When Veolia Towers Hamburg got off to a fast start at Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv in Tuesday night's early tipoff, fans of Dolomiti Energia Trento must have had their heads in their hands.

Heading into Round 16, Trento had won just two of its 15 EuroCup games and a win against the 9-6 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica looked unlikely, with a Hamburg victory and a Trento loss set to condemn the Italian team to another season without reaching the playoffs.

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv - Veolia Towers Hamburg | Round 16 Highlights | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

Yet, fast-forward a couple of hours and the picture had changed completely. Despite entering the fourth quarter level on points, Hamburg ultimately fell to Hapoel, losing 91-85 to drop to 5-11.

Meanwhile, with Trento's game still in play, head coach Emanuele Molin's side managed to stave off a Buducnost comeback attempt en route to a 79-76 triumph. That win helped Trento improve to 3-13, giving it hope that a miracle is possible.

Even though Trento has only now tasted victory for the first time in 2023, with its last coming – curiously – against Hamburg on December 13, 2022, there is optimism within its camp, as emphasized by guard Trent Lockett afterward:

“Huge win. It’s been a tough season for us in the EuroCup. We got off early and then they tested us, so to come out on top against a tough team like that is special, and we’ve kept our playoff hopes alive."

Dolomiti Energia Trento - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | Round 16 Highlights | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

In Group B of this year's EuroCup, seven of the eight playoff spots have already been wrapped up. Now, there is a battle for the one remaining place, with only Hamburg and Trento in with a mathematical chance of reaching the postseason, following Slask Wroclaw's 89-85 defeat at Paris Basketball.

Curiously, thanks to the luck of the schedule makers, Trento heads to Germany next Tuesday night to take on Hamburg. Coach Molin's squad came out on top when the teams met in Italy in December, 85-80, and Trento has the chance to clinch the tiebreaker with a win. Should that happen, a fascinating Round 18 would be in store, with Trento hosting already eliminated Slask and Hamburg heading to Group B leader Gran Canaria.

"It’s kind of like life. Things get tough, but if you keep working you’ll break through, and hopefully tonight will be a break for us in the EuroCup," Lockett eloquently explained in his post-game interview. "We’ll have a chance to make the playoffs if we continue to play well."

Trento fans went from despair to elation after first seeing Hamburg lead and then lose, before later witnessing their team defeat Buducnost. Suddenly, the whole picture looks completely different. In the EuroCup, a lot can change in a couple of hours.

Trento can still dream of a miracle

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-03-14T18:00:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-03-14T19:00:00.000Z)

There was some surprise at Shlomo Group Arena when the starting fives were announced ahead of Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv's Round 16 clash against Veolia Towers Hamburg in the 7DAYS EuroCup on Tuesday evening, as star guard J'Covan Brown had to make do with a place on the bench.

 

Brown had started 12 of his 13 games for Hapoel prior to Tuesday, with his only previous bench appearance coming in an 60-78 win at Dolomiti Energia Trento in Round 12. That night, the 33-year-old had one of his least memorable displays in his rookie EuroCup season, ending the game with 4 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

 

It was a different story in Round 16, though. After Hapoel went 4-11 behind in the first 3:36 against Hamburg, Brown's name was called. The guard, along with forward Jaylen Hoard, entered the action and soon started to make things happen, scoring 6 points in a hurry to breathe some life into Hapoel's offense, 17-23. He dished 1 assist before the end of the first quarter, too.

The best plays of Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv J'Covan Brown against Veolia Towers Hamburg in Round 16 of the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season.

J'Covan Brown's best plays vs. Hamburg

Brown racked up a further 4 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in the opening 5:36 of the second quarter, before taking a well-deserved rest on the bench with Hapoel ahead 43-36. At halftime, he had 10 points – tied with JP Tokoto and Hoard for the most by a Hapoel player – after going 4-of-5 from two-point range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, while he also had 3 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers to his name.

 

Hapoel was down 52-54 at the break, but it wrestled back control of proceedings in the fourth quarter after a back-and-forth battle in the third. The Israeli team went on to win the game 91-85, as Brown finished the contest with 21 points, which ties the season high he set against Paris Basketball in Round 2, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and a 23 PIR.

 

Coming off the bench is unlikely to be a regular occurrence for Brown, but he once again displayed the leadership qualities that have put him firmly in the race to be named MVP come the end of the season. Hapoel is now in a great position to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs, with a 7-1 record at home and 11-5 overall thanks to Tuesday's result, and very few teams will like the idea of taking on Brown and co. in the postseason.

