Playoff picture: Valencia, Efes near must-win territory

In what has become a down-to-the wire playoffs race, two teams on the outside looking in as Round 29 stars will play crucial home showdowns on Thursday in attempts to hop the postseason train before it leaves the station for good.

In one of those games, [Anadolu Efes Istanbul (14-14) hosts Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (15-13)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/anadolu-efes-istanbul-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2022/253/) in Round 29's opener. Two hours later, [Valencia Basket (13-15) welcomes Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (17-10)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/valencia-basket-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/261/). For Efes and Valencia, these games are as close as it gets to must-win.

The worst-ranked team of the four, Valencia, has a four-game losing streak, is the only top-12 team with a losing home record (7-8), and plays four of the last five games away. Valencia gave Fenerbahce quite a battle in Istanbul, losing 79-77 in late October, but this time must find a way to win or find its playoffs chances severely weakened.

HLs Game 1: Fener-Valencia

Valencia has a couple things going in its favor, however, starting with its 2-0 sweeps against both Efes and Partizan, the other two teams that will square off on Thursday. Valencia will know by the time it tips off on Thursday whether a win might put it either ahead of Efes in the standings or leave it just one victory behind both Efes and Partizan with both tiebreaks in its favor.

Fenerbahce, on the other hand, is closer to earning home-court advantage in the playoffs than any feared elimination. But things can change quickly, of course, and by week's end as many as three teams could start breathing down Fenerbahce's neck with 16 wins each. So another road win on Thursday would mean a lot, especially because Fenerbahce plays three EuroLeague games in eight days due to the make-up next Tuesday of its postponed home date with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan due to the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria. 

Meanwhile, after losing its previous two games by a combined 41 points, Efes clung for dear life to a 90-89 home win over Real Madrid on Tuesday in its own rescheduled game due to the earthquakes. 

Now, when it takes the floor against Partizan on Thursday, Efes has an opportunity to take an all-important tiebreaker against at least one of the teams that the two-time defending champs are chasing. In addition to being swept by Valencia, Efes has also lost 2-0 this season to a pair of 15-13 teams that face each other on Thursday, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. 

HIGHLIGHTS: Partizan-efes first game

Since Partizan already defeated Efes 82-79 in Belgrade on December 16, losing another tiebreakers would spell serious trouble for Efes if the race remains as tight as it is now, with seven teams separated by two victories all aiming for three playoff spots. An outright loss to Partizan will severely minimize Efes's chances of finishing in the top eight and trying for a third consecutive EuroLeague crown. 

At the first glance, Partizan seems to be in a comfortable situation with a 15-13 record and four of its last five games at home. However, in the first three of those, Partizan hosts standings leaders Olympiacos Piraeus, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid before playing for its lone remaining road game at fourth-placed AS Monaco. Playing what is at present the toughest possible string of opponents over that four-game span is something Partizan will need to overcome in its attempt to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

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

Valencia Basket v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-03-16T19:30:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul entered its Round 24 postponed game against Real Madrid without Rodrigue Beaubois and Ante Zizic, who was questionable and did not step onto the court. Yet, Efes found answers from its starting frontcourt, with Tibor Pleiss and Chris Singleton playing crucial roles as the two-time champion beat Real 90-89 to improve to 14-14 in the standings, a win that could prove crucial as it attempts to reach the playoffs.

 Pleiss, Singleton to the rescue for Efes 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul entered its Round 24 postponed game against Real Madrid without Rodrigue Beaubois and Ante Zizic, who was questionable and did not step onto the court. Yet, Efes found answers from its starting frontcourt, with Tibor Pleiss and Chris Singleton playing crucial roles as the two-time champion beat Real 90-89 to improve to 14-14 in the standings, a win that could prove crucial as it attempts to reach the playoffs.

Singleton had struggled in recent games, playing less than 10 minutes in Round 27 against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and a little less than four minutes in Round 28 against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. He went scoreless and didn't even shoot in those games, combining for a PIR of -1, as Efes registered back-to-back losses.

In Tuesday's game against Real, however, the 33-year-old was far more active, playing a season-high 32 minutes and 27 seconds. Singleton found his rhythm late in the first half, hitting a three-pointer and getting an assist in an 11-0 run which allowed Efes to take a 42-39 edge at the break. He struck twice more from beyond the arc in a third quarter, before igniting the crowd with a fastbreak slam in the fourth quarter.

