The 2017 EuroLeague champion qualified for the 2024 Final Four in dramatic fashion

Fenerbahce rewrote the history books with Game 5 win at Monaco

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has a habit of making history in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. Back in 2017, Fenerbahce was the first-ever side to win Games 1 and 2 as the road team. Now, in 2024, it became the first-ever team to win a Game 5 as the visiting squad as [it beat AS Monaco at Salle Gaston Medecin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-makes-history-by-winning-game-5-at-monaco-79-80/) to advance to the Final Four in Berlin, Germany.

Just a few hours after the final buzzer in Monaco, Olympiacos Piraeus matched that same feat by downing FC Barcelona in Game 5 at Palau Blaugrana. There had been 19 seasons of best-of-five series and zero road winners in a Game 5, with the home teams going 19-0. Then, Fenerbahce and Olympiacos broke that curse on the same night.

That’s not to say that it was easy for Fenerbahce, though. Anything but. In what was a nervy contest throughout against AS Monaco, Fenerbahce was outscored in the opening two quarters and saw itself trailing 40-35 at the halftime break. A 6-point swing in the third allowed Saras Jasikevicius’s men to take a narrow 55-56 lead into the final frame, but Monaco did enough to win the fourth quarter by a solitary point, thus forcing overtime.

### A memorable and historic overtime period

Of course, it needed the first-ever overtime in a Game 5 for history to be made. But Fenerbahce wouldn’t have had it any other way. In the extra period, the visitors led just once heading into the final 30 seconds, with Monaco seemingly on course for back-to-back Final Four appearances and the Game 5 curse set to extend to 20-0 since 2005.

Game 4's lowest-scoring result of the playoffs was very unlike the high-scoring shootouts that had preceded it, with nobody scoring more than Marko Guduric's 14 points or Elie Okobo's 13. Head coaches Sasa Obradovic and Saras Jasikevicius could well introduce some new wrinkles in the hope of gaining an edge.

AS Monaco-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Playoffs Game 5 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

However, [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/) – who had gone 1 for 8 from distance with 2:06 to go in overtime – quickly wrote his name into Fenerbahce legend. Having made it 77-77 with 1:01 left by hitting his second three-pointer of the night, the 35-year-old made it back-to-back triples with what proved to be a dagger three as Fenerbahce took a 79-80 edge into the final 19 seconds. He wasn’t done there. On the final play of the game, Calathes’s pressure on [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/) allowed [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) to force a turnover and send the Fenerbahce fans in the upper deck at Salle Gaston Medecin into raptures.

“I’m happy for my guys,” Calathes told EuroLeague TV afterward. “We’ve got a bunch of guys who are hungry. We’ve worked all year, we’ve been through adversity. Guys like [Scottie \[Wilbekin\]](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/scottie-wilbekin/006661/), [Tyler \[Dorsey\]](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyler-dorsey/009849/), Papagiannis – first Final Four, man. The guy works his ass off. [\[Marko\] Guduric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/) hit amazing shots, [Tarik \[Biberovic\]](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tarik-biberovic/006961/), [Nate \[Sestina\]](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nathan-sestina/011980/). We have a family as a team and we all help each other out. [\[Johnathan\] Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/johnathan-motley/011157/) was huge for us today. I could keep speaking, but I’m just very excited about going to the Final Four and doing it with these guys and this club.”

His 2 three-pointers in the last 61 seconds of overtime made history that Nick Calathes of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul addressed after his ream's Game 5 road win at AS Monaco.

Nick Calathes: 'It was a helluva series'

### Confidence, despite what had happened before

Heading into Fenerbahce’s do-or-die meeting with Monaco on Wednesday evening, there was a quiet confidence among many that either Fenerbahce or Olympiacos would make history by becoming the first road teams to win a Game 5. Yet, for Fenerbahce at least, the Turkish side had only ever played one Game 5 – also as the visitor – and it lost, falling in Piraeus last year.

