The tale of two cities – which in some cases is a tale of just one city – has visited traditional rivalries in Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, and Serbia.

Even when they don’t have a long EuroLeague history, like in the case of the Belgrade derby, they have long roots in the country’s basketball tradition.

In Germany, things are a bit different.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1477099/a-tale-of-two-cities-the-young-german-rivalry/)

A tale of two cities: The young German rivalry by Eurohoops

FC Bayern Munich secured services of one of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's top three-point shooters, extending contract with shooting guard Andreas Obst for another three seasons. Obst (1.91 meters, 26 years old) will now stay in Munich until the end of the 2025-26 campaign, the club announced on Friday ahead of its all-German derby against ALBA Berlin. Obst enters Friday night's game averaging 9.0 points and 1.9 rebounds, but ranks third in the league with 2.4 three-pointers per game in his 19 appearances this season despite playing just short of 20 minutes per game.

Bayern extends sharpshooter Obst long-term

FC Bayern Munich secured services of one of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's top three-point shooters, extending contract with shooting guard [Andreas Obst ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/andreas-obst/004508/)for another three seasons. Obst (1.91 meters, 26 years old) will now stay in Munich until the end of the 2025-26 campaign, the club announced on Friday ahead of its all-German derby against ALBA Berlin. Obst enters Friday night's game averaging 9.0 points and 1.9 rebounds, but ranks third in the league with 2.4 three-pointers per game in his 19 appearances this season despite playing just short of 20 minutes per game.

"I'm really happy to be able to wear the FC Bayern jersey for the next three years. That makes me very proud", Obst said in a press release from the club. "I was incredibly well received here right from the start and felt at home straight away."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">&quot;Obst for three 👌&quot; wird&#39;s zukünftig noch häufiger bei uns heißen: <br><br>Deswegen gibt&#39;s hier schon mal die bisherigen <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/Fruit_96?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Fruit_96</a> Highlights für euch! 🎥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Frutta2026?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Frutta2026</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBallTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeBallTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AndiObst?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AndiObst</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/easyCreditBBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@easyCreditBBL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/UXYQgDRqEv">pic.twitter.com/UXYQgDRqEv</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1636671998330908673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

This is Obst's second EuroLeague season. During his career, he wore the uniforms of USV Halle, where he started his career, TSV Breitenguessbach, Regnitztal Baskets, Brose Baskets Bamberg, Giessen 46ers, BiG Oettinger Rockets and ratiopharm Ulm, all in Germany, as well as Monbus Obradoiro of Spain. He has also been a member of the German national team, with whome he won the EuroBasket 2022 bronze medal.

Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown: The EuroLeague’s best backcourt duo?

Who would you pick as the best backcourt combination in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague?

Over the past few years, the consensus would probably go in favor of Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin of back-to-back champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul, but the pair's injury struggles this season remove them from the current picture. So, how about heading across the same city and finding the league’s all-time leader for assists, Nick Calathes, alongside three-point shooting specialist Scottie Wilbekin for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul?

Another duo to consider is FC Barcelona's backcourt partnership of do-it-all guard Tomas Satoransky and the dynamic Nicolas Laprovittola, or perhaps you’d prefer the league’s leading assist provider Darius Thompson and long-range marksman Markus Howard at Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz? Or you could even extend the search to a trio of talents at AS Monaco in the form of Mike James, Jordan Loyd and Elie Okobo. And don’t forget league leading Olympiacos Piraeus, led by Kostas Sloukas and Thomas Walkup.

But one player would reject all those options, and instead pick… himself.

After Wade Baldwin recorded 24 points and 8 assists to power Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv past his former club, Baskonia, on Thursday night, supported by 17 points from teammate Lorenzo Brown, the shooting star was not shy in expressing his opinions when he was asked about the secrets of their success.

“It’s simple,” said Baldwin. “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.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The best duo in the league? <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Fourth_Wade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_Fourth_Wade</a> post-game is ALL about the next five games though 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/KbmVnjzcNP">pic.twitter.com/KbmVnjzcNP</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1636478410540056580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A strong argument can certainly be made in support of that claim. Baldwin himself ranks fourth in the league with an average of 17.1 points per game, and he has been particularly hot in recent weeks. The 26-year-old has scored at least 14 points in each of the last 11 games, averaging 21.3 points during that period.

Brown is having a pretty stellar season, too. The Spain international averages 5.7 assists per night, fourth best in the league, and he also ranks sixth in scoring with 16.6 points per game. What's more, his return to action after injury in Round 25 has clearly reignited a playoff challenge that had previously been faltering, with Maccabi winning four of its five games since Brown became available again.

Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown combined for 41 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv beat Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 93-79 in Round 29 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Best plays of Baldwin, Brown vs. Baskonia

That run of success has been enough to lift the Israeli team into the top eight with a 16-13 record, and it comes with the comforting added knowledge that three of its remaining five games will be played at Menora Mivtachim Arena, where Maccabi has compiled the best home record in the competition: 12 wins and just 2 losses.

If Baldwin and Brown can keep on producing the game-winning heroics that have become their trademark during their first season together, it should be more than enough to take Maccabi into the playoffs – and it would also back up Baldwin’s claim that he forms one half of the competition’s best guard tandem.

Baldwin and Brown: The EuroLeague’s best backcourt duo?

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-03-16T19:05:00.000Z)

It ended up going down to the wire, but Real Madrid pulled out another win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 29 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. This triumph, 91-87, is Real's fourth straight over the Italian side and its 19th in 22 matches against Milan this century.

Despite the one-sided dominance in this rivalry, it is worth noting that the last time a game between these two opponents finished with a double-digit margin was back in the 2017-18 season. The last 10 games have been decided by 9 points or fewer, and each of Real's last four wins have been by 6 points or fewer.

The secret, according to Real center Walter Tavares, is down to the respect that he and his teammates have for Milan.

"I think we respect Milan a lot, and that's why I think we have many victories against them", Tavares said after the victory. "We take the games seriously, and that's why we win them."

Tavares has had some big games against Milan in the past, and in this one he finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, which took his career tally to 351 shot rejections, the most all-time in the history of the EuroLeague.

However, the main driving force for Real in this one was Dzanan Musa, who scored 27 points. For the second time this season, Milan failed to find a way to slow down Musa, who paced *Los Blancos* with 25 points and made a career-high 5 three-pointers in a 77-83 win in Milan back in Round 6.

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The secret behind Real Madrid's success against Milan

Real Madrid v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-03-16T19:45:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade stunned Anadolu Efes Istanbul, the two-time reigning champion, on Thursday night at a packed Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. The visitors turned a 17-point first-quarter deficit into a 13-point, 84-97 win, and they did it with a pair of players who have rarely, if ever, appeared on the floor together this season.

In the penultimate minute of the third quarter, Partizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic briefly put the team's only two centers, Mathias Lessort and Alen Smailagic, together on the floor. It lasted for all of 42 seconds, before Zach LeDay returned after a brief break.

Up to that point, LeDay had been Partizan's best player, with 16 points to his tally after playing 29 minutes through the first three quarters. However, at the start of the fourth, Obradovic went back to his idea of playing with his two biggest players, pairing Lessort and Smailagic together.

The two centers, who have spent this entire season subbing for one another, this time did a tremendous job playing together, especially defensively.

Partizan opened the quarter with an 8-24 spurt, capped by a 0-16 run, and during that span the big men duo allowed just one magnificent three-point play by Vasilije Micic in a heavy traffic and a low-post basket by Elijah Bryant.

Smailagic delivered 2 blocks, and his presence allowed Lessort to do his usual damage on the offensive end, with the Frenchman scoring 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Uros Trifunovic and Aleksa Avramovic contributed on defense during a big fourth-quarter run, before Kevin Punter and James Nunnally delivered final punches on offense as Partizan grabbed another memorable win in Istanbul.

Partizan's big men joined forces to stun Efes

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-03-16T17:30:00.000Z)

 Maccabi struck last against Baskonia in see-saw game 

In the history of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, there have surely not been many games that come close to the wild swings of momentum that took place in the second and third quarters of Thursday’s Round 29 meeting between Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

 

Maccabi dominated most of the first half to establish double-digit leads in the second quarter, partly thanks to an 11-1 run featuring baskets from star guards Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin. But just when it looked like the hosts were heading for a comfortable win, Rokas Giedraitis and Maik Kotsar both scored twice as Baskonia bounced back with a 0-11 run of its own to make it close, 49-45, at the interval.

 

Baskonia then started the second half with an even more dominant run, scoring the first 15 points of the third period, including three-point plays from Giedraitis and Darius Thompson, to turn what had been a 43-29 deficit into a 49-60 lead in less than 10 minutes.

 

Maccabi just couldn’t do anything right, but Brown decided to take matters into his own hands by following a three-pointer with a driving layup. All of a sudden, Maccabi was back in control, launching a 14-0 run to go back in front. Then, it was the turn of Wade Baldwin to take charge, bridging the third and fourth quarters with 10 consecutive points in a 13-0 run, which finally gave Maccabi a lead that would not be challenged the rest of the way.

 

All of this meant that the streaks looked like this: 11-1, 0-11, 0-15, 14-0, 13-0. To say that this was a ‘game of runs’ would be one of the understatements of the season, but Maccabi had the final say to claim a crucial win in the race for the playoffs.

