Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 83-76 in Round 28 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Maccabi beats Zalgiris, 83-76, to keep playoff quest alive

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Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is guarded by Edmond Sumner of Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Wade Baldwin paced the hosts with a team-high 16 points

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-03-07T19:05:00.000Z)

Mike James became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer as AS Monaco Basket beat KK Crvena Zvezda 98-80 in Round 28 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Mike James makes history as Monaco defeats Crvena Zvezda, 98-80

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Mike James of AS Monaco shoots over Stefan Lazarevic of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to become the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer.

The American became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer.

Mike James makes history as Monaco defeats Zvezda, 98-80

AS Monaco v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-03-07T18:00:00.000Z)

Shane Larkin netted 28 points as Anadolu Efes S.K. beat FC Bayern Basketball 109-86 in Round 28 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Shane Larkin's monster game leads Anadolu Efes past FC Bayern, 109-86

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Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul looks to score against FC Bayern Munich in Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The guard had 28 points in a comfortable win for the osts.

Shane Larkin's monster game leads Efes past Bayern, 109-86

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v FC Bayern Munich (2024-03-07T17:30:00.000Z)

The 10-year veteran has surpassed another great, Vassilis Spanoulis, in total career points.

 Mike James is the EuroLeague’s new all-time scoring king! 

History was made this Thursday night as [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/james-mike/005985/) overtook Vassilis Spanoulis to become the all-time leading scorer in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

With a post-game total of 4,464 points after scoring 20 in a [98-80 win over Crvena Zvezda](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/245/#boxscore), the AS Monaco star is now in first place overall, having surpassed Spanoulis’s total of 4,455. Even more impressive is the fact that James managed to do so in 271 games, compared to 358 for the former Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens legend.

The play that put James into first place with 4,457 points was long, side-step two-pointer over Stefan Lazarevic with just under 4 minutes left in the first half, giving him 13 for the night. He went on to score 7 more.

Mike James breaks the all-time scoring record from mid-range.

Motorola Magic Moment: The record-breaker by Mike James!

### Mike James’s route to 4,457 points

Now in his 10th season in the EuroLeague, the 33-year-old guard netted 467 points in 45 games for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2014-16), 522 in 37 appearances for Panathinaikos (2016-18), 595 in 30 contests for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2018-19), 1,112 in 55 fixtures for CSKA Moscow (2019-21), and now 1,760 in 104 games for Monaco (2021-present).

It has been quite the journey for James, after all. Having started out as a role player in his first few games at Baskonia, it didn’t take long for the Portland native to firmly establish himself as one of the EuroLeague’s best players with his scoring and playmaking. There was a jump in his production when he arrived in Athens, but it rose further upon his move to Italy.

In that 2018-19 campaign with Milan, James scored by far his most points in a season to that point (595, beating the 328 he recorded from the 2016-17 season) and posted his best scoring average at 19.8 points per night. He also set what back then a new career high in points with the 35 he netted in a 92-89 defeat at Real Madrid on March 20, 2019. Due to his exploits on that end of the floor, he ended up winning the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy and was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team for the first time. In short, James had established himself as a star in the league.

Those performances caught the attention of CSKA, where James once again improved his scoring average, posting 21.1 points per game across 28 appearances in his first season in Moscow. He came just 5 points short of matching his season tally with Milan, having played two games less.

In James’s second campaign with CSKA, a year in which he posted 19.3 points per night and scored 522 points in 27 games, he had his two best scoring nights in the EuroLeague. After setting a new personal best with 36 points in an 87-96 triumph at Khimki Moscow Region on December 11, 2020, he bettered that tally a few months later with 37 points, which remains his career high to date, in a 105-103 double-overtime loss at Valencia Basket on February 4, 2021.

### Making history in Monaco

Following a brief stint in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets, James returned to the EuroLeague in search of a new challenge. Despite Monaco having just won the BKT EuroCup, the 33-year-old took his talents to the principality club. Ever since, James has shined on a night in, night out basis and helped turn Monaco from a EuroLeague newcomer into a Final Four force.

The 2021-22 season, his first in Monaco, saw the club surprisingly reach the EuroLeague Playoffs on the back of a record season by James, as he set career bests in games played (38), points scored (622), rebounds grabbed (121), assists made (219) and steals (47). Despite having an MVP-level season in the eyes of many, the first MVP award of his career passed him by. He did, however, earn his first selection to the All-EuroLeague First Team.