Monaco, meanwhile, was playing in its third straight Game 5. It was defeated as the road team in 2022, losing to Olympiacos, but it advanced to the Final Four in 2023 after beating Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at home. Therefore, the historical advantage – past and present – was on the side of the Monegasques. Coach Jasikevicius, however, never had any doubts.

“We were always ahead in the series,” the Lithuanian stated in the post-game press conference. “1-0, 2-1, with big opportunities to seal the deal. We didn’t do it. The players really understood that it would take this type of effort. We were not perfect today, fifth game on the road. The most important thing was to take it to the point where it’s nobody’s game. You guys saw it – at the end, Monaco could have won, Fenerbahce could have won. The ball fell Fenerbahce’s way. It’s as simple as that.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nick Calathes and Sarunas Jasikevicius have different goals for tonight 😂 <a href="https://t.co/FVvcqrQXiq">pic.twitter.com/FVvcqrQXiq</a></p>&mdash; BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketNews_com/status/1788300938354069891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### More history was made

That wasn’t the only bit of history that Fenerbahce achieved. By beating Monaco, the 2017 EuroLeague champion became just the second team in the past five years to win a series as the lower-seeded side, following in the footsteps of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, which knocked out the higher-seeded EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in 2022 en route to its second consecutive EuroLeague crown. Will a similar outcome await Fenerbahce in Berlin?

Well, for the time being at least, Jasikevicius wants to bathe in the glory of Wednesday’s Game 5 victory. The time to think about Fenerbahce’s semifinal matchup with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens can be put on the back burner.

“It’s not the moment to talk about Berlin,” he added. “We need to enjoy this moment. The players left their hearts and souls out there. Like I said, we must be extremely happy and we are extremely happy. Berlin can wait.”

AS Monaco v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-08T17:00:00.000Z)

The Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz sniper averaged a league-best 19.5 points per game

Baskonia’s Markus Howard wins the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy

In just his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz etched his name into the history books by winning the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy thanks to his league-best average of 19.5 points per game. Howard set the EuroLeague’s single-season scoring record with 759 total points over 38 games between the regular season, Play-In Showdown and EuroLeague Playoffs.

The Ford Trophy is the only post-season award based solely on statistics. Howard overtook Mike James of AS Monaco in the second half of the season for the top spot. James finished second in the scoring race with 17.9 points per game followed by Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in third with 17.4.

When Howard was on, there was no hotter player in the league. He became the first scorer in EuroLeague history to rack up at least 30 points in a game five times in one season. He made at least 5 three-pointers 16 times while shattering the competition record with 148 three-pointers made for the season. That bested the previous record by 41 triples! His total points scored were 19 more than the previous record. Both of those marks had been held by Alexey Shved, who set them in 2017-18 with Khimki Moscow Region.

In just his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, Markus Howard of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz etched his name into the history books by winning the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy thanks to his league-best average of 19.5 points per game. Howard set the EuroLeague’s single-season scoring record with 759 total points over 38 games between the regular season, Play-In Showdown and EuroLeague Playoffs.

At age 25, Howard is the second-youngest player to ever win the award. Drew Nicholas was 24 years old when he won the 2006 Ford Trophy with Benetton Treviso.

Among Howard’s best games were a 35-point assault on LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 9 and the same total at Real Madrid in Round 33. Howard was particularly lethal in the final stretch of the regular season; he averaged 25 points per game between Round 29 and 34.

The award is named after Alphonso Ford, who died of leukemia in September 2004 after a brilliant career in which he was the competition's leading scorer twice, in 2000-01 and 2001-02, both seasons with Olympiacos Piraeus. He subsequently led Montepaschi Siena in scoring as it reached the 2003 Final Four. Ford owns the EuroLeague's all-time best scoring average with 22.2 points in 54 career games.

Howard is the 15th winner of the Ford Trophy since it was first awarded in 2005 and the second to win it with Baskonia following Igor Rakocevic, who had the honor in both 2007 and 2009. Rakocevic is one of three players with multiple Ford Trophies. He won a third with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in 2011. Keith Langford who with Olimpia Milan in 2014 and UNICS Kazan in 2017 and Shved won with Khimki in 2018 and 2021.

