
Popovic finished with a trio of career highs: 23 points, 5 three-pointers made and a performance index rating of 22. He single-handedly drained more shots from the arc than the entire Virtus team, which managed to make just 4 of 26 three-point attempts on its own floor. In fact, Popovic made 4 of his in the second quarter alone! His fifth one broke a 47-47 tie in the last minute of the third quarter, after which Buducnost did not trail again. 

Popovic counted by threes until Buducnost had the win in Bologna

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2022-02-01T19:30:00.000Z)

Petar Popovic - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21

Telling numbers: Leaning on twos, over threes

Gran Canaria separated itself atop of Group B with a 91-90 overtime win over Valencia Basket. In a back-and-forth affair, Gran Canaria erased an 8-point deficit in the final 2 minutes of the regulation with a pair of three-pointers after struggling with long-range shots the entire night.

Gran Canaria made 3 of its last 4 three-point attempts of the game, after going 5-for-18 in the first 38 minutes. And even though the team rallied thanks to those triples, Gran Canaria won the game by forcing the ball inside. The team attempted 54 two-point attempts, tied for fourth most in club history, making just ove half of those (28-for-54).

Meanwhile, Valencia had a very different strategy. The visitors attempted as many two-point shots as Gran Canaria made (28), while firing 41 triples, the most it ever attempted in the competition. Valencia did make 15 threes, but on 36.6%, coming up just short in a drama.

In a back-and-forth affair, Gran Canaria erased an eight-point deficit in the final 2 minutes of the regulation with a pair of three-pointers, but during the night attempted 54 two-point shots, tied for fourth most in club history.

Telling numbers: Gran Canaria leans on twos, saved by threes

Gran Canaria v Valencia Basket (2022-02-01T20:00:00.000Z)

Miquel Salvo - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21

In a Spanish derby between two teams with the best records in Group B, Gran Canaria scored the final 8 points of the regulation before pulling out a 91-90 win in overtime against the visiting Valencia Basket on Tuesday night. The win not only improved Gran Canaria's record to 9-2, the best in Group B, but also gave it a sweep of second-place Valencia, which dropped to 8-4. In a back-and-forth battle, the visitors led 73-81 with under 2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but Nicolas Brussino and A.J. Slaughter orchestrated a comeback, before Khalifa Diop took over in overtime to help Gran Canaria win the game. 

Gran Canaria rallies to sink Valencia in OT


Slaughter finished with 23 points, while Khalifa Diop had 18 points and 9 rebounds. Artem Pustovyi scored 12 and Oliver Stevic 10 points in victory. Klemen Prepelic paced Valencia, scoring all of his 18 points in the second half. Jasiel Rivero had 14 points and Sam Van Rossom 11 for the visitors. 

Gran Canaria went inside from the get-go, with Dylan Ennis, Miquel Salvo, Stevic and Pustovy each scoring buckets. Meanwhile Valencia opened the game firing from long range. Nenad Dimitrijevic, Martin Hermannsson and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui each hit a three-pointer, and Hermannsson's second triple tied it at 12-12. Stevic made a pair of mid-range shots and Chris Kramer scored on a fastbreak to help make it 20-18 after the first quarter.

 Ilimane Diop scored a pair of baskets to keep the hosts in front early in the second, but Bojan Dubljevic hit a corner triple, and Van Rossom three helped put Valencia in front 24-29. Slaughter replied with Gran Canaria's first three-pointer,but Van Rossom nailed another long-range dagger for the visitors. Pustovyi scored twice inside for Gran Canaria and Ennis hit one from the outside, before Khalifa Diop's last-second basket gave the hosts a 38-36 halftime edge.


Valencia jumped back ahead with a pair of inside baskets from Jaime Pradilla and a triple from Lopez-Arostegui that opened a 38-43 advantage. But Khalifa Diop strung together 6 points and Stevic made a baseline floater to help the hosts briefly restore their lead, 46-45. A tip-in from Mike Tobey and a three from Hermannsson had the visitors back in the lead, but Pustovyi had a three-point play and Ilimane Diop nailed a triple to tie it at 52-52. A three-pointer from Prepelic and an acrobatic one from Slaughter had the game tied at 57-57 going into the fourth quarter. 

