Matt Costello, Baskonia: 'I couldn't see the rim'

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

"I am proud because we fought until the last second. We won the game in the last second, but our mentality was perfect. Little things decided the victory or the loss, but we are happy because this is an important victory for us in Madrid. Yes, Darius \[Thompson\] and Matt \[Costello\] were incredible, but for me, the most important is the team and the job our team did.

"We are obviously happy for the win and for the fight the team showed and its good mentality until the final second. We are also happy because it is our first win away from Buesa \[Arena\] in the EuroLeague this year, 2023. We played a solid game which, of course, we could have lost because there were some moments in which we were ahead, then Madrid was ahead, and it looked like Madrid took an important lead in the end to take the win. But we kept the faith and, in the end, it went down to small details. We will remember the final plays, that three-point shot by Matt \[Costello\], but the block by Daulton \[Hommes\] had against \[Walter\] Tavares was, for me, even more impressive. It is a good win, we are happy. We stay in the fight and have to rest, because we have another game on Friday."

### Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach

"We turned the ball over too many times, lost too many rebounds on defense, and allowed too many threes, which they scored in clutch moments. They deserved the victory because they believed until the end. We had control in the end, but they scored 2 threes in a row and tied the game.

"We are upset for losing the game, obviously, but we have to see the positive side of what happened. I believe we didn't play the best game, especially on offense. We picked up too many turnovers, 17 turnovers... some of them, 4, I think, were offensive fouls. But in any case, we didn't pass the ball well, especially when looking for the low post. We had a lot of problems to put the ball in there. We also lost decisive defensive rebounds in key moments of the game. They punished us with three-pointers, so turnovers and offensive rebounds made them take more shots than us. I don't think they were better than us overall, but it's true they punished our mistakes: from turnovers to the rebounds they took away from us. They took more shots due to those circumstances and they shot very well from three-point range. It is something that we know we can do very well and, above all, we were not able to stop \[Darius\] Thompson in the first or the second half. He generated a lot of options and played very well. They took the win, and we hope it is different next time. They beat us twice in the EuroLeague and once in the Spanish League. I hope we can bounce back from this the next time we go against them."

### Darius Thompson, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz guard

"Huge team win for us! We fought until the very end. We could have easily given up when they made a big run but we stayed together and fought until the last second, like Coach told us before the game, and we came out with the win. It is hard to suck it all in right now but we came out with a win and Matt \[Costello\] hit a big shot. I am glad that he shot it with confidence. I just want to help my team win in any way that I can. We came out with a win, that's all it matters."

### Matt Costello, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz forward 

"We are going swimming with our daughters tomorrow, I am really excited for that! I don't know, I couldn't see the rim \[in the last shot\]. I just saw Rudy \[Fernandez\] running at me, they flipped me the ball, so I just tried to get it up there as quickly as I could. But it went in, so we got the win. It feels really good, you know? We had a difficult time on the road this year, everybody knows, and so to come here and get a win against the top team in the EuroLeague, it feels really good."

Game Videos

Game News

Real Madrid v Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-03-07T19:45:00.000Z)

 Kevin Punter, Partizan: 'It was a playoff atmosphere' 

### Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan head coach

"It's an important game, for sure, for us. An incredible atmosphere by both fans, Virtus and Partizan fans. Congratulations to both. On the court, I'm very proud and happy with how we played in the second half. We took advantage against an excellent team and we handled the situation in a good way. We decided to change the defense from how we played in the first half.

“Basketball needs a game like tonight. This kind of atmosphere from both fans is something really special for the EuroLeague and for everybody that was inside. The game was tough, like we expected. The first half, we made a lot of bad defense, but Virtus was ready to punish us. At halftime, we discussed and decided to change something, and in the last quarter we played our best minutes. This year, we have an incredible atmosphere in our gym in Belgrade and also on the road. Our fans push us to fight. I don’t have the words to thank them for what they’re doing for us this season. It’s really special.”

