After three consecutive defeats, Olimpia raises its head again and achieves an important success (89-78). The Messina team manages to recover after a difficult start
Milan raises its head and passes to Kaunas, 89-78. Messina’s men find their smile again after Tuesday’s bad evening in Munich. Ellis and Ricci were decisive, both scoring 15 points and capable of scoring in decisive moments. Overall, Messina’s attack runs very well, as can be seen from the 6 players in double figures on the scoresheet. A very heavy victory for Olimpia because it came after 3 knockouts in a row and without many big names (Brown, LeDay and Nebo above all). Second victory in five European appearances for EA7, who can also smile due to the extraordinary defensive growth in the second half. 50 combined points from Wright, Williams Goss and Butkevicius are not enough for Zalgiris.
BALANCE
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The first half at the Zalgirio Arena shows two different faces. The first quarter sees Milan struggling to create offensive advantages and the offensive turnover of just 13 points in the 10th minute proves it. Zalgiris makes Olimpia pay for the physical gap and thanks to the rebounds (24-18 at 20′, 13 in attack for the hosts) they gain and turn several possessions into gold. Adding to the greater dynamism of Masiulis’ team is a Butkevicius in a state of grace, capable of scoring 20 points (6/7 from 3) in the first half. After 10′ of chasing, taking advantage of the individual plays of Guduric and Ellis, EA7 saw the Lithuanians open their half with a triple for +8 (21-13 at 10′). The second quarter seems to continue along the same lines as the first, with the possessed Butkevicius still not missing a shot. Messina’s men can’t find the rhythm and even slip to -15 (28-13 at 12′). The inertia of the match changes as the minutes pass, Milan begins to punish the Lithuanian excessive aggressiveness on the pick and roll at the start of the action. The ball moves better, the triples arrive and an unexpected 12-0 break is born, which puts the guests back ahead (38-39 at 19′), after a basket by Ricci from the corner. The hosts took the lead again by one possession in the 20th minute after two baskets by Wright, after two bad turnovers by Mannion.
ELLIS AND RICCI SUPER
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In the 10′ that introduce us to the second half, Milan seems to be better on the pitch, and reacts to Tubelis’ six points in a row (54-49 at 24′) with Bolmaro’s triple and baskets from Ellis and Booker, thanks to EA7’s fluidity in transition. Messina’s men close the area well, benefiting from the entry of Diop, who has an impact on the defense, thanks to his physicality. Near the 30th minute, the guests also tried to attempt an escape, after Guduric’s free throws and a slalom by Ellis, which ended with him touching the glass (59-63 at 29′). The balance persisted until the 32nd minute, when Olimpia, who continued to find fluidity in attack, thanks to the circulation of the ball, went ahead by 6 points after a triple by Ellis from the dribble. The former Trento player is not the only one with a hot hand, Ricci also hits from the arc (66-73 at 34′) to respond to Wright. The fortunes of EA7 also depend on the very expert defensive readings of Dunston, former evening player. Milan also rises to +11 (66-77 at 36′), after an undisturbed penetration by Ellis at the rim, generated by a good movement without the ball. Ricci’s fifth triple (out of 5 attempted) and the following one by Guduric close the matter (73-85 in the 39th minute). Milan beats Kaunas and makes up for the bad defeat in Munich.
Zalgiris: Butkevicius 20, Wright, Williams Goss 15, Tubelis 14
Milan: Booker, Ellis, Ricci 15, Shields, Guduric 14 Bolmaro 10
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