The other Ford Trophy winners are Sasha Vezenkov with Olympiacos Piraeus last season; Vasilije Micic with Efes (2022); Mike James with Milan (2019); Nando De Colo with CSKA Moscow (2016); Taylor Rochestie with Nizhny Novgorod (2015); Bobby Brown (2013) and Bo McCalebb (2012), both with Montepaschi Siena; Kleiza (2010); Marc Salyers with Chorale Roanne (2008); Drew Nicholas with Benetton Treviso (2006); and Charles Smith with Scavolini Pesaro in the award's original season, 2005.

After his string of inspired performances catapulted a storied club back to center stage, Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens has been chosen by Euroleague Basketball as the April/May MVP in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

April/May MVP: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

After his string of inspired performances catapulted a storied club back to center stage, [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens has been chosen by Euroleague Basketball as the April/May MVP in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Nunn, who didn't join the Panathinaikos lineup until November, proved to be a difference-maker come April and May as the Greens secured home-court advantage with a second-place finish in an oh-so-tight regular-season race, and then used it to win an epic playoff series that went the distance.

The competition's newest shooting star was at his best when it counted most, averaging 26.5 points in a pair of win-or-go-home victories against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv that sent Panathinaikos to the Final Four for the first time in 12 years. 

### Nunn joins rare rookie playoff deciders

The MVP of the Month is named by Euroleague Basketball based on his and his team's performances. This latest monthly award covered the final two regular-season rounds, the Play-In Showdown and the playoffs, a span of pressure basketball stretching from April 4 to May 8. Panathinaikos compiled a 5-2 record in that stretch, with Nunn leading his team in scoring in all but two games, including Game 4 and Game 5 of the playoffs, when the Greens faced elimination.

Nunn becomes just the third EuroLeague rookie to win the monthly MVP award that covers the playoffs period, after Ekpe Udoh with Fenerbahce Istanbul in April of 2016 and Brandon Davies with Zalgiris Kaunas in April of 2018. He is the first Panathinaikos player to be so honored in more than five seasons since Nick Calathes won the March award with the Greens in 2019.

Kendrick Nunn | April/May MVP |2023-24  Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Nunn propelled the Greens

As April began, Panathinaikos was among five teams with 20 or 21 victories fighting to remain in the top four to get home-court advantage in the playoffs. Nunn helped that cause immensely with a team-high 17 points in [a 75-82 road win at FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-bayern-munich-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/295/). He then scored 28 more [to beat visiting ALBA Berlin 84-75](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-alba-berlin/E2023/301/), including 11 as the Greens came from behind in the fourth quarter of that regular-season finale to finish retain second place.

Paired with dangerous Maccabi in the best-of-five playoffs, [Panathinaikos lost Game 1 at home 87-91](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2023/313/), in part because Nunn shot so little, going 4-for-4 on two-pointers but missing his only three-pointer and failing to reach the foul line. In Game 2, he upped his scoring slightly, to 10 points, as the Greens evened the series with [a 95-79 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2023/317/). On the road for Game 3, [Maccabi struck back in a thriller, 85-83](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/321/), to lead the series 2-1 despite Nunn's game-high 25 points, 13 of those in the fourth quarter as Panathinaikos came just short in a comeback attempt from 18 points down.

With his team facing elimination in Game 4 on the road, Nunn poured in a game-high 27 points to go with 4 assists for a PIR of 27 as [Panathinaikos won 88-95](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/325/) to force a do-or-die series decider at home. In that memorable showdown, neither team led by more than 5 points until Nunn's three-point strike with 7 minutes left punctuated a 10-2 run that proved decisive. He then answered Maccabi's next 2 three-pointers with his own, preserving the cushion until the Greens could celebrate [an 81-72 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2023/329/) and make a triumphant return to the Final Four. His 26 points and 27 PIR led all players in any of the three Game 5s.

