Two big men who propelled their teams to home victories to start the double-round week, [Maik Kotsar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maik-kotsar/004603/) of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) of Panathinaikos Athens, are the co-MVPs for Round 31, the second such accolade for each in their careers. Their joint PIR of 40 was a career high for each. Kotsar led Baskonia in points (23), rebounds (10) and blocks (2) in 30 minutes of a pivotal 93-87 home win over ALBA Berlin. Papagiannis paced Panathinaikos Athens to an 86-76 success over visiting FC Bayern Munich. The big man led the Greens in points (24), rebounds (11) and blocks (3) in 28 minutes on court during which he did not miss a single shot: 7 of 7 two-pointers, 3 of 3 threes and 1 of 1 free throws. He had the highest PIR in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for a player who shot perfectly in the same game.

Two big men who propelled their teams to home victories to start the double-round week, Maik Kotsar of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Georgios Papagiannis of Panathinaikos Athens, are the co-MVPs for Round 31, the second such accolade for each in their careers. Their joint PIR of 40 was a career high for each.

Maik Kotsar & Georgios Papagiannis | Round 31 co-MVPs | 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

The third-best Round 31 performance came from Kotsar's teammate, point guard [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/), who set or matched career highs of 38 PIR, 21 points and 4 steals while also dishing 11 assists in Baskonia’s victory. FC Barcelona guard [Nicolas Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) followed with a career-high PIR of 32 in his team's 80-89 road win at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade thanks to his 25 points, including 11-for-13 free-throw shooting, and 7 assists. His teammate, forward [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/), came in fifth for Round 21 with a PIR of 27 based on his 19 points and 8 rebounds in Barca's victory.

Round 31 co-MVP's: Maik Kotsar and Georgios Papagiannis

[Nicolas Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) of FC Barcelona was Round 31's top scorer with 25 points. [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) of Olympiacos Piraeus continues leading the overall standings with 17.5 points per game. The top rebounder of Round 15 was co-MVP [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) of Panathinaikos Athens with 11. Vezenkov and [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade top the season-long charts with 7.1 boards per game. [Paris Lee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/paris-lee/011225/) of Panathinaikos and [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/) of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz each dished 11 assists for the round, with Thompson pushing up his league-leading average to 6.6. [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/) of Anadolu Efes Istanbul swiped the most steals, 5, in Round 15. The league leader is [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) of Olympiacos at 1.9 on average. Papagiannis and [Donta Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donta-hall/011196/) of AS Monaco each had 3 blocks in this round. Real Madrid's [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) is way above the pack for the season with 2.3 per game. The other co-MVP, [Maik Kotsar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maik-kotsar/004603/) of Baskonia (23 points, 10 rebounds) joined Papagiannis (24 points, 11 rebounds), Lee (10 points, 11 assists) and Thompson (21 points, 11 assists) in the double-double department for Round 15.

Individual Highs: Will Clyburn, Efes, 5 steals

Look back at all the action from Round 31 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week!

 The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 31

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 31st winner in the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/home?_ga=2.120289547.263999992.1679900204-884385655.1669721726)! Emre Takci beat everyone else in Round 30 as his team 'Sivassporr' had a whopping Fantasy Challenge score of 291.55.

Panagiotis used the following lineup: Darius Thompson (team captain) and Maik Kotsar of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Luke Sikma of ALBA Berlin, Facu Campazzo or Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and Georgios Papagiannis of Panathinaikos Athens, all as starters. Yanni Wetzell of ALBA Berlin was his sixth man.

The bench featured Dzanan Musa of Real Madrid, Jordan Loyd of AS Monaco, Luka Mitrovic of Zvezda and Maodo Lo of ALBA. His coach was Dusko Ivanovic of Zvezda.

The prize for finishing first in Round 31 is a free subscription to EuroLeague TV for the 2023-24 season!

Christos Anatolitis is the new leader atop the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge overall standings. Christos leads everyone else with a score of 5,357.25 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 32. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

The first game in Round 32 is Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna, scheduled on Thursday, March 30 at 19:30 CET, making that the next round's deadline for trades.

Try to improve your teams and challenge for more prizes at the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge: Round 31 winner!

The end of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season gets closer and closer, and Round 32 brings even more excitement as the second game of a two-round week. All winners must keep their momentum going and those teams that lose in Round 31 and are still in the playoff race need to bounce back right away. Olympiacos Piraeus, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and AS Monaco have made it to the playoffs, and more teams could join this list of qualified teams. Olympiacos and Real each locked the home-court advantage, but definitely want to finish in first place at the end of this round. 

Round 31 was excellent for my team Gancedato. I aced the team captain, getting Darius Thompson of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. My three signings worked really well and I barely had to touch the team from Tuesday to Wednesday. Nigel Hayes-Davis of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul truly delivered on Wednesday, unlike my sixth man Achille Polonara of Zalgiris Kaunas. All things considered, I had a fantasy score of 209.45, enough to rank 1,246th in Round 31. I climbed up the overall standings to rank 1,802th overall. So, let's try to get to the Top 1,500 as the next goal! 