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J'Covan Brown inspired Hapoel past Hamburg in rare bench role

All Joventut Badalona needed was a victory against U-BT Cluj-Napoca on Tuesday night in order to secure home-court advantage in the eighthfinals of the 7DAYS EuroCup. Ante Tomic and Joel Parra took advantage of Cluj’s absences to dominate in the paint, as the hosts grabbed a convincing 104-81 win on home soil.

Despite Emanuel Cate pairing a season-high 13 boards with 14 points for a double-double, and Cluj outrebounding Joventut 31-36, the hosts' work inside was the key to its seventh victory in eight contests at Palau Olimpic de Badalona.

Parra made all 7 of his two-pointers, while Tomic went a perfect 5-for-5 in the paint. Joventut made a total of 30 two-pointers (30-of-41, 73.2% 2FG), which is its best tally this season and also its second-best mark of all time, following the 31 it made from inside the arc (31/56, 55.4%) in its 90-65 win over Siauliai on December 4, 2007, the year Joventut won the EuroCup.

Meanwhile, its 73.2% on two-pointers is its second-best mark since back on January 6, 2004, when Joventut beat Hapoel Jerusalem 84-77, recording an impressive 73.5% (25-of-34).

All but one of the Joventut players who featured in Tuesday’s game made at least 1 two-pointer apiece to help their team grab this important victory. After securing home-court advantage, Joventut will clinch a top-two finish in Group A in the event that 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and Umana Reyer Venice lose to Germani Brescia and Frutti Extra Bursaspor, respectively, on Wednesday.

Joventut showcased impressive work inside to beat Cluj

Joventut Badalona v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-03-14T19:15:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball improved its record to 10-6 in Group B by edging Slask Wroclaw 89-85 in Round 16. The French side leaned on free throws, as its overall aggressiveness paid off down the stretch.

Paris ended up drawing 28 fouls, while it picked up just 20. Those 8 extra fouls allowed Paris to go to the free-throw line often. Paris hit 27-of-34 free throws in this game (79.4% FT); those 27 free throws made are a new club record. Paris already had three games in which it took 36 free throws this season. The other 19 EuroCup teams have combined for four games with that same number of free throws: 36 or more. Slask hit 14-of-18 free throws (77.8% FT) in Round 16.

Jeremy Evans led Paris Basketball to an 89-85 home win against Slask Wroclaw.

Evans leads Paris past Slask

The hosts worked well on the boards, outrebounding Slask 35-31, and it finished the game with 4 blocks. It was also very effective inside the arc, making 19 of its 28 two-point shots (67.9% 2FG). Slask ended up hitting 22-of-43 two-pointers (51.2% 2FG). Jeremy Evans did not miss from two-point range (3-of-3) or the free-throw line (6-of-6), getting his first EuroCup career double-double: 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Paris's toughness paid off against Slask

Paris Basketball v Slask Wroclaw (2023-03-14T19:30:00.000Z)

A team which racks up a total of 40 rebounds would be expected to come out on top in a basketball game, but for Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, that tally wasn’t nearly enough as Dolomiti Energia Trento collected a staggering 53 boards in a 79-76 home win on Tuesday.

Crucially, the Italian side had 23 offensive boards against Buducnost’s 14, resulting in a barrage of second-chance points which contributed to a 51-28 lead early in the third quarter.

Buducnost, who also shot 0-of-10 from three-point range in the first half, improved after the break but eventually came up short in a thrilling final. Trae Bell-Haynes excelled in the second half and finished the game on 24 points while Erick Green chipped in with 18, but the supporting cast misfired as the visitors ended up shooting 5-of-21 from beyond the arc.

Trento was 7-of-23 from deep after shooting 5-of-12 in the first half, as its offense declined dramatically after the interval, with the home team allowing Buducnost to turn the tide in the fourth quarter, 68-69.

However, the hosts showed great determination in the last few minutes to claw out a win which alive kept its hopes of reaching the playoffs, although it only managed 22-of-52 shots from two-point range, with Buducnost hitting 22-of-43.

In the end, the game was decided by superior rebounding, as summed up by Buducnost head coach Vlada Jovanovic: “We had a much better approach in the second half; we found and made open shots, played much tougher defense, with a lot of contact. However, throughout the game we had a huge problem with \[Trento’s\] offensive rebounds and we didn’t resolve that until the end.”