### Nunn met the playoffs moment

At the end of the series, Nunn's 96 points ranked second all-time among playoff winners since best-of-five became the standard in 2009, and his 34 field goals made set a new record for winners. He finished with a playoffs-high scoring average of 19.2 points while making 16 of 31 three-pointers (51.6%) and 12 of 14 fere throws (85.7%). His numbers dating to early April were often better as Nunn has averaged 20.1 points over the seven games since then and made 24 of 43 triples (55.8%). He also had 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, contributing to an average PIR of 17.7 in that span. It all culminated with Nunn's best two PIRs of the season, which proved vital in giving the Greens their ticket to Berlin!

The hottest player in the EuroLeague Playoffs carried over his level of performance into Game 5, as Kendrick Nunn inspired Panathinaikos BC to the Final Four and earned MVP honors along the way.

Game 5 MVP: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos BC

The hottest player in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs carried over his level of performance into Game 5, as [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) inspired Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to the Final Four and earned MVP honors along the way.

Nunn set a new personal best with his 27 PIR, which was the highest of any player in Game 5, as the Greens defeated Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 81-72. Playing in his 33rd EuroLeague game, the 28-year-old netted a round-high 26 points after going 2 for 7 from two-point range, 6 for 10 on three-pointers and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. Of those 26 points, 13 of those came in the fourth quarter as Nunn saw Panathinaikos over the line. What’s more, his 6 three-pointers are a new Panathinaikos postseason record. Nunn also posted 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. This is his first MVP award.

The hottest player in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs carried over his level of performance into Game 5, as Kendrick Nunn inspired Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to the Final Four and earned MVP honors along the way.

Kendrick Nunn | Playoffs Game 5 MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Olympiacos Piraeus also qualified for the Final Four, with center [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) recording a 26 PIR in 25:16 minutes on the floor. The Serbian had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Reds’ 59-63 win at FC Barcelona, with Olympiacos becoming just the second team to ever win a Game 5 as the road team, a few hours after Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul had become the first. In addition to his double-double, Milutinov had 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. 

Coming in third place was Maccabi’s [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/), who had a 24 PIR after netting 19 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing 7 assists in his team’s loss at Panathinaikos. 

AS Monaco star [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) had a 20 PIR, the fourth-best mark in Game 5, as he amassed 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in his side’s defeat at home to Fenerbahce. 

[Donatas Motiejunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donatas-motiejunas/lcz/), James’s Monaco teammate, had a 20 PIR following a night that saw him score 16 points, get 8 rebounds, make 1 assist and record 1 steal.

The first-year guard sent the Greens' fans wild with his fourth-quarter heroics

Game 5 MVP: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-05-07T18:15:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-05-08T19:00:00.000Z)

Milutinov, Papanikolaou came up huge on Olympiacos historic night

Olympiacos is going to its third straight Final Four, which is the first time it has been done in club history. It did so by beating FC Barcelona in Game 5 on the road, something no team has managed to do in EuroLeague playoff history before Wednesday night.

Those tremendous feats were accomplished thanks in great part to the two Olympiacos players with the most EuroLeague experience – [Kostas Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/) and [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) – who each shined in a momentous 59-63 victory at Palau Blaugrana.

The two players who have more than 580 EuroLeague appearances between them have something else in common. They both missed the better part of this dramatic, hard-fought series.

Papanikolaou was out the first three games and then [refused to sit out Game 4](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kostas-papanikolaou-nikola-milutinov-a-complete-olympiacos-bc-game-5/) when Olympiacos was down 1-2 in the series.

After being sidelined for more than two months due to a foot fracture that required surgery, Milutinov only played a combined 13 minutes in the first two games of the series, and missed Game 3.

But Milutinov found his footing in Game 4 and then dominated in Game 5.

Nikola Milutinov finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Nikola Milutinov's Game 5 highlights

"This is a group of champions", coach Georgios Bartzokas praised his players after the victory. But in this team effort, the performances of Milutinov and Papanikolaou were those that stood out.

Milutinov finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. His Barcelona counterparts Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez combined for 15 points, 4 rebounds and 7 turnovers.

Papanikolaou, on the other hand, was more than the team leader. He also made some clutch shots along the way.

