The 2023/24 EuroLeague season is heading towards the end of the regular season and several teams continue to battle for the home-court advantage in the playoffs, while others fight to directly qualify for the postseason and avoid the play-in spots.
EuroLeague Round 26 tipped off on Thursday with five games, with Bayern Munich and Armani Milano claiming big victories and staying alive in the play-in race. The two teams have identical records with 11 wins and 15 losses and are two wins away from Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Valencia, who share the final two play-in spots with a 13-13 record.
EuroLeague Round 26 recap
Anadolu Efes (11-15) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (13-13): 105-91
Key to victory: It was a back-and-forth battle for three quarters, but Anadolu Efes took over in the fourth and outscored Maccabi Tel-Aviv 28-16 to cruise to the victory. The Turks stayed alive in the EuroLeague play-in race, whereas the Israelis suffered an upset in their effort to maintain a Top-6 push.
Top performers: Shane Larkin had 22 points, six assists and a PIR of 32 for the winners, on 7/12 shooting and 4/7 from beyond the arc. Rodrigue Beaubois added 20 points, on 7/11 shooting for Anadolu Efes. Wade Baldwin posted 26 points, five assists and a PIR of 32 for Maccabi.
Baskonia (14-12) vs ASVEL Villeurbanne (5-21): 94-80
Key to victory: In a historic night for Codi Miller-McIntyre, who set a new assists record in the EuroLeague with 20, Baskonia stayed on track for a Top-6 finish after its victory over ASVEL Villeurbanne (94-80).
The Basques relied on a strong second-quarter performance (29-19) and took a double-digit lead at halftime (52-39). ASVEL attempted a comeback, but Baskonia stood tall and sealed the deal.
Top performers: Codi Miller-McIntyre made a historic triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds and 20 assists for a PIR of 42. Markus Howards added 18 points for the winners.
Partizan (12-14) vs Bayern Munich (11-15): 78-79
Key to victory: In a back-and-fourth battle, Sylvain Francisco hit the game winner with 1.1 seconds to go and Bayern Munich escaped from Belgrade with a big win over Partizan (78-79). Kevin Punter missed the three-pointer at the buzzer and the Serbians are outside the EuroLeague play-in spots.
Top performers: Sylvain Francisco had 20 points and a PIR of 25, on 4/7 shooting from three for the winners. Kevin Punter posted 22 points, on 7/15 shooting, for Partizan.
Armani Milano (11-15) vs Real Madrid (22-4): 81-76
Key to victory: Armani Milano led by as many as 21 points (48-27), but Real Madrid came back in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to two (71-69). Shavon Shields and Nikola Mirotic made big baskets, though, and the Italians stood tall and sealed the deal.
Top performers: Shavon Shields posted 27 points for the winners, on 9/14 shooting, while Nikola Mirotic added 23, on 7/9 shooting. Shields and Mirotic each had a PIR of 29.