Bayern could not have won the game without starting center Freddie Gillespie, whose huge fourth quarter sparked the hosts' comeback. 

Gillespie was Bayern's unsung hero

FC Bayern Munich rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 87-80 at Audi Dome to end a four-game losing streak. 

Cassius Winston and Vladimir Lucic led the winners with 20 points apiece, but Bayern could not have won the game without starting center Freddie Gillespie, whose huge fourth quarter sparked the hosts' comeback. 

Things did not look great for Bayern midway through the fourth quarter. The hosts could not find answers against Zvezda's three-guard offense featuring Nemanja Nedovic, Facu Campazzo and Luca Vildoza. The visitors led 66-75 with less than 6 minutes left and looked well on their way to winning the game, but Gillespie had other ideas. 

Freddie Gillespie (8 points) Highlights vs. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, 03/02/2023

Gillespie is Bayern s X-factor in Round 26

Gillespie used great timing to block Luka Mitrovic's shot, allowing Winston to score at the other end. Gillespie went on to dunk and on the next play, grab a defensive rebound that led to a three-pointer by Andreas Obst at the other end. Zvezda called timeout but Gillespie was the next player to score on a power layup, tying the game at 75-75. 

On Bayern's next offense, Obst missed from beyond the arc. Gillespie grabbed the offensive rebounds, and Bayern made the most out of that second chance he generated, as Corey Walden hit the go-ahead triple. When Obst returned the favor and found him for a two-handed dunk, Bayern had built an 80-75 lead with 1:10 remaining and Gillespie had scored half of the points in his team's decisive 12-0 run. 

Game News

Nick Weiler-Babb and Walden put the finishing touches on with a couple of critical baskets. Gillespie did not finish the game with spectacular numbers: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a PIR of 11. However, he had 6 points, 2 rebounds and a block in those 3 minutes and 30 seconds in which Bayern came back and took a significant lead to win the game down the stretch. 

"We were down by 10, everything looked really bad but we never gave up and made a 35-24 run in the fourth quarter, and 19-5 in the last 5 minutes. We really didn't look back, we just pushed, pushed, pushed, pushed," Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri said after the game. "We had a couple, I would say three unbelievable defensive plays, securing the rebounds, and on offense, we converted. And we won a game because we don't want to leave any opportunity on the floor."

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Gillespie was Bayern's unsung hero 

FC Bayern Munich v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-03-02T18:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul produced superior team basketball in an 82-87 win at Panathinaikos Athens

Anadolu Efes Istanbul produced superior team basketball in an 82-87 win at Panathinaikos Athens, who came up short as its striking pins failed to spark against the visitors. Derrick Williams netted 6 points for the Greens and Dwayne Bacon, the league's second-highest scorer, had only 3, all of them from the foul line, leaving their teammates with too much to do.

Marius Grigonis, who had averaged 6.7 points per game prior to the contest, duly obliged with 23 points and Paris Lee netted 19, but their effort was not enough for a free-flowing Efes team.

The visitors from Turkiye dominated the key departments, posting 17 assists to just 7 turnovers while the home team had 11 and 11, respectively. Efes also prevailed in the paint with 36 rebounds to 31 by Panathinaikos, and had 7 steals to just 3 for the Greens.

Will Clyburn, besides scoring a game-high 24 points, was particularly adept across the board. He also matched teammate Elija Bryant with 7 rebounds, the most on either team, while swiping 2 steals, the same as Chris Singleton, and committing 0 turnovers in 37 minutes on the floor.

Crucially, Efes had Shane Larkin who pulled all the strings on offense as he dished out to 10 assists to go with 13 points, having scored all of them at key moments when the visitors turned the time in the first half and then kept the hosts at bay in the fourth quarter.

Last but not least, Efes was superior inside the arc as it shot 24 of 41 from two-point range while the Greens only managed 11 of 23, with the vast portion of their points coming from the foul line as it sank 24 of 28 free throws.

Game Videos

Steals, turnovers and rebounds lifted Efes 

Panathinaikos Athens v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-03-02T19:00:00.000Z)

Turnovers were too much for ALBA to overcome in Belgrade

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade registered an important 88-74 win over ALBA Berlin in a game it forced 23 turnovers.