By the end of the contest, Singleton ended up getting a season-high 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a PIR of 13. Before this game, Singleton was averaging 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and a PIR of 2.9.

Tibor Pleiss and Chris Singleton combined for 22 points to make Anadolu Efes Istanbul beat Real Madrid 90-89 in a postponed Round 24 game.

Pleiss, Singleton help Efes beat Real

With little to separate the two teams at the interval, with the hosts up 42-39, Efes went on to tie a club record with 35 third-quarter points and take a 17-point lead, 77-60, after 30 minutes. Real did not lay down and instead used a 6-24 run to take the lead, 83-84, in the penultimate minute of the game. Then, Shane Larkin buried a three-pointer for an 86-84 Efes advantage. In the final 45 seconds, Real's Guerschon Yabusele missed from beyond the arc and Efes needed someone to step up, at which point Pleiss dunked before recording a big block on Gabriel Deck off the glass, which allowed Will Clyburn to seal the outcome from the foul line.

Efes led 90-84 with 15 seconds left and Real's comeback proved to be too little, too late. Pleiss also had solid numbers, finishing the game with 11 points, 4 rebounds, a block and a PIR of 8. Pleiss and Singleton had similar statistics in the box score, but they proved to head coach Ergin Ataman that they can be counted on in any tough game down the stretch.

Singleton bounced back in a rematch of last season's EuroLeague Championship Game, and Pleiss made the difference against Real once again, following his heroics that helped Efes become the back-to-back champion last May in Belgrade. Now, both players will look to continue their momentum in Efes's next game on the road at ALBA Berlin on Thursday, as the Turkish side tries to go from 10th place back into the playoff places.

Game Videos

Game News

Pleiss, Singleton to the rescue for Efes

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Real Madrid (2023-03-14T17:30:00.000Z)

[Othello Hunter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/othello-hunter/005160/) made his first three-point attempt in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague way back in 2013, his rookie season. He then missed the next 14 triples that he tried over the rest of that one and the next seven seasons. His three-point history might have ended there had he not been dissuaded from retiring by head coach Andrea Trinchieri, who was looking for a veteran leader for FC Bayern Munich.

"My agent called and said a coach wants to talk to you," Hunter recounts. "I said 'You know I do not like talking to coaches. I'm really not thinking of basketball. I'm really not, at this point. Basketball is done."

Two years later, against all odds, the 36-year-old center has become a three-point ace, hitting 24 of 55 shots from the arc this season for a 43.6% rate that makes him [the only center among the EuroLeague's top 20 most efficient long-distance shooters.](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=25&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=E2022&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=fieldGoals3Percent)

"Most big guys, they want to shoot the ball. Even if they can't shoot, they want to shoot, you know what I mean? It's like, 'I get to shoot? Oh yeah, this is fun!'" Hunter says.

Hunter's transformation into an outside threat has been motivated by both adapting to the modern game and to preserving his body after 10 years in the league. 

"It's like position-less basketball at this point. I don't like seeing all the big guys shoot, but this is the time we're in right now," Hunter explains. "My role before was screen-and-roll. Now I'm at the point where I'm getting older, and I don't need to get bumped all the time now. I feel every bump, every day."

Going from 1 three-pointer made in eight seasons to 30 in the last two does not happen simply by wishing it were so, however.

"I'm in the gym, I would say, probably a good four hours. I don't touch the paint. And if I do touch the paint, it's maybe because I'm doing some Euro-steps or some floaters," Hunter says. "Mainly, I do threes and shooting. And this year it's like, OK, bring it out."

Focus on: Othello Hunter, FC Bayern Munich

Othello Hunter, Bayern: 'I get to shoot? Oh yeah, this is fun!'

Anadolu Efes Istanbul had to battle hard to edge Real Madrid 90-89 in a postponed Round 24 showdown on Tuesday. In the third quarter of the contest, Efes tied an all-time EuroLeague record with a barrage of three-pointers.

Efes buried 8 three-point shots in the third quarter, tying the best mark in the competition. It now shares the record with five other teams for most three-pointers made in a third quarter, since play-by-play data started to be recorded in 2007: Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Montepaschi Siena, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and CSKA Moscow, the most recent team to achieve this feat, doing so in the 2021-22 campaign. Elijah Braynt downed 3 three-pointers, Will Clyburn and Chris Singleton each buried 2 and Shane Larkin also contributed to this record with a bomb from downtown.

