See one of the world’s most-passionate games from the inside thanks to the MindFly bodycams worn by the referees!

The Greek Derby like you've never seen it before!

Have you ever wanted to know what it feels like to really be part of the action of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game?

Well, feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears!

Game official Sreten Radovic wore the MindFly's POV Cam during the Greek Derby between Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as part of Round 29 of the regular season.

Now, you can not only watch the game action from closer than ever through the cameras in their jerseys but also hear them speaking with the players, coaches and each other throughout the game. It's a fascinating look at the professionalism that is at the very heart of the EuroLeague game experience.

Euroleague Basketball and MindFly started their collaboration during the last Final Four held in Kaunas, where all fans had the possibility to re-live some of the best moments of the EuroLeague's final phase as if they were inside the court. This season's debut of the same technology let fans experience *El Clásico* between [Real Madrid and FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/experience-el-clasico-like-never-before/) and since then a true winning streak of derby rivalries: [AS Monaco and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-right-on-court-with-monaco-and-asvel/) in France, [Virtus Segafredo Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/join-virtus-bologna-olimpia-milano-on-the-floor-euroleague-derby-ditalia/) in Italy, [Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce Beko](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/mindfly-referee-cams-went-inside-the-istanbul-derby/) in Turkey, and [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-inside-the-belgrade-derby-with-mindflys-referee-cams/) in Serbia.

Olympiacos Piraeus v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-03-14T17:45:00.000Z)

Two of just 14 teams ever to win multiple EuroLeague titles go against each other in Round 29 as Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-11) hosts Real Madrid (22-6) on Friday. Both teams are battling for big goals this season, which makes this game even better.

Virtus hosts Real in pivotal Round 29 game

Two of just 14 teams ever to win multiple EuroLeague titles go against each other in Round 29 as [Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-11) hosts Real Madrid (22-6) on Friday](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-real-madrid/E2023/259/). Both teams are battling for big goals this season, which makes this game even better.

### History lesson

Real (22-6) can become the first team to qualify for the playoffs by winning in Bologna. Virtus (17-11) is right in the fight to reach the playoffs, too, but faces a tougher path, which means that every home game counts more than ever for the hosts. Earlier this season, Real thrashed Virtus 100-74 in the Spanish capital behind 18 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists and a PIR of 39 from Facu Campazzo. Marco Belinelli had 15 points for Virtus, which had arrived to WiZink Center on a five-game winning streak.

A big clash at the top of the standings sees unbeaten leader Real welcome red-hot Virtus, who are on a five-game winning streak. October MVP Toko Shengelia face a fearsome showdown with the dynamic Guerschon Yabusele if he, as expected, returns from injury. as these two stars battle for inside dominance.

Real Madrid-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 7 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

These clubs first faced each other almost 45 years ago, on December 13, 1979. Real beat Virtus 85-94 behind 35 points from Wayne Brabender. Virtus won arguably the most significant game between them, the 1989-90 Cup Winners' Cup final. Michael Ray Richardson led Virtus to a 79-74 win in Florence, Italy, under head coach Ettore Messina, only 30 years old at the time. Virtus has had a 4-3 record against Real since the turn of the millenium. Its last win in the Spanish capital came last season, when Virtus beat Real 91-95 on October 27, 2022 with 18 points from Iffe Lundberg.

### Real's current skid

Real is on a rare three-game losing streak. It features consecutive home losses, which had not happened since last season's playoff series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. In order to find Real losing three straight regular season games, we have to go back to the 2021-22 campaign, with consecutive losses against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and FC Bayern Munich. Real had almost its entire roster available, only Rudy Fernandez missed some games. What has happened, then?

To begin with, Real stopped scoring fluently. The defending champs are averaging 80.3 points, with 49 assists against 45 turnovers (1.09 assists per turnover), just 51.8% shooting on two-pointers (57 of 110) during this losing streak. These are much lower numbers than during the rest of the season. In the first 25 games, Real averaged 89.6 points on 58.4% two-point shooting, dishing 531 assists against 308 turnovers (1.72 assists per turnover). Real has a lot to improve but running its offense through its centers Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier should be a turning point for head coach Chus Mateo's team.