It was the most turnovers ALBA had this season, and one shy of the club's single-game record. It was also the most turnovers Partizan forced this season.

It mattered little that Partizan had 15 turnovers of its own, a lot more than desired, and was outrebounded 26-34 for the night.

But those ALBA turnovers, with 8 coming in the first quarter and 7 in the third, were what significantly helped tilt the game Partizan's way. The hosts combined it with an inspired third-quarter offense to open a 24-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and pave the way to victory.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v ALBA Berlin (2023-03-02T20:00:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin looked dangerous in the first half of its game against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. Leading for the majority of the first quarter, ALBA had a 7-point margin twice in the opening two quarters despite committing 13 turnovers in that time. However, Partizan exploded in the third quarter and ran away with a big victory.

Partizan beat ALBA 88-74 behind a 35-9 third quarter. The hosts nailed 7 of 8 three-point attempts in the third, with Aleksa Avramovic, Alen Smailagic and Danilo Andjusic each knocking down a pair, and Kevin Punter making one, too.

But, Parizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic, credited its defense for the third-quarter effort.

"We played excellent defense, allowed only 9 points", Obradovic said. "Sometimes, the energy on defense turns into something really positive on offense."

During the post-game press conference, Obradovic went on to explain what adjustments were made at halftime.

"We always try to react in every game, to understand where we made mistakes in the first half and what we can change", Obradovic said, crediting and thanking his assistant coaches for what he called a "phenomenal defense."

"We have a live scout, so when we come into the locker room, we already have certain things prepared from the game that we show to the players. So, we showed them three situations when we easily allowed points when we actually did not even try to play defense. That's where we started, to be closer to the players, to not allow a single easy shot."

Partizan allowed ALBA to come within 10 points in the fourth, but never closer, improving to a 14-12 record and sixth place in the standings.

Changes set up Partizan's monster third quarter

AS Monaco had to battle hard to defeat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 86-67 at home in Round 26. The good news keeps coming at Cote d'Azur, as Jordan Loyd had one of his best games this season.

Loyd was one of Monaco's pillars early in the season until getting injured in a Round 12 game against Real Madrid when he received an accidental elbow from Guerschon Yabusele. He had to undergo nose surgery and missed two games. When he came back in Round 15, Loyd only stepped on the court for 64 seconds before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Once he came back, Loyd averaged 6.8 points and a PIR of 3.5 in his first four games after his injuries.

In the last three games, however, Loyd has been his usual self, averaging 15.7 points on great shooting (72.7% 2FG, 50.0% 3FG, 90.9% FT), 3.0 assists and a PIR of 17.7. Against Maccabi, Loyd led all scorers with 18 points, adding 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 26, spending more time on the court more than any other Monaco player - almost 31 minutes. 

"Tonight, we really fought and I am really happy for that," Loyd said after the game. "Winning solves a lot of stuff, right? We are really excited. We just want to build off this."

Loyd found his best version against Maccabi

AS Monaco v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2023-03-02T20:00:00.000Z)

Will Clyburn and Shane Larkin carried Anadolu Efes Istanbul to a key 87-82 road win at Panathinaikos Athens, having made an immense contribution to their short-handed team missing influential point guard Vasa Micic.

Clyburn, Larkin came up big for Efes

Will Clyburn and Shane Larkin carried Anadolu Efes Istanbul to a key 87-82 road win at Panathinaikos Athens, having made an immense contribution to their short-handed team missing influential point guard Vasa Micic.

Micic is sidelined with a recurring knee injury and Larkin has had to assume playmaking duties in his absence with Rodrigue Beaubois taking over as the shooting guard. Larkin produced a stellar performance as he scored 13 points and dished out 10 assists against the Greens, while Clyburn kept up his good run of form with a game-high 24 points and 7 rebounds, earning the player of the game award.

Both men drew praise from head coach Ergin Ataman, who also singled out Elijah Bryant after Efes improved to 13-12 in the standings.

"Will Clyburn played like a star and a champion while Shane Larkin was the only point guard tonight. He controlled the game as he had 10 assists, so it’s an important victory for us," Ataman told the post-game press conference.

"Always when \[Bryant\] takes responsibility, he gives us great depth.  Also, in last year’s Final Four, when Beaubois and \[Krunoslav\] Simon were injured, and now Micic, he was the player who took responsibility with more minutes."