Trento dominated the boards to sink Buducnost

Joventut Badalona secured a 104-81 home win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 16 to clinch home-court advantage in the eighthfinals of the 7DAYS EuroCup. Despite missing three key players – Andrija Stipanovic, Kasey Shepherd and Karel Guzman – the guests started strong and headed into the second quarter with a 21-22 lead, but Joventut improved on defense and dominated in the paint to seal its seventh victory in eight home games. The hosts improved to 11-5, but Cluj dropped to 5-11 and has been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race.

Joel Parra paced Joventut with 18 points after going 7-for-7 on two-pointers, but Ante Tomic stole the limelight after netting 15 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the paint. The veteran center paired those points with 7 rebounds and 6 assists for a 24 PIR. Pau Ribas recorded 15 points, with Kyle Guy and Andres Feliz adding 12 each. Jalen Jones was Cluj’s top scorer with 16 points, while Patrick Richard and Leonardo Meindl tallied 15 apiece for the losing side. Emanuel Cate scored 14 and finished the game with a season-high 13 rebounds.

Cluj got off to a solid start, with 17-year-old debutant Akos Szentkuti scoring his first-ever EuroCup points after sinking a triple to give the visitors a 0-3 lead. The guests went on to take a 6-12 lead courtesy of 4 points from Meindl and a three-pointer by Richard. Joventut fought back and managed to turn the game around when Guillem Vives sank a three-pointer, 17-15. Cate went 3-for-3 on two-pointers to tie it at 19-19, before Cluj headed into the second quarter with a narrow 20-21 lead.

What followed in the second quarter was an exchange of punches, as the game stayed tight until Gordic scored 5 straight points for a 25-29 Cluj lead. However, Feliz scored twice from behind the arc to inspire Joventut to a 12-0 run, 37-29. Feliz recorded 8 of his 12 points in the second quarter and Tomic registered 4 assists to secure a 51-40 lead for the hosts before the break.

Joventut hit the ground running in the second half, as Guy took his tally to 10 points after nailing a three-pointer, 54-40. Cluj tried to react and reduced the deficit to single digits when Richard scored 4 straight points, 58-50. But, that is when Tomic stepped up, with the big man taking his tally to double figures by scoring a trademark hook shot for a 69-59 advantage.

Nemanja Gordic beat the third-quarter buzzer with a mid-court triple to reduce the deficit to single digits, 77-68, and give Cluj hope ahead of the last quarter, but Joventut was dominant in the last 10 minutes. The hosts scored a season-high 104 points to cap off an important win in its bid to push for top spot in Group A.

Joventut cruises past Cluj, 104-81

### Will Weaver, Paris Basketball head coach

"As we thought, it was an exceptionally tough game. Slask competes and is very well-coached. I am proud of the effort my guys gave. Some of them have been playing really large minutes for long stints at a time, and the effort we played with in the second half was enough to secure the close win. The things that Jeremy \[Evans\] brings that I like the best is consistent, unselfish, high-motor playing. He always rolls hard. He always sprints in the screens, always crashes hard. I wish he would shoot more threes, but that is the only complaint I have, that sometimes he is too unselfish."

### Ertugrul Erdogan, Slask Wroclaw head coach 

"It was actually a close game in which Paris missed a lot of players, I know that. But I am a newcomer in this team and, in the last two weeks, we tried to build up the new system while playing in the Polish League and the EuroCup. And unfortunately, we missed a lot of players because of injuries and sickness. Since I came here, I haven't had a full roster, so I hope we are going to get this somewhere. And while building up a new system and trying to get to know the players, I hope that we can win one EuroCup game. But today, I think we really fought, and I can say that \[honestly\]. We improved a lot in the last two weeks compared to other games and, because of those free throws, we lost a lot of confidence. We let them find easy scores from the free-throw line. Yes, the referees were neutral and I cannot complain about their decisions, but we have to be smarter as a team, making simple fouls. If we let them score so many free throws, we cannot win. We have to keep our emotions cooled down and have to play much smarter, much more knowledgeable. This is the story of the game, but I cannot complain about the team's effort. We are improving and are going to be a dangerous team for the rest of the season, but now, we are still missing players. I hope that one day, before the end of the season, we are going to get together \[on the court as a group\]."

### Jeremy Evans, Paris Basketball forward 

"We have been on a losing streak, so coming out, we wanted to get the win. It is my wife's first game in three years, so I had to put on a performance!"

