Summary: Basconia - Barcelona 96:103/Sport1
The picture of the qualifiers for the playoffs and play-in in the Euroleague became clearer last night (Friday), one round to the end of the season. Maccabi Tel Aviv lost a chance to finish in the top 6 and will finish the regular season in seventh place, with their last game against Milan next week being for the record only.
The Yellows will meet with "Home" in Playin in Belgrade the winner between Basconia and Virtus Bologna, who will meet next Thursday (21:30) for a head-to-head battle for the eighth place in the table. Let's remember: the winner of the match between seventh and eighth place will qualify for the quarterfinals from seventh place, and will meet in the playoffs the second ranked team - most likely Panathinaikos (the runner-up on the eve of the last round, where an easy home game against Elba Berlin awaits them).
Even if Maccabi Tel Aviv loses to Baskonia or Virtus, they will have another chance to pick the last ticket to the playoffs, when they meet the winner of the match between places 9 and 10. The winner there will meet the formidable Real Madrid in the quarterfinals. The dates of the play-in games have not yet been announced.
in Ascona
Evidence of how dangerous Basconia could be last night, when the Basques defeated the European champion and table leader Real Madrid 91:95 away, with another unforgettable performance by Marcus Howard (35 points, 7 of 12 to 3). When one of the biggest snipers on the continent looks like this, Baskonia is able to beat any team - this season he had 35 points also against Villervan, 33 against Monaco and 32 against Red Star.
Maccabi Tel Aviv also suffered from his arm rest - in the 15th round saw him score 19 points, but managed to win 81:89. In the rematch, Howard already bombed 26 in 23 minutes, and led Basconia to 82:92. However, when the factory's basket king (19 points per game on average, recently overtook Mike James) stopped, Baskonia is vulnerable: it was defeated in recent weeks by 21 points against Anadolu Efes and by 18 points against Zalgiris.
Basconia recovered from a 4:1 start to the season in the Euroleague to return to the playoff and play-in battles, but in the last month it stands at a 5:5 record. Besides Howard, the other notable players on the roster of the veteran fighting fox Dusko Ivanovic are Cody Miller-McIntyre, who has established himself as one of the biggest winners in the factory this season, Cima Monka and Matt Costello.
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He won't have it easy against Baskonia. Brown at the previous meeting/official site, in Esconia
Virtus Bologna
Until about two months ago, it was the surprise of the season in the EuroLeague, but in the last ten games, Virtus has a dismal record of eight losses alongside only two wins - table leader Elba Berlin also has a worse record (10:0. Red Star also on 8:2).
The dramatic season began with the surprising dismissal of Sergio Scariolo, when Luca Bunchi stepped into his shoes. Expectations were relatively modest - last year Virtus finished in 14th place - but in the first weeks the Italians were amazing, finding themselves with a 1:5 record, including a 24-point victory over Monaco.
Things began to straighten out in the past weeks, and since the beginning of 2024 Virtus has been in freefall. In recent weeks, she was defeated by exactly 15 points against Milan, Red Star, Zalgiris and Real Madrid, and in her arsenal you can also find a defeat by 27 points against Barcelona. In fact, Virtus' only wins this year in the EuroLeague have been over Bayern Munich, Elba Berlin, Villerban, Partizan Belgrade and Valencia.
The previous meeting ended in a crushing victory for the yellows. DiBartolomeu/Official website, Dragan Tesic
During this dismal period, the Italians defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 95:78 in January of this year, but in the first round they scored 90:100 in Bologna. Veterans Toko Shenglia (14.6 points per game) and Marco Belinelli (14.3) continue to lead the team, while ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv Ante Zizic continues to be a marginal player only - only once this season has shared more than 20 minutes in one game.
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in Ascona
Virtus Bologna
Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball
Euroleague