### Sergio Scariolo, Virtus head coach

"We really played hard, we tried really hard, we did some good things. They're a very good team, they're playing excellent in the last two months. Congrats to Partizan, but at the same time I'm proud of the efforts of my players. We got to the extreme of our possibilities physically and mentally. We didn't have a good shooting night and a few more turnovers than the correct number. Congrats to Partizan.

"It was a very good basketball game; two teams which try hard. Sometimes we had the upper hand, sometimes they had it. At the end of the day, Partizan deserved it, they played very well. Dante Exum showed why he has been a good-level NBA player for many years. But I want to say congrats to my players as well. Of course, we committed mistakes, 12 turnovers in the second half and too many straight line drives to the rim. But we are doing our best and I really appreciate how we are playing basketball. Scores are a different issue; there are more factors that decide who is winning and losing. But in terms of the image we are giving, I have zero complaints.”

### Dante Exum, Partizan player

"It's hard to win on the road but we have so many fans here and we started off great and just kept riding with it. I just try to go out there and play my game, and it worked out tonight. We've got an important game coming up \[in Milan\] so we'll enjoy this one tonight but the next game is important as well, we've got to win that one."

### Kevin Punter, Partizan player

"I just want to thank our fans for being here. They travel extremely deep, it was a playoff atmosphere. I'm glad we were able to pull a win out; it's tough to win here. Spending the double week in Italy, it was good to get the first one. They're a tough team. I'm just happy we won. We stayed solid all the second half and got the win. Milan got us in the first half of the season, everyone knows the history with me and Zach \[LeDay\], so it will be cool to go back. But the only thing I care about is just winning. That's the most important thing."

Kevin Punter, Partizan: 'It was a playoff atmosphere'

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-03-07T19:30:00.000Z)

 Ettore Messina, Milan: 'We are playing with togetherness' 

### Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach

"The whole team competed and we had a very nice stretch in the third quarter on offense. To come here and score 88 points is not easy, and at the same time when they became much more aggressive in the fourth quarter we had a little bit of a problem in moving the ball. We had some good plays individually, but with the exception of the last 2 minutes, when we gave up those 2 threes in transition, I think we could have closed out the game earlier. But I am very happy because we are playing with togetherness and a very good attitude and that's the most important thing. The only thing I've asked the team is to compete until the end and to show that if we had been healthy, it would have been a different season. It's more important for us than how it's perceived outside.

“Of course, it’s a very important win for us. We played well on a very difficult court and against a very aggressive and talented team. We competed, even when we were down by 10; we had energy and we had cohesion as we passed the ball well most of the game. The third quarter was very good, honestly. In the fourth quarter, their aggressiveness and \[Victor\] Claver switching with \[Jasiel\] Rivero on the pick and roll gave them incredible energy to come back into the game, but we still found a way to create good shots. We won a very important game."

### Alex Mumbru, Valencia Basket head coach

"We started very badly at the beginning of the third quarter. We committed turnovers, made bad decisions and didn't play defense. We conceded too many points in the third quarter.

"We played good basketball in the first half and we should have had a bigger lead at halftime. The beginning of the third quarter was very tough for us as we made a few mistakes while they were incredibly accurate, hitting 7-of-8 three pointers. We tried to come back into the game in the final quarter – we kept fighting and pushing – but we gave away a rebound when they missed a free throw. We paid for our mistakes in the third quarter, so congratulations to Milan. We are now focusing on the next game."

### Nicolo Melli, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward

"It's very important thing for us to grow and we are finally having some very important players back so the rotation is deeper. That's helping us right now and I hope we can keep building on this. We need to take it one game at a time and keep playing as we are playing. Not to think too much ahead – one game at a time and then at the end of the regular season we'll see where we are."

### Shabazz Napier, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard

"We made it a good game. I thought we played a better \[second\] half defensively; we did a great job and guys hit a lot of open shots. Credit to the guys, it was a hell of a game today. We're coming together at the right time. I just go out there and try to do what I can do to provide for whatever is needed and get wins. We've got a big game on Thursday \[at home to Partizan\] and I am really excited about our next challenge."