### Virtus: No place like home

Virtus has been rock-solid at home throughout the season, losing just a couple games: against Zalgiris Kaunas on opening night and against AS Monaco. Virtus managed to win 11 consecutive home games in between those defeats. Meanwhile, Virtus is on a five-game road losing streak, with no wins away from Bologna since January 5, when it downed ALBA Berlin 68-83. Virtus has nine road losses. The only top-10 team with more is Fenerbahce (5-10).

Jordan Mickey averages 10.6 points on 35 of 64 two-pointers (54.7% 2FG), 4.8 rebounds and a PIR of 12.1 in 10 home games this season. On the road, Mickey averages 7.9 points on 18 of 42 two-pointers (42.9% 2FG), 4.1 rebounds and a PIR of 6.8.

2023-24 EuroLeague highlights: Jordan Mickey, Virtus

Perhaps no other player shows that two faces better than center Jordan Mickey, who posts way better numbers at home than on the road. Mickey averages 10.6 points on 35 of 64 two-pointers (54.7% 2FG), 4.8 rebounds and a PIR of 12.1 in 10 home games this season. On the road, Mickey averages 7.9 points on 18 of 42 two-pointers (42.9% 2FG), 4.1 rebounds and a PIR of 6.8. It will be a special game for Mickey, one of four players to play for both teams in the EuroLeague since the turn of the millenium, along with Charles Smith, Marko Jaric and Stefano Attruia. Mickey had 8 points against Real in Round 7 but amassed a PIR of -1.

### Best Defenders battle at center

It is a very anticipated matchup. Real's Walter Tavares and Virtus's Bryant Dunston, two of the four players that won multiple Best Defender titles in EuroLeague history. Dunston won the award with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2014 and 2015, while Tavares was chosen as the competition's Best Defender with Real in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Dimitris Diamantidis (6 times) and Kyle Hines (3) are the other two players to win the award more than once. All of them are multiple EuroLeague winners, which kind of proves one of the biggest cliches in basketball: at least in the EuroLeague, defense wins titles.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Real Madrid (2024-03-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Three years together were plenty for Olympiacos Piraeus and savvy big man Moustapha Fall to know that they want three more together. On Friday, Olympiacos announced a new contract with the 2.18-meter center that will keep them together through the 2026-27 season, by which time Fall will be 35.

Since Fall joined the Reds in the summer of 2021, they have been to two Final Four together, losing last season's EuroLeague title in the final seconds to Real Madrid. After winning the Greek Derby on Thursday night to sweep archrival Panathinaikos Aktor Athens, Olympiacos is 18-11 and sharing fourth place with the Greens and AS Monaco.

Moustapha Fall Top Plays from 09/30/2023 to 03/15/2024

Moustapha Fall extends deal with Olympiacos till 2027

Fall has been central to all that success. He has been a full-time starter since landing in Piraeus and has gone from strength to strength in his 22 minutes on average over 101 games with the Reds. He ranks 24th among all EuroLeague players with a per-game performance index rating of 13.2 per game. The fact that on that top 25 list, only he and Mike James have appeared in 100 games or more attests to his durability as well as his success.

Overall, for the last three seasons, Fall has averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocks. His 73.1% two-point shooting in that span ranks second in the league, as does his 72.3% career rate inside the arc.

Fall preceded his Olympiacos stint in the EuroLeague with one season at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in his native France. he had started as a pro in 2011 with Poitiers and stayed home to play for Monaco, Antibes and Elan Chalon before moving abroad with Sakarya of Turkey in 2017. He spent the next season at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in Russia before returning to Turkey with Turk Telekom in 2019-20. By age 30 he was at Olympiacos and now it stands to become the team where he will have spent more season of his career than any other.

The Reds made sure to wrap up their versatile center for the foreseeable future.

Olympiacos, Moustapha Fall together until 2027!

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv exorcised its Stark Arena demons with Thursday's come-from behind 80-84 win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. After the game, Maccabi players and Coach Kattash tried to explain how the turnaround happened.

The story behind Maccabi's 'winning time' performance and 'precious' win

For the first 20 minutes of last night's game, it seemed as if Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv was heading towards another disappointing defeat at Belgrade's Stark Arena. The team was on a truly unbelievable negative run at this venue in the Serbian capital.

"It is a big one for us, we had some memories here in this gym," Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash commented, unprompted, after his team came back to beat Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 80-84.

