Shane Larkin, Efes: 'We showed character tonight'

### Efes head coach Ergin Ataman

"I don't know if I must be happy after the basketball we played tonight, or worried. Because we only played with this kind of aggressiveness, we shared the ball, we always found good shot selection and we showed the fight, but only when we are in big trouble for the playoffs. Congratulations to the guys because they showed they did not give up for anything. It is only one victory. Thursday one more game, I hope we continue the same way then we will see what is going on. But it is very difficult, this situation, to see the team we are able to be, to play that kind of aggressive basketball, able to share the basketball in that correct way, but only this time. Our playoff situation does not only depend on our victories. Thanks to the supporters who came tonight. It is easy to support when the team plays great, in the four seasons we were making everybody happy, when everyone wanted to come and show up. But it is more important for me to support the team in this kind of situation."

### Milan head coach Ettore Messina

"Congratulations to Coach Ataman and Efes on a very good game, a very important win for them. They slapped us in our face in the first 5minutes, and we came up with a pathetic performance, showing no fire and no competitiveness. And that's the sad part of this night. We put ourselves in a position to keep hoping for the playoffs by winning eight of the last night game, so we had to respect ourselves, coming out with a better performance tonight. But Efes overwhelmed us with talent, energy and physicality. And it is pretty interesting; you have to respect such a group of players, who hen the difficult moment comes, they put away all the problems they might have, and they played unselfish offense and great defense together, like they did tonight."

### Efes forward Will Clyburn

"We did not do in the fourth quarter what we have been doing the whole year. We stayed with it the whole game, we played together, played together on offensive end and defensive end, and we came out with a good win. We were a unit defensively. We followed the rules, we were connected, we were helping, everybody talking. And that's what we need defensively the rest of the year."

### Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard Shane Larkin

"Obviously, you always want to show your good face on your home court. We haven't been doing that lately and we had some really disappointing losses this year. But we showed character tonight, came out, fought really hard all 40 minutes, and got a big win here at home in front of our fans. I think we showed our \[chemistry\] tonight. Five guys in double figures, we really locked in on the defensive end. That team was probably one of the hottest in the EuroLeague, and we held them under 70 points and we scored at a high level. We had our ups and downs this year but we now have to do our jobs, come here, fight, see what we can accomplish. And I think tonight we did that."

Game Videos

Game News

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-03-28T17:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos Athens gained a comfortable victory, 86-76, over FC Bayern Munich on Friday. Both teams, already eliminated from playoff contention, now have 11-20 records. Georgios Papagiannis was the main inspiration with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Paris Lee also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists, and Matt Thomas added 12 points. Nick Weiler-Babb and Andreas Obst top scored for Bayern with 12 points.

 Panathinaikos dominates Bayern, 86-76 

Panathinaikos Athens gained a comfortable victory, 86-76, over FC Bayern Munich on Friday. Both teams, already eliminated from playoff contention, now have 11-20 records. 

Bayern edged a high-scoring first quarter, but Panathinaikos roared into a double-digit lead in a dominant second period. The Greens had runs of 8-0 and 11-0 in the third to establish full control, and Bayern's fourth quarter rally wasn't enough. Georgios Papagiannis was the main inspiration with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Paris Lee also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists, and Matt Thomas added 12 points. Nick Weiler-Babb and Andreas Obst top scored for Bayern with 12 points.

Weiler-Babb and Derrick Williams traded early triples, before Papagiannis started strong with 4 early buckets. Dennis Seeley scored 5 points in a 3-10 run as Bayern moved ahead, 21-27 after 10 minutes. Panathinaikos started the second quarter with a 9-0 run, and 5 consecutive points from Marius Grigonis pushed the lead to 35-30. Another Grigonis triple made it 43-33, before two scores from Zylan Cheatham pulled Bayern back to 48-43 at the break. 

Thomas sank 2 triples at the start of the second half, and then added 6 more points in a hurry to make it 66-50. It was 71-54 entering the final period, before Isaac Bonga scored 5 straight points in a 0-10 run to make it 74-67. But Papagiannis rescued the host with a pair of triples, and it was never close again.

Panathinaikos dominates Bayern, 86-76

Panathinaikos Athens v FC Bayern Munich (2023-03-28T17:30:00.000Z)

Wade Baldwin, Maccabi: 'There's still work to be done'

### Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach

"You cannot expect those kind of performances, even though we are in good shape. It was almost a perfect half for us: on offense and defense. In the second half, we just kept playing the same way; we tried not to play the score, even though it was tough. We shared some minutes. I'm really happy for the fans and for my players.