Three trades will be allowed before each round until the end of the regular season. I am selling Coach Joan Penarroya of Baskonia because his team plays against difficult Fenerbahce. I am going for a coach whose team is fighting to get to the playoffs but his opponent is eliminated, and that will be Dusko Ivanovic of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. Zvezda faces LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at Astroballe. I am mainly renewing my bench, selling Polonara and Sertac Sanli of Barca, as well as Shabazz Napier of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Napier is playing well, but I want the exact player he will go against in Round 32. 

That player is, of course, [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, who is playing really well in March, leading Maccabi to a 5-1 record. I am making Baldwin team captain over [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) of Barca, too. That leaves me with a small number of credits to get a forward and a center. I am buying [Jan Wimberg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/niklas-wimberg/005478/) of FC Bayern Munich because I have three good forwards so he will probably not play as a starter in any case. As backup center, I am getting [Alex Tyus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alex-tyus/004119/) of ASVEL. I think he can do well against Zvezda's bigs. 

You can take a look at my team here:

As you can see, my team features five players whose teams play on Thursday, with Baldwin as provisional team captain, and five more on Friday, including potential starters in Thompson and Hayes-Davis. It's a good lineup, I think, with six stars. If several of them don't deliver, however, I may be in trouble, but I trust my bench players. Most of them at least. 

Remember, the 2022-23 EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge powered by Ardu Prime features better prizes than ever, so get your game on now!

And don't forget to use #fantasychallenge on social media all season long. Good luck!

Fantasy Challenge, Round 32: Finally gaining momentum

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Real Madrid (2023-03-31T18:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich v AS Monaco (2023-03-31T17:00:00.000Z)

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-03-31T18:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Panathinaikos Athens (2023-03-31T18:30:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-03-31T19:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Valencia Basket (2023-03-31T17:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v ALBA Berlin (2023-03-30T18:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-03-30T18:05:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-03-30T17:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas kept its hopes alive of a place in the playoffs on Wednesday evening after defeating AS Monaco 79-70 at Zalgirio Arena. Ignas Brazdeikis was the star of the night on offense, scoring a game-high 22 points, yet there were two players who played important roles in the background: Laurynas Birutis and Arnas Butkevicius.

Laurynas Birutis, Arnas Butkevicius stepped up for Zalgiris against Monaco

Zalgiris Kaunas kept its hopes alive of a place in the playoffs on Wednesday evening after defeating AS Monaco 79-70 at Zalgirio Arena. Ignas Brazdeikis was the star of the night on offense, scoring a game-high 22 points, yet there were two players who played important roles in the background: Laurynas Birutis and Arnas Butkevicius.

 

There was some surprise when it emerged that Zalgiris head coach Kazys Maksvytis had opted for a small starting five, with Rolands Smits beginning the game at center, yet the all-action nature of Butkevicius meant that the No. 51 effectively played as free safety, putting out fires where necessary.

 

Butkevicius defended Monaco's players 1 through 5, and he caused all sorts of headaches for the visiting team. In the first quarter, for example, the 1.97-meter Butkevicius was defending the 2.13-meter Donatas Motiejunas, yet he quickly read the passing lane and recorded a steal as Mike James tried to find the Monaco big man.  

 

Throughout the game, Butkevicius didn’t give the Monaco players a second to breathe, and his infectious energy rubbed off on his teammates. One player who added a second wind to Zalgiris after the break was Birutis. Coming into Wednesday's game, Birutis was averaging 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and a PIR of 6.3, and at halftime he had just 2 points to his name.

 

Coach Maksvytis turned to Birutis midway through the third quarter, and from there he began to wreak havoc. In particular, Monaco center Donta Hall struggled to deal with the pure size of Birutis, despite there being just 0.05 meters between the two players. The Zalgiris big man was active on the defensive glass, while he also found his way to the basket on a couple of occasions. He was earning plenty of cheers from the crowd in the process, too.

 

Birutis provided such a boost he was rewarded with an extended stretch on the floor in the fourth quarter, and he – together with Butkevicius – played an important role as Zalgiris kept its cool to win 79-70 and stay alive in the playoff race. Zalgiris next hosts Valencia Basket on Friday night and Coach Maksvytis will once again hope that he can get some of his under-the-radar stars to come to the fore.

Game Videos

Game News

Birutis, Butkevicius starred as Zalgiris defeated Monaco

Zalgiris Kaunas v AS Monaco (2023-03-29T16:00:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade is still in the hunt for a playoff berth after impressive back-to-back home wins against Spanish opposition, prompting head coach Dusko Ivanovic to heap praise on his team after Wednesday’s 92-73 drubbing of Valencia Basket.

Zvezda clicks in the home straight, but is it too late?

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade is still in the hunt for a playoff berth after impressive back-to-back home wins against Spanish opposition, prompting head coach Dusko Ivanovic to heap praise on his team after Wednesday’s 92-73 drubbing of Valencia Basket.