Ettore Messina, Milan: 'We are playing with togetherness'

Valencia Basket v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-03-07T19:30:00.000Z)

 Kazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris: 'We're still fighting for the playoffs' 

### Zalgiris Kaunas head coach Kazys Maksvytis

"I am very happy for the win and congratulations to my team and our fans. It’s very hard to win here in Berlin against ALBA. It doesn’t matter what position they are in, they play good basketball with a good coach. From our side, it was like a playoff game for us. We're still fighting for the playoffs, and maybe because of this we missed a lot of free throws. I am happy that we controlled the game with our defense. If an offensive team like ALBA scores only 63 points, it's a good result. Of course, offensively we can be much better but we will take this win."

### ALBA Berlin head coach Israel Gonzalez

"Congratulations to Zalgiris for the good game they had on defense. We have a boot with a lot of holes. We are always trying to cover the holes but there is always a new one. We defended well today with a  very good effort. But we couldn't play with confidence on offense. We were thinking and trying to limit the number of turnovers. Maybe that made us play with less happiness and we were less confident and didn't want to take risks. We need to find a balance of rising a lot when we are playing and being conservative. The team right now is having a bad time and I will try anything I can to help it."

### Zalgiris Kaunas forward Achille Polonara

"It was a tough moment for us because we had lost the last two games in the EuroLeague. So we are really happy that we won on a tough court against a very good team. And I think we deserve it."

### Zalgiris Kaunas center Kevarrius Hayes

"(About Isaiah Taylor) We love his speed and aggressiveness. He’s really good at getting downhill. I feel he was very good at giving us the lead. It was a tough game, a close matchup and we needed those big time. He delivered."

Kazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris: 'We're still fighting for the playoffs'

ALBA Berlin v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-03-07T19:00:00.000Z)

EuroLeague Live Blog: The double-round week begins here!

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Round 27, Tuesday blog: Olympiacos, Baskonia, Zalgiris grab huge wins

Olympiacos Piraeus v FC Barcelona (2023-03-07T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-03-07T20:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus rallied from double-digit deficits to turn back visiting FC Barcelona 77-70 on Tuesday and put one foot into the playoffs. The Reds raised their record to 19-8 while Barca fell to 18-9.
A bench brigade led by Shaquielle McKissic, with 16 points and 4 assists, and Giannoulis Larentzakis, with 14 points and 4 rebounds, paced the winners. Barcelona got 19 points from Nikola Mirotic.

 Olympiacos sweeps Barca, 77-70, to put one foot in playoffs 

Olympiacos Piraeus rallied from double-digit deficits to turn back visiting FC Barcelona 77-70 on Tuesday and put one foot into the playoffs. The Reds raised their record to 19-8 and put their eventual postseason qualification in the category of a formality while completing a 2-0 sweep of Barcelona, whose record fell to 18-9.

A bench brigade led by Shaquielle McKissic, with 16 points and 4 assists, and Giannoulis Larentzakis, with 14 points and 4 rebounds, paced the winners. Sasha Vezenkov added 13 points and 7 rebounds. Barcelona got 19 points from Nikola Mirotic, 15 from Nicolas Laprovittola and 13 from Sertac Sanli but after having started strong, suffered from poor 9-for-29 three-point shooting (31.0%).

Barcelona followed 15 points split between Mirotic and Sanli to a commanding 11-22 advantage early in the second quarter, which is when the Olympiacos reserves turned the game around, scrapping for rebounds and second chances. Larentzakis hit his first of 4 three-pointers to trigger a 12-0 takeover run that Kostas Sloukas finished with a layup at 23-22. McKissic used an offensive rebound to reset in the corner for a buzzer-beating triple worth a 29-27 halftime lead for the Reds.

