EuroLeague's beat: Game-changing uniform and vintage Sergio Llull / News - Basketnews.com

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BasketNewscontinues the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague beat edition. Here, you'll be able to find all the info you need about what happened in the latest EuroLeague round.

Sarunas Jasikevicius' comeback to Kaunas, amazing performances from Maodo Lo and Alpha Diallo, upsets from ALBA Berlin and Zalgiris Kaunas, Novak Djokovic in Belgrade again, and a bitter birthday for Malcolm Delaney - that and much more in this week's EuroLeague Round 29 beat.

EuroLeague's beat Round 29

STILL ALIVE. Five wins in the last six games for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, four in a row for ALBA Berlin (three if we leave their Zenit game out), and two in a row for Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, who, nevertheless, hold only the slimmest of playoff chances.

The Serbs are 11-12 and will be counting on only one home game from now on, against Anadolu Efes Istanbul. They will fly out to Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, and Kaunas.

The Germans (9-12) have two more games to play compared to Zvezda, whom they will be facing at home. They will also be hosting Barca and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and seek out some wins in their double trip to Istanbul (Fenerbahce, Efes), Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Monaco.

THE DOUBLE PLAY. When John DiBartolomeo went all the way to Zvezda’s basket from the left-hand lane, giving Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv their first lead in the game (60-59), Ognjen Dobric took the matter into his own hands.

The Serbian forward sunk a three-point dagger and then made 3/3 free-throws to restore the hosts' lead to five points (65-60) at the end of the third quarter.

The Israelis went scoreless in the next four minutes, allowing Dejan Radonjic’s team to make a 13-0 overall run that essentially sealed the win. Dobric finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists for 14 PIR points.

ARMY OF ONE MAN. In Belgrade, Maccabi were cornered for good, having to overcome double-digit deficits twice in the game. However, on both occasions, James Nunnally was determined to ruin the hosts’ party.

The American guard scored 13 of his total 24 points in the closing six minutes. Considering that Maccabi produced 17 points in that span, Nunnally was practically their last man standing. The six-time European champs' last win in Belgrade was in Red Star’s maiden EuroLeague season (2013-14).

NOLE STRIKES AGAIN. This time, tennis superstar and current world no. 2 Novak Djokovic didn’t stick to formalities and handshakes. The Serbian player, who attended a Crvena Zvezda contest once again, joined the squad on the court and celebrated another important win with head coach Dejan Radonjic and his players, singing chants and thanking the crowd for their support.

Djokovic has been excluded from BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and Miami Open due to being unvaccinated.

BITTER BIRTHDAY CAKE. Sergio Rodriguez, Shavon Shields, Luigi Datome, and Trey Kell were absent for AX Armani Exchange Milan, but Ettore Messina saw Davide Alviti step up with 8 points and his team lead for the most part.

One day before he turned 33, Malcolm Delaney had the chance to hand the win to Milan in regulation, but his three-point shot was contested and off the mark. The three-time continental champs got another opportunity to topple the hosts in overtime, but Delaney fell on Sergio Llull and got called for an offensive foul.

"We had our chance, but we blew it. In the fourth quarter, we went up against the smartest team and the smartest coach in the EuroLeague," Ettore Messina commented.

RARE TEMPER LOSS. Halfway through the third quarter, Walter Tavares missed two consecutive lay-ups and then pushed Kyle Hines to the ground. When he got called an unsportsmanlike foul, he protested, receiving a technical foul. The momentum instantly changed hands, with Milan taking the lead.

VINTAGE LLULL. Sergio Llull was exceptional in Real Madrid’s loss in Belgrade, but this time his was unworldly. The Spanish guard scored 13 points in regulation and another 7 in the extra time to help his team snap their four-game losing streak. He also played the game-winning defense, forcing Delaney to an offensive foul.

If Karim Benzema was Madrid’s hero in the reverse fixture of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain, 35-year-old Llull proved to be his basketball equivalent.

BACK ON DECK. After coming back from the NBA, Gabriel Deck made his second EuroLeague debut with Real Madrid on January 20 against ALBA in Berlin.

Against AX Armani Exchange Milan, the Argentine forward scored 8 points in the first quarter, leading the hosts to a solid 25-16 lead. With the score at 81-78 for Milan and less than two minutes remaining, Deck misfired twice from the charity stripe before redeeming himself with a steal that gave the chance to Sergio Lull for one of his trademark three-pointers.

He logged a season-best 15 points (more than he had amassed over his previous three appearances this season combined) on a perfect 6/6 shooting, adding 6 rebounds.

CAREER PERFORMANCE. In a low-scoring game, Maodo Lo poured in 14 points on 6/8 from the field, plus 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the first half to pace ALBA Berlin on offense. The German guard kept his team close and when Jaleen Smith locked down Kostas Sloukas, he found the chance to showcase his scoring skills. He finished the contest with season-highs in scoring (27 points) and PIR (34).

IN CONTROL OF NOTHING. "When we give up 15 transition points in each of the two halves, there’s nothing really to talk about," Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov succinctly argued post-game.

"ALBA played two times quicker than us. They are not a team that plays hard, but one that plays fast. We didn’t control anything in the game. If we want to accomplish our goals, that will be impossible with such performances," the Bulgarian-Cypriot player stressed.

