After Maccabi Tel Aviv’s convincing victory over Milan, the 31st round of the Euroleague continued tonight (Wednesday) with three games, and in the first of them, Villarban defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 68:72, while Basconia celebrated at the expense of Fenerbahce with 62: 77. In the game that locked the evening, Monaco took an important step in the fight for the playoffs with a huge 72:92 over Olympiacos, and continued to fire after Maccabi Tel Aviv in the table.
Monaco – Olympiacos 72:92
Who watched this explosion coming? Olympiacos celebrated last week in a derby against Panathinaikos, but tonight was not an opponent for a team from the Princesses that looked just great. Monaco has proved to Maccabi Tel Aviv and the rest of the rivalry in the playoffs that it does not intend to give up the fight with one of the greatest performances it has known in its debut season in the Euroleague.
Mike James was passionate with 25 points and 4 assists, and together with his teammates opened a huge gap even before the break with the help of an amazing second quarter of 9:29. Daryl Bacon also recorded a good game with 15 points and 5 rebounds, while on the other hand Mustafa Pal was among the only ones to appear with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Anyway, Monaco has climbed to a 13:12 balance and currently holds eighth place in the table. Olympiacos, on the other hand, did not take advantage of Real’s stumble and although it could have approached Blancos (7:18) in second place, it did not and went down to 9:17.
Basconia – Fenerbahce 62:77
The Turks’ terrible period continues with a fourth straight loss, and their season is coming to an end, on the way to a particularly glorious failure. This time for the Basque team, which in turn recorded its fourth victory in a row. Tonight, Wade Baldwin was also passionate and proved that he is one of the best fit guards in Europe with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists after leading a tremendous second half that ended in 22:45 for his team, on the way to victory.
For the Turks this is a huge blow, as if he still dreams of reaching the playoffs, something rare will have to happen in order for it to materialize. Fenerbahce went down to a disappointing 14: 9 balance, while Basconia improved to its own 15:11 and on a particularly clear day can see an opening to slip into the top eight. View summary >>
Zalgiris Kaunas – Wheelerban 72:68
After eight consecutive losses, the French managed to stop the collapse against the Lithuanians, who in turn count a fourth loss in the last five games. After a close first half, Wheelerban opened a 12-point gap in the third quarter, but the Lithuanians did not give up and went up to 55:58 during the fourth quarter, but a 3:13 run by the French closed the matter.
Eli Okubo swept the winner with 21 points, ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv Chris Jones added 16 and Victor Wombanyama scored 14 of his own. For the Lithuanians, Edgras Ulanovas stood out with 15 points and Arthuras Milaknis scored another 11. to 55:58 during the fourth quarter, but a 3:13 run by the French closed the matter. View summary >>