the hosts which drew standing ovations from the crowd.

Buducnost headed into the fourth with a 74-55 lead and Ferrell put the icing on the cake with a late show, setting up Jovanovic for a brilliant slam dunk before he unloaded three successive shots from downtown, giving the hosts their biggest lead of the night, 96-60.

The performance, albeit against a depleted Joventut side, makes happy reading for Buducnost ahead of next week’s trip to Vilnius, where it faces a potential dogfight against Wolves for a playoff berth.

The Montenegrin side produced a monster second half to keep its postseason bid alive 

Turk Telekom erupted for 35 fourth-quarter points to flip the script and beat Reyer Venezia 84-81, a win which sealed the Turkish team's place in the EuroCup Playoffs.

Olivier Hanlan, Kyle Alexander fueled Turk Telekom’s fourth-quarter explosion against Reyer

The fans at Ankara Spor Salonu might have been feeling a bit jittery 30 minutes into [Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/ttk/)’s clash with [Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/umana-reyer-venice/vnc/) on Wednesday night.

Both teams came into Round 17 with an identical 9-7 record, and Reyer was one of the hottest teams in the BKT EuroCup after going 7-2 over its last nine, a run that started with a 75-67 triumph over Turk Telekom back in Round 8. Erdem Can’s squad, meanwhile, had gone 1-2 in their last three games and knew that it was time to step up on their home floor.

Well, things were not exactly going to plan for the hosts through the first three periods. Turk Telekom trailed 49-60 against Reyer entering the final period and the momentum was well and truly in Reyer’s sails, having held a double-digit lead for the majority of the third period.

[Ismet Akpinar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ismet-akpinar/004056/) brought a big roar from the Turk Telekom crowd with a three-pointer to start the fourth, yet [Davide Casarin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/davide-casarin/009400/) quickly responded for Reyer with a triple of his own to keep the visitors’ 11-point advantage intact. That didn’t affect the hosts, though, as they went on a 14-0 run capped by five straight points by [Olivier Hanlan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/olivier-hanlan/006598/) to take their first lead of the game at 66-63. The problem? There was still 6:28 minutes remaining.

Reyer expectedly responded, but Turk Telekom did enough to stay ahead. Clouds began to hover above the arena when former Turk Telekom guard [Tyler Ennis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tyler-ennis/008858/) drained a three-pointer, his first field goal of the game, to give Reyer a 74-75 edge with 2:33 minutes to go, but [Braian Angola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/braian-angola/010465/), Hanlan and [Anthony Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-brown/009025/) hit back to put the hosts 80-76 in front with 16 seconds left on the clock. The drama didn’t stop there.

Kyle Wiltjer’s reverse layup with 8.5 seconds remaining made it a one-possession game, so naturally Reyer decided to foul Turk Telekom’s second-worst free-throw shooter, [Kyle Alexander](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kyle-alexander/011973/). On Wednesday night, though, he was doing pretty well from the stripe after going 5 for 7. With 7.8 seconds left, Alexander kept his cool to convert both free throws, making it 82-78, but [Carl Wheatle](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/carl-wheatle/013305/)’s incredible three with 3.2 seconds to go pulled Reyer within one at 82-81. Alexander was purposefully fouled once again, but he put the win on ice by making another couple of free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining, before Ennis’s heave from inside his own court was off the mark.

The final buzzer sounded and there were scenes of jubilation inside Ankara Spor Salonu, with Turk Telekom having outscored Reyer 35-21 in the fourth quarter to come away with an 84-81 triumph. And later on Wednesday night, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem’s 67-94 dominant win at Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse confirmed Turk Telekom’s place in the BKT EuroCup Playoffs.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The joy of victory💙🤍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnkaraBasketbolu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnkaraBasketbolu</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kaizen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kaizen</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreHereForAReason?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreHereForAReason</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/xENjMMREZ8">pic.twitter.com/xENjMMREZ8</a></p>&mdash; Türk Telekom Basketbol (@TT_Basketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/TT_Basketbol/status/1884684551374488017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Just when Turk Telekom’s postseason future was hanging by a thread, it erupted for 35 points – the third time it has netted 35 points in a quarter this season, the second most all-time – to get a crucial victory, one that leaves Reyer needing to go down to the final day to find out if it will be playing playoff basketball in March.

In addition to Alexander’s four free throws in the final 7.8 seconds, Hanlan scored 11 of his 16 total points in the final frame to help fire Turk Telekom to its fourth straight home win. 

Coach Can’s men can now officially start prepping for the EuroCup Playoffs, knowing there won’t be any Round 18 drama against Jerusalem next week.

A combined 56 points were scored by both teams in the final frame

Turk Telekom Ankara v Umana Reyer Venice (2025-01-29T16:30:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg captured its first road win since 2023 with an 88-90 overtime victory over Aris Midea Thessaloniki on Wednesday in Round 17 of the BKT EuroCup.