Back in Round 21 in January, Maccabi played at the same venue against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and led 15-39 with 7 minutes left in the first half. Coach Kattash's men went on to squander that lead by the fourth quarter, lose against Partizan by 9 points. They then displayed more worrying basketball in the first half against Crvena Zvezda, finding themselves down 49-31 in the opening minute of the third quarter.

In those four-plus quarters of EuroLeague basketball at Stark Arena, separated by two months, Maccabi was outscored by a-believe-it-or-not 51 points. Precisely, 122-71.

But, there was still one half of basketball to play, and even though only the most optimistic Maccabi fans still believed in a turnaround, it did happen. It was a memorable one, and it meant a lot.

"It's a kind of a closure for us," Kattash said of the comeback win at Stark Arena.

So, how did Maccabi do it?

"I told the guys the only way we can come back to the game is together. But that we have to relax," Kattash touched on his halftime locker room speech.

It started with the belief that after playing some of its worst basketball of the season, on both ends of the floor, Kattash and the team still felt they just needed to string together a few minutes of good basketball to regain confidence.

But it was not the offense that started clicking right after the break for Maccabi, the second best scoring team in the competition, which entered the night averaging 87.0 points per game. It was the defense that made the difference.

Maccabi's third-quarter defensive highlights

Maccabi deployed a 2-2-1 zone press that started shaking the confidence of Zvezda point guard Yago Dos Santos, the only true ball-handler the depleted Zvezda had. The energy for Maccabi first came from Antonius Cleveland, whose aggressive defense helped force back-to-back turnovers leading to easy buckets and cutting the margin to 12 points.

Zvezda recouped, but Maccabi did not allow the hosts to pull away again, rather waiting to strike again.

Cleveland's role was an example of the team "sticking together," as star guard Wade Baldwin explained later.

But even though Cleveland might have been the one to jump-start the team with a much-needed boost of energy, it was Maccabi's poker of stars – Lorenzo Brown, Baldwin, Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo, who led the key fourth-quarter run.

Maccabi was still down by 8 points entering the final quarter, only to open it with a 2-17 run to grab a 63-70 lead, which it never relinquished.

Brown and Baldwin orchestrated the offense, Josh Nebo dominated in the paint, especially on the offensive glass, and Colson was just about everywhere.

"I really liked the way we played in the second half, both sides \[of the ball\]," Kattash said. "We showed character."

Game Videos

"I think we just started to compete harder," Nebo added after a huge game with 18 points, 13 rebounds, including 8 on offense, and 3 blocks. The big man did not hide that he was particularly tired, having spent 30 minutes on the floor. "We got down big in the first half so we had to exert a lot of energy in the second half just to cut it close."

He called it a "precious" win, while Baldwin, who finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, pointed out it is a "very important time of the season".

"It's winning time, it's March, it's time to make a playoff push and we executed late in the game," Baldwin said.

That focus, effort and execution in the second half led Maccabi to ending several streaks. It was team's first road win over Zvezda in more than a decade and snapped a six-game losing streak against the same opponent.

It also put all the Stark Arena ghosts to rest.

And it was also the team's third consecutive win which improved it to 16-13, not losing a step in the playoff race. Something that did not look very likely after two quarters of play.

Game News

Maccabi exorcised its Stark Arena demons with Thursday's come-from behind win over Crvena Zvezda


Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-03-14T18:00:00.000Z)

Already looking ahead to next season, Zalgiris Kaunas has decided to lock up forward Brady Manek for at least another year. Manek (2.06 meters, 25 years old) is making his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut this season and had an option to leave before next season. The new contract removes that option, commits Zalgiris and Manek to another season together, and leaves an option for a third season together in 2025-26.

In 22 EuroLeague games so far this season, Manek is averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. He has downed 42.9% of his three-point attempts. In the Lithuanian League, Manek is even more solid with 8.3 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 47.3% on three-pointers.

In 22 EuroLeague games so far this season, Manek is averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. He has downed 42.9% of his three-point attempts.

Brady Manek hihglights in the 2023-24 season

His best game on the EuroLeague floors came in Round 4, when Manek collected 17 points and 14 rebounds in a road win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. The power forward has come off the bench in all but four of his appearances, and has scored in double figures six times. However, he has made at least one three-point shot in 18 game in his first season in the competition.

