AS Monaco hosts LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne of Round 7 in a showdown for regional pride, not to mention a key early-season victory. After Monaco made the Final Four last season and ASVEL finished last, the visitors' EuroLeague icon Nando De Colo acknowledges, "Monaco is a great team. We have to give them a lot of respect." Nonetheless, ASVEL comes off its first win of this season, on the road in comeback fashion, under new head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco. Monaco bounced back from an 0-2 start to win its last four games in a row, but at the same time, head coach Sasa Obradovic knows that "the pressure is all on us." In the last game of Round 7 on Friday night in the principality, one of them will walk off with an extra-meaningful triumph.

 Familiar foes ready Friday's French derby 

AS Monaco v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-11-10T20:00:00.000Z)

To overcome FC Barcelona's home dominance, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade will need to make history by notching its first victory at Palau Blaugrana.

Zvezda looks to finally conquer Palau Blaugrana

Friday of Round 7 features [a very interesting showdown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-barcelona-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/63/) that might look like more of a mismatch at first sight. 

Host FC Barcelona has never lost to Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Palau Blaugrana in seven showdowns between them. What's more, Barca is 5-1 so far this season and has won its three home games by an average of 21.3 points. 

Zvezda (2-4), meanwhile, broke a four-game losing streak last week and wants to use its momentum under new head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos to try the improbable: take its first EuroLeague win this century in Barcelona. As a club, Zvezda is 0-7 in Barcelona, but has gotten closer to its goal lately; after losing its first three games there by 20.7 points per game, over the next four Zvezda was within 8.3 points on average.

Mike Tobey played for FC Barcelona in the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 EuroLeague highlights: Mike Tobey, Barca

The visitors have reasons to be optimistic this time. First, Zvezda now has more experienced players on its roster. [Milos Teodosic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/milos-teodosic/jdr/), [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/), [Mike Tobey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-tobey/008966/), [Rokas Giedraitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-giedraitis/006436/) and [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/adam-hanga/005099/) – though the latter is not due to play because of an injury – know what it takes to win at Palau Blaugrana over the years. Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos led Olympiacos Piraeus past Barca in the 2015 playoffs and also won in Barcelona with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. 

Hanga and Tobey are two of just five players who have worn both teams' jerseys in the EuroLeague. Hanga played for Barca for four years, reaching the 2021 EuroLeague Championship Game. Tobey wore Barca's jersey last season. Another member of this select group will be present in this game, in a special week for him. Barca forward [Nikola Kalinic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-kalinic/004866/) will play against his former team a couple of days after turning 32. He played for Zvezda in the 2014-15 and 2021-22 campaigns. Jaka Blazic and Stratos Perperoglou are the other two players who have played for both Barca and Zvezda. Perperoglou, Kalinic and Hanga have been EuroLeague champions, but not with either of the two squads.

Nikola Kalinic Top Plays of the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

2021-22 EuroLeague highlights: Nikola Kalinic, Zvezda

Barca head coach Roger Grimau should have good memories when he faces Zvezda for the first time in his coaching career. He will have to work on stopping Teodosic, just like he did as a player in the 2010 EuroLeague Championship Game. Back then, Grimau was Barca's team captain and Teodosic the freshly crowned EuroLeague MVP, playing for Olympiacos. Barca ended up winning the game, 86-68, and Grimau lifted the trophy on top of the podium. To this date, Barca has not won the EuroLeague again.

Regal FC Barcelona is the 2010 Euroleague champion! Barca downed Olympiacos 86-68 in the final before a packed house at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in the French capital to win its second Euroleague crown

CLASSIC GAME: 2010 EuroLeague Final: Regal FC Barcelona vs Olympiacos

Coach Grimau showed great resourcefulness last week. With playmakers [Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/) and [Nico Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) sidelined, he opted to use versatile forward [Oriol Pauli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/-oriol-pauli/003204/) as point guard. Pauli finished the game with 12 points and 4 rebounds in his first EuroLeague appearance this season. 

Both teams had very different approaches on offense so far this season. Zvezda heavily relies on three-point shots, ranking second in attempts per game at 30.7. Barca takes way less shots from downtown (23.8) but is more affective, hitting 39.2% of them (Zvezda 33.2%). Barca takes almost one two-point shot per minute (39.5 per game), ranking third in scoring (83.7 ppg.) and leading in defensive boards (27.7) and PIR (102.2).

We have all the ingredients for a great game: talented veterans on both sides and a chance for Zvezda to make history.

