KK Partizan beat AS Monaco Basket 89-85 in overtime in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, with Kevin Punter and James Nunnally both stepping up on the night.

Kevin Punter, James Nunnally steered KK Partizan past Monaco Basket

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade [ground out an emotional 89-85 overtime home win over AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-as-monaco-basket/) largely thanks to guards Kevin Punter and James Nunnally, who scored 25 and 23 points, respectively, to give the Serbian team the edge.

The physical contest littered with fouls was hardly a classic, but it produced plenty of thrills and spills, with the lead changing hands time and again. Partizan looked home and dry after taking a 70-66 lead with 22 seconds left on the clock in regulation, but the hosts were forced into overtime by Mike James.

The Monaco guard, who endured a poor shooting night as he made only 4 of 15 shots from the field, drilled a pair of three-pointers in the closing stages, including an audacious one from way downtown in Nunnally’s face.

Nunnally later heaped praise on James – and on his own teammates.

“Damn, Mike hit a tough shot,” Nunnally said in his first reaction as he walked off the floor. “I wanted to foul him but he made one hell of a shot. We came through in the end, executed late and made some stops. It worked out great for us. A shout out to my teammates, everybody contributed,” he added.

Partizan’s prolific offense ranks second in the league with 87.5 ppg, and Zeljko Obradovic’s men long for the same explosiveness versus a Roca team with eyes on a third straight win and armed with the talismanic Mike James, who leads the rankings in scoring (18.8 ppg) and ranks third in PIR.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-AS Monaco | Round 12 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Struggles in the paint

Partizan missed center Frank Kaminsky through a back injury but Brazilian Bruno Caboclo compensated for his absence with 9 first-half points. However, Caboclo also committed 3 fouls and sat out the lion’s share of the second half, which allowed Donatas Moteijunas to run riot and pace the visitors with 23 points.

Partizan made a bright start and took an 11-2 lead before rugged defending set the tone for the rest of the strength-sapping contest. The hosts hit top gear again when the chips were down, with Punter hitting a crunch three-pointer to give them an 80-76 lead in overtime.

The home team closed the game out for its second successive overtime win after beating Panathinaikos Athens 92-87 at the same venue in Round 11, when Punter returned to action from a leg injury. Partizan’s captain was as delighted as he was exhausted after forcing Monaco into submission.

“We kept fighting and that was the key to victory,” he said. “We made some plays in the end and that was it.”

### Going up a gear on offense

Partizan’s head coach Zeljko Obradovic said improved second-half offense was crucial after the visitors led 32-35 at halftime. “The first half was our worst offensive half of the season and stepping up our offense after the break was the key,” he told the post-game press conference. “Monaco also had 9 offensive boards in the first half and only 5 in the second and overtime, which means we played good defense too.”

Partizan completes its three-game home stand against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 13 on Thursday, while Monaco visits Zalgiris Kaunas.

More Partizan News

The backcourt duo combined for 48 points against the battling visitors, who rallied to force overtime.

Kevin Punter, James Nunnally steered Partizan past Monaco

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v AS Monaco (2023-12-05T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich leaned on stellar performances from Carsen Edwards and Serge Ibaka en route to a win against Olimpia Milano in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Carsen Edwards, Serge Ibaka are FC Bayern Munich's one-two punch 

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan led 70-76 with 59.1 seconds left in regulation and the win seemed in its hands. What happened? FC Bayern Munich [managed to force overtime in unbelievable fashion](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-fc-bayern-munich-vs-olimpia-milano/).

Sylvain Francisco found Carsen Edwards for an open three-pointer. When Shavon Shields missed from beyond the arc and Serge Ibaka grabbed the rebound, Stefano Tonut immediately fouled on Francisco. It was Milan's last non-shooting foul and gave Bayern a chance to force overtime with another three-point shot.

### Serge Ibaka sent the crowd wild

After a timeout, Francisco got the ball again, Tonut deflected the ball, which went straight into Ibaka's hands. He turned around and buried a three-pointer from the EuroLeague logo to send the game to overtime. Asked about it after the game, it sounded like it was a routine shot for Ibaka.

"I work on that shot every day and I just trusted myself, and I just shot it!" Ibaka said.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The triple to level it in the final seconds 🚨 <br><br>Take a bow <a href="https://twitter.com/sergeibaka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sergeibaka</a>, what a SHOT 😮 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoment</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zv0qYuWzlL">pic.twitter.com/Zv0qYuWzlL</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1732148812582461499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Then it was the turn of Carsen Edwards

In overtime, Edwards made the difference. He had 11 points in the extra period, including 7 consecutive points that took the game from an 82-82 tie to an 89-82 Bayern lead. Edwards was highly praised by Bayern head coach Pablo Laso, after the game.

"It was more of a players' thing and I think Carsen \[Edwards\] showed up with 2 great three-pointers in a row and he lifted us up. Serge \[Ibaka\], for sure, with his three-pointer at the end of regulation, but I think Carsen lifted us up with those three-pointers and okay, when you get to overtime, in this kind of game where everybody is very tired, it is a matter of players," Laso said. "There was a moment for Shavon Shields, and there was a moment for Carsen Edwards, and let's put it this way, Carsen Edwards's was a better moment than Shavon Shields's."