Slaughter opened the fourth with a three-pointer, but Prepelic also hit a pair of them for the visitors to make it 62-65 with 7 minutes to go. Slaughter scored 4 points, including a baseline jumper, but Prepelic knocked down his third three of the quarter and Rivero made one from long range to put Valencia up 66-71. Slaughter and Stevic helped the hosts get within 73-75, but Valencia made defensive stands, and a fastbreak dunk from Louis Labeyrie made it 73-81 with 2 minutes to go. A quick basket from Ennis and a triple from Nicolas Brussino cut the deficit to 3 points, before a triple from Slaughter tied it at 81-81 with 35 seconds left, sending the game to overtime.

The hosts started the extra session with a triple from Brussino before a pair of dunks from Khalifa Diop gave them an 88-83 advantage. Dubljevic and Rivero made it a one-point game, but Diop scored again inside and Gran Canaria entered the final minute with a 90-87 lead. The hosts made two defensive stands and Slaughter extended the difference to 91-87 before Sam Van Rossom hit a triple with 3 seconds to go, but Gran Canaria ran out the clock to celebrate an important victory.

AJ Slaughter - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21

Here are some opinions from the game protagonists themselves.


Post-game quotes: Gran Canaria vs. Valencia Basket

### Porfi Fisac, head coach, Gran Canaria:

"Congratulations to our guys because we had a great performance today and we played with a lot of ambition around the game. There was a moment in which a play went well for us, hitting a couple of three-point shots. They started to believe in themselves again and to have confidence. We tried the strategy of playing with a small lineup... It went well, but some other days, you lose by 14. The effort that we are making is there and it's true that we are struggling, not thinking about winning or losing, but about the basketball that we want to play and bringing back players that are doing a great effort to get back, with physical problems. Like all coaches, it is a matter of complimenting this or that player, but Khalifa \[Diop\] had a good physical display but had a lot of things to improve on and he must be calm and patient. We have great basketball inside this team and have to reflect it regularly, every day, no matter which competition we play. I have never thought about what can come next or tomorrow. We have to live to get past tomorrow and not think about any other situation. We are in a good position but have to keep working to hang in there as long as possible."

### Joan Peñarroya, head coach, Valencia Basket:

"It was a game that got away from us in the last minutes after getting an 8-point lead with less than 2 minutes left \[in regulation\]. That is when I have to give credit to the action that Gran Canaria did, with good baskets, but we took bad decisions, offensively and defensively. It hurts to lose this game the way we did, but as I said, we have to give our opponent credit. We never found the rhythm that we wanted, but even so, we held on to the situations that the game demanded. Statistically, it's clear that we have more three-point shots than two-point shots, which is unusual but this is something that Gran Canaria's defense often gives you. We leave with a bad feeling. It couldn't be any other way because we were close to the win, under control. Those 2 minutes led us to lose the game and be a bit far from Gran Canaria in the standings."

### A.J. Slaughter, guard, Gran Canaria

"We feel great. We played these guys in a Spanish League game just a couple of days ago, and they beat us pretty bad. So we wanted to come out and show ourselves. We came out and fought hard. Fought until the end and got a win."

Post-game quotes: Gran Canaria 91-90 Valencia Basket

Dylan Ennis - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica rode the hottest hand on the court to a 62-68 road win over host Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Tuesday. etar Popovic out-gunned Virtus with 5 triples himself on the way to a game-high 23 points as Buducnost's sole double-digit scorer. 

Buducnost completes sweep of Virtus, 62-68

Kyle Weems dunked in an offensive rebound for Virtus to end 2 scoreless minutes after tipoff. Justin Cobbs matched him but Nico Mannion and Jaiteh sent the hosts up 6-3 midway through the first quarter. Cobbs kept Buducnost close until Jaiteh blocked a shot at one end and converted a three-point play at the other to make it 9-5. Popovic and Cordinier traded baskets. Offensive rebounds got Donatas Tarolis a put-back and Kendrick Perry a triple as Buducnost took its first lead. Perry soon added a layup and fed Popovic for a fastbreak-and-one that left the visitors up 13-19 after 10 minutes.

Popovic lengthened the lead to 15-22 with an early second-quarter triple and Reed padded it with free throws. Mannion made up for a turnover by burying a shot from deep and feeding Ty-Shon Alexander for another to get Virtus within 21-23. Popovic hit 2 more corner threes around a dunk by Jaiteh as Buducnost climbed ahead 23-29. But Popovic wasn't done, and his fourth triple of the quarter made it 23-32. Jaiteh calmed Virtus with a pair of buckets and Weems added a jumper at 29-32. Dennis Seeley swished a jumper on the shot-clock buzzer in the final minute, letting Buducnost lead 30-34 at the half.