(About the fans' chants): "They ask me to smile, if I could smile. Okay, it was a great game for us, but in two days, we have \[to play against\] Milano."

 

### Sergio Scariolo, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach

"Basically, nothing changed from when we spoke at halftime. They were up by 30, they finished up by 30. At least in the second half, we competed better, we managed to slow them down a little bit. Unfortunately we have another injury who looked to be in very good shape, \[Awudu\] Abass. Anyway, a bad night for us. Let's move on to the next one."

 

### Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard

(Maccabi's best game this season): "I have to say that's a yes for me, I think we were clicking on all cylinders tonight – defensively, offensively – and the ball was moving, so that's the most important thing right there."

(A message to the rest of the league): "Yeah, hopefully everyone is watching us right now. We're still fighting for our respect and I think we've got a long way to go, but it's a long journey so we're willing to put that into play and sacrifice what we need to sacrifice."

 

### Wade Baldwin, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard

(What clicked for Maccabi): "Just our movement. I said at halftime, we were flying around, there was a lot of energy. This was probably the most complete game we've had this season, tied with probably \[the one on the road against\] Efes. But to do it in front of the home crowd, the energy that they brought, it really helped us. Guys were knocking down shots. DHill \[Darrun Hilliard\] had an amazing game, Jarell \[Martin\] had an amazing game, it was fun. It was the first time we sat in the third quarter for the entire season, so it's great. We've got Milan next, we've got to finish out these last three games. We're energetic, we're very hungry to get into the playoffs and finish in the top eight. There's still work to be done."

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-03-28T16:00:00.000Z)

 Christos Serelis, Panathinaikos: 'An amazing performance' 

### Christos Serelis, Panathinaikos coach

"It was an amazing performance from our point guard \[Paris Lee\] and our big guy {Georgios Papagiannis\], but the most important thing is the desire that we had during the game on defense. It's the first thing that we have to prepare in any game. We have to play better aggressive defense, and use every player with this mentality."

### Andrea Trinchieri, Bayern coach

"We turned over the ball. We were really sloppy, a lot of unforced turnovers, and this cost us the game."

### Georgios Papagiannis, Panathinaikos center

"\[I'm\] working hard every day. In the last month, every day I'm doing the best I can with my body in all these trips, and it's all about mentality. We played hard today, me and everybody else. We still made some mistakes, and we have to keep improving. Everybody is shooting threes nowadays, even the bigs, but I like being the 'five' so if I can shoot the two, that's the best for me."

### Paris Lee, Panathinaikos guard

"My family came out here and gave me that extra energy. It was a fun game, we played good together, we shared the ball, and that's what it's about. Everybody's happy when they're touching the ball, so I like it when everybody's happy."

Christos Serelis, Panathinaikos: 'An amazing performance'

In 23 seasons and more than 5,000 games, no team has passed the ball better than Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv did while overwhelming Virtus Segafredo Bologna 111-80 on Tuesday to move a step closer to qualifying for this season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. 
Maccabi dished 38 assists on the night, which was 2 more than the previous record of 36 set by Real Madrid in a 2015-16 regular season home win over Strasbourg. Maccabi's previous club record had been 31 assists set twice in the 2003-04 season. 

Maccabi set all-time EuroLeague record with 38 assists!

In 23 seasons and more than 5,000 games, [no Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team has ever passed the ball better than Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv did during its 111-80 win against Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Tuesday](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2022/273/). 

Maccabi dished 38 assists on the night, 2 more than the previous record of 36, which was set by Real Madrid in a 2015-16 regular-season home win over Strasbourg. Maccabi's previous club record had been 31 assists, a total it set twice in the 2003-04 season.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv Top Assists vs. VIRTUS SEGAFREDO BOLOGNA, 03/28/2023

Maccabi's top assists vs. Virtus

On Tuesday, it was a true team effort in the passing department, as five Maccabi players distributed at least 4 assists each, marking just the 10th such occurrence in EuroLeague history.

Lorenzo Brown led the charge with 8 assists in under 23 minutes played. Wade Baldwin followed him with 7 in under 19 minutes. Big man Jake Cohen more than doubled his career high with 5 dimes, the same number as Darrun Hilliard. And another center, Josh Nebo, dished a career-high 4 himself.

Maccabi raced to a 62-33 halftime lead buoyed by 20 assists, which matched three other EuroLeague teams for the most in any half to date. Remarkably, Maccabi had just 2 turnovers in that first half and 6 for the game.

Maccabi sets all-time EuroLeague record with 38 assists!

