Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul limped across the regular season's finish line into the postseason despite a dramatic 91-89 overtime defeat at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 34, which could have derailed the Turkish team's campaign. It didn't, eventually, as Olympiacos Piraeus beat Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 86-78 at home and sent Fenerbahce through to the playoffs despite four losses in the last six games. Campazzo paced Zvezda with 24 points, including a clutch three-pointer which gave the home side a 90-84 lead in the closing stages of overtime. Ognjen Dobric posted 22 ponits for Zvezda, Luca Vildoza 17 and Luka Mitrovic 12 points.

 Fenerbache to playoffs despite 91-89 OT loss at Zvezda 

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul limped across the regular season's finish line into the postseason despite a dramatic 91-89 overtime defeat at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 34, which could have derailed the Turkish team's campaign. It didn't, eventually, as Olympiacos Piraeus beat Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 86-78 at home and sent Fenerbahce through to the playoffs despite four losses in the last six games.

Facundo Campazzo served up another stellar performance for Zvezda, which has won its last five games but still fell short of making the playoffs as inconsistency and some shock defeats against lower-ranked teams cost the Serbian side a postseason berth. Campazzo paced Zvezda with 24 points, including a clutch three-pointer which gave the home side a 90-84 lead in the closing stages of overtime. Ognjen Dobric posted 22 ponits for Zvezda and Campazzo's Argentine compatriot Luca Vildoza added 17 as the home team's backcourt fired on all cylinders. Forward Luka Mitrovic added 12 points for Zvezda, who nearly squandered its lead at the death as Nick Calathes came up short with a tough three-pointer on the buzzer. Jonathan Motley led Fenerbahce with a game-high 27 points and 8 rebounds, Nigel Hayes-Davis posted 19 points, Tyler Dorsey had 12 while Calathes and Marko Guduric chipped in with 11 each.

Game Videos

Driven by its big man Motley, Fenerbahce made a flying start and took a 4-13 lead early on, with Zvezda struggling to put anything together on offense. However, Vildoza and Campazzo soon found their rhythm and the visiting team's lead was slashed to 15-21 by the end of the first quarter, with the homs fans roaring on Zvezda in the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Galvanized by the home crowd support and the majestic Campazzo, Zvezda drew level, 27-27, midway through the second quarter before the visitors conjured a 0-8 that  saw them jump back into the driving seat, only for the Serbian side to hit back and nose ahead 41-39 at halftime.

Zvezda had a slight upper hand throughout the third quarter and early in the fourth and maintained a four-point lead, 67-63, with 6:54 left on the clock. Fenerbahce was too reliant on Motley and the center was forced to take a barrage of tough shots in the paint with Zvezda's big men swarming him. However, the visitors turned the tide down the stretch with an 8-2 run and heading into the final minute, they looked the more likely winners as they were 75-78 ahead with 0:52 left on the clock. But Zvezda clawed out overtime from the jaws of defeat with Guduric's in-and-out three-pointer on the buzzer clanking away kindly for Zvezda to keep the score 79-79.

Fenerbahce then nosed ahead (81-82) on the back of a Hayes-Davis three-pointer but Zvezda came storming back to swing the momentum, 90-84, after Campazzo sank a pair of shots from the foul line and then unleashed an audacious baseline triple with a defender in his face, sending the home fans into raptures. Fenerbahce stood firm and fought right until the end, almost forcing a final twist after some Zvezda turnovers. Calathes's last-gasp three-pointer was way off the mark, however, and Fenerbahce was only able to breathe a huge sigh of relief after the Olympiacos win played into its hands.

Game News

Fenerbache to playoffs despite 91-89 OT loss at Zvezda

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-04-13T17:00:00.000Z)

Live Blog: Thursday, Round 34

<incrowd-live-blog id="64381fccb22587e23232083f" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>


<script>
(function (document) {
  setTimeout(() => {
    const script = document.createElement('script');
    script.async = true;
    script.defer = true;
    script.src = 'https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js';
    document.body.appendChild(script);
  }, 1000);
})(document);
</script>

Thursday Blog: Olympiacos first, Maccabi fifth, Fenerbahce to playoffs!