With the regular season heading into the home straight, Ataman stressed Micic’s return to action can’t come soon enough as Efes aim to make the playoffs and win their third EuroLeague title in a row.

"Micic has started with individual practice and he is still undergoing therapy. The situation in the last two-three days has been positive. I spoke with him before we arrived here and he will start with team practice early next week. If he feels comfortable, he will be back in action. The problem is that twice he started to practice and the pain in his knee returned immediately. It was a big problem because surgery was mentioned, but the doctors said it’s not necessary right now. I hope with the therapy he will be able to return because he is another great player on our team who gave us so much in the last four years."

AS Monaco took a significant step forward in the playoffs race by downing Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 86-67 at home in Round 26. Its willingness to challenge for all the 50-50 balls paid off down the stretch.

Monaco ended up outrebounding Maccabi 43-32. It finished the game with 17 offensive boards, its best mark in a victory this season. Monaco had 22 and 18 offensive rebounds against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, respectively, but in losing efforts. Maccabi only had 20 defensive rebounds, which means Monaco grabbed 45.9% of all rebounds under its opponents' rim.

On the other hand, Monaco allowed 11 offensive boards and pulled down 26 defensive rebounds, that is, 70.3% of all rebounds under its own basket. Monaco also circulated the ball better than its opponent, getting 14 assists and just 10 turnovers. Maccabi was limited to 10 assists and 15 turnovers. The visitors only made 44.4% of their two-point shots (16-of-36), their second-worst mark this season. They previously made 39 of 72 two-pointers (40.3%) in an 86-71 road loss against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 2.

Monaco's aggressiveness paid off 

Barcelona excelled at sharing the ball against Zalgiris

FC Barcelona enjoyed a peaceful evening against Zalgiris Kaunas, grabbing a convincing 93-84 win that allows it to continue fighting for a top seed in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs. The contest, similar to what happened in Round 24 against Segafredo Virtus in Bologna, was decided much sooner than the final whistle when Barcelona outscored its opponent 31-18 in the third quarter.

Barcelona built its lead thanks to a great team effort and a remarkable offensive display, with all 12 players scoring. With the only exception of the first period, when Barcelona had just two players (Jan Vesely and Nikola Mirotic) score, the home team displayed a highly balanced offense, which translated to 26 assists overall, with 9 different players dishing at least one.

"We’ve been sharing the ball very well during the whole game," acknowledged Tomas Satoransky, who finished with 5 assists. "But I think we came up with hustle plays, some steals, that permitted us to run on the fastbreak. But like I said, the best thing was we were passing the ball and finding the open shots and advantages."

FC Barcelona v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-03-02T18:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich defeated Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 87-70 at Audi Dome in Round 26 to snap a four-game losing streak. Despite sharing the ball worse than its opponent, Bayern won on the boards and that led to a home victory.

Zvezda finished the game with 21 assists and just 6 turnovers, matching its season-low. Bayern had much more trouble circulating the ball, getting 13 assists and 11 turnovers. So what allowed Bayern to win? First, it shot the ball better from all distances, particularly inside the arc. Bayern made 21 of 35 two-pointers (60%), which was significantly better than Zvezda (15 of 33, 45.5%). The hosts also had a higher percentage from three-point range (33.3% 3FG) and the free throw line (85.7% FT) than their opponent (32.3% 3FG, 76.9% FT).

Bayern outrebounded Zvezda 40-33 and protected its rim much better than its opponents. Bayern finished the game with 25 defensive rebounds, allowing Zvezda to get 13 offensive boards. That means Bayern grabbed 65.8% of all rebounds under its rim and had 5 blocked shots. Zvezda had 20 defensive rebounds and Bayern grabbed 15 offensive boards. The visitors only grabbed 57.1% of all rebounds under their backboard and had 2 blocks.

Gillespie was Bayern's unsung hero

Steals, turnovers and rebounds lifted Efes

Turnovers were too much for ALBA to overcome in Belgrade

Changes set up Partizan's monster third quarter

Loyd found his best version against Maccabi

Clyburn, Larkin came up big for Efes

Monaco's aggressiveness paid off

Barcelona excelled at sharing the ball against Zalgiris

Bayern wins on the boards