Vladimir Micov and Willie Reed lifted the visitors' lead to 32-38 soon after the break, but Cordinier got 3 points back for Virtus at the foul line. Jaiteh added a bucket and Amar Alibegovic tied it up with a free throw, 38-38. Micov and Alessandro Pajola kept it tied before Cordinier drilled from the arc to put Virtus up 43-40. Cobbs and Micov ended that 11-2 run by the hosts with 4 free throws that flipped the lead again, but Cordinier skied for a pair of acrobatic baskets at 47-44. Edin Atic tied it for the visitors with one shot, and it was Popovic who broke the knot with his fifth triple falling with 8.5 seconds left in the third quarter to restore Buducnost's lead at 47-50.

Popovic drove for 3 points the hard way to open the fourth quarter with Buducnost leading 47-53. Virtus couldn't buy a basket as Perry and Atic added triples the game's biggest lead yet, 49-59, with just under 6 minutes to play. Marko Jagodic-Kurdiza joined the Buducnost shootout to make it 51-62. Pajola and Jaiteh got buckets back for the hosts, but Weems missed both of his free throws and the score stayed stuck at 55-62 with under 3 minutes left. Alibegovic walked out of a timeout and drilled a triple before Jaiteh slammed in close to suddenly make it 60-62 with 1:30 left. But within seconds, Seeley was fouled shooting a triple and made 3 of 3 foul shots to calm the visitors at 60-65. Cordinier split pairs of free throws that Cobbs matched with a late basket to end any doubt that the victory was going back to Podgorica.

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica rode the hottest hand on the court to a 62-68 road win over host Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Tuesday. The win lifted Buducnost to 7-4 and assured it at least third place with its second win this season over Virtus, whose record fell to 6-6. Long-range shooting was the difference as Buducnost hit 10 three-pointers to just 4 total for the hosts. Petar Popovic out-gunned Virtus with 5 triples himself on the way to a game-high 23 points as Buducnost's sole double-digit scorer. Mam Jaiteh paced Virtus with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds while Isaia Cordinier followed him with 16 points. But the hosts led only briefly after the first quarter, but every time they needed a big shot, it missed, which ultimately spelled the difference.

Here are some opinions from the game protagonists themselves.

Post-game quotes: Virtus Segafredo Bologns 62-68 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

### Aleksandar Dzikic, head coach, Buducnost VOLI Podrorica

 

"The key was Teodosic, Hervey and Belinelli not playing \[for Virtus\]. Sorry. I am not taking anything from my guys, because we've had a very tough period. But we used their situation with injuries and COVID. We had our problems, believe me. We had four or maybe five five-on-five practices since the middle of November. And it is what it is. You see that we don't have a flow in our game. We were up a couple of times and let them come back. At the end we won, but, you know it's a big win for us, to be honest. Because not too many teams will come to Bologna and win here."

### Sergio Scariolo, head coach, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

"I think we played a good defensive game, overall. A really good defensive game, given the circumstances, especially. Unfortunately, we didn't hit shots. I mean, with a much bigger and physically stronger team, you need to open the middle with some threes. Unfortunately, we had many open looks, but we didn't hit them, so we move on to the next game."

### Petar Popovic, guard, Buducnost VOLI Podrorica

 

"We started playing very hard on both ends, and it got the result for us. In the second half, we also played well. We had some period of the game where we dropped, but we managed to come back and take a tough win on the road."

Aleksandar Dzikic - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21

The contract is through the end of the 2022-23 season. The shooting guard arrives from Astana, with which he led the VTB United League in scoring with 23.0 points per game this season. Barford (1.91 meters, 26 years old) also contributed 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game with Astana. He has also played in Italy got Pesaro, Rome and Cremona, for Greensboro in the G-League and Alexandria in Egypt. Barford was a college teammate of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens guard Daryl Macon Jr. at the University of Arkansas. Now he will make his 7DAYS EuroCup debut with Lokomotiv.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Джейлен Бэрфорд — игрок «Локомотива-Кубань» ⚡️<br><br>Контракт с американским защитником подписан по системе «1+1» 😎<a href="https://twitter.com/BarfordJaylen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BarfordJaylen</a> joins Loko ⚡️<br><br>The American guard signed a 2-year contract with Lokomotiv Kuban.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lokobasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lokobasket</a> <a href="https://t.co/eckDlEgoKk">pic.twitter.com/eckDlEgoKk</a></p>&mdash; Lokomotiv Kuban (@lokobasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/lokobasket/status/1488575803659018245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar added another weapon to its line-up by signing Jaylen Barford. 