Maccabi struck last against Baskonia in see-saw game

Real Madrid and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan had a back-and-forth battle at WiZink Center on Thursday night, in which *Los Blancos* eventually held on to win 91-87. Both teams made their runs, and neither side had a lead bigger than 8 points throughout the contest.

With Walter Tavares earning his fourth personal foul in the third quarter, Milan seemed to take control while Real struggled to find ways to stop the visitors' offense. That's when Mario Hezonja stepped up on the offensive end, giving Real a much-needed boost on offense to catch up with the visitors and then jump back in front.

Hezonja scored the final 9 points for Real in the third quarter, including a pair of long-range daggers, as he single-handedly turned a 58-62 deficit into a 67-66 lead.

Hezonja opened the fourth quarter with a monster alley-oop dunk, following a feed from Sergio Rodriguez. Even though he scored just 1 more free throw the rest of the way, his scoring run was a key spark for Real as it secured its 20th win of the season.

Hezonja gave Real Madrid a much-needed boost against Milan

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade enjoyed one of its biggest comebacks in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague history on Thursday evening, putting together its highest-scoring fourth quarter this century in a stunning 84-97 road win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul. It also shot free throws better than any team in the past 20 years.

Thursday's victory improved Partizan to 16-13 with five games to go, and this triumph came after an awful start to the game. Partizan found itself down 23-6 late in the first quarter against the two-time defending champion, who was playing with lots of confidence. But Zeljko Obradovic's side wasted no time in coming back into the game, before sealing the win in the fourth quarter.

Partizan's victory from 17 points down is the second-largest comeback by a road team this season, behind only LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's 19-point comeback at Virtus Segafredo Bologna. It is also the third-biggest deficit that Partizan has erased in a road game this century and also it biggest in-game swing.

Partizan led by 15 on several occasions in the fourth quarter, and that 32-point swing is tied for the seventh largest this century when a team was trailing by at least 17 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Largest scoring swings in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Euroleague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Euroleague</a> since 2007 where the largest deficit was at least -17 points.<br><br>🇷🇸 Partizan went from -17 to +15 (32 point swing) against Efes. <a href="https://t.co/gk0kT7HJ4X">pic.twitter.com/gk0kT7HJ4X</a></p>&mdash; Darius Garuolis (@DariusGaruolis) <a href="https://twitter.com/DariusGaruolis/status/1636668714937638912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The way Partizan raced away to victory is thanks to a 34-point fourth quarter, during which it had no turnovers, made 3-of-5 three-point shots and pulled down 3 of its only 5 offensive rebounds in the game.

What Partizan also did was perfectly shoot free throws. The team finished 28-of-28 for the night, making all 15 in the fourth quarter.

That total is the second-highest number of free throws without a miss that any team has scored this century, behind only Real Madrid's total of 34-of-34 in late March 2002, a few days short of 21 years ago.

Zach LeDay scored all 8 of his attempts from the line, Mathias Lessort went 7-for-7, Dante Exum made his 5 free throws, Kevin Punter scored 4, while James Nunnally and Aleksa Avramovic each made a pair.

Records fueled Partizan's huge comeback at Efes

Panathinaikos Athens beat LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 80-86 at the Astroballe in Round 29 on Thursday. It was just not any win, as the Greens were finally able to win outside of Oaka Altion after a nine-game losing streak.

Panathinaikos also won consecutive games for the first time since December, when it went on a four-game winning streak. The Greens' previous road victory came on December 2, when it downed Zalgiris Kaunas 67-81. Panathinaikos cemented its victory in a fantastic second quarter, in which it outscored ASVEL 17-32. Lefteris Mantzoukas and Mateusz Ponitka each had 7 points in that second quarter, helping their team get a 43-52 lead at halftime.

Eleftherios Mantzoukas and Mateusz Ponitka combined for 16 points, 14 in the second quarter, to lead Panathinaikos Athens to its first EuroLeague road victory since November.

Mantzoukas, Ponitka spark Panathinaikos's road win

ASVEL kept trying throughout the second half, but Panathinaikos found new go-to guys that kept the Greens out of trouble. Paris Lee led all scorers with 14 points, while Dwayne Bacon and Derrick Williams each added 13. ASVEL managed to get within 80-84 with 21.2 seconds remaining. The hosts couldn't get closer, as Williams solved a broken play with a layup, allowing the Greens to seal a good, long-awaited road win in style.

"It was a good team win, we needed it," Bacon said after the game. "I am just happy that we competed as a team, everybody chipped in and that is how you win ball games."

Panathinaikos grabbed its first road win in 2023 

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Panathinaikos Athens (2023-03-16T20:00:00.000Z)