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-04-13T18:45:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Real Madrid (2023-04-13T18:05:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-04-13T18:00:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-04-13T17:00:00.000Z)

 Israel Gonzalez: 'We did it the ALBA way' 

### Israel Gonzalez, ALBA head coach 

"Congratulations to the players who played their fifth game in 10 days with only one day off after every game. It's amazing. Its very difficult because the EuroLeague level is always very high and it is great to be able to survive these 10 days. We finished the EuroLeague season well, winning the last game, competing in Baskonia and Barcelona. We ended the season well, taking into account how the season has been, especially when we probably have the lowest budget in the EuroLeague and the youngest team in a league, where experience is very important. To be able to do bounce back after 12 defeats in a row, with the club still believing in me and not changing players, not signing new players like almost every team in EuroLeague has done and arriving to the end competing well and showing our values, it's something that makes me happy for this very difficult year. We did it the ALBA way and I'm very happy and proud of this club."

### T.J. Parker, ASVEL head coach 

"In the first half we played decent basketball. After that, in the second half, when you have a collapse of two or three minutes against Berlin, you know that they will punish you. It was tough in the second half, but congratulations to them."

Israel Gonzalez: 'We did it the ALBA way'

 Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos: 'Improvement never ends' 

### Olympiacos Piraeus head coach Georgios Bartzokas

"I am feeling and we are feeling great. It is not a small accomplishment. It is the most competitive EuroLeague ever, and we end up first. We were really stable the whole season. We can have a lesson from everything. Bad performance or good performance, we have to improve. Improvement never ends. We can be a better team, we have to develop our offensive and defensive game because the playoffs are going to be really demanding."

### Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coach Joan Penarroya

"Today we needed to play a very good game and we was not one of our better games. Congratulation to Olympiacos on clinching the first position and congratulations to my team. I think 18 wins is a good regular season. I think we played soft in the first quarter. We had a lot of problems to play well offensively. In the end, we took 17 more shots than Olympiacos, but we played with bad percentages. We did not play well."

### Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov

"Our goal was to finish first. We achieved our first goals a little bit earlier this season. We had this game to do it, we are very happy, but we know that the postseason is a totally different championship. Our main goal is to go to the Final Four. We have to rest good two days, then get to hard work in order to accomplish our goals. The team is first. The team is winning, so everybody is happier. I don't want to talk about myself. The team is the most important. We have a great chemistry, we did an amazing job but we are not done. We have to play way better than this to go to the final Four."

### Olympiacos Piraeus forward Kostas Papanikolaou

"My teammates helped me have a good game, I was feeling good tonight, but this is a great accomplishment for the club, first position in the regular season. It is very important but also means nothing. Because, now, everything gets real. Now it's when we have to perform at our top level and show the character and the chemistry and basketball like we played the whole season. Now it is time to bring our A-game and go strong. Our commitment, how we approach every game, how we were hungry coming out, and our willingness to perform night in and night out, that's the most important \[to continue doing\]. The playoffs are a whole different story. One bad night can take out the whole season. Now it is even more important, and we need to step up even more and be even more hungry, to present what we presented this year."

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos: 'Improvement never ends'

Dusko Ivanovic, Zvezda: 'A great victory'

### Dusko Ivanovic, Zvezda head coach

"A great game, a great victory, and a great atmosphere created by or fans. We regret that we didn't make the top eight, as we would have had the chance to win the competition. Maybe next time."

### Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce head coach

"Congratulations to Red Star. We kept fighting but unfortunately we didn't get the result we wanted."

### Facundo Campazzo, Cvezda guard

"I think we played a great game. In the first half \[Fenerbahce\] made a lot of tough shots, but we kept playing with hustle, aggression and fight. We also played smart. We played for the fans and for ourselves, and I think we did a great job. \[Missing the playoffs) is what it is. We've done a really great job in the last five or six games. We couldn't make it to the playoffs and we have a lot to learn."

### Luca Vildoza, Cvezda guard

"It still hurts that we didn't make the playoffs. We are a good team and we fought until the end. As Facu \[Campazzo\] said, it is what it is. We had some ups and downs throughout the season, but at least we showed everybody that we are a good team. Facu did a great job tonight. We play as a team and we win as a team, so I am very proud of the guys. We now have the ABA League to win. The fans did a great job supporting us this season and I hope they keep it up in the ABA League."

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has become the fifth team to book its place in the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs! In head coach Dimitris Itoudis's first campaign in charge, Fenerbahce has returned to the playoffs after a one-season absence, following a XX-XX victory on the road at Real in Round 31 which improved the team's overall record to 19-12. 

Fenerbahce reaches the EuroLeague playoffs!

