Vladimir Micov's three-pointer left his hands a fraction of a second before the overtime buzzer to lift AX Armani Exchange Milan to a stunning 81-83 victory over Valencia Basket at La Fonteta on Thursday. Both teams now have 12-16 records in the standings.
Micov's game-winner gives Milan OT win, 81-83
Game Report
1 Min read
Sergio Rodriguez led the winners with 16 points, Micov finished with 13 and Michael Roll and Luis Scola each scored 11 for Milan. Alberto Abalde led Valencia with 21 points, Bojan Dubljevic added 19 and Maurice Ndour had 12 for the hosts. Down 5 with a minute left in regulation, Dubljevic and Abalde rallied Valencia to force overtime, 65-65. Dubljevic and Abalde combined for 13 points in the extra period, but Micov had the final word with the game-winning three-point shot.
Regular Season
Round 28 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Riccardo Moraschini got Milan going with a jumper that Keifer Sykes followed with a triple for a 0-5 lead. Ndour stepped up with a layup, but Micov answered with a running jumper and Moraschini added a driving layup for a 2-9 Milan lead. Abalde struck from downtown and added a backdoor layup, igniting an 8-0 run that Dubljevic capped with a triple that gave Valencia its first lead, 10-9. Drew Crawford hit a floater that Ndour erased with a big basket down low. Arturas Gudaitis rescued Milan with a jump hook and a layup, getting help from Scola to give the visitors a 12-19 lead after 10 minutes. Crawford took over with a put-back layup early in the second quarter but Fernando San Emeterio did better with a bomb from beyond the arc. Crawford joined the three-point shootout before Quino Colom started to find open shots for his teammates. Abalde and Mike Tobey delivered, keeping the hosts within 21-24. Scola answered with a tip-in, but Ndour quickly answered with a brutal dunk off a spin move. Micov buried a three-pointer and Sergio Rodriguez scored in penetration, but Dubljevic drew Valencia within 28-33. Tarczewski made it 28-36 at halftime.
Vanja Marinkovic banked in a close shot soon after the break and Ndour added a layup for a 32-36 scoreline. Colom bettered Sykes's jumper with a three-pointer and added a reverse layup off a steal that caused Milan to call timeout at 37-38. A three-point shootout started, as Roll, Colom, Rodriguez and San Emeterio all struck from downtown. Ndour stepped up with a put-back layup for a 45-44 Valencia edge. Scola scored down low and Tarczewski gave Milan fresh air at 45-48. San Emeterio and Tobey helped Valencia tie the game at 48-48 through three quarters. Rodriguez followed a stop-and-pop jumper with a driving layup early in the fourth quarter. He went on to feed Tarczewski for an alley-oop dunk that made it 48-54. Sastre and Tobey rescued Valencia with back-to-back three-pointers. Abalde scored in penetration and added a put-back basket to give the hosts the lead, 58-56, with over 4 minutes left. Roll hit a mid-range jumper and Micov downed a floater for a 58-60 Milan edge. Valencia missed several shots when it mattered most and Roll struck from downtown to give Milan a 5-point lead with a minute left. Abalde gave Valencia hope with a three-point play and Dubljevic hit free throws, tying it at 63-63 with 14.2 seconds remaining. Micov hit a floater but Abalde banked in a running jumper to even the score at 65-65. Milan had the ball with 2.6 seconds left in regulation, but Rodriguez missed at the buzzer.
Ndour took over with an alley-oop layup that gave Valencia a 67-66 lead early in overtime. Dubljevic made foul shots that Roll improved on with a corner triple that tied the game again, 69-69. Dubljevic answered from beyond the arc and rolled off a pick for a dunk that gave the hosts a 74-69 edge with 1:50 to go. Scola followed free throws with a layup that brought Milan within 76-73. Abalde stepped up with a driving layup, but Rodriguez quickly answered with a triple. Abalde drew a foul with 22.3 seconds left and calmly made free throws for an 80-76 score. Rodriguez managed to bring Milan within 81-80 with 8.3 seconds to go. Colom drew a foul and missed both attempts, which allowed Micov to bury the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
Game Leaders
Pivotal performer
Vladimir Micov had the final word, but Milan would not have been able to win the game without Sergio Rodriguez, who kept his team close in overtime, allowing it to have a chance in the final seconds. He came off the bench to get 16 points and 9 assists for a team-high PIR of 20.