The Olympiacos captain made a triple in the final minute of the third quarter to tie the game at 40-40, the first time Olympiacos had tied the game after the first quarter. Then he nailed another three, his third of the nigh, with 2:25 to go on the clock, opening a 49-57 margin.

Game Videos

Milutinov had a tip-in early in the fourth, and also made an important steal when Barcelona had a possession to make it a 6- or 7-point affair with 6 minutes to go. Milutinov drew 3 fouls in the fourth quarter, almost single-handedly leaving Barcelona without fouls to give, then had a key offensive rebound in the final minute of the game.

Both players put the icing on the cake in the final 20 seconds. Milutinov had a dunk for a 54-59 lead and Papanikolaou made a steal and 2 free throws to ice the game with 7 seconds remaining, finishing with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

"When we started to lead, there was no chance for us to lose the game", Bartzokas said to the TV cameras after the win.

Because of the efforts of Papanikolaou and Milutinov, that statement remained true, and Olympiacos is heading to Berlin for the 2024 Final Four.

Game News

The Reds most experienced players played big roles in Game 5

Milutinov, Papanikolaou came up huge on Olympiacos's historic night

Olympiacos fights off Barcelona 59-63 in Game 5 thriller

Olympiacos Piraeus is back to its third straight Final Four after to a dramatic, defensive-minded 59-63 road win over FC Barcelona. Olympiacos now heads to Berlin where it will playing in the semifinals against Real Madrid, in a rematch of last year's championship game.

I was a historic night for the Reds, one at the beginning of which home teams had a perfect 19-0 record in Games 5s in EuroLeague Playoffs history. But Olympiacos became the second road team on Wednesday night alone to clinch a best-of-five series, just hours after Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul did the same in Monaco.

In this game, Olympiacos spent most of the night trailing, and got its first lead, 47-49, on a Shaquielle McKissic triple with exactly 5 minutes to go. Soon after, the Reds added a 0-8 run in a span of just 42 seconds, to open a 49-57 margin, which they managed to keep until the final buzzer, booking a place at the Final Four.

McKissic scored 9 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Kostas Papanikolaou scored 5 of his 11 in the final 3 minutes, while Nikola Milutinov collected 10 points and 10 rebounds in a historic victory. Nicolas Laprovittola paced Barcelona with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Alex Abrines finished with 13 points, while Ricky Rubio had 6 points, 4 assist and 5 steals in defeat.

### Low-scoring first half

Barcelona and Olympiacos struggled offensively early on. The Reds needed 4 minutes to score their first points, while Laprovittola scored all Barcelona points for an 8-2 lead. Papanikolaou hit one from long range for the visitors, but Barcelona remained in front and led 12-9 after the first 10 minutes, the lowest scoring first quarter in the playoffs since 2009.

Barcelona pulled away behind its defense, and close-range baskets from Willy Hernangomez and Jabari Parker opened an 18-9 lead. But Milutinov was doing the job inside for the Reds, and baskets from Nigel Williams-Goss, Alec Peters and McKissic cut it to 22-17. Olympiacos kept making defensive stops, and used another basket from Williams-Goss, and a put-back from Moses Wright to get within 27-25 at halftime.

### The Reds fight back and in front

Olympiacos closed the gap to 29-28 after Isaiah Canaan's three-point play, but Barcelona found a way to pull away thanks to a 7-0 run sparked by Jan Vesely's dunk and capped by a transition three from Alex Abrines. Olympiacos answered with 6 consecutive points through Thomas Walkup and Filip Petrusev, before Papanikolaou's triple tied the game for the first time since the first quarter, 40-40, which was the score after 30 minutes.

Rubio and Hernangomez restored Barcelona's lead, which grew to 47-42. But Olympiacos slowly melted the deficit, before McKissic's triple, the visitors' only fourth of the night, gave Olympiacos its first lead of the game, 47-49 with exactly 5 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. A three-pointer and a fastbreak layup from McKissic, followed by a Papanikolaou triple made it 49-57 with, a 0-8 run in just 42 seconds. Barcelona was not done, scoring the next 5 points and had a possession in the final minute to tie it. But but McKissic stole a ball, and Papanikolaou found Milutinov all alone for an easy dunk and 54-59, and there was not coming back for Barcelona.