Lokomotiv tabs VTB top scorer Barford

### [Virtus Segafredo Bologna 62-68 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/virtus-segafredo-bologna-buducnost-voli-podgorica/U2021/120/)

Buducnost rode the hottest hand on the court to a 62-68 road win over host Virtus on Tuesday. The win lifted Buducnost to 7-4 and assured it at least third place with its second win this season over Virtus, whose record fell to 6-6. Long-range shooting was the difference as Buducnost hit 10 three-pointers to just 4 total for the hosts. Petar Popovic out-gunned Virtus with 5 triples himself on the way to a game-high 23 points for Buducnost. 


<center>`<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Willie Reed with the BIG rejection!<a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKBuducnostVOLI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/LBfWQGSu6m">pic.twitter.com/LBfWQGSu6m</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1488608048235126785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>`

### [Gran Canaria 91-90 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/gran-canaria-valencia-basket/U2021/116/)

A true thriller to decide first place in Group B saw Gran Canaria nip visiting Valencia 91-90 in overtime on Tuesday. A.J. Slaughter's three-pointer forced the extra period and he led the winners with 23 points. Khalifa Diop added 18 points and 9 rebounds. Gran Canaria climbs to 9-2 with an important tiebreak of a pair of single-point victories over Valencia, whose record fell to 8-4. Valencia wins its own tiebreak, however, with Buducnost (8-4) so retains second place.


<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tl" dir="ltr">Khalifa Diop aka The Saviour 😌👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/bH5RJpklff">pic.twitter.com/bH5RJpklff</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1488615493640413186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </center>

Round 12, Tuesday: Gran Canaria rules Group B after thriller!

Two of top favorites to win the competition, Partizan NIS Belgrade and Virtus Segafredo Bologna, registered respective road losses against Turk Telekom Ankara and ratiopharm Ulm. Joventut Badalona leads Group A with a 9-2 record, but is set to face Partizan, with has the same record as Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, 8-3. In Group B, Gran Canaria (7-2) and Valencia Basket (8-3) battle for first place and at the bottom of the standings, the fight for survival is on. 

Of course, it will all have an impact in the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge. Round 11 did not have major scores - Anthony Clemmons of Turk Telekom earn MVP honors with a PIR of 32, but no-one else got a PIR higher tahn 25 across the competition. As the competition reaches closer and closer to the end of the Regular Season, scouting has taken over, there is less room for surprises and it is more difficult - and yet, more interesting - to play our fantasy game. 

We bring you several options to enhance your team before Round 12. From a couple of guards with reasonable prices who have been leading their teams to important wins, to an experienced forward with great momentum, to a superstar who comes off one of the best games of his career, to a defensive wall ready to keep proving his value.

These are our Round 12 recommendations in the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: 

Tomer Ginat, Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (8.8 credits) - If you are looking for a backup center who can also start if you star has a bad day, Ginat may very well be your option. He has been doing great lately, averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals in the last couple of games for a PIR average of 20.5. Metropolitans needs everyone to be ready to face Lokomotiv. 

Thomas Klepeisz, ratiopharm Ulm (8.9 credits) - Klepeisz has been doing very well all season long, hitting 50% of his three-point shots to average 10.4 points, and also added 3.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals. His PIR average, 14.4, ranks him fourth overall in a high-scoring, fun-to-watch team like Ulm. Fully adjusted to the competition. Klepeisz is interesting. 

Octavius Ellis, Turk Telekom Ankara (12.2 credits) - Ellis leads the 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup in blocks at 1.7 per nighe. He has been doing much more than that lately, however. Ellis had a PIR of 20 of higher three times in Turk Telekom's last five games, averaging 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and a PIR of 18.0 in that span. Expect him to keep leading Turk Telekom's frontcourt.

Ferran Bassas, Joventut Badalona (9.1 credits) - Joventut faces Partizan in a critical showdown for first place and needs its most experienced players to step up. One of them is Bassas, who has done just that lately, averaging 6.7 assists and a PIR of 14.0 in the last three games. Bassas knows where and when to pass the ball, and that is key in this big game. 

Codi Miller-McIntyre, MoraBanc Andorra (13.8 credits) - Miller-McIntyre comes off a career-defining performance, leading Andorra to a road victory against Real Madrid in Spanish League action with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and a PIR of 34. Next stop? Super high-scoring Hamburg Towers. Everything seems in his favour, so buy him now. And make him team captain.

Round 12 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season is upon us already, and the competition only gets better and better.

Fantasy Challenge tips: it's do-or-die time

Ferran Bassas - Joventut Badalona - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21