FC Barcelona v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-11-10T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan center Frank Kaminsky saved his best for the last of his team's thrilling victory against Fenerbahce, swinging the momentum in crunch time.

Kaminsky inspired Partizan's late coup

[Frank Kaminsky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/frank-kaminsky/012743/) did not hit the ground running at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade when he joined the Serbian team from the Houston Rockets during the off-season.

The 30-year-old center from Illinois, who had spent eight years in the NBA after being selected by the Charlotte Hornets in 2015 as the ninth overall draft pick in 2015, struggled to adapt to the European game in his first few outings in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

He had a huge pair of shoes to fill after the departure of Mathias Lessort, who joined Panathinaikos Athens after a superb season at Partizan, narrowly missing out on the 2023 Final Four in Kaunas.

Thursday night's home game against Fenerbahce seemed to be producing another tough night for Kaminsky, who was locked in a titanic personal battle with the Turkish side's big man, Jonathan Motley, one of EuroLeague's most physically dominant centers.

Then, in the fourth quarter of the epic contest, Kaminsky just let himself go. After forcing Motley's fifth and final foul with 5:36 to play, Kaminsky promptly completed a 15-point comeback with a pair of perfect free throws at 75-75. He then scored his team's next 6 points to keep Partizan close enough in the final minute to seize victory from the jaws of defeat. 

All told, Kaminsky scored 11 of his 15 points in the final 10 minutes, but he almost went from hero to zero in the final few seconds. With Partizan leading 85-84, an inbound pass caught him wrong-footed with the basket at his mercy and the ball slipped through his fingers. The visitors had 5 seconds left to force a final twist. In the end, Kaminsky and some 20,000 Partizan home fans were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief after Tyler Dorsey's last-gasp shot on the buzzer clanked off the iron.

Frank Kaminsky inspired Partizan against Fenerbahce

Kaminsky credited the energy that those fans supplied for the team's second-half improvement.

"For the way we played in the first half and the way we played in the second half, we were like two completely different teams," Kaminsky said coming off the floor. 

"In the second half, we made all the plays we needed to make and we had a lot more energy. When you are at home in front of these fans, you feed off the energy of the crowd. We have a lot of guys on this team who can step up in big moments, and that was the story of the game tonight."

Power forward Alen Smailagic also made some clutch shots down the stretch and he singled out second-to-none team spirit as a key ingredient in Partizan's fightback.

"The whole game was tough because Fenerbahce is a really good team, they have great players and a great coach," he said. "But we are a brotherhood with a lot of fight in us, and the important thing is that we stayed together."

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-11-09T19:30:00.000Z)

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 9 game between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will be played in Belgrade instead of Istanbul, with the contest now taking place at 20:05 local time on Thursday, November 16.

Order of Fenerbahce-Maccabi games switched; Maccabi vs. Real Madrid gets new date

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 9 game between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will be played in Belgrade instead of Istanbul, with the contest now taking place at 20:05 local time on Thursday, November 16.

This decision has been taken considering the recommendations of both the Israeli and Turkish governments.

The suspended Round 6 game, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Real Madrid, has been rescheduled to be played on November 28, 2023, at 20:05 local time in Belgrade.

All Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv home games played in Belgrade will be behind closed doors until further notice.

The only two backcourt teammates on the All-EuroLeague team last season, Maccabi's Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown, aced their first game together in this one.

Together again, Baldwin and Brown boosted Maccabi

Eight months ago, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) made headlines by boldly stating that his partnership with [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) formed the best backcourt combination in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. 

"It's simple," said Baldwin after a victory against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. "Lorenzo is the best point guard in the EuroLeague and I'm the best combo \[guard\] in the EuroLeague. We have five more games left, and if we don't finish out and make the playoffs, that statement holds no weight. But right now, we're playing like the best duo in the EuroLeague." 

Well, Maccabi did make the playoffs, Baldwin's confidence was at least partially justified, especially when viewing the end of season stats. They showed that Baldwin averaged 17.2 points and 5.1 assists per game, while Brown combined 16.4 points with 5.5 assists. That was enough to earn both of them All-EuroLeague selection. Brown was voted the first team and Baldwin the second, meaning that Maccabi was the only team featuring two All-EuroLeague guards. The coaches, team captains, media and fans who voted certainly agreed with Baldwin's bold claim. 

In the opening weeks of this new season, though, Maccabi was forced to do without one half of that deadly duo, Baldwin himself, who did not play in the first five games due to a back injury. Instead, Brown shared backcourt duties with new signings Antonius Cleveland and Tamir Blatt, and with long-serving veteran John DiBartolomeo. 