Nick Calathes and Tarik Biberovic were the two stars for Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul as the Turkish club beat AS Monaco Basket in Game 5 to reach the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four.

Calathes, Biberovic shined on unforgettable night for Fenerbahce

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul will take part at the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four after becoming the first road team to win a Game 5. The 2017 EuroLeague champion couldn't have achieved the victory without young gun [Tarik Biberovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tarik-biberovic/006961/) and veteran playmaker [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/), who stepped up big at Salle Gaston Medecin. 

Biberovic came off a weak performance in Game 4, getting 3 points on 1-of-8 shooting. In a do-or-die situation, Biberovic showcased his shooting skills, especially in a critical moment late in the third quarter when Monaco took a 55-48 margin.

Fenerbahce was searching for a go-to guy and Biberovic delivered, hitting a jumper and a couple of three-pointers to put his team in charge, 55-56, at the end of the third quarter. Even though Biberovic could not finish the game due to injury, he had put Fenerbahce on the right track to win the game.

Tarik Biberovic of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul had 8 of his 11 points late in the third quarter.

Biberovic rescued Fenerbahce in the third quarter

### Calathes added to his legend

It was also the first Game 5 to go to overtime. Once in the extra period, Alpha Diallo gave Monaco a 77-74 lead in the penultimate minute of the contest. Calathes then decided to take matters into his own hands.

First, the 35-year-old buried a corner three-pointer to tie the game. When Mike James put Monaco in charge again, Calathes struck from downtown for a 79-80 score with 19.4 seconds remaining. To cap things off, Calathes got a key deflection, diving for the loose ball to force a jump ball situation with 2.5 seconds remaining to [all but seal the outcome](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-makes-history-by-winning-game-5-at-monaco-79-80/).

Calathes ended the night with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while he averaged 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the playoffs. As for Biberovic, he had 13 points on 3-of-3 three-pointers and 5 rebounds in less than 20 minutes on the floor.

They both provided the character and firepower Fenerbahce needed to win the series.

Nick Calathes hit a couple of three-pointers late in Game 5 to make Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul punch its Final Four ticket.

Calathes sends Fenerbahce to the Final Four

"I cannot comprehend the emotions I'm feeling. I'm really happy and proud of my team," Biberovic said after the game. "Everybody put amazing character in the game. 

"This is the first time in history somebody did something like this. It went down to the \[final possession\]. It required a lot of concentration and everything. And we did it really with amazing character. I'm really proud of my guys."

"It was a hell of a series. Hats off to Monaco," Calathes commented after the game. "First and foremost, I'm happy for my guys. We worked all year. We went through adversity. It was huge for us today. I can keep speaking, but I'm just very excited about going to the Final Four and doing it with these guys and this club."

Fenerbahce is set to face Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the EuroLeague Semifinals, although head coach Saras Jasikevicius had bigger fears after the game.

"The next step is how to land this plane in Istanbul!" he joked with a big smile on his face. "How are we going to take that plane down? I have no idea. But this flight home has to be legendary. Yellow Nation, get ready for Berlin!"

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard Nick Calathes comes together with Melih Mahmutoglu after their team's Game 5 win at AS Monaco in the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

The 2017 champion will play at the Final Four for the first time in five years

After going more than a decade without taking the crown, Olympiacos Piraeus is now only two wins away from reuniting with the EuroLeague Trophy. The Reds survived a grueling five-game series against FC Barcelona, winning Game 5 on the road to advance to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for the third year running. 

Olympiacos heading to 3rd straight Final Four

After going more than a decade without taking the crown, Olympiacos Piraeus is now only two wins away from reuniting with the EuroLeague Trophy. The Reds survived a grueling five-game series against FC Barcelona, winning Game 5 on the road to advance to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for the third year running. Coach Georgios Bartzokas, who was on the bench when Olympiacos won its last championship in 2013, leads the team to Berlin to target another triumph.