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) has become the seventh team to book its place in the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs! In head coach Dimitris Itoudis's first campaign in charge, Fenerbahce has returned to the playoffs after a one-season absence despite a 91-89 overtime defeat at Crvena Zvezda Medianbet Belgrade on Thursday of Round 34. Fenerbahce must wait until Friday to know its final place in the standings and its playoffs opponent.

### Road to playoffs

After an offseason that saw a flurry of new arrivals, including Coach Itoudis, Nick Calathes, Scottie Wilbekin and Johnathan Motley, among others, Fenerbahce came flying out of the blocks and won its first five games to lead the standings with a 5-0 record. The last of those victories came on the road at back-to-back reigning champion and Efes, 79-88.

Fenerbahce suffered a narrow defeat at FC Barcelona in Round 6, 81-80, but it responded by winning its next four straight, including back-to-back road wins in the double-round week at Monaco and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, to improve to 9-1. Despite going 1-6 through its next seven games, Fenerbahce regrouped by recording three victories in a row, the last of which was a 98-94 triumph over Monaco that saw it win the tiebreaker.

The fans at Ulker Sports and Event Hall were treated to back-to-back 100-point games in Rounds 23 and 25 as Fenerbahce beat ALBA Berlin 101-86 and Virtus Segafredo Bologna 104-72; the only other time it broke the 100-point barrier was back in Round 12 against ALBA, 75-104. The team's home crowd were also able to witness an 81-73 win against Barca in Round 28, before a victory against Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 30 and a triumph against Efes in Round 33 saw it officially confirm its place in the playoffs.

### Playoff experience

Fenerbahce enters the playoffs with championship pedigree on the bench, as Coach Itoudis has lifted the EuroLeague title on two occasions in the past: in 2016 and 2019, both with CSKA Moscow. Curiously, from the Fenerbahce team that won the EuroLeague in 2017, there is only one player still on the roster: Melih Mahmutoglu. Nick Calathes is the other Fenerbahce player with a EuroLeague winners' medal, as he became a champion with Panathinaikos Athens in 2011.

Nevertheless, despite Motley, Carsen Edwards and Devin Booker never having played in the playoffs, Fenerbahce does have plenty of players with postseason experience. The likes of Nemanja Bjelica, Calathes and Wilbekin have played in the playoffs in the past, while others such as Dorsey and Nigel Hayes-Davis featured in the Final Four last season.

### Playoff history

Fenerbahce missed out on the playoffs in 2021-22 after finishing in 12th with a 10-18 record, while it was swept in the postseason by CSKA Moscow in 2020-21. Yet, its failure to reach the playoffs last season was very much a one-off, given how the team has fared in recent times. In fact, the 2017 EuroLeague champion has regularly been a playoff team and even managed to reach five successive Final Fours between 2015 and 2019.

Overall, Fenerbahce has played a total of 24 games in the playoffs, winning 15 and losing 9. Of the eight series it has played in, too, it has advanced five times and been eliminated on three occasions.

Fenerbahce reaches the playoffs!

Heading into his team's fifth game in just 10 days, ALBA Berlin head coach Israel Gonzalez stressed that all players would need to contribute on Thursday evening against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Not only did his bench deliver, but it provided 53 of ALBA's 88 points to lead the hosts to their second straight victory and help them end the season on a good note.

Heading into his team's fifth game in just 10 days, ALBA Berlin head coach Israel Gonzalez stressed that all players would need to contribute on Thursday evening against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Not only did his bench deliver, but it provided 53 of ALBA's 88 points to lead the hosts to their second straight victory and help them end the season on a good note.

No ALBA player featured for more than 25 minutes while as many as eight of scored at least 8 points. Luke Sikma led the way with 12, but it was Johannes Thiemann who stepped up in key moments off the bench in the first quarter and at the end of the third quarter to provide the hosts with a much-needed boost in energy and help them maintain their lead.

"Congratulations to the players who played their fifth game in 10 days with only one day off after every game," Gonzalez said at the post-match press conference. "It's amazing. It's very difficult because the EuroLeague level is always very high and it is great to be able to survive these 10 days."

Only two teams had recorded more average assists than ALBA's 19.8 heading into the last round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, and the hosts proved once again that they are one of most altruistic sides this season. ALBA produced 23 assists with almost all the players successfully getting everyone else involved in the game. All but two ALBA players recorded at least 1 assist, with Jaleen Smith led the way with 7. 