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv moved one step closer towards booking its place in the playoffs on Tuesday evening, as it beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 111-80 at Menora Mivtachim Arena. The Maccabi fans were treated to an offensive spectacle by head coach Oded Kattash's team, as it recorded a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague record of 38 assists in the win. This victory improved Maccabi to 18-13 – and 13-3 at home – while Virtus dropped to 13-18 and saw its faint playoff hopes all but ended.

Maccabi blows out Virtus, 111-80

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv moved one step closer towards booking its place in the playoffs on Tuesday evening, as it beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 111-80 at Menora Mivtachim Arena. The Maccabi fans were treated to an offensive spectacle by head coach Oded Kattash's team, as it recorded a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague record of 38 assists in the win. This victory improved Maccabi to 18-13 – and 13-3 at home – while Virtus dropped to 13-18 and saw its faint playoff hopes all but ended.

 

Darrun Hilliard paced Maccabi with 16 points, while six of his teammates also got into double figures: Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin had 14 points apiece, Roman Sorkin scored 13, Josh Nebo contributed 12, Bonzie Colson added 11 and Jarell Martin finished with 10. Brown (8) and Baldwin (7) also combined for 15 of Maccabi's 38 assists, with Hilliard and Jake Cohen dishing 5 each, too. For Virtus, Semi Ojeleye led the way with 16 points, followed by Awudu Abass with 13.

Maccabi came into this game on the back of four successive wins whereas Virtus had lost four of its last five contests, and that difference in confidence showed in the early going. The hosts came out hot and made their intentions clear, opening a quick 8-0 lead after a backdoor cut by Brown and back-to-back threes by Colson. It quickly became one-way traffic, as Maccabi made it 15-4 on the back of some excellent ball movement. Virtus tried fighting back, with Ojeleye and Daniel Hackett striking from downtown to cut the gap to 7 points, 17-10, but another surge by Maccabi saw it close the quarter up by 15, 28-13.

 

The second quarter began with a tough, off-balanced layup by Nico Mannion, but Virtus then immediately gave up a two-pointer at the other end. Unless the visitors could get a series of stops, it was going to be a long night – and so it proved. Marco Belinelli hit a trademark three-pointer to pull Virtus within 10, 34-24, but he gave up a four-point play to Hilliard moments later. It was a case of one step forward, two steps back for Virtus. The score read 38-29 with 6:29 remaining, but a 21-2 run for the hosts over the next five minutes made it 59-31 and all but ended the game as a contest. At halftime, Maccabi led 62-33 after beating its highest-ever number of points in a half, having previously scored 61 against AIK Athens in 2004 and Besiktas Istanbul in 2013.

After the break, it was a similar story, with Maccabi extending its lead out to a larger extent. The hosts went 31 points up, 69-38, inside the first few minutes, then they made it a 37-point ball game, 77-40, with 6:20 left. The fans inside Menora Mivtachim Arena were loving what they were seeing, as Maccabi continued to thrive in a playoff-esque atmosphere. Virtus showed some signs of life, cutting the gap to 32 points, 79-47, but at the end of the third quarter, Maccabi had a 34-point advantage, 87-53.

 

Such was Maccabi's lead in the fourth quarter that Coach Kattash decided to go to his bench, giving extended playing time to the likes of Hilliard, Iftah Ziv, Suleiman Braimoh and Rafi Menco. Virtus forward Awudu Abass scored 11 points in a hurry to provide a boost for the visitors, 96-67, but Menco's triple shortly after pushed Maccabi above the 100-point barrier for the first time this season. Maccabi continued to move the ball and recorded its 38th assist in the final minute, as it coasted to 111-80 victory.

The first of two games for all teams in the last double-round week of the season could have serious impact on the postseason picture. Four playoff qualifiers could be joined by another pair as soon as Wednesday, while the top two teams in the standings could clinch home-court advantage in the next phase. Plenty of other games will influence which teams will shift the narrative in their favor before they all get back on court later in the week.

Here are the possible movements to watch for in Round 31.

Home-court advantage

[Olympiacos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2022-23) (21-9) will clinch home-court advantage in the playoffs with a win vs. ASVEL.

Olympiacos will secure home-court advantage if Fenerbahce, Maccabi and Partizan all lose.

[Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2022-23) (21-9) will clinch home-court advantage with a win vs. Fenerbahce.

### Playoffs qualification

[Fenerbahce](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/roster/ulk/?season=2022-23) (18-12) will qualify for the playoffs with a victory at Real Madrid if either Baskonia or Zalgiris lose.

[Partizan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/partizan-nis-belgrade/roster/par/?season=2022-23) (17-13) will qualify for the playoffs with a victory vs. Barcelona if Milan, Valencia and Zalgiris all lose.