Edwards had a tough start of the season, averaging 2.5 points and a PIR of -9.0 in his first two games. This game could be a turnaround moment for them, as he set new career highs of 32 points and a PIR of 28, making 7 of 11 two-pointers and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. .

FC Bayern Munich guard Carsen Edwards led his team to a 91-84 overtime win against EA7 Emporio Armani with new career highs of 32 points and a PIR of 28,

Edwards had career night against Milan

"We were getting stops on the defensive end and my teammates helped me get open, good plays, good set screens, so I was happy to see some going in," Edwards said. "Playing hard and being able to get stops was important for us, getting rebounds at the end of the game and playing from there."

As for Ibaka, added to his game-saving three-pointer at the end of the regulation, he finished the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds and a PIR of 28. In the last four games, Ibaka averaged 19.5 points on 8 of 10 three-point shooting, 9.0 rebounds and a PIR of 24.5.

Bayern has proved to be strong at home and now faces a tough test on the road, facing last season's finalists Olympiacos Piraeus on Friday at 20:15 CET.

More Bayern News

Bayern needed overtime to beat Milan 91-84 for its third consecutive home victory. 

Carsen Edwards, Serge Ibaka were Bayern's one-two punch 

FC Bayern Munich v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-12-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid Baloncesto head coach Chus Mateo and star forward Dzanan Musa both spoke after Tuesday's road win at Olympiacos B.C. about the keys to the victory. 

Dzanan Musa, Chus Mateo demand even more from Real Madrid Baloncesto

According to the man who did the most to fire league-leading [Real Madrid to victory at Olympiacos Piraeus on Tuesday night](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olympiacos-bc-vs-real-madrid-baloncesto/), the seeds of the triumph were sowed in July and August.

Dzanan Musa fired a season-high 23 points, making 5 of his 7 three-point attempts, as Real held off the Reds, 71-77, to pile on more pain following its victory over the same opponent in last season’s EuroLeague Championship Game. He made 2 of his 4 attempts from two-point range and stayed cool to convert all 4 of his free throws.

The 24-year-old forward has once again been a highly consistent scoring presence for the title holders, averaging 11.5 points per game and scoring in double digits for the last seven in a row.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DzMusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DzMusa</a> was feeling it tonight 🎯<a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> <br>23 PTS | 5/7 3FG <a href="https://t.co/nXLleHsAEz">pic.twitter.com/nXLleHsAEz</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1732159274510336415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Dzanan Musa: 'I was able to make the shots'

Reflecting on the win, Musa explained that his scoring prowess has been helped by dedication during the off-season, telling EuroLeagueTV: ”I’m trying to stay focused and locked in, and I worked a lot in the summer on my shooting.”

For a player who was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team at the end of last season and finished the previous campaign as the Spanish league’s top scorer, that’s an impressive level of dedication to improving an already stellar skillset.

And Musa revealed another character trait – selflessness – as he added: “All credit to my teammates for finding me, and I was able to make the shots.”

Chus Mateo speaks after Real Madrid's win in Piraeus

### Putting on the clamps on defense

Musa’s scoring wasn’t the only factor behind Real’s on Tuesday, as head coach Chus Mateo admitted that his team’s ability to finish the game by holding Olympiacos to just 3 points in the last 5 minutes was inspired by the previous week’s overtime loss at Fenerbahce.

“Always a defeat makes you think a little bit more,” Mateo said. “When you win \[several games\] in a row sometimes you think you’re unbeatable and this is not true. We’ve got to work every day to win, whoever \[we play against\], not only the big teams like Olympiacos today.”

And with both star player and coach singing from the same hymn sheet about the need for constant self-improvement, no matter how great their past achievements might have been, it’s no surprise that Real Madrid is riding high at the top of the standings as it defends its title.

More Real Madrid News

Real Madrid's star forward and head coach both spoke after Tuesday's road win at Olympiacos about the keys to the victory.

Dzanan Musa, Chus Mateo demand even more from Real Madrid

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-12-05T19:15:00.000Z)

ALBA overcame major injury absences and used an impressive defensive performance to rally from 16 points down to knock off Zalgiris Kaunas 64-62 and snap a six-game losing streak. 

ALBA overcomes absences, snaps losing skid with defense

ALBA Berlin saw Zalgiris race away to a 4-20 lead after nearly 7 minutes but then turned up the defense and kept it on high the rest of the game, forcing Zalgiris into a EuroLeague season-high-tying 23 turnovers.

“It would be unfair to single out one player. Zalgiris doesn’t commit turnovers, just 12.1 per game. This is effort, this is team effort. This is just keep going, press here, press there. Run there,” said ALBA head coach Israel Gonzalez.  “Today we started blocked, standing still, afraid. I am happy we broke away from this feeling and we could get back to the spirit that this team has.”