Perhaps inspired by the personal disappointment of the prior campaign, with Monaco falling in a five-game series to Olympiacos and James not earning MVP honors, he went a step further in 2022-23 and guided the Monegasque club to its first-ever Final Four. Last season, he broke the 600-point mark for the second season in a row, having scored 605 in 38 appearances. Another All-EuroLeague selection came, too, as he was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Special 🤝 <a href="https://t.co/Zxg6p0fejv">pic.twitter.com/Zxg6p0fejv</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1765844616190759137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

So far this year, James has had his best scoring average since landing in Monaco, posting 19.3 points per contest, after putting up 16.4 in 2021-22 and 15.9 in 2022-23. It seems that he knew that history was in his sights, as he revealed to former CSKA teammate Kyle Hines during an [episode of the A Quarter with Kyle Hines podcast](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/a-quarter-with-kyle-hines-mike-james-opens-the-new-season-in-style/), which was released in early January.

“I think I had an idea that I was getting close a couple of years ago, because Chris Singleton actually brought it up to me. He was like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to break the all-time scoring record,’” James recalled. “He showed it to me and I’m like, ‘Man, I ain’t that far, though.’ Then this summer, me and my friends were sitting down and talking, I’m like, ‘Man, I really am close. I might get it this year if some stuff goes my way, it could happen.’ It’s just crazy to think about.”

Well, it’s not crazy anymore. Congratulations, Mike!

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Locker room celebration for <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNatural_05?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNatural_05</a> 🎉 <a href="https://t.co/n1a7goVtBA">pic.twitter.com/n1a7goVtBA</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1765835703248716201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

More news on Mike James

Mike James, the EuroLeague’s new career scoring king!

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: Real aims again at first playoff spot

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 takes another shot at being first to playoffs

After failing to reach its goal of qualifying first to the playoffs last week, standings leader Real Madrid (22-5) will try it again on Thursday at home against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (16-11). A win will be enough to qualify the defending champions, but even a third defeat in a row won't count them out. Tipping off 15 minutes later are Olympiacos Piraeus (16-11) and visiting Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-10). If Olympiacos should lose that home game, it would be enough for Real to qualify despite losing its own game. That's because Olympiacos would not be able to surpass Real's 22 wins now, and having been swept by the champs – as well as by Barcelona and, in this scenario, Virtus – Real would always finish ahead of the Reds in a tiebreaker. 

Real also has a path this week to not only reach the playoffs but clinch a top-four finish, but it requires a lot of help. To do that, Real must first win its own game. Then it must hope that AS Monaco (17-10) loses at home to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (10-17) while either Virtus or Barcelona (18-9), which visits Valencia Basket (13-14), also loses. Failing that, a Real win would also clinch fourth place or better if Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (17-10) loses at home to LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (6-21) on Friday. In other words, at a minimum, Real needs third-place Panathinaikos or fourth-place Monaco to lose at home to bottom-three clubs in order to secure home-court advantage this week.

After sweeping aside Maccabi, 70-99, Real continues its own double-round week by travelling to a Fenerbahce team that has won all four games at home so far this season. Expect a physical affair featuring the top three shot blockers, which are Walter Tavares, Vincent Poirier and Georgios Papagiannis.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Real Madrid | Round 11 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Barcelona still needs help to reach Play-In Showdown qualification

Second-place Barca (18-8) might have the opportunity to extend its campaign beyond the regular season on either night of Round 28. The first chance for qualification to the Play-In Showdown, requiring at least a top-10 finish to the regular season, would mean that Barca defeats Valencia away on Thursday soon after Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (14-13) beats visiting Zalgiris Kaunas (11-16).

If that scenario doesn't complete itself, but Barca wins in Valencia, then it may also clinch a top-10 finish on Friday if EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (11-16) defeats visiting Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (13-14) or if ALBA Berlin (5-22) wins on the court of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (14-13).