Gonzalez called it "the ALBA way" and pointed out that he was proud of his players for the team effort. His rotations against ASVEL bore fruit and his men looked anything but tired throughout the game to secure their 11th victory this season.

Assist-making defined ALBA's final win, too

Before Thursday's game in Tel Aviv between Maccabi Playtika and Real Madrid, the home team organized a ceremony to honor one of Maccabi's all-time greats, Aulcie Perry. 

Real, Maccabi legends gather to honor Aulcie Perry 

Before Thursday's game in Tel Aviv between Maccabi Playtika and Real Madrid, the home team organized a ceremony to honor one of Maccabi's all-time greats, Aulcie Perry. The big man starred for Maccabi for a decade in the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which he helped Maccabi win its first two EuroLeague crowns (1977, 1981) and reach the 1980 championship game, which it lost against Real.

In honor of the event, Real Madrid legends Jose Miguel Antunez, Wayne Brabender, Jose Manuel Beiran, Chechu Biriukov, Carmelo Cabrera, Vicente Ramos and Felipe Reyes joined the club for the trip to Tel Aviv.

Maccabi legends and Aulcie's former teammates Mickey Berkowitz, Motti Aroesti, Tal Brody, Bob Griffin, Shuki Schwartz, Shmuel Zysman and Doron Jamchy were also in attendance, as well as members of Maccabi's ownership team and Perry's wife, Ahuva.

The night before, several of the former Real and Maccabi players joined Perry for dinner at a Tel Aviv restaurant, where they reminisced over their former battles on the floor and embraced the friendships that have developed since.

Maccabi honors legendary Aulcie Perry!

ALBA Berlin grabbed an 88-71 victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday at the Mercedes-Benz Arena to end its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season in style. ALBA improved to 11-23 and ASVEL recorded its 13th straight defeat to drop to 8-26. Luke Sikma and Louis Olinde led five double-digit ALBA scorers with 12 points each. Johannes Thiemann added 11, with Ben Lammers and Jaleen Smith scoring 10 apiece. Youssoupha Fall paired his 14 points and Nando de Colo 13 points for ASVEL.

 ALBA cruises past ASVEL, 88-71 

ALBA Berlin grabbed an 88-71 victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday at the Mercedes-Benz Arena to end its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season in style. The visitors put up a good fight in the first half, but a dominant ALBA scored 50 points after the break to seal its second successive victory. ALBA improved to 11-23 and could potentially finish 15th if both Panathinaikos and Bayern Munich lose in this last round. Bottom-placed ASVEL recorded its 13th straight defeat to drop to 8-26.

Luke Sikma and Louis Olinde led five double-digit ALBA scorers with 12 points each. Johannes Thiemann added 11, with Ben Lammers and Jaleen Smith scoring 10 apiece. Youssoupha Fall paired his 14 points with 6 rebounds for the losing side. Nando de Colo added 13 points and Jonah Mathews had 12, all of which were scored in the second half. 

ALBA got off to a solid start, as Maodo Lo sank a triple and set up Sikma for an early 5-0 run. The visitors bounced back after a slow start, with Alex Tyus registering 6 consecutive points to allow ASVEL to trim down the deficit to 9-8. This is when ALBA received an important boost from the bench, as Thiemann was brought on to score 5 unanswered points for a 14-8 ALBA lead. Fall, dominant in the paint, made it 20-16 after 10 minutes. Thiemann took his tally to 9 points with Yovel Zoosman hitting a triple and setting up Smith for an easy layup to boost ALBA's lead to 28-23. After a timeout, De Colo scored from behind the arc to bring ASVEL within 32-28. Charles Kahudi tied the game with an easy layup, 32-32, but ALBA managed to take a narrow 38-36 lead into halftime.

ASVEL hit the ground running in the second half, with David Lighty hitting a three-pointer his team's first lead, 38-39. ALBA bounced back with 8 unanswered points through Zoosman, Lammers and Olinde for the largest lead until then, 52-44. ASVEL tried to fight back, with Mathews scoring 6 in a row to bring the guests within 58-52 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Lo scored a stunning one-legged jump shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer and secure a 65-54 lead for ALBA heading into the last quarter. That is when ALBA's team work paid dividends, with the hosts finding easy points and making the most of their second-chance opportunities to boost the lead to 15 points, 80-65, with under 7 minutes left. ASVEL had no response in the closing stages and ALBA celebrated its 11th win with its fans in its last game of the EuroLeague season.