Wade Baldwin Iv (12 points) Highlights vs. FC Bayern Munich, 11/09/2023

Wade Baldwin highlights vs FC Bayern Munich

That was still a pretty strong line-up for coach Oded Kattash to call upon, but let's face it: nothing beats a star guard duo. From Acie Law and Vassilis Spanoulis at Olympiacos, Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic at CSKA Moscow, Sergio Rodriguez and Sergio Llull at Real Madrid to Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin at Anadolu Efes Istanbul, the EuroLeague has had some stellar guard combinations over the last decade or so. The presence of two game-changers in the backcourt can often spell the difference between a title contender and an also-ran.

So, it was a very welcome sight for Maccabi when [Baldwin returned to the lineup on Thursday](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-fc-bayern-munich/E2023/57/), making his season debut in the team's first "home" game at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade with a visit from FC Bayern Munich. 

Rather than ushering Baldwin gently back into business for a couple of minutes here and a few possessions there, Kattash demonstrated his eagerness for his returning star to hit the ground running by naming Baldwin in the starting five – and keeping him on the floor for more than 25 minutes. 

As you might expect from a player lacking in game time, this wasn't a classic Baldwin performance. An early turnover for stepping out of bounds as he received a pass was a clear sign of rustiness. 

But, being the confident and motivated competitor that he is, Baldwin kept going and kept backing himself, ending up with solid totals of 12 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals, including his first three-pointer of the season at a crucial moment midway through the fourth quarter. He also ended up 6 turnovers, however, leaving plenty of room for improvement once his rhythm returns. 

Most importantly, Maccabi ended up winning the game 93-90 to improve to 4-2, thanks partly to a strong finale from Brown who scored 6 consecutive points in the final 3 minutes, making sure Bayern's attempted comeback would fall just short. 

And at the end of it all, the numbers, once again, spoke for themselves: Brown and Baldwin both scored in double digits, as well as combining for 10 assists and 5 steals. The best in the league? Time will tell, but they will certainly take some stopping. 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v FC Bayern Munich (2023-11-09T19:05:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s head coach Zeljko Obradovic celebrated a unique milestone of 500 games on the sidelines with a memorable 85-84 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 7 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season on Thursday.

Milestone man Obradovic credited win over Fenerbahce to steely second-half defense

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s head coach Zeljko Obradovic celebrated a unique milestone of 500 games on the sidelines with a memorable 85-84 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 7 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season on Thursday.

The 63-year-old is the most trophy-laden European coach, having won nine continental crowns with five different clubs. Obradovic also reigns supreme in the number of games on the sidelines and he could not have asked for a more fitting gift from his players.

Obradovic won his maiden EuroLeague title during his first spell with Partizan in 1992 and although that now must be a distant memory, Serbia’s giant rekindled some of the past glory with a gritty second-half performance that erased a 47-56 halftime deficit.

Fenerbahce led by as many as 14 points early in the third quarter and looked the more likely winner, but Partizan played ironclad defense for the remainder of the contest to come out on top.

“We beat a very good thanks to our improved defense in the second half,” a serene-looking Obradovic told the post-game news conference.  “It was a game of two different halves. Fenerbahce outshot and outscored us in the first but we reduced their percentages in the second. In the end, it came down to one shot.”

Obradovic also praised a fervent home crowd which lifted Partizan when a comeback looked off the cards. “The incredible energy from the fans carried the team. At haftime, we said to each other that we needed to switch defense and that we had to believe we could turn it around.”

More Partizan News

Victory was that much sweeter for Partizan after several tough losses, namely an 84-83 reverse at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 6 which came on the back of a 98-94 overtime setback at Olympiacos Piraeus.

“We suffered a bunch of tough losses this season, now we got lucky. At halftime, I said we didn’t even try to play defense in the first half and that was very annoying. But after we put our game faces on in the second half, the momentum changed and we also played smarter offense. I hope we can use this momentum to string a few wins together.”

Obradovic also reflected on the input of 20-year-old power forward Tristan Vukcevic, who produced another superb offensive cameo role with

8 points in as many minutes on the court. “Tristan helps the team on offense with his soft touch, but he also hurts the team defensively. He is a weak link on defense, he knows it and so does the opposition. He has to be more aggressive.”

Partizan confined Fenerbahce to just 28 points after the interval and got back to winning ways.

Real Madrid Baloncesto guard Facundo Campazzo was incredibly impressive as his team beat Virtus Bologna 100-74 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Facundo Campazzo blew Virtus Bologna away on career-high night

Real Madrid is still undefeated in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after Facu Campazzo led his team to [a 100-74 win against Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-real-madrid-baloncesto-vs-virtus-bologna/) with a legendary performance.