It came after a 74-63 win over Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zvezda improved to 14-17 with three rounds remaining, meaning that the Serbian side needs to win all three games and hope that other results go its way to have any chance of making the postseason.

Ivanovic, who has a reputation of demanding iron-fisted discipline from his teams in practice and not just on game day, suggested that Zvezda is finally starting to look the part after flashes of brilliance in some games were overshadowed by dips in form throughout the season.

"We’re on the right track as we’ve finally come to realize what our most efficient weapons are and how we should be playing," Ivanovic said in the post-game press conference after seeing his team push Valencia aside. "Aggressive defense and patient offense. We played various types of defense tonight and the players were focused when we switched defense. That’s complicated and sometimes it's littered with mistakes, but tonight it was flawless."

Against Baskonia and particularly Valencia, Zvezda showed ironclad defense that was missing in some crunch games, as well as the kind of offense that time and again produced the extra pass, in turn generating a barrage of open shots.

Consequently, a plethora of players thrived and point guard Facundo Campazzo linked up with center Filip Petrusev to devastating effect, as the duo tore Valencia to pieces and got the rest of the team involved.

Prized asset Campazzo served up a mature performance with 15 points and 7 assists, but Ivanovic insisted the livewire Argentine still had more to offer. 

"When Campazzo started playing for us people were impressed but I told them he had room for improvement," said Zvezda’s head coach. "Now I am saying he still has room for improvement. That’s how good he is."

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Valencia Basket (2023-03-29T17:00:00.000Z)

On a night when Real Madrid made sure of home-court advantage in the playoffs, it was only right that several players were able to join the party. During Wednesday night's 90-75 victory against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at WiZink Center, Los Blancos had seven players score 9 points or more – and all 10 of the players who stepped onto the floor scored at least 4 points.

Real Madrid spread the love in win against Fenerbahce

On a night when Real Madrid made sure of home-court advantage in the playoffs, it was only right that several players were able to join the party. During Wednesday night's 90-75 victory against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at WiZink Center, Los Blancos had seven players score 9 points or more – and all 10 of the players who stepped onto the floor scored at least 4 points.

 

Dzanan Musa, as has often been the case this season, led from the front with a team-high 16 points in just 16:32 on the floor. Curiously, he scored just 3 field goals and went an impressive 9-for-9 on free throws; he shot half of Real's total number of shots from the charity stripe.

 

Vincent Poirier and Adam Hanga were not too far behind, posting 11 points apiece, yet they reached that total in different ways. In the case of Poirier, he capitalized on Walter Tavares's foul trouble by playing extended minutes and regularly scoring inside, going 5-for-8 on two-pointers. Hanga, meanwhile, did most of his damage from outside, knocking down 3 three-pointers. Playing as a makeshift point guard, Hanga also dished 7 assists.

 

The fourth player to reach double figures for Real was Mario Hezonja, who managed to score 10 points. The Croatian has now scored at least 10 points in each of his last three games, as he continues to provide a scoring boost off the bench.

 

Real made a total of 12 three-pointers against Fenerbahce, and 6 came from two players: Rudy Fernandez and Petr Cornelie, who had 3 apiece. In the case of Fernandez, he shot 3-of-6 from behind the arc and even caused a few gasps in the crowd with one, as he hit an off-balanced three that banked in. Cornelie, meanwhile, was far more effective, going 3-for-3 on catch-and-shoot opportunities in just 7:45.

 

Gabriel Deck added 6 points, Sergio Rodriguez had 5 and Tavares notched 4, which was the lowest number of points scored by a Real player on Wednesday night. Los Blancos had plenty of reasons to be happy when the final buzzer sounded, and getting points from all of their players is one way to ensure that morale is sky-high ahead of a trip to face Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Friday night.

Real Madrid v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-03-29T18:45:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus clinched homecourt advantage for the postseason in impressive style by thrashing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 81-55 on Wednesday and is continuing to look like an ominous opponent in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

'Scary' Olympiacos gearing up for the playoffs

Olympiacos Piraeus clinched homecourt advantage for the postseason in impressive style by thrashing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 81-55 on Wednesday and is continuing to look like an ominous opponent in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Reds’ coach Georgios Bartzokas was understandably happy with his team’s achievement, enthusing: "I’m feeling great, it’s a big-time achievement. We cannot ignore that we’re talking about the toughest EuroLeague ever and three games before the end of the regular season we did it. It’s amazing, congratulations to the players."

The Greek team’s top performer on the night was Thomas Walkup with 11 points and 7 assists, who underlined the feelgood factor running through the Olympiacos roster as he said: "It’s a super fun system to play in, and 1 through 12 I think everybody is having fun playing basketball which is not to be taken for granted at this level."

Another strong performance came from Shaquielle McKissic, scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 two-point shooting, and he sounded a warning for the rest of the competition as he added: "We’ve got an amazing roster. We’re one or two games away from everybody getting back to the first half of the season where everybody was clicking offensively and defensively, and I think we’ll be scary going into the playoffs."

Olympiacos Piraeus v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-03-29T18:00:00.000Z)