This will be Olympiacos’s 13th Final Four, which represents the fourth most appearances in competition history behind CSKA Moscow (20), FC Barcelona (17) and its semifinal opponent Real Madrid, which will play its 14th Final Four when it takes the floor against the Reds on May 24. Olympiacos’s nine championship-game appearances are the second most in the Final Four era. The Final Four will also be Olympiacos’s second in the German capital; it finished fourth in 2009 after losing to archrival Panathinaikos Athens in the semis.

### Journey to the Final Four

After losing a championship-game thriller to Real Madrid last season, Olympiacos set its sights on getting back there. The first step was bringing back eight players who dressed for the championship game. The Reds stumbled early this season, despite an opening-night win at Panathinaikos. Olympiacos was 3-4 by mid-November and back-to-back losses to Valencia Basket and Virtus Segafredo Bologna in mid-December knocked the team down to 11th in the standings. However, no team finished the regular season stronger. It went 10-1 from Round 24 onward and not only climbed up to fifth place, but was one win out of second and matched fourth-placed Barcelona at 22-12.

Olympiacos’s success has been built on having the best defensive team in the competition for the second year running. During the regular season, it allowed a league-low 73.3 points per game.

Olympiacos allows just 74.5 points per game. That's almost three points lower than anyone else.

Olympiacos: the EuroLeague's best defense

The Reds carried their momentum and defensive prowess into the playoffs and – despite losing to Barcelona twice in the regular season – turned the series upside down with a 75-77 Game 1 victory. Two of its newcomers, Nigel Williams-Goss and Filip Petrusev, played key roles in the win. Barcelona bounced back by taking Game 2 at home and Game 3 in overtime at Peace & Friendship Stadium. With its back to the wall, Olympiacos produced a historic effort in Game 4 as it pummeled Barcelona 92-58 to stay alive and force a Game 5. Then a late 0-8 run led by Shaq McKissic in Game 5 gave the Reds a historic 59-63 victory and ticket to Berlin.

### Final Four experience

On top of its eight returnees from last season, Olympiacos added a pair of former champs. Williams-Goss won it all with Real Madrid last season and Petrusev was a reserve with Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s championship-winning side in 2022. Another summer signee, Nikola Milutinov, reached the 2017 championship game in his first stint with the Reds. The only player among Olympiacos’s top 10 in PIR without previous Final Four experience is mid-season addition Moses Wright. In addition to Williams-Goss and Petrusev, Alec Peters (CSKA 2019) and Kostas Papanikolaou (Olympiacos 2012, 2013) are also former EuroLeague champs.

### Final Four history

Olympiacos was the talk of the town when it won back-to-back EuroLeague Championships in 2012 and 2013 and remained a contender after that, getting back to the championship game in 2015 and 2017, when it lost to Real Madrid and Fenerbahce Istanbul, respectively. Despite bidding farewell to the generation of legends Vassilis Spanoulis and Georgios Printezis – only Papanikolaou remains from those years, Olympiacos remained competitive with a new wave of talent. And now they will head to Berlin looking to claim the club’s fourth crown.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shaq and Petrusev in EuroLeague playoffs<br><br>McKissic — Petrusev — <br>12.0 PPG 11.5 PPG<br>4.5/8.0 FG 4.5/7.8 FG<br>56/31/67% 58/25/82%<br>4.0 RPG 4.8 RPG<br>14.8 PIR 14.5 PIR<br><br>Leading OLY team in PIR per game. <a href="https://t.co/8MtIJvjEwV">pic.twitter.com/8MtIJvjEwV</a></p>&mdash; Givemestats (@iamgivemestats) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamgivemestats/status/1788210243849048136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A Game 5 win over Barcelona sends the Reds back to the semifinals


Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul has qualified for the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four! Saras Jasikevicius's men edged AS Monaco Basket 79-80 in overtime, winning the best-of-five series 2-3 and punching its ticket to Berlin, Germany. 