Efes scored its opening 21 points after the break from beyond the three-point line. When Larkin hit a buzzer-beating jumper, Efes led 79-60 after 30 minutes. The hosts scored 35 points in the third quarter, tying a club record. Efes previously scored 35 points in a third quarter, which also came against Real en route to an 83-108 road victory last season. Efes's highest-scoring mark in a quarter is 39 points in the final 10 minutes of a 95-77 home victory against Olympiacos Piraeus on November 22, 2006.

Efes tied a EuroLeague record in Real Madrid win

 Shane Larkin, Efes: 'We showed who we are' 

### Ergin Ataman, Efes head coach

"I think until the last quarter, we played perfect. Especially in the third quarter, we scored 35 points, our defense was extremely good. But sometimes it's very difficult to understand basketball. Because OK, some players get tired, we change, we get them rest in the last quarter, two minutes, three minutes, but after we missed everything. We missed everything in the last quarter, and they made everything, and we risked the game that we had and played perfect until then. But anyway, it's an important victory for us. Now, of course, Thursday is one more game, and we will focus for the Partizan game. \[Shane Larkin\] is one of the best players in Europe. We like to see him always like this. OK, he missed the beginning of the season. Until the middle of December, he didn't play. Then, he came back. And now, he's playing his game. For me, it's not a surprise. The star players can play this kind of game. He played good tonight and I hope he will continue to play the same way, because he deserves to. Larkin is an excellent player so it's not such a surprise for me. We need these guys to play. \[Vasilije\] Micic had some problem. In the first half, he also played great. So if Micic will play his game, we will be again a very good team.

"It was a strange game, because in the second and third quarter, we played perfect. We played like champions. We played excellent defense, running the game on offense, moving the ball and always finding a good shot selection. But after that, in the fourth quarter, we stopped and took a rest for some minutes, 2-3 minutes. We rotated the perimeter players, four perimeter players, but I think it is not enough, and in the last quarter, we missed everything. We missed all the shots, all the baskets that we made in the third quarter, and then we gave them the opportunity to come back into the game. We risked the game, but with Larkin taking responsibility, we took an important victory for us."

### Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach

"We started the game well, in the right way, and in the last 5 minutes of the second quarter, they started to come back. But we knew that the game was going to be tough. In the third quarter, they were able to score a lot of threes and too many points in this quarter, something we cannot afford. Anyway, we fought until the end. We were able to score more twos, they scored more threes and this is the game. We did the same things that they did to win, but they scored one more point, and this is what counts.

"We started the game well, in the right way, and in the last five minutes of the second quarter, they started to come back. But we knew that the game was going to be tough. In the third quarter, they were able to score a lot of threes and too many points in this quarter, something we cannot afford. Anyway, we fought until the end. We were able to score more twos, they scored more threes, and this is the game. We did the same things that they did to win, but they scored 1 more point and this is what counts."

### Elijah Bryant, Efes player

"I think my teammates were just able to find me. I caught some rhythm, hit some shots, and most importantly, we were able to get a big win. Just getting downhill, trusting my shot, believing in the work I put in, having faith. I always give credit to god. It's about staying ready. There's a lot of talent throughout the roster, but having the opportunity to show your skills... you might not have it one day, but you have to stay ready, stay locked in and be consistent over time."

### Shane Larkin, Efes player

"It was a huge game for us. Obviously, we didn't do a good job last time we played on our home court. We didn't show fight, we didn't show our character. But today, with our backs against the wall, we showed who we are. That's a team that's battling for first place right now, so we showed that we have the capabilities. We've just got to come out every single night and give that kind of effort, and if we do, anything is possible. In the second quarter, we really got it going. Elijah \[Bryant\] hit some step-back threes. We started to attack in an area where we knew that they were weaker. We just had it going. We got some stops, got some rebounds, got out in transition. We were playing that basketball we've played the last couple of years that made us one of the better teams. We've just got to stick to that, get back to that, just lock in on defense and run. And I think if we do that, I think we'll be a tough team until the end of the season."

### Sergio Rodriguez, Real Madrid player

"It was a tough game for us. We played against the champion, so we knew it was going to be a difficult game. They took a big lead at some point during the game, hitting a lot of three-point shots. They took a very big lead but we fought back in the fourth quarter. We couldn't get the win, and now we have to think about the game against Milan on Thursday, get back home and try to win. We have to keep that positive side, the fact that we returned to the game. We showed we could have won, and have to keep the same mentality, work hard and get more wins."