Whereas the two teams shared 4-for-25 shooting from deep in the first 20 minutes, Laprovittola fired up the visitors with back-to-back triples and a new Barca lead of 31-33 right after the break. McKissic and Vezenkov took that lead back at 39-36, also from the arc, and the Reds nursed it to a 50-45 edge after 30 minutes. Barca got as close as 53-51 early in the fourth, but Larentzakis, McKissic and Tarik Black stretched that to 59-51 as the Olympiacos defense held the visitors to free throws for several minutes. When Nikola Kalinic got Barca to within 63-60 with under 5 minutes left, Larentzakis traded triples with Cory Higgins and then came up with his fourth to shut the door, 75-65, with a minute to play.

Olympiacos sweeps Barca to put one foot in playoffs

 Shaquielle McKissic, Olympiacos: 'I'm just relieved that it's over' 

### Giorgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach

"First of all congratulations to the team, to the players and our fans, for one more amazing night here. Beyond the final result, which is happy for us, we think that after the tough loss that we had in Milan, we needed to bounce back playing against one of the most difficult teams to play. So we controlled our emotions, we considered the game possession by possession, although we didn't start well. We were nervous in the beginning, missing free throws, missing shots, making rushed decisions. In the second quarter, we increased the intensity of our defense. We ended that quarter winning by two. And then we just had to protect our paint, because Barca is really good attacking inside with their tall forwards and centers. And finally, overall, our defense was really solid. Good luck to Barca."

### Sarunas Jasikevicius, Barcelona head coach

"I think we needed to move the ball a little bit better. We needed to hit some shots. Even though in the second half we hit some, we still got lost in some back-door cuts and other little things. Overall, a ball here and there, one made shot here or there, and it could have been a different ballgame."

### Giannoulis Larentzakis, Olympiacos player

"I try always to do my best and to help my team with everything; with defense, with offense, with hustle types of games. I'm happy because it was a very important win for our home advantage, and now we keep going because in the next few days we play against Bayern."

### Shaquielle McKissic, Olympiacos player

"I think that second unit, you know, sometimes we have competitions with the first unit, and today was just our day. I believe in \[Larentzakis\] a lot and he believes in me, so we have a lot of fun out there. Coach believed in us, and we just went out there and fought hard, played hard on defense. And we knew that it's a big win. I'm just relieved that it's over."

Shaquielle McKissic, Olympiacos: 'I'm just relieved that it's over'

In the crowded upper echelon of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings, Real Madrid, Olympiacos Piraeus and FC Barcelona – each with 18 wins – have gained some separation from the rest of the pack but, with eight rounds to go, no team has yet to qualify for the playoffs.

At the end of this double-round week, though, two of them might be able to book the very first playoff spots of a remarkably competitive season. One team that could do that is Real Madrid (18-7). The other is whichever team wins Tuesday's marquee Round 27 opener between Olympiacos and Barcelona, both 18-8.

If any of that trio of teams wins twice this week and gets some help along the way – primarily in the form of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (13-13), Valencia Basket (13-13) and Zalgiris Kaunas (13-13) all losing twice – it will punch a playoff ticket at the end of Round 28.

Tuesday's showdown between Olympiacos and Barcelona is the last head-to-head game involving those three leading clubs, and the outcome in Piraeus will provide full clarity on potential two- and three-team tiebreakers among them. 

Realistically, these 18-win teams are likely to clinch playoff berths sooner or later. But as they battle for the best possible position in a season where nothing is a given, the tiebreak situation between them will become crucial to their mutual quests for all-important home-court advantage in the playoffs.

### Real's tough schedule, tiebreak disadvantage

This week, first-place Real hosts Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (14-12) on Tuesday and Valencia on Thursday. Real tops the standings entering Round 27 with the best win percentage thanks to having a game in hand, a road trip to Anadolu Efes Istanbul that was postponed by the earthquakes in Turkiye. 

Real's crowded schedule of four games over the next 10 days – including the make-up game at Efes next Tuesday, March 14 – is daunting, particularly after All-EuroLeague center Walter Tavares limped off the floor with an ankle injury at the end of the team's last EuroLeague game.

Real is on a five-game winning streak since edging Barcelona in overtime in Round 21. That, however, was Real's sole win this season against Olympiacos or Barcelona; Los Blancos have already lost the tiebreakers with both.