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-02-29T19:45:00.000Z)

The Players View returns to EuroLeagueTV with a special guest on Thursday night to offer another unique look at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague from the perspective of those who played in it. Regular co-host [Michael Roll will be joined by a current Joventut Badalona veteran guard Andrew Andrews](https://www.euroleague.tv/live/260813). The two will sit down to watch AS Monaco welcome Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade as Mike James, a close friend of Andrews and a fellow Portland, Oregon native, makes a run at breaking the all-time EuroLeague scoring record, needing just 12 points to do so.

As always, there's no better way to get the low-down on what's happening on the court than to listen to the live insights of one current and one former pro, who happened to face each other during the time when they both played in Turkey. The Players' View is available exclusively to EuroLeagueTV subscribers. [Get your pass now](https://tv.euroleague.net/) to make sure you don't miss any of the action.

The Players View welcomes Andrew Andrews for Monaco vs. Zvezda tonight!

The battle for the postseason is heating up

Olympiacos, Virtus start a series of playoff-race clashes

A busy Thursday night in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague pits a winner of four games in a row, [Olympiacos Piraeus (16-11), against the visiting Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-10) at a sold-out Peace and Friendship Stadium](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/olympiacos-piraeus-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/247/). It’s fair to say that this is a fixture that could have big playoff implications.

After all, the two sides are a part of a six-team group that has separated itself in the standings and are battling in two simultaneous races. 

The first is the race for the five *remaining* places that ensure direct qualification to the playoffs. We say remaining because those five teams would be joining the all-but-qualified league leader Real Madrid (22-5).

### The battle for home-court advantage

But those six clubs are also battling, alongside Real, for the all-important home-court advantage in the playoffs. 

Each of the next five four rounds brings one clash between the six teams in question.

FC Barcelona (18-9) is in the best position among the six clubs, but it has five of its last seven games on the road, including trips to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (17-10) and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (16-11) in Rounds 30 and 31, the final double-round week of the season.

Panathinaikos has the toughest schedule among this group, with three games against direct playoff opponents, including road contests in Piraeus and Bologna.

Virtus, apart from that Round 32 game against Panathinaikos, also welcomes Real next week, while AS Monaco (17-10) is the outlier. Monaco is the only team that plays all of its last seven games against teams that currently do not have a winning record, and five of those contests are on its home floor.

Fenerbahce, which is two wins behind Barcelona in the standings, has one game against a direct playoff-chasing rival in the next five rounds, which is against the Greens, but it will have to travel to Piraeus in the regular-season finale.

Both Fenerbahce and Olympiacos still have four home games remaining, one more than Panathinaikos and Virtus, but one could say Olympiacos holds its destiny in its own hands given it has three more fixtures against direct rivals, all of which are on its home floor.

Offensive production is becoming a major issue for Olympiacos, who average 76.4 ppg (third worst in the league) and were held to just 56 in a loss to Valencia. They could be outgunned by Isaia Cordinier, who has made six of his last eight attempts from deep for a Virtus team which ranks second for assists.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 15 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Olympiacos vs. Virtus

So, the unraveling of the playoff race starts tonight as Olympiacos will try to continue its historic home dominance over Virtus and get revenge for a dramatic loss in Bologna in Round 15, which was Virtus's first win over the Reds this century.

Olympiacos has won all nine of its home games against Virtus in an almost 50-year history of their head-to-head clashes, including a 117-71 thrashing last season that saw the Greek side set a club scoring record.

But the Reds will not have all of their weapons at their disposal as [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) (9.3 ppg, 4.7 apg., 1.3 spg.), the leader of the EuroLeague's best defense (75.3 ppg.), is nursing an ankle injury and might miss the game, while center [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) has been sidelined after foot surgery.

Meanwhile, Virtus forward [Tornike Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) might be out following an ankle injury in Round 27.

But both teams have lots of other weapons and experienced players. Forward [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) is having a career year, averaging 14.3 points on an outstanding 55.8% three-point shooting while pulling down 5.1 rebounds, while sharpshooter [Isaiah Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/) makes triples at a 45.9% rate and averages 12.4 points per night.

Look for them to lead the Reds against the visitors, who got the win in their first meeting behind 13 points from [Isaia Cordinier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaia-cordinier/009549/) and 12 from [Marco Belinelli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marco-belinelli/bcn/), while [Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) had 8 points and 6 assists.

