Real Madrid Baloncesto beat KK Partizan 76-88 to wrap up the first seed in the EuroLeague.

Real Madrid beats Partizan 76-88 to clinch 1st place

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Mario Hezonja of Real Madrid looks to get away from Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade duo Mateusz Ponitka and James Nunnally.

Mario Hezonja scored 25 points to pace Los Blancos

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Real Madrid (2024-03-21T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos B.C. trumped LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 80-64 behind a big game from Moustapha Fall.

Fall fuels Olympiacos over ASVEL, 80-64

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Moustapha Fall of Olympiacos Piraeus dunks over his namesake, Youssoupha, of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

Moustapha Fall posted 12 points, 6 boards and 4 blocks to lead the Reds

Olympiacos Piraeus v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-03-21T19:15:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas defeated Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 94-76 in Round 31 to keep its dream of making the 2023-24 EuroLeague Playoffs alive.

Zalgiris cruises past Baskonia, 94-76

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Kevarrius Hayes scored 17 points for Zalgiris Kaunas to beat Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Keenan Evans and Kevarrius Hayes were the bright spots for the Lithuanian champs

Zalgiris Kaunas v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-03-21T18:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes S.K. had to lean on a game-saving block from Tyrique Jones to beat ALBA Berlin 85-84 in Round 31 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Anadolu Efes survives ALBA Berlin ambush attempt, 85-84

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Tyrique Jones of Anadolu Efes Istanbul in action against ALBA Berlin in Round 31 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Tyrique Jones became the hero in the final seconds with a game-winning block

Efes survives ALBA ambush attempt, 85-84

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v ALBA Berlin (2024-03-21T17:30:00.000Z)

With the regular season hurtling towards a finish, teams are aiming to take part in the postseason, one way or another. Here are the teams with possibilities to reach some postseason goal this week.

Postseason possibilities: Barca knocking on playoff door; Virtus, Maccabi can guarantee play-in spots

With the regular season hurtling towards a finish, teams are aiming to take part in the postseason, one way or another. Here are the teams with possibilities to reach some postseason goal this week.

### Real can lock up the top spot

Real Madrid (24-6) has already clinched, at a minimum, home-court advantage for the playoffs and now Los Blancos can make the remainder of their regular-season schedule academic with a victory in Belgrade. Coach Chus Mateo’s men have a four-win lead over archrival FC Barcelona (20-10) in second place and with a victory at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (14-16) on Thursday night Real will lock up the top spot for the 2023-24 regular season. 

Even if Real loses, hope is not lost for a celebration this week. If Barcelona drops its game at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (18-11) on Friday, that would also be enough for the reigning EuroLeague champs to clinch first place. 

The importance of finishing first cannot be overstated. No team that finished first at the end of the current full-season round-robin format has failed to win its playoff series and reach the Final Four. 

### Barcelona eyeing a playoff party

FC Barcelona can already start to envision an asterisk next to its name in the standings as a playoff qualifier. Coach Roger Grimau’s side can get there this week, though it does not all depend on itself. 

Barcelona will clinch a top-six finish with a win at Panathinaikos, but only if either Olympiacos Piraeus (18-12) or Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (17-13) win its game. The Reds host LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (7-23) on Thursday and Maccabi visits FC Bayern Munich (13-16) on Friday.

Third-place Panathinaikos, fourth-place Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and fifth-place AS Monaco – all with 19-11 records – cannot qualify for the playoffs this week, though, of course, every win carries them closer. 

### Virtus, Maccabi closing in on Play-In Showdown berths 

Both Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-13) and Maccabi can finish the week having secured a spot among the top 10 in the regular-season standings and thus, at a minimum, a place in the inaugural Play-In Showdown. Virtus is through to the play-in if it beats Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (10-20) on Friday. It can also qualify if it loses as long as Valencia Basket (14-16), EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (13-17), Anadolu Efes Istanbul (13-17) and Bayern (13-17) all lose.

Maccabi (17-13) clinches a ticket to the Play-In Showdown if it wins, or if Valencia, Partizan, Milan, and Efes all lose.

In just his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, guard Aleksa Avramovic has proved that he belongs at this level by becoming one of the beacons of the Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade team.

Aleksa Avramovic, Partizan: 'I don’t want to change who I am'

In just his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, guard [Aleksa Avramovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/aleksa-avramovic/003983/) has proved that he belongs at this level by becoming one of the beacons of the Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade team.

After playing for other Serbian teams and a stint in Spain, Avramovic landed at Partizan for the 2021-22 season and during these three years, he has become one of the staples of the world-famous Partizan character.

"We are competitive because we are Partizan," Avramovic explains. "The main thing is our character - every ball is important, every possession is important."

Legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic has put his full confidence in Avramovic, who has responded this season with 10.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20 appearances off the bench. After Round 13 he suffered an injury that saw him miss eight regular season games, but since his return, he has stepped up again, including 30- and 27-point performances against Anadolu Efes Istanbul and FC Barcelona, respectively.