### Reds could seize the upper hand

Olympiacos, on the other hand, has yet to lose this season against the two Spanish powerhouses, and the Reds were the EuroLeague's hottest team before seeing their seven-game winning streak snapped last week in Milan. A victory over Barcelona on Tuesday would give Olympiacos favorable position in any multiple-team tiebreakers involving these three teams due to sweeps over both Real and Barcelona. 

FC Barcelona - Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 1 | Highlights

Olympiacos stays at home to host FC Bayern Munich (10-16) on Thursday, and should it win on both days, would be in a position to qualify for the playoffs depending on others as soon as Friday.

### Barcelona riding a hot streak

Barcelona, on its own five-victory run as it takes the floor in Piraeus, has its tiebreaker won against Real, but would need to beat Olympiacos by at least 10 points to win that tiebreaker, too.

These numbers matter in their battle for the top spot, but also in fending off a group of lurking challengers led by Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (16-9), whom Barcelona will stay on the road to face on Friday, and AS Monaco (16-10). Both of those teams are also aiming to finish in the top four.

For instance, Monaco swept Olympiacos and split games with both Real in Barcelona, while Fenerbahce still plays Real as well as Barcelona with the chance to gain tiebreak advantages against both. With eight games left, either or both could make a leap and challenge the 18-win trio for home-court advantage in the playoffs. 

Every game matters has long been associated with the EuroLeague regular season, and going into the final stretch with these top three teams even in the victory column, but just five victories ahead of the 11th-place club, winning head-to-head tiebreakers might have never been this meaningful.

Playoff Picture: Top trio jockeying to be first

 Gig Datome & Kyle Hines 

[Gigi Datome](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/luigi-datome/ccd/) and [Kyle Hines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kyle-hines/002812/) are the two most experienced players on the roster of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, yet their love for the game of basketball remains the same as when they first started playing. Aged 35 and 36, respectively, the two veterans sat down together to discuss their motivations and their journeys to this point.

"Keep on loving the game. I really love the game, to be up there and competing and building something important," says Datome.

"Really, I would tell myself, 'Hey, don't worry. Things are going to be okay somehow. You're going to struggle a lot of years, but somehow you're going end up happy.' But, it's tough. It's so difficult to suggest to any player a path to follow because we are so different. When I was a kid, if someone told me that you are going to be 35 in Milano after winning a title at the Final Four, cups and so on, and being national team captain, I would be… signing with blood. Again, as a player, maybe I remember a lot all of the finals lost and everything that I could have done more."

Hines agrees with his teammate's point and takes it further, stating that it is this mindset that has got them to this point in their careers.

"It's kind of strange how we remember the losses, or we are more impacted by the losses than we are by the wins sometimes," comments Hines. "It's kind of strange, but as you said, that's just kind of our nature and the nature of the business, I guess you could say. The nature of how we are and how we're wired."

For Datome, he believes that it is necessary to take a moment to stop and reflect on the situation that they are in as top-level basketball players.

"Sometimes it's tough, because you're hungry for a game or for a moment of the season, but if you take that moment to enjoy where you are, the teammates you have, the club you're working for, the organization… really, I feel lucky and lucky, and more lucky, every year," concludes Datome.

Gigi Datome and Kyle Hines are the two most experienced players on the roster of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, yet their love for the game of basketball remains the same as when they first started playing. Aged 35 and 36, respectively, the two veterans sat down together to discuss their motivations and their journeys to this point.

 

Matt Costello, Baskonia: 'I couldn't see the rim'

Kevin Punter, Partizan: 'It was a playoff atmosphere'

Ettore Messina, Milan: 'We are playing with togetherness'

Kazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris: 'We're still fighting for the playoffs'

Round 27, Tuesday blog: Olympiacos, Baskonia, Zalgiris grab huge wins

Olympiacos sweeps Barca to put one foot in playoffs

Shaquielle McKissic, Olympiacos: 'I'm just relieved that it's over'

Playoff Picture: Top trio jockeying to be first

Gigi Datome, Milan: 'Keep on loving the game'