Shane Larkin, Efes: 'We showed who we are'

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Tuesday Blog: Efes downs Real to get the dub!

In a rematch of last season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, Anadolu Efes Istanbul improved its chances to make the playoffs by downing Real Madrid 90-89 in front of a 16,000-strong crowd at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in a postponed Round 24 showdown on Tuesday evening. Efes improved to 14-14 in the standings while Real dropped to 19-9, ranking 10th and second in the standings, respectively.

Shane Larkin led six Efes players in double digits with 18 points. Elijah Bryant added 17, Will Clyburn got 15, Chris Singleton and Tibor Pleiss each had 11, while Vasilije Micic contributed 10. Dzanan Musa was Real's leading scorer with 16 points. Gabriel Deck had 15, Sergio Rodriguez chipped in with 14 and Walter Tavares finished with 13.

Mario Hezonja struck from downtown and Musa added a layup-plus-foul in a 0-6 Real lead that gave *Los Blancos* a 4-8 lead. Micic rescued Efes with 6 quick points to tie it at 10-10. Real kept running its offense through an outstanding Deck, who got help from Vincent Poirier and Musa for an 18-24 lead after 10 minutes. 

Larkin and Clyburn each struck from downtown, and Bryant Dunston's layup made it a 2-point game, 27-29. Rodriguez and Tavares rescued Real, boosting their team's lead to 31-39. Pleiss and Singleton fueled an 11-0 run that Clyburn capped with a jump hook that put Efes ahead, 42-39, at halftime.

Musa sank a triple after the break, Tavares added a three-point play and Deck dunked off a spin move for a 45-47 Real lead. Efes found answers from beyond the arc, as Larkin hit one, then Bryant and Singleton each sank back-to-back attempts for a 60-52 score. Clyburn followed a three-pointer with a fastbreak slam to make it a double-digit game, 65-54. Bryant and an unstoppable Larkin improved Efes's margin to 77-60 after 30 minutes. 

Rudy Fernandez and Guerschon Yabusele each struck from downtown early in the fourth quarter and Musa's floater gave Real hope, 79-72, with over four minutes left. Rodriguez buried back-to-back three-pointers and Yabusele added another one to complete Real's comeback, 83-84, with 1:22 left. Larkin answered from beyond the arc, then Pleiss followed a dunk with a big block on Deck, which allowed Clyburn to seal the outcome from the foul line.

Efes holds off Real Madrid's comeback, 90-89

 Round 28 disciplinary sanctions 

- Panathinaikos Athens has been sanctioned with fines amounting of €5,000 for the lighting of fireworks crackers and flares, and for the use of laser pointers by its fans, on occasion of home game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade under Article 29.2.e) and f) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code respectively

Euroleague Basketball has announced the following disciplinary sanction pertaining to incidents that occurred in Round 28 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season.

 Round 28 disciplinary sanctions

AS Monaco on Tuesday announced the superstar Mike James has been temporarily suspended for violating the internal club rules. As a result, the club's statement said, "James will be excluded from team practice activities as the club continues preparation for the upcoming EuroLeague Round 29."

 Monaco temporarily suspends Mike James 

AS Monaco on Tuesday announced that superstar [Mike James ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/)has been temporarily suspended for violating the internal club rules. As a result, the club's statement said, "James will be excluded from team practice activities as the club continues preparation for the upcoming EuroLeague Round 29."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">AS Monaco has temporarily suspended guard Mike James for violating internal club rules 🚨<br><br>James will be excluded from team practice activities as the club continues preparation for the upcoming Euroleague Round 29 <a href="https://t.co/yv439U6iUA">pic.twitter.com/yv439U6iUA</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket EN 🏀 (@ASMBasket_EN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMBasket_EN/status/1635665579737600001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

James had not traveled with the team to its last EuroLeague game, in Round 28 at Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, due to a finger injury. Monaco won that game 93-102 in a thriller. James had played and started all 27 games previous to that.

James is the fifth-ranked scorer in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, with 16.8 points per game. He stands sixth in average performance index rating (17.2) and ninth in assists. (4.7). He was an All-EuroLeague First Team member last season while leading Monaco to Game 5 in the team's first playoff season. He was an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection with CSKA Moscow n 2019-20 and the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner in 2018-19 with Milan.