Hamburg holds off Aris, 88-90, after overtime thriller

Veolia Towers Hamburg captured its first road win since 2023 with an 88-90 overtime victory over Aris Midea Thessaloniki on Wednesday night. Hamburg, which enjoyed career-games from Brae Ivey and Kur Kuath, improved to 5-12 in Group B. The result also sentenced Aris, which was playing its first game with new head coach Nikos Vetoulas on the bench, to finish in last place after it fell to 3-14.

Ivey shined with 25 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting – both career-highs – plus 5 assists and 5 steals. Kuath had personal bests of 19 points and 13 rebounds in addition to 2 blocks. Jaizec Lottie, who scored 5 of Hamburg's 6 points in overtime, finished with 13 and Johnathan Stove contributed 10 points before fouling out.

Sharife Cooper was Aris's leading scorer with 19 points and 6 assists, but he also committed 7 turnovers. Darral Willis added 12 points and 9 rebounds, Georgios Gkiouzelis also scored 12 and D'Moi Hodge added 11.

Kuath left his mark on the game early with three buckets in the first 4 minutes to help the visitors to a 6-11 start. Aris tied it soon after through Cooper and Kuath was forced out of the game after drawing a foul when his contact lens popped out. Willis continued his strong start for the hosts to give Aris a 13-12 edge. Teenager Fabian Giessmann, who came off the bench for Kuath, briefly helped Hamburg regain the lead, but free throws by Georgios Fillios left Aris with a 22-19 advantage after 10 minutes.

Fillios added a three-pointer and an assist as Aris protected a slim lead early in the second quarter. Hodge added a triple for a 32-24 cushion. A pair of threes by Ivey erased most of the Hamburg deficit, Stove tied the score from the line and Ivey connected again from deep to put the visitors ahead 37-40. With the Aris faithful singing in the stands, a 6-0 spurt pushed the hosts ahead only to see Rich Osaro’s three-pointer give Hamburg a 43-45 edge at halftime.

Ivey extended the lead with a three early in the second half and Kuath threw down a highlight-reel slam. Aris fought right back and tied it at 52-52 on L.J. Figueroa's put-back slam. Josh Roberts continued a strong run of play with a free throw to put Aris on top. Fillios kept Aris rolling with another triple, but Ivey answered with his fifth three of the night. The Hamburg guard finished the third quarter with a deep three that drew his team within 63-62.

Kuath sandwiched a pair of scored inside around a three by Gkiouzelis. A jumper by Jordan Barnett and a three by Stove had Hamburg back ahead, 66-71. After a timeout, Hodge drained a three, Willis tied it with a put-back and Cooper made it 73-71 with less than 4 minutes remaining. Figueroa rejected Lottie at the rim and Cooper added to the lead, but the momentum quickly shifted as Ivey and Stove teamed to put the visitors up 75-76. Setting up an exciting finish, Kuath put Hamburg ahead 78-80 with free throws with just over a minute to go. Cooper drained a three at the other end. Barnett gave Hamburg an 81-82 edge with 2 free throws with 16.2 seconds remaining. Cooper zipped through the visitors' defense for a layup with 7.8 seconds left and, but Kuath tipped in his own miss on the buzzer to force overtime at 84-84.

Cooper split free throws for the first points of the extra session before Lottie's layup gave Hamburg a slim advantage. Vassilis Toliopoulos countered with a jumper and Lottie tied it from the line, 87-87.  The pace picked up with Roberts shining with a pair of blocks. Lottie gave Hamburg a 1-point lead entering the final minute. However, Aris committed 3 turnovers and missed 3 shots in the last minute of overtime, costing itself a chance to tie or win it.  

Brae Ivey and Kur Kuath post career-highs to lead the visitors 

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2025-01-29T18:00:00.000Z)

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys rallied from 12 points down in the fourth quarter to knock off U-BT Cluj-Napoca 92-91 at home and keep the guests from locking up a playoff spot. 

Lietkabelis shocks Cluj with 92-91 comeback win, keeps Cluj from advancing 

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys rallied from 12 points down in the fourth quarter to knock off U-BT Cluj-Napoca 92-91 at home and keep the guests from locking up a playoff spot. Lietkabelis was down 71-83 with 5 minutes to play but fought all the way back, before Dovis Bickauskis hit the game winner with 2.2 seconds left. The Lithuanian side, which had already been eliminated from postseason contention, snapped a four-game losing streak to move to 5-12 in Group B. 

Bickauskis finished with 13 points, Oleksandr Kovliar led the way with 18 points, Djordje Gagic had 17 points, and Martynas Varnas collected 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Cluj would have secured a spot in the playoffs with a win but fell to 10-8 after having won three of its last four games. Zavier Simpson scored 24 points with 10 assists, Adam Mokoka had 15 points and De’Shawn Stephens chipped in 12 points and 9 rebounds in the bitter defeat. 