Campazzo finished the game with a PIR of 39, a new career high. He had a double-double of 18 points and 11 assists, as well as adding 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 9 fouls drawn and just 1 turnover.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🪄 <a href="https://twitter.com/facucampazzo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@facucampazzo</a> was EVERYWHERE for <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> tonight🎩<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/qjgHCbQVUk">pic.twitter.com/qjgHCbQVUk</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1722743891244253572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It is not just what he did on the floor, but how he did it. Campazzo was having a relatively quiet night, having recorded 4 points and 3 assists in the opening 15 minutes. Once the 32-year-old returned to the floor, however, he buried a three-pointer and went on to have arguably one of the best three-minute spurts in competition history.

### Campazzo took over

After that three-pointer, Campazzo connected with Walter Tavares twice. First he sent a high pass for an easy basket, then he got a steal, faked a behind-the-back pass and delivered it – also behind the back – to Tavares for a dunk. Campazzo drew a shooting and hit both attempts, before adding a three-point play and an even rarer put-back layup.

Seconds before burying his first triple, Real led 33-29. Three minutes later, *Los Blancos* had boosted their lead to 49-33 and never looked back. In that three-minute spurt, Campazzo had a PIR of 15.

Real Madrid point guard Facu Campazzo amassed a PIR of 15 in just 3 minutes.

Campazo makes magic in 3 minutes

### Keeping a cool head

"The stats are for you guys. I don't mind the stats right now," Campazzo said after the game. "I am just happy that we won the game and keep having zero losses."

"Our mentality is to try to play hard defense, and I think we changed that in the second quarter. I think that playing good defense made us play good offense as well, so we have to keep this in mind: that defense is going to give us more victories than losses."

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">😘 <a href="https://t.co/VgObpGpCiI">pic.twitter.com/VgObpGpCiI</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1722736091155836955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Campazzo is in his first season back at Real, but it is like he had never left. The Argentine twice became a EuroLeague champion with *Los Blancos* during his first spell at the club, having lifted the trophy in the 2014-15 and 2017-18 seasons, but if he continues to play at this level, it’s easy to imagine Campazzo and co. hoisting another EuroLeague title aloft next May.

More Real Madrid News

Facundo Campazzo of Real Madrid faces pressure from Virtus Segafredo Bologna pair Bryant Dunston and Alessandro Pajola during the two teams' matchup in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Argentine guard was incredibly impressive for Real Madrid as the Spanish side extended its unbeaten start to the season.

Campazzo blew Virtus away on career-high night

Real Madrid v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-11-09T19:45:00.000Z)

Chima Moneke and Tadas Sedekerskis helped Saski Baskonia turn the game around against Olympiacos B.C. after it slumped early. 

Moneke, Sedekerskis bring 'Baskonia Character' back

The Round 7 game between Olympiacos Piraeus and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz was a back-and-forth battle in which both teams blew double-digit leads along the way. At the end of it, Baskonia beat Olympiacos 74-75.

Codi Miller-McIntyre was the hero after sinking the game-winning jumper, just his second basket of the night. He took Isaiah Canaan one-on-one, stopped, popped and buried a six-meter jumper with 0.7 seconds left.

Olympiacos opened the game with a 13-2 run and had a comfortable 20-9 margin late in the first quarter. Chima Moneke came off the bench and immediately made things happen. He almost singlehandedly brought Baskonia within 26-20 after 10 minutes. After that, Moneke led Baskonia to arguably its best quarter so far this season.

Tadas Sedekerkis and Chima Moneke combined for 32 points and a PIR of 55 in Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz's 74-75 road win against Olympiacos Piraeus.

Moneke, Sedekerskis lead Baskonia past Olympiacos

Vanja Marinkovic provided the fireworks with consecutive three-pointers and Tadas Sedekerskis was all over the place, reaching halftime with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Baskonia outpowered the Reds with physical defense and that led to open shots on offense. At halftime, Baskonia led 35-50. Moneke (16) and Sedekerkis (15) combined for a higher PIR than the entire Olympiacos team (27).

Olympiacos desperately needed a go-to guy and found one in Isaiah Canaan, who had 14 third-quarter points. The Reds improved their defense, pushed by an incredible crowd, and matched Baskonia's physicality. Alec Peters completed the hosts' comeback with a big three-pointer, 72-71, with less than 3 minutes remaining.