Will Weaver, Paris: 'It was an exceptionally tough game'

### Carles Duran, Joventut Badalona head coach

"In the first quarter our defense was bad, but in the rest of the quarters the team played well on offense. We think it’s possible to improve on defense, but I am happy with the victory and I’m thinking about the next game. Sometimes it is difficult to be consistent throughout the match. Cluj went for a high rhythm, to score more points, but it is very difficult sometimes to play a perfect game. Good victory and now we focus on \[our next game against Umana Reyer\] Venice."

 

### Mihai Silvasan, U-BT Cluj-Napoca head coach

"The game became difficult because our rotation was very, very short. Anyway, we played against a good team, a team which wants to win this group and has aspirations to win the EuroCup. Honestly, I’m very satisfied with the way we fought in most parts of the game. Taking into consideration the situation we were in without three main players today, I think we had good moments in this game. It wasn’t realistic to win. Congratulations to Joventut for winning. I’m happy that no player got injured, and I feel sorry that we couldn’t stay closer at the end to give ourselves chances to win."

 

### Ante Tomic, Joventut Badalona center

"We were solid in the second half. We continued scoring and running the floor. We scored more than 100 points today; I don’t remember when the last time we did that. We did some things better and different on defense. It is a very important win. I think with this win we’ve got second place, but we want more. Of course, we don’t only depend on ourselves, as we need to wait for the other teams to play, but this is the way \[we need to continue\]. We \[need to\] keep winning games and we’ll see what will happen."

Ante Tomic, Joventut: 'We want more'

Dolomiti Energia Trento kept its hopes of reaching the 7DAYS EuroCup Playoffs alive with a crucial 79-76 home win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Tuesday night. However, the Italian team had a nervy end to the game after it had thrown away a 23-point lead it had built early in the second half. 
The outcome left Trento on a 3-13 record in Group B, two games back of Veolia Towers Hamburg (5-11), who missed a chance to seal a playoff berth after suffering an 85-91 setback at Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv. Trento visits Hamburg next week and only a win will see it avoid an early exit.

Trento still alive after beating Buducnost, 79-76

Dolomiti Energia Trento kept its hopes of reaching the 7DAYS EuroCup Playoffs alive with a crucial 79-76 home win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Tuesday night. However, the Italian team had a nervy end to the game after it had thrown away a 23-point lead it had built early in the second half.

The outcome left Trento on a 3-13 record in Group B, two games back of Veolia Towers Hamburg (5-11), who missed a chance to seal a playoff berth after suffering an 85-91 setback at Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv. Trento visits Hamburg next week and only a win will see it avoid an early exit.

Diego Flaccadori paced Trento with 16 points, Andrejs Grazulis scored 14, Matteo Spagnolo netted 12 and Darion Atkins had 11 points and 8 rebounds. However, it was the hosts' guard Trent Lockett who was named the player of the game after he racked up 9 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. At the other end, Trae Bell-Hayes led Buducnost and all scorers with a game-high 24 points. Erick Green had 18 and J.J. O’Brien netted 10 for the visitors.

Trento produced one of its best EuroCup performances of the season in the first half, as it steamrolled the more heralded Buducnost. The Montenegrin outfit, who had already booked its place in the playoff, looked lethargic as Trento tore it apart with sound shooting and superior rebounding, having also taken good care of the ball.

Trento grabbed 30 rebounds in the first half, 12 of which on the offensive end, while Buducnost only managed 18 boards and shot 0-of-10 from three-point range, with the hosts netting 5-of-12 from deep. The home team also had 7 assists compared to the visitors' grand total of 1, resulting in a 49-28 Trento lead at halftime.

Few would have predicted a spirited Buducnost fightback in the second half when the home side netted the first bucket of the third quarter, but that’s exactly what happened. The visitors roared back with a 14-5 streak early in the period, followed by an 8-0 run late on, as it slashed Trento’s lead to 62-53 ahead of the final 10 minutes.

Bell-Haynes, who had a quiet first half, fired on all cylinders after the break and Buducnost looked like the more likely winner after the visitors nosed ahead 68-69 with four minutes left, having turned the game on its head as Trento went ice-cold from the floor.

However, the hosts dug deep when the chips were down and a Flaccadori layup followed by a pair of free throws from Atkins with 6.8 seconds left on the clock sealed its win in a dramatic climax, as Buducnost came up short on the buzzer in an effort to force overtime.