"As an organization, we are always looking forward, so when we are thinking about next season's team, we definitely want to have Brady on it," club director Paulius Jankunas said. "He has adapted to the EuroLeague, fits well in the coaches' schemes and is an elite shooter. We see more potential, so we are very happy that he also believed in our organization and decided to stay in Kaunas."

Manek previously played for Perth Wildcats of Australia and Bursa Tofas of Turkey.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shooter gonna shoot! 🎯<br><br>Zalgiris has renewed contract with <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyManek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BradyManek</a>, who will play at least one more season in Kaunas. ✍️ <a href="https://t.co/6MNFrbpBEN">pic.twitter.com/6MNFrbpBEN</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1768576078933635101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Zalgiris has a new contract with American forward.

Zalgiris extends forward Brady Manek until 2026

Olympiacos B.C. made a statement by defeating archrival Panathinaikos B.C. in Round 29 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

The Greek Derby showed why Olympiacos can dream big

Beating your archrival always means more, but for Olympiacos Piraeus, its 71-65 triumph over Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Thursday evening was further evidence that it is a team to be reckoned with in the final stretch of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The Reds came into the game with a number of injury concerns, with Thomas Walkup, Nigel Williams-Goss and Giannoulis Larentzakis all doubtful, while center Nikola Milutinov – the club’s star addition last summer – has been out for some time due to surgery on a broken foot. In the end, Walkup and Williams-Goss were given the green light to feature, playing 26:28 and 18:29 minutes, respectively.

As Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas recognized in the post-game press conference, both Walkup and Williams-Goss had taken part in just one practice prior to Thursday’s derby, but their desire to play also reflected something that has become a calling card of the Reds this year: sacrifice.

A colossal showdown awaits between two Greek-giants. Both are in great form, with the Reds winning five in a row while Ergin Ataman's team has triumphed in three straight, whilst two of the league's best defenders will battle for backcourt dominance as Thomas Walkup takes on Jerian Grant.

Olympiacos Piraeus-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Round 29 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Olympiacos and its never-say-die attitude

Injuries plagued Olympiacos throughout the first part of the season, but Coach Bartzokas’s squad has now reeled off six straight wins to put themselves in a good position to make the EuroLeague Playoffs. The triumph over Panathinaikos had big implications, too, as a win for the Greens would have seen them create a two-game advantage over Olympiacos. Instead, the two Greek powerhouses have an identical 18-11 record with five games to play.

“\[I appreciate our\] fighting spirit, which is always important. The refuse-to-lose approach that we have right now,” commented Coach Bartzokas. “Against Virtus, we were losing the game at halftime, something like 10-12 points; our defense was solid in the second half and we won the game. Today, Panathinaikos started really well and it was once again the same result.

“Basically, I believe it’s the sacrifice of our players, the desire to help the team, without any selfish approach. We are going to be unselfish altogether here in the club playing, first of all, for our shirt. This is the only approach we can have for our team.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HUGE W for the Reds 🔴<br><br>Derby victory ✅ <a href="https://t.co/4MeLNxTAJq">pic.twitter.com/4MeLNxTAJq</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1768368313149567166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That unselfishness was borne out in Walkup and Williams-Goss playing through the pain barrier, but it was also seen in players deferring to others if they had the hot hand. The most obvious example of this came with Moses Wright, who came into the game in the second quarter and erupted for 11 points before halftime, as he helped Olympiacos recover from a disappointing 7-17 start to head into the break with the score tied 33-33.

It was a real team effort all night long by the Reds, even if Wright was the star of the show by finishing with a career-high 19 points. The likes of Isaiah Canaan and Moustapha Fall didn’t have the sort of night that many were expecting, even more so given the health concerns surrounding Walkup and Williams-Goss, but it didn’t matter in the end. After all, Olympiacos was able to make a statement win in one of the most highly anticipated regular-season games on the calendar.