Partizan will qualify if it wins and Milan, Valencia and Baskonia all lose.

### Playoffs elimination

[Virtus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/roster/vir/?season=2022-23) (13-17) will be eliminated with a loss at Maccabi if Zalgiris wins vs. Monaco

[Zvezda](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/roster/red/?season=2022-23) (13-17) will be eliminated with a loss vs. Valencia by more than 2 points.

Zvezda will be eliminated with a loss by any score if Zalgiris, Baskonia, Virtus or Milan win. 

Round 31 playoff possibilities

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

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

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

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v ALBA Berlin (2023-03-28T18:30:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v FC Barcelona (2023-03-28T18:30:00.000Z)

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

Time flies! How did 30 rounds pass so quickly? Only four more remain before the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs! Heading into the final stretch, **Eurohoops** presents the **sixth and final edition of the Power Rankings**.

Status, dynamics, form, and importance of results are the criteria for the classification of the 18 teams, eight of which will continue in the postseason with the ultimate goal of winning the prestigious trophy.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1481709/euroleague-power-rankings-by-eurohoops-vol-6-2/)

EuroLeague Power Rankings by Eurohoops: Vol. 6

Nicolo Melli of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is the second player to step into the spotlight as part of the "Remember The Why" series, a Euroleague Basketball and Adidas collaboration in which Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars discuss their personal journeys.

#RememberTheWhy with Nicolo Melli: 'I hope that I can tie my mom'

Nicolo Melli of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is the second player to step into the spotlight as part of the "Remember The Why" series, a Euroleague Basketball and Adidas collaboration in which Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars discuss their personal journeys.

A member of the 2,000-point, 1,300-rebound club in the EuroLeague, the 268-game veteran opened up about his basketball journey that started at six years old and has seen him become, at age 32, one of the best European players of his generation.

It was not a simple journey for him to get to this point, however. Melli was named on Reggiana's bench for the first time at the age of 13, yet four years later, just when he was beginning to establish himself in the first team, he suffered a serious ACL injury that threatened to derail his career. However, going through that process reminded Melli about just how much he loves the game.

"That was my big mountain to climb and, when you're young, even sometimes after, you're a little bit cocky, a little bit arrogant," he recalls. "When I broke my ACL, I was just coming off my best game so far. In one week, I went from being on top of the mountain to the bottom of it... That made my love \[for basketball\] even stronger and made me tougher."

Melli made a full recovery from his injury and did enough to earn a move to Milan in 2010, which gave him the opportunity to play in the EuroLeague for the first time. After five seasons in the fashion capital, though, the big man opted to sign for Brose Bamberg of Germany as he went in search of a bigger role.

"I made that decision because, back then when I was in Milan, I had a different role than now," Melli explains. "There is nothing wrong with it, but I was a role player. Bamberg gave me the chance to be one of the main guys on the court, and I wanted to take this kind of responsibility to test myself, to prove also to myself that I could be the guy."

Melli's numbers rose across the board, showing that his decision to join Bamberg had clearly paid dividends, but in the summer of 2017, he had a dilemma. Although he had the chance to go to the NBA, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and its coach at the time, Zeljko Obradovic, wanted to see if they could convince Melli to join Italy teammate Gigi Datome at Ulker Sports and Event Hall.

"After five minutes on the phone with \[Obradovic\], I was ready to go into training camp. Boom, pack my stuff, go. You play for certain feelings, for certain emotions and I felt those on that phone call," Melli says. "I chose to go to Fenerbahce and I'm actually very happy and proud that I took that decision. The two years that I had in Fenerbahce were two amazing years."

Following two seasons with Fenerbahce, Melli eventually headed to the NBA for a couple of years, suiting up for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks. Then, in 2021, he returned home to Italy and signed for Milan again, an idea that was not originally in his mind but – as was the case with Coach Obradovic and Fenerbahce – Milan head coach Ettore Messina found a way to entice him.

Looking ahead, Melli has already set his sights on how he wants to sign off his career. Back in 1984, Melli's mom won a silver medal with the United States volleyball team at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. With the Olympics set to return to Los Angeles in 2028, and Italy among the teams who could make it for basketball, Melli hopes that he can end his career by winning a medal, back at the location where his mom made her name.

"Well, the decision of playing sport in my family was pretty easy; it has always been a part of our lives. I felt no pressure at all growing up as the son of my mother," Melli notes. "But, I would love to finish my career in 2028 in the Olympics in Los Angeles. That would be a super romantic way to finish a career. I hope that I can tie my mom with the result – that would be amazing. But, I always say that she is the champion of the family and I'm really proud to be her son."