After Lietkabelis went up 4-2 early, Simpson scored five points in a 2-10 run to put Cluj 6-12 ahead. The hosts countered with a 16-3 run over more than 4 minutes to take a 22-15 lead. The guests scored the final five points of the first quarter and trailed 22-20. 

Neither team could pull away in the second quarter, with Cluj putting together a 2-9 spurt to make it 27-31. Lietkabelis hit back by scoring the next five points for the first of six straight lead changes, yet Cluj held a 36-40 advantage. Cluj added the final five points of the second half to make it 40-47 at the break. 

Lietkabelis scored the first five points of the second half to make it a one-possession ballgame, 45-47. DJ Seeley drained two three-pointers as Cluj punched back with 10 straight points in 89 seconds to surge 45-57 ahead. Lietkabelis scored consistently after that but could not put together defensive stops, with the hosts trailing 57-69. However, they answered with nine points in 42 seconds to make it 66-69, but trailed 66-72 after 30 minutes.

Lietkabelis was down 69-74 when Cluj seemed to put the game away with a 2-9 spurt to go 71-83 ahead with 5 minutes to play. The hosts were not done just yet, with a 7-1 burst making it 78-84. Gagic added a three-point play and tip-in, and Bickauskis tied it at 90-90 by knocking down a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining. Seeley could only split two free throws with 20 seconds remaining, allowing Bickauskis to score the game-winning basket with a running floater with 2.2 seconds left.

Dovis Bickauskis hit the game-winner with 2.2 seconds left 

Hapoel Tel Aviv BC enjoyed a peaceful evening as it defeated the visiting Trefl Sopot 91-72 at Samokov Arena. 

Hapoel Tel Aviv dominates Trefl, 91-72

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv enjoyed a peaceful evening as it defeated the visiting Trefl Sopot 91-72 at Samokov Arena. The hosts struggled offensively in the early going but managed to score 30 points in the second quarter to build a double-digit advantage, 49-32, with the guests never threatening thereafter. Hapoel improved its record to 11-6 and is one game off from clinching second place in the group. 

The winners were led by Johnathan Motley, who registered a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, good for a PIR of 27. Yam Madar followed with 13 points, Antonio Blakeney contributed 12, and Marcus Foster and Patrick Beverley added 11 apiece. Darious Moten and Geoffrey Groselle paced Trefl with 17 points each, while Nick Johnson finished with 16 in the losing effort.

The hosts struggled on offense in the early going, as they needed two and a half minutes to score a field goal after six attempts. Trefl took advantage of that to earn a 2-7 edge, but it didn’t last for long, as Motley took over with back-to-back baskets inside to push Hapoel ahead, 8-7. With neither team able to find their offensive momentum, the score only progressed thanks to free-throw shooting, and this allowed the home side to increase the margin to 13-9 after 7 minutes. Groselle stepped up to help the visitors with 6 points in a row, featuring a nice battle against Motley that brought Trefl within 17-15. A buzzer-beater by Blakeney closed the first half with a 19-15 advantage for the home side.

Hapoel fastened the pace after the break, using Foster on offense and exploiting offensive rebounding to go up 27-19 after 12 minutes. Trefl stopped the game, but a three-pointer by Blakeney right after the game resumed sparked a 7-2 run that built a double-digit lead for the hosts, 34-21, forcing a second timeout in less than 4 minutes in the period. It didn’t work either, as 7 straight points by Foster created a 41-23 gap for the hosts. Alleyne tried to give Trefl a spark with 5 points, but the closest the visitors could get was within 11 points. Then, another 8-2 run led by Blakeney restored a safe margin for Hapoel, which finished the first half 49-32 ahead.

Trefl found some energy at halftime and took to the court with a stronger outlook, led by Groselle inside and Moten outside, as it reduced the distance to 51-38. Moten took the reins for the visitors later, drilling back-to-back three-pointers and adding and a pair of inside buckets that revitalized Trefl's offense. The visitors couldn’t match that accuracy in their defensive response, however, and Hapoel took advantage of that to feed Motley inside to avoid further problems, 66-52, with 8 points in a row coming from him. Back-to-back triples by Beverley and Guy Palatin made it a 20-point game soon after, 72-52, while Moten kept rocking and closed the third period with another bomb to make it 72-55.

A technical foul called on Jakub Schenk opened the last quarter, but Moten stayed red-hot and provided a free throw and a three on two consecutive possessions to keep Trefl breathing at 73-59. Johnson made it even closer, 73-61, right before getting another technical that enabled Hapoel to regain a comfortable cushion, 76-61. With Madar and Beverley pulling the strings, the hosts kept their opponents at a safe distance, 83-67, with 4 minutes remaining. Trefl looked for answers by returning Groselle onto the court, but his fourth foul and Schenk’s fifth made the guests forget their chances of a rally. Madar and Bruno Caboclo, from the free-throw line, set an 89-69 margin entering the last minute that confirmed the win.

A strong second period, which saw the hosts outscore the visitors 30-17, set the foundations for the win