Fenerbahçe makes history by winning Game 5 at Monaco, 79-80

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has qualified for the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four! Saras Jasikevicius's men edged AS Monaco 79-80 in overtime, winning the best-of-five series 2-3 and punching their ticket to Berlin, Germany. This victory saw Fenerbahce become the first road team to win a Game 5 since the playoffs returned to the competition in 2005. 

Nick Calathes was the man of the night, hitting back-to-back three-pointers late in overtime and adding a key deflection in the final seconds. Scottie Wilbekin and Calathes led the winners with 14 points apiece, Tarik Biberovic added 13 and Marko Guduric netted 10 for Fenerbahce. Mike James paced Monaco with 20 points. Donatas Motiejunas had 16, Elie Okobo added 15 and Alpha Diallo got 10 for the hosts.

### Monaco shook off a slow start

Johnathan Motley got Fenerbahce going with a put-back layup and Nigel Hayes-Davis dunked for a 0-4 lead. James and a red-hot Motley traded layups, then Motiejunas brought Monaco within 5-6. Georgios Papagiannis dunked after a timeout, Motiejunas scored around the basket and Okobo's rainbow jumper completed the hosts' comeback, 9-8. Hayes-Davis took over with a reverse layup off a spin move that Diallo matched with a floater. Okobo dunked off a steal and Donta Hall ignited the crowd with an alley-oop slam, but Nick Calathes kept Fenerbahce within 15-13 after 10 minutes.

### Hosts extended their lead

Jordan Loyd hit a stop-and-pop jumper and Jaron Blossomgame added a three-pointer for a 20-13 score early in the second quarter. Biberovic and Nate Sestina each struck from downtown but Monaco didn't panic, as Blossomgame hit a jump hook and Hall added a three-point play. Okobo improved on Marko Guduric's driving layup with a three-point play. Wilbekin and Guduric each struck from downtown to get Fenerbahce closer, 30-29. James and Motiejunas rescued Monaco with consecutive baskets, then John Brown's jumper gave his team a 36-32 lead. Wilbekin improved Diallo's layup with a three-pointer that fixed the halftime score at 40-35.

### Biberovic put Fener ahead

Motiejunas buried a corner triple soon after the break. Wilbekin answered from downtown and Motley added a power layup to keep Fenerbahce within 43-40. Dyshawn Pierre erased Motiejunas's layup with a floater and Calathes's three-pointer tied it at 45-45. Diallo buried a highly contested shot that Hayes-Davis bettered with a triple that completed the guests' comeback, 47-48. Motiejunas scored again and James sank a three-pointer, good for a 52-48 Monaco edge. James kept pacing Monaco, but Biberovic followed a jumper with back-to-back three-pointers to make the guests regain a 55-56 lead after 30 minutes.

### Down to the final shot!

Papagiannis hit a floater early in the fourth quarter, which Loyd improved with a three-point play for a 58-58 tie. Guduric answered with a fast-break layup, Loyd scored down low and Calathes restored a 60-62 Fenerbahce edge with over 6 minutes left. Biberovic hit free throws, then Motiejunas and Okobo turned the game into a thriller, 63-64, with 3 minutes remaining. Guduric and James traded three-pointers, then Okobo buried a jumper for a 68-67 Monaco lead with 1:14 left. Wilbekin banked in a triple, Okobo answered with a driving layup and Monaco got the ball back with 23 seconds left in regulation. Okobo missed from downtown at the buzzer.

### Calathes became the hero!

James buried his trademark step-back three-pointer early in the extra period. Papagiannis made free throws and Wilbekin's closer jumper put Fenerbahce in charge, 73-74. Okobo hit foul shots, Wilbekin missed from downtown and Diallo's basket made it a three-point game, 77-74, with 1:16 remaining. Calathes buried a corner triple, then James's floater gave Monaco a 79-77 lead. Calathes struck again from downtown and deflected the basketball that turned into a jump ball situation with 2.5 seconds remaining. Papagiannis won the jump ball, allowing Fenerbahce to celebrate a truly historic win.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's Nigel Hayes-Davis has possession against AS Monaco in Game 5 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

It took until overtime, but the Turkish side became the first road team to win a Game 5 