While Avramovic is not at the top of the list for Partizan contributors on the stats sheet, he is an absolute leader on the intangible side, and his teammates at Partizan are lucky to have him on their side.

"I am the guy who has a lot of energy, on and off the court," Avramovic says. "Sometimes maybe it's boring to listen to me every day, but I don't want to change who I am."

Avramovic is eager to keep contributing in this decisive part of the season as Partizan ties to seal a Play-In Showdown berth.

Buoyed by an impressive win over Olympiacos on Tuesday, Anadolu Efes Istnabul (13-17) will look to maintain its top-10 challenge be overcoming rock bottom ALBA Berlin (5-25).

Efes looks to build on success against ALBA

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/anadolu-efes-istanbul-alba-berlin/E2023/271/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-game-facts-ist-ber/) | [Notes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-game-notes-ist-ber/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-prequotes-ist-ber/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/tv-listings-el/) | [Fantasy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/fantasy-challenge-tips-round-31/)

The German team has lost seven in a row but showed it can't be taken lightly by giving league leader Real Madrid a serious scare earlier this week, led by 16 points from deep threat [Matt Thomas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matt-thomas/008967/). This season's first meeting between Efes and ALBA was a high-scoring encounter, taken by Efes 89-97 on the back of 32 points from star guard [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/). Tuesday's victory against Olympiacos was the fourth consecutive win at home for the Turkish team, which will hope [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/) can follow up his 14 points earlier this week by recording double digits in scoring for the sixth straight game.

[Efes Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/statistics/ist/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [ALBA Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/statistics/ber/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Tibor Pleiss vs. Khalifa Koumadje: Two of the tallest players in the EuroLeague match wits on Thursday.

Harbouring mutual injury woes, two teams with fresh breezes of confidence go head-to-head. ALBA's narrow victory over Zalgiris ended a six-game losing streak and they seek another gain against an Efes side armed with Tyrique Jones, who delivered a monster performance in a win over Panathinaikos.

ALBA Berlin-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Round 13 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

After starting the week with a very convincing victory over Virtus, Zalgiris Kaunas (12-18) will look to stay in the top 10 race with a visit from a Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz team (16-14) eager to bounce back from a loss at Partizan. 

Zalgiris faces Baskonia in pivotal matchup for both teams

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/zalgiris-kaunas-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/E2023/274/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-game-facts-zal-bas/) | [Notes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-game-notes-zal-bas/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-prequotes-zal-bas/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/tv-listings-el/) | [Fantasy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/fantasy-challenge-tips-round-31/)

[Edmond Sumner](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/edmond-sumner/012787/) was the catalyst for the Lithuanian team on Tuesday with a personal-best 16 points. He faces a tough task defensively to slow down [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/), who has scored 26 points in two consecutive games. Another in-form duel will see [Kevarrius Hayes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevarrius-hayes/010390/) (13 points and 6 rebounds versus Virtus) confront [Matt Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matthew-costello/010444/) (13 points and 7 boards in Belgrade). Zalgiris has already beaten Baskonia once this season, triumphing 82-99 in Round 4 behind [Brady Manek](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/brady-manek/012715/)'s 17 points and 14 rebounds.

[Zalgiris Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/statistics/zal/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Baskonia Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/statistics/bas/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Laurynas Birutis vs. Matt Costello: The battle in the paint could prove decisive, with these two likely to be at the center of the action.

A solid Zalgiris Kaunas played some great team basketball and secured a statement 82-99 victory on the road at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Thursday night. 

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Zalgiris Kaunas | Round 4 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

After seeing its six-game winning run end on Tuesday, Olympiacos Piraeus (18-12) will look to bounce straight back with a visit from lowly LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (7-23). 

Olympiacos looks to regain form against feisty ASVEL

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/olympiacos-piraeus-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/E2023/272/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-game-facts-oly-asv/) | [Notes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-game-notes-oly-asv/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs31-prequotes-oly-asv/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/tv-listings-el/) | [Fantasy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/fantasy-challenge-tips-round-31/)

The Reds won 73-85 when these teams played in France in December behind 19 points from [Isaiah Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/), who hit 3 triples in defeat at Efes earlier this week. ASVEL put up a good fight against Maccabi on Tuesday, with [Youssoupha Fall's ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/youssoupha-fall/006568/)huge double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds leading the way before ultimately falling to a 98-90 defeat. Olympiacos has won six straight in Piraeus, limiting its opponents to less than 75 points in five of those, and will look for similarly stern defense to secure another much-needed win.

[Olympiacos Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/statistics/oly/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [ASVEL Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/statistics/asv/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Kostas Papanikolaou vs. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot: These versatile forwards will end up having crucial roles in the outcome of this contest.

A key battle takes place between a pair of giant Falls as ASVEL's Youssoupha clashes with his name sake in the form of Olympiacos' Moustapha. Experienced ball-players Nando De Colo and Thomas Walkup are also expected to line-up and their leadership may prove pivotal to the outcome on this occasion.