If Virtus pulls out a win and gets a regular-season sweep, it would bring a little more clarity to the playoff race. However, if Olympiacos protects its home floor and wins, it will complicate things a little more.

Olympiacos Piraeus v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-03-07T20:00:00.000Z)

Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 28 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bold predictions: Round 28

### James get it before the break

#### *by Javier Gancedo*

Thursday is expected to be a historical night for AS Monaco scoring guard Mike James, who is 12 points away from becoming the competition's all-time top scorer, going past Vassilis Spanoulis. Everything should be ready at Salle Gaston Medecin for James's big night against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, and my guess is that fans won't have to wait too long for James to get those 12 points. In fact, I predict he will get them before halftime. Given his competitive nature and character, James will want to get that distraction out of the way as soon as possible, focus on winning the game and celebrate after, if possible, with a victory. His biggest scoring mark this season is 28 points, and I believe James will be close to that number, maybe getting more points, and leading Monaco to an important home win. 

### Fenerbahce will pile more misery on Real Madrid

#### *by Geoff Gillingham*

Real Madrid may be the leading the way at the top of the EuroLeague standings, but I think Los Blancos are about to suffer their second straight defeat at WiZink Center. Following an 86-97 loss at home to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens last week, I think Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul also has what it takes to beat Real on its own patch. Fenerbahce is coming off a game in which it set club records in points (111) and assists (32) in a 111-96 triumph over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, so it should be feeling pretty good about itself right now. Having last beaten Real at WiZink on March 2, 2018, two and a half months before they met in the EuroLeague Championship Game, a win for Fenerbahce would not only be a statement to the rest of the EuroLeague, but the Turkish side could see jump into the top six if things go its way. It would be a nice belated birthday present for Saras Jasikevicius, too, as he turned 48 on Tuesday.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Günün idmanının ardından başantrenörümüz Sarunas Jasikevicius’un doğum gününü kutladık! 🎂 <a href="https://t.co/ifQ3PQQuUd">pic.twitter.com/ifQ3PQQuUd</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1765020721267212413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Valencia will beat the odds, and Barcelona

#### *by Igor Petrinovic*

Valencia is in a tight fight for its first EuroLeague postseason berth in more than a decade, but in my opinion, odds are against Valencia in that race due to a tough schedule mostly against opponents with equal or better records to its own. Plus, just three of its last seven games are at home. One of those is on Thursday against second-place FC Barcelona. This will be their fourth meeting this season; Barcelona won their EuroLeague game in Round 9, but Valencia took both of their Spanish League contests, though all three of those games were decided by 4 points or fewer. I believe Valencia will find a way to beat the odds, and beat Barcelona, to improve its postseason chances. I think Chris Jones will get support of two former Barcelona players, Brandon Davies and Kevin Pangos, and they will thrill the fans at La Fonteta.

After consecutive thrilling home wins, fast-rising Partizan bid to make it three in a row against a Milan team longing to bounce back from two straight losses. Energy reserves are to be tested with both fresh from overtime showdowns with Partizan overcoming Monaco, while Milan feel to defeat at Bayern.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 13 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Partizan climbs into the Play-In Showdown spots

#### *by Frankie Sachs*

Partizan is only 3-11 on the road this season and Valencia is 8-6 at home, but I think they are in for opposite fates this week. I like Partizan to beat Milan on the road and Valencia to lose at home to Barcelona. Since one of Partizan's road wins was in Valencia and they don't meet again until Round 34, they will be even with 14-14 records and head coach Zeljko Obradovic's men can overtake Valencia for 10th place if the combined margin of difference in this week's games is at least 11 points. I think that will happen and Partizan will inch into the top 10. That's my double prediction.

Mathias Lessort has always had stature, but now he has also status in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as one of the best in his position. Eurohoops explains how the 28-year-old French center of Panathinaikos made this happen.

Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos: Walking tall

Imagine an island between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, full of greenery and above all full of hospitable and hardworking residents. Imagine a family whose father has played as a goalkeeper and whose carefree children kick around a soccer ball on the field.

Now imagine one of those kids years later, on another continent, in another sport, with a little more height and plenty of stature, and imagine him as one of the top centers in Europe’s top basketball competition.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1639450/mathias-lessort-panathinaikos-walking-tall/)