“Once the game starts in this type of atmosphere, you forget everything,” said Walkup in a post-game interview. “If we had broken bones out there, you wouldn’t feel it. The crowd was electric. It was really, really a fun game tonight. Shout out to the crowd at SEF.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No practice, no problem 👀 <br><br>NO WAY <a href="https://twitter.com/twalkup23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@twalkup23</a> was missing this one 💪 <a href="https://t.co/2BQRTwVxyV">pic.twitter.com/2BQRTwVxyV</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1768365450390392969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Defense remains key

The old adage is that defense wins championships. Well, Olympiacos came into Round 29 as the EuroLeague’s best defense and it certainly flexed its muscles on that end against Panathinaikos, recording 11 steals and forcing the Greens to commit 18 turnovers. By contrast, in Panathinaikos’s win at Real Madrid in Round 27, it turned the ball over just 10 times.

The 65 points Panathinaikos was held to is its lowest total this season and it is the fourth time that Olympiacos has given up a maximum of 65 points during this campaign. Particularly as we look ahead to the playoffs, that ability to lock in on defense will be crucial as Olympiacos goes in search of a third straight Final Four appearance and its first EuroLeague title since 2013.

“It was a solid \[night on\] defense for us – it’s not easy to allow just 65 points to Panathinaikos,” noted Coach Bartzokas. “We had 11 steals and they turned the ball over 18 times, which shows our ability defensively. We can say the only problem we had was with rebounding. But even with these numbers, winning the game is the most important.”

Olympiacos has a tricky fixture on the road at Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 30 next Tuesday night, before hosting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at Peace and Friendship Stadium two days later. Two wins for Bartzokas’s men would be key, yet given how tight things are in the standings – two wins separate fourth from ninth – there will likely be a few twists and turns in the final stretch.

Nevertheless, Olympiacos sent a message to the rest of the EuroLeague by shutting down Panathinaikos and grabbing the win. There has been a bit of doom and gloom surrounding the team at various points this year, but Thursday night’s triumph was evidence that Olympiacos fans can start to dream big. Again.

Georgios Bartzokas puts his thumb up after Olympiacos Piraeus's win against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Round 29 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The Reds are looking to reach their third straight Final Four

KK Crvena zvezda point guard Yago Dos Santos has been diagnosed with a fracture to the maxillary sinus wall and a concussion, according to the club.

Yago Dos Santos taken to hospital as precaution following head injury

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade point guard [Yago Dos Santos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/yago-dos-santos/012044/) is being held at a Belgrade hospital overnight, the club announced after its game against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on Thursday night. Yago was diagnosed with a fracture to the maxillary sinus wall and a concussion, according to the club.

The first-year playmaker left the game with 2:21 left after suffering an unintentional blow to his forehead from Maccabi forward Bonzie Colson while chasing an offensive rebound. Yago left lying on the floor for an extended period of time, before being helped by trainers and left straight into the locker room.

The further test will determine whether the Brazilian playmaker needs a surgery. He scored 20 points and had 7 assists in a game which Zvezda lost 80-84, dropping to a 10-19 record. Yago, who turned 25 years of age last week, averages 9.2 points, 4.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds in his first EuroLeague season.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade's Yago Dos Santos looks to score against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Round 29 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The first-year playmaker left the game with 2:21 left after suffering an unintentional blow to his forehead from Maccabi's Bonzie Colson

FC Barcelona continued its impressive surge in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after a dominant fourth-quarter performance gave the Spanish giant a 94-76 home win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, its fifth win in the last six games.

Brilliant Barcelona rolled on with big win over Partizan

FC Barcelona continued its impressive surge in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after a dominant fourth-quarter performance gave the Spanish giant a 94-76 home win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, its fifth win in the last six games.

The outcome tightened Barcelona’s grip on second place in the standings with a 20-9 record and made happy reading for the Catalan club ahead of the home stretch, with some tough road games coming up.

Partizan (13-16) held its own for three quarters but the visitors, who suffered their fifth defeat in the last six, were blown away in the final 10 minutes as Barca overran the Serbian team with a barrage of three-pointers and fast breaks, on the back of ironclad defense.

A thrilling climax to the contest looked likely when Partizan pulled to 74-70 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but the hosts then moved two gears up and closed the game out comfortably.

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, who returned to Barcelona last month for his second spell with the club after spending the last 13 years in the NBA, played a telling cameo role in the victory with 7 points, 6 assists and as many rebounds.

The 33-year-old pulled the strings on offense in 16:42 minutes on the court with dazzling runs, which ripped Partizan’s defense apart, as he dished out assists like confetti. Two of those assists produced spectacular slam-dunks by Willy Hernangomez and galvanized a passionate home crowd in the Palau Blaugrana, where a sizeable contingent of loud visiting fans contributed to a fabulous atmosphere.