That's when Baskonia brought out its trademark character, forcing Olympiacos into back-to-back turnovers. Matt Costello had a big block on Canaan already in the final minute and even when Giannoulis Larentzakis put Olympiacos in charge. Miller-McIntyre had the final word.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🤗 ¡Cómo nos gusta veros así! 😃<br><br>GURE TALDEA 💙❤️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/WpuLB5hTzL">pic.twitter.com/WpuLB5hTzL</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1722705028253618247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"It is a good feeling, and I am proud of the way we played today. Olympiacos played extremely amazing in the second half but we stayed together as a team," Miller-McIntyre said after the game. Asked about how sure he was to hit the final shot, he didn't hesitate: "100%".

"I pride myself on energy. If someone asks me what type of player am I, the first word that I always say is energy-bringer. And I feel like I made the difference today. And I just want to be able to help my team win more games," Moneke said after the game. "I think this feels better than a 20-point win because it shows that we have character. The crowd got back into the game and we were able to withstand that."

Moneke missed just one shot on his way to 20 points and a PIR of 28. Sedekerskis matched a career-high in rebounds, 13, and got 12 points for a double-double.

Most importantly, Baskonia is 2-0 since Coach Dusko Ivanovic returned and plays 5 of its next 7 games at Buesa Arena.

"We are going to grow from this, we are going to learn," Moneke said. "It is a long season, people wrote us off and we listened to those."

More Baskonia News

Chima Moneke and Tadas Sedekerskis helped Baskonia turn the game around after it slumped early. 

Olympiacos Piraeus v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-11-09T17:15:00.000Z)

Nikola Mirotic maintained his strong start to the 2023-24 EuroLeague season by scoring 19 points in Olimpia Milano's 83-52 win against Valencia Basket Club in Round 7.

Nikola Mirotic remained red-hot to get Olimpia Milano back on track

Nikola Mirotic put in a sublime [first-quarter performance against Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-valencia-basket-club/) that served as a springboard for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan to bounce back after recording four straight losses in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

The 32-year-old forward ended the opening quarter with 14 points, having gone a perfect 4-for-4 from inside the arc and 2-for-2 on triples. He also downed 4 rebounds, including 3 offensive boards that gave the hosts important second-chance points. The hosts managed to grab a 23-12 lead heading into the second quarter and never looked back.

“I think that the team really enjoyed playing this game tonight,” Mirotic said in his post-game flash interview. “It was important for us after a few losses, but I think that we made a step up today on both sides of the court. Hopefully we can start building from this good moment.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Difesa, energia, panchina: l&#39;Olimpia domina Valencia 84-52.<br><br>Articolo completo ▶︎ <a href="https://t.co/6h0tTLEJtn">https://t.co/6h0tTLEJtn</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/olimpiamilano?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#olimpiamilano</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a><br><br>⚪️🔴 <a href="https://t.co/sanoPOfNHE">pic.twitter.com/sanoPOfNHE</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1722737039261499495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Mirotic shined once again

Mirotic came into Thursday’s contest as the player ranking first in points (20.5 points per game) and PIR (25.0), as well as second in rebounds (7.7), through the first six rounds.

On Wednesday night, he had 19 points and 7 rebounds for a PIR of 23 in less than 21 minutes, before the second unit came off the bench to seal a large lead in the second quarter that helped Milan grab a much-needed comfortable victory. In fact, Milan got 20 points from the bench in the first half, having outscored Valencia 44-31 in the first 20 minutes.

“We played with great energy,” head coach Ettore Messina said during the post-game press conference. “Our defense was very good for 40 minutes. We had a great push by the second unit.

“\[We had\] a very good start, where Nikola scored in the paint, scored from outside and the team moved the ball well. I think we played a complete game, which is encouraging, and we’ll continue to work looking forward.”

Nikola Mirotic scored 19 points as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan beat Valencia Basket 83-52 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Nikola Mirotic's highlights vs. Valencia

### Positive signs for Milan

This was Milan’s finest defensive display this season as it held Valencia to 52 points. The other time that they managed to hold an opponent under 60 points was in their 65-53 win over Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 3.

Messina’s men will be keen to build on Thursday’s home display ahead of a huge fixture to start the double-round week next week, as Milan will face Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the much-anticipated Italian derby in Round 8.

More Milan News

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward Nikola Mirotic celebrates after the final buzzer, following his team's dominant win at home to Valencia Basket in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's leading scorer this season played a key role in his team thrashing Valencia Basket.

Mirotic remained red-hot to get Milan back on track

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Valencia Basket (2023-11-09T19:30:00.000Z)