Two triples from the Azerbaijani end the match at the home of the French, bringing Olimpia back to victory
After three defeats in a row, Olimpia finally redeems itself in the Euroleague: at the Ldlc Arena EA7 beats Asvel 75-66. The Maledon-De Colo duo (40 points combined) gives some concern to an Olimpia that is dull from the arc (7/25 from 3), but in the end LeDay (17 points) takes care of giving his team the victory, precisely with two consecutive triples shot with glacial coldness.
Milan ahead
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Discreet start for Olimpia, who repeatedly pierces the opponent’s zone and scores several points from the free throw line (8/10 to free throws in the opening 10′), capitalizing on the difficulties of Asvel’s forward department, which misses Lauvergne. On the other hand, Maledon is the number one threat: he knows how to hurt both when penetrating and when he gets up from the arc. De Colo’s experience is added to the young French guard, but the many turnovers (14 in the first half) slow down Villeurbanne. Thank EA7 who, despite not shining from the perimeter (just 2 3-pointers hit out of 12 attempts, again in the first half) remain ahead above all thanks to LeDay and Mirotic. Upon returning to the locker rooms, Milan is ahead by 4 points: 32-36.
Leday closes it
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In the second half the script of the match was reversed: now it was Messina’s men who lost a few too many balls, while the French went on the run again, a factor that had been severely limited in the first 20′ by the Olimpia defence. De Colo smells blood and takes command of the operations, thus fueling Asvel’s overtaking, but the French sprint is contained by the energetic plays of Brooks and Mannion. In the last quarter the game gets nervous and the percentages drop. The game is played on the edge of balance, until Mirotic takes center stage once again, first clearing up on Shields’ missed shot and then in the next action drawing the defense towards him to arm Ricci’s hand from the perimeter, who drags the EA7 at +6 lead (58-64) with 2′ to go. LeDay then takes care of it with two consecutive triples to put the final seal on the match: Olimpia wins 75-66 at the Ldlc Arena.
Asvel: De Colo 22, Maledon 18, Roberson 12
Milan: Mirotic 18, LeDay 17, Mannion and Shields 7
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