ALBA came into the game still saddled with injury absences, missing Sterling Brown, Louis Olinde and Matt Thomas, the team’s second, third and fifth-leading scorers. Gonzalez only suited 11 players for the game, including Gabriele Procida, who is dealing with a broken finger and was originally listed as unavailable.

“This feels really good because we put the work in and we’re trying to win every game. The situation we have is tough. To see everybody fight and play with confidence and keep pushing despite the six-game losing streak I’m really proud of the guys,” said Johannes Thiemann, who paced ALBA with 16 points “I’m sure it wasn’t the prettiest game to watch but it was a fight.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🤑 MATTI$WAG 🤑 <a href="https://t.co/1bm79MXYGZ">pic.twitter.com/1bm79MXYGZ</a></p>&mdash; ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin/status/1732163653393162503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

ALBA giving up just 62 points is a major testament to the effort and bounce-back ability of the team after it had given up an average of 96.7 points in the last three losses, including 102 to Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv last week.

Jonas Mattisseck nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 6.7 seconds left to give ALBA its only lead of the game and a 2-10 record in the league.

“This was very, very important - also that we turned the game around after their first quarter when they scored every three. We didn’t give up and we fought together, and it is a well-deserved win against a very good team,” said Mattisseck.

Game News

ALBA overcame absences to snap losing skid with defense

ALBA Berlin v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-12-05T19:00:00.000Z)

KK Partizan held off AS Monaco Basket 89-85 after overtime in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Partizan grinds out tough overtime win over Monaco, 89-85

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Kevin Punter and James Nunnally combined for 48 points to lead Partizan to the overtime victory. 

FC Bayern Munich outlasted Olimpia Milano 91-84 after overtime in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bayern edges Milan in OT, 91-84!

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Carsen Edwards and Serge Ibaka combined for 52 points for Bayern, which edged Milan in an overtime thriller. 

Real Madrid duplicated its championship game victory over Olympiacos B.C. Piraeus by grinding out a 71-77 road victory at Peace and Friendship Stadium in a rematch of last season's EuroLeague Championship Game.

Real Madrid holds off Olympiacos, 71-77, in Greece

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Real Madrid duplicated its championship game victory over Olympiacos Piraeus by grinding out a 71-77 road victory at Peace and Friendship Stadium. 

ALBA Berlin rallied past Zalgiris Kaunas 64-62 at  Mercedes-Benz Arena in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

ALBA wins in final seconds after big comeback, snaps losing skid

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ALBA trailed by 16 in the first quarter and did not lead until the closing seconds in stunning Zalgiris. 

The boxscore said that Panathinaikos Athens B.C. shot much better, but Anadolu Efes did the little things to take a thrilling victory.

 Effort boosted Efes above better-shooting Greens 

It's not every day that the team with lower shooting percentages across the board can win a basketball game, but that's exactly what [Anadolu Efes Istanbul did while downing visiting Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 71-68](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/anadolu-efes-istanbul-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/101/#boxscore) in the return to Sinan Erdem Sports Hall of visiting head coach Ergin Ataman on Tuesday.

Panathinaikos shot slightly better from inside the arc (53.1% to 50.0%) and the free throw line (90.9% to 87.5%), but much better from the three-point line (40.0% to 17.2%) than Efes.

What made the difference in the end was that Efes shot much more often thanks to extra possessions born of both hustle and caution.

Waylaid by injuries, Efes rode inspired performances by point guard Shane Larkin and center Tyrique Jones. Not even losing a seventh player, starter Erkan Yilmaz, to injury in the first half dampened the home team's spirit.

That was evident in Efes winning the rebounding battle 40-32 with an incredible advantage of 19 offensive boards to just 6 for the Greens. Jones had 7 of those, but seven other Efes players contributed, including Yilmaz, just-signed Dan Oturu and little-used Ercan Osmani with 2 each.

"Today we were really good on the offensive boards as a team," Larkin would say afterwards. "You now, Tyrique had 14 rebounds. We've been preaching rebounding, rebounding, rebounding, and he came out and was an animal tonight."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/meJlDvJMup">pic.twitter.com/meJlDvJMup</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1732137071957905603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Those 19 boards matched Efes's best output in more than four seasons on the offensive glass and gave the hosts the extra possessions to offset the shooting advantages of Panathinaikos. But it wasn't all. Efes also had just 9 turnovers to 16 for the visitors, and that difference also helped the cause in what was a close game until the end.

In the end, Efes attempted 71 field goal to just 52 for Panathinaikos while also earning 16 free throws to 11 for the visitors. With all those extra tries, it didn't matter at the end that Panathinaikos was more accurate because Efes won this game with heart. 

"We're missing five, six key guys, but we have to continue to step up. Next man up mentality: stay together, fight together and see what we can do," Larkin said. "Everybody gave their all tonight, a lot of key contributors. It may not be on the scoreboard, but the energy, the effort, the little things we did to get this win were huge. That's gotta be our identity going forward and this was a good step in the right direction."

Game Videos

The boxscore said that Panathinaikos shot much better, but Efes did the little things to take a thrilling victory.

Effort boosted Efes above better-shooting Greens

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2023-12-05T17:30:00.000Z)