Game-changing moment
Alberto Abalde gave Valencia an 80-76 lead with 22.3 seconds left. Sergio Rodriguez drove for a quick basket, Abalde split free throws and El Chacho drew a foul and made both attempts for an 81-80 score. Milan fouled Quino Colom, who missed both attempts with 6.8 seconds left. Milan put the ball in Rodriguez's hands again and he found Vladimir Micov wide open for the game-winning triple from the top of the key on the buzzer.
Stellar stat
Milan had a much better two-point shooting percentage, hitting 23-of-40 shots (57.5%). Valencia had more attempts, 43, and made fewer shots, 19, for a 44.2% percentage inside the arc. Despite playing overtime, Milan finished the game with just 10 turnovers in another key to the game.
Did you notice?
Milan remained undefeated at La Fonteta with its third win in as many visits. Milan defeated Valencia 69-80 in November 2010 behind 26 points from Jonas Maciulis. It needed double overtime to defeat Valencia 98-103 in November 2017. Curtis Jerrells led Milan that night with 30 points.
Ettore Messina, AX Armani Exchange Milan
"I am so happy for my players, because they work very, very hard every day. There were some games that we lost in the end, in the fourth quarter. Even today, we had the lead with one minute left and for some reason, we paid for our lack of experience in a couple of defensive plays. I am so happy for them because they deserve a little bit of joy and now, we move on. But I am very happy. We were patient and didn't give up. I give credit to them and of course, I repeat, I am happy for them because they deserved it. This is, of course, an important win because it keeps us alive and gives us a 2-0 record with Valencia, so we still have a little hope to pursue our dreams."
Jaume Ponsarnau, Valencia Basket
"We started the game without any offensive rhythm. I believe that they were controlling the rhythm and took advantage of some situations. We improved our defense a little bit and that allowed us to stay in there and be close at halftime. We had a very good start of the third quarter, especially on defense, with everyone really involved, making it hard for them to circulate the ball. We seemed to control the rhythm due to our rebounds and their turnovers. We played really well after that moment, sharing the ball, being aggressive, finding Dubi [Dubljevic] and pick-and-roll options, being brave. In the end, we just missed some shots. We managed to force overtime and once in there, we were playing very well and in the end, we lost the battle of making fouls and going to the free-throw line. I am very proud of our team. We fought until the end. Congratulations to Milan, which won a very close game."
Vladimir Micov, AX Armani Exchange Milan
"Now we understand we are better than them because we beat them twice, but lately, we didn't play very well, losing so many games. We were struggling but of course, this victory will give us a big push to try to stay in the race for the playoffs. We played great in the first half, and in the second half, of course, they managed to come back. They played very aggressive, but we stayed tied until the end of the game. For example, we lost in overtime in Kaunas and now, we managed to win. We managed to find an open shot in the end and lucky, it went in, and on the other side, they missed 2 free throws, which is for us, a big push."
Sergio Rodriguez, AX Armani Exchange Milan
"For us, it is a tough week. We didn't know how it was going to be; sometimes they say it is going to be a close game, other times the fans don't come, so it is a good situation. I am very proud of my team and how we are getting together. We lost so many games in the last seconds and the work that we are putting in every day and the close that we are helped us win. The EuroLeague is how it is. A month ago, we were saying that all the results were going our way, but we kept losing. I hope this is going to be a turning point for us. We are going to keep working hard."
Mike Tobey, Valencia Basket
"That was a hard-fought game. For us, it is definitely a little bit of an adjustment, going into the game with no fans and all that. I think we responded in the second half, but played really well. Unfortunately, we were not able to come out with the win. I think we played well in the second half and then we played well in the overtime, but they hit a shot at the end of the game. Props to them for making that shot."