In Munich, Olympiacos conceded 53 points in the first half and won the game, giving up 35 in the remaining time. In a reversal of fortune, in Berlin, the Reds were up 28-24 in the second quarter, but ALBA went off on a partial score of 16-2 to take a crucial seven-point lead going into the break.

The German champs ended up scoring 53 in the second half, but this time there was no response by the Greeks.

THE OPPONENT OF DREAMS. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's big man Victor Wembanyama registered his EuroLeague scoring high against Baskonia three months ago. The 18-year-old future NBA prospect had 10 points on 3/13 from the field that night. He had never scored 5 points ever since. Until this round.

When ASVEL locked horns with the Basque side again, Wembanyama scored 9 and grabbed 7 rebounds, not enough for the French champions to get their first win since January 21st. However, those were the French center’s two best showings in the season.

INSPIRING UNIFORMS. In the match against FC Barcelona, Zalgiris Kaunas debuted special uniforms to support Ukraine in their ongoing war against Russia. The Zalgiris Arena was full of both Lithuanian and Ukrainian flags, special songs and chants in support of Ukraine were heard all over during the match.

It seems the unity in the stands and tremendous atmosphere inspired the otherwise-uninspiring team to play the match of the season. The Lithuanian team, who were dead last in the standings before the match, dealt a rare loss to the EuroLeague leaders proving that there are no easy matches in Lithuania.

"We won because of our nice uniforms to support Ukraine. That's the most important thing," Zalgiris leader Edgaras Ulanovas said after the match. "I am happy, first of all, with the atmosphere the fans created. About the game, when you are in the last place, you don't have a lot of pressure. You cannot go lower."

UNSTOPPABLE ULANOVAS. Edgaras Ulanovas was a nightmare for Barcelona. He amassed three career-highs in one match - all-time results for PIR (33), steals (6), and blocks (2).

Not only did Ulanovas make shots on the offensive end, but he also proved to be crucial in the final minutes on the defensive side as well when he was trusted to guard the superstar on the other end of the court. The previously-dominant Nikola Mirotic was totally stopped during the most important few minutes of the match.

We played, we fought. There were a lot of crucial moments, a lot of 50-50 balls we took. I cannot say it was a tactical win, but more about a fight. We proved we can fight against the best teams," Ulanovas commented post-game.

NOT A QUITTER THIS TIME. Barcelona's head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius started his coaching career in his hometown of Kaunas. The former Zalgiris coach came back to a packed arena for the first time in his two years of coaching the Spanish powerhouse.

Last year, the empty seats due to pandemic restrictions did not provide the thrill and joy of coming back to the arena he knows the best. This year, not only did the fans come back, but Zalgiris handed Barca one of the very few losses this season.

"I didn't like that Zalgiris shot 23 free throws in the fourth quarter. I have no problems talking about it," Saras said after the game. "I probably would have been ejected if we had played in another place than Kaunas."

'However, I didn't want to do it in front of my family and take away the spotlight from Zalgiris victory, which they deserved," Jasikevicius concluded his starting comment after the match.

"I was nervous, too. I wanted the game to start as soon as possible. I'm very thankful, but when the game started, I tried to do my job. I started doing that after Fuenlabrada's game, where we played poorly again."

"We need to change the dynamics. It might look nice because we are leaders in the standings, but the team can fall apart really quickly," Jasikevicius noted.

ALL-TIME WORST. It was a night to forget for Shane Larkin. The superstar guard did not remind not even a glimpse of himself during the match against AS Monaco. The Anadolu Efes Istanbul player missed all 5 of his shots in the match, made 3 turnovers, and collected -6 PIR points.

The number is the lowest in Larkin's career by a wide margin. He had scored a negative PIR point number only once in his EuroLeague career before, and it was a -1 more than three years ago. Mind-blowing.

DUO OF NIGHTMARES. Mike James and Alpha Diallo proved to be too much for Efes. The duo combined for 46 points and 63 PIR points in a crucial win against last year's EuroLeague champions.

Diallo scored a career-high 31 PIR points, collecting 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals during the match. James, on the other end, poured in 27 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists.

BARELY AFLOAT. With a loss against AS Monaco, Anadolu Efes Istanbul have not made their lives easier in the EuroLeague standings. If the current proposal of cancelling all results against Russian teams stands, Efes currently have 12 wins and 10 losses.

The team is only one win away from being out of the Top-8. Monaco, who are currently on a roll, have amassed only one victory less than the Turkish powerhouse, and are in the prime spot of their fate. With only a month of competition left, nothing is clear, and not even the champions can be safe to go to the Playoffs.

TOP Plays of Round 29

Records of Round 29

PIR Maodo Lo

Maodo Lo (34)

Points Mike James

Mike James, Maodo Lo (27 each)

Rebounds Edgaras Ulanovas

Edgaras Ulanovas, Simone Fontecchio, Aleksandr Vezenkov, Walter Tavares (9 each)

Assists Kostas Sloukas

Kostas Sloukas (10)

Steals Edgaras Ulanovas

Edgaras Ulanovas (6)

Blocks Vincent Poirier

Vincent Poirier, Matthew Costello (3 each)

3-pointers made Maodo Lo Maodo Lo (5)

Results of Round 29

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 84-77 ALBA Berlin Olympiacos Piraeus 90-75 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 69-72 Real Madrid AX Armani Exchange Milan 92-88 Zalgiris Kaunas FC Barcelona 91-84 AS Monaco Anadolu Efes Istanbul 102-80 Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.