Ricky Rubio's best plays against Partizan

Rubio pointed out that containing Partizan captain Kevin Punter to a mere 6 points was one of the keys to Barca’s whopping win, as the home team stifled the visitors in crunch time.

“We played aggressive because we knew they have a really good team and they can get hot. We controlled Punter, it was a good overall performance and a great win,” Rubio said.

He also acknowledged that blending in at Barca has been a process since he rejoined the club from the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he had struggled with a recurring knee injury for the lion’s share of his three-year spell with his last NBA franchise.

“It’s an adjustment,” he commented when asked how it felt to be back at Barcelona. “My body and my mind have had to adjust, I am getting to know my teammates better and it’s a step closer to where we want to be,” Rubio added.

Rubio’s flashes of brilliance aside, Nicolas Laprovittola and Willy Hernangomez came up big as the former sank 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from downtown and the latter added 15 points, having sank all his 6 shots from the floor.

Laprovittola stressed that stepping up on defense in the second half, when Barcelona limited Partizan to just 28 points, was vital in brushing the Serbian team aside.

“We changed our defense and our energy in the second half,” said the Argentine guard. “We did a better job with rebounds, we also kept running and scoring easy fastbreak points. It was as physical as any match in the EuroLeague, we are in March and we know that everyone is fighting for a position in the standings.”

Head coach Roger Grimau concurred that the defensive effort was crucial.

“Great job on defense, in the third quarter too but especially in the fourth,” he said. Last but not least, Grimau praised the home fans who were louder than ever in their own battle with boisterous Partizan supporters, who made the trip and thronged the Palau Blaugrana in numbers. Asked how important a role the home faithful played in Barca’s emphatic victory, Grimau simply said: “Palau is Palau.”

The Spanish giant has hit top form in the home stretch of the regular season

FC Barcelona v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-03-14T19:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz’s offense may have been hailed as one of the finest in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, but on Thursday night it was its defense that was the key to the 88-73 victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. 

Baskonia’s defense injected energy into offense to beat Milan

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz’s offense may have been hailed as one of the finest in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, but on Thursday night it was its defense that was the key to the 88-73 victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Having boasted the fourth-best offense in the competition with 84.0 points scored per game coming into the duel against the Italian side, Baskonia averaged 95.8 points in its last five duels. Yet, this time Coach Dusko Ivanovic's men aimed for a solid start to the game on defense too and the players delivered on the floor. The first quarter at Buesa Arena was balanced, with the hosts keeping Milan to 18 points.

“Defense \[was the key to the win\],” Chima Moneke said after the game. “We started off well, which is something we haven’t done this whole season. I’m proud of the starters for doing that.”

Baskonia took a one-point lead into the second quarter, which is when Moneke stepped up on both ends. The 28-year-old forward provided his team with a boost in energy on defense and netted 8 second-quarter points, with his team outscoring Milan 29-16.

“When I came into the game, I made the difference and I’m proud of myself today,” Moneke added.

Baskonia led 48-34 at halftime, but a quick 0-8 Milan run allowed the visitors to trim the deficit to single digits. This is when Baskonia tightened up its defense and transmitted this energy through Markus Howard and Moneke to the offense to regain control of the game.

“Tonight, my players did a really good job,” Ivanovic noted after the game. “On offense, we had patience, moved the ball and had many open shots. But I think that our aggressiveness on defense was very good too.”

Howard fired on all cylinders and finished the duel with a game-high 26 points. As for Moneke, he went 2-for-4 from inside the arc, 3-for-4 from deep and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. He also registered 6 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block for a PIR of 27.

“I think the biggest thing was having energy and being aggressive,” Howard said after the game. “On the defensive end, we pressured on the ball and made them feel us. I think that helped us on the offensive end as well.”

With Thursday’s victory, Baskonia improved to a 16-13 record and extended its home winning streak to four games. Looking to establish itself in the playoff spots, the Basque side has a couple of tough away duels coming next, as they’ll face Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade before traveling to Lithuania to take on Zalgiris Kaunas in the upcoming double-round week.

The offensive dynamo buckled down on the other end on Thursday night

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-03-14T19:30:00.000Z)