After winning the 2023 Migdal State Cup against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem has done it again. In the first official trophy of the season, the red-and-white side captured the Israeli Winner Cup by beating the EuroLeague participant 79-71.

Being named MVP in last year’s Israeli State Cup, Speedy Smith was once again a determinant asset for his team with 21 points and 4/7 from downtown. Zach Hankins went close to a double-double with 13 points and 9 rebounds, while Levi Randolph scored 17 points for Aleksandar Dzikic’s squad.

On the other side, Maccabi Tel Aviv struggled a lot both from beyond the arc (5/24, 21.0%) and at the line by missing six free throws (12/18). In the loss, Lorenzo Brown ended with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists for the yellow-and-blue team.

בואו, עולים להניף pic.twitter.com/BGoeY3netH

— Hapoel Jerusalem BC (@JerusalemBasket) October 1, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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Kemba Walker and Jordan Loyd are still missing, but Mike James with 21 points and Elie Okobo with 19 led a balanced effort against LDLC ASVEL as the Monegasques got their first big win for the French Betclic Elite.

Alpha Diallo added 16 points and Donatas Motiejunas had 15 as Monaco finished the game with an 87-79 win after a 9-2 run in the last two minutes of the game that gave them an 87-76 advantage before Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot made a three for the final score.

Joffrey Lauvergne with 21 points was the leader of the losing side, Nando De Colo added 15 points and former Monaco and Panathinaikos guard Paris Lee had 14.

After this result, Monaco and Paris are the only two teams at 4-0, Cholet stays unbeaten at 2-0 having two games less due to their obligations in the Basketball Champions League qualifiers, while Bourg-en-Bresse, ASVEL, and Nanterre follow at 3-1.

Meanwhile, Dijon stole the show with a massive 94-54 win over Mets 92, the former team of Victor Wembanyama which dropped to 0-4.

LNB Pro A 2023-2024 Round 4 results

JL Bourg – BCM Gravelines Dunkerque 90-82
ADA Blois – Nanterre 92 78-89
Le Mans – Le Portel 73-67
Limoges CSP – Paris Basketball 65-83
Roanne – Chalon 82-93
JDA Dijon – Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 94-54
ASVEL – Monaco 79-87
Cholet – Nancy (postponed)
Strasbourg – Saint-Quentin (postponed)

PHOTO CREDIT: EuroLeague

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Real Madrid got the first Clasico victory of the 2023-24 season in Murcia’s Supercopa Endesa, winning the trophy once more. In the ACB’s third round, Chus Mateo’s team found itself on the victorious end once again, beating Barcelona 86-79.

Vincent Poirier was dominant on the glass for the reigning EuroLeague champs, providing 22 points and 8 rebounds with 9/13 from the field while coming off the bench. Being named MVP in the Supercopa Endesa at the beginning of the season, Facundo Campazzo had 17 points and 5 assists today.

Moreover, trying to fill the gap as Edy Tavares couldn’t be part of the game, the 16-year-old Ismaila Diagne went close to a double-double of 9 points and 8 rebounds, including a thunderous alley-oop.

On Barcelona’s side, Dario Brizuela was his team’s highest scorer with 14 points after being forced to miss basically the whole semifinal of the Supercopa Endesa due to a head injury. Rokas Jokubaitis followed with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

With this victory, Real Madrid reached Basquet Girona and UCAM Murcia up in the ACB standings with an unbeaten 3-0 record. FC Barcelona suffers its first loss of the season in the domestic league, being at 2-1 with Baskonia, Valencia, and Joventut Badalona.

16 AÑOS

¡QUÉ AUTÉNTICA LOCURA, ISMAILA DIAGNE!

@MovistarPlus#LigaEndesa | @ismad0415 #ListosParaRomperla pic.twitter.com/zmJiJkgseJ

— Liga Endesa (@ACBCOM) October 1, 2023

Liga Endesa 2023-24 Round 3 Results:

Baskonia – Surne Bilbao 92-72
UCAM Murcia – Lenovo Tenerife 80-68
Unicaja Malaga – Valencia Basket 76-82
Joventut Badalona – Gran Canaria 89-75
Coviran Granada – Basquet Girona 91-102
MoraBanc Andorra – Palencia 87-74
Rio Breogan – BAXI Manresa 85-89
Real Madrid – FC Barcelona 86-79
Monbus Obradoiro – Casademont Zaragoza (11/10 at 20:00 CET)

PHOTO CREDIT: ACB

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It wasn’t the easiest of opening games for Ettore Messina’s Olimpia Milano, which struggled against a surprising NutriBullet Treviso coached by Frank Vitucci but still found the 86-80 win to open the 2023-24 LBA season as reigning Italian champions.

Shavon Shields was once again the red-and-white leader, scoring 22 points with 5 rebounds and 7 assists, while Alex Poythress followed with 16 points and 6 rebounds, being dominant on the glass.

Nikola Mirotic didn’t leave his best offensive night, having only 12 points (6/6 at the line) with 4 turnovers, but scored the decisive three-pointer with 3:17 minutes left to give Milano the 78-77 lead. “It’s never easy at the beginning, I was a little bit nervous before our first game at home. It wasn’t my best game, but a win is a win. We have to think about the next game”, he said after the victory.

On the other side – the losing one – the newcomer Pauly Paulicap provided a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds with 6/7 from two-point range. The 26-year-old point guard Deishuan Booker led his team’s offense with 13 points and 10 assists, another double-double. Moreover, the former Boston Celtics guard James Young, who last played with Kolossos Rodi, added 14 points.

Celebration Time#insieme #ForzaOlimpia #OlimpiaMilano pic.twitter.com/BzS5fxBzxu

— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) October 1, 2023

Virtus Bologna started the LBA with a win as well

Milano wasn’t the only EuroLeague participant from Italy who struggled in its opening LBA night, as Virtus Bologna beat Givova Scafati 81-75 after a long battle on the road.

After being named MVP of the Italian Supercup in Brescia, Tornike Shengelia was once again decisive for Luca Banchi’s team, scoring 21 points with 7 rebounds. “It’s always very tough to play in Scafati, but we wanted to come out very seriously. We want to build on this, we’re gonna try to keep mistakes”, the Georgian said. Daniel Hackett added 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists for the black-and-white side.

The home side saw Jack Nunge scoring 16 points with 7 rebounds in his first-ever professional game in Europe, while the 40-year-old David Logan had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Coming back to LBA after one year in the Italian second division, Alessandro Gentile had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

2023-24 LBA – Round 1 results

Dolomiti Energia Trentino – Vanoli Cremona 91-84
Reyer Venezia – Bertram Yachts Derthona Tortona 76-60
Germani Brescia – Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro 81-79
Banco di Sardegna Dinamo Sassari – GeVi Napoli 90-111
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano – NutriBullet Treviso 86-80
Givova Scafati – Virtus Bologna 75-81
Openjobmetis Varese – Estra Pistoia (04/10 at 19:30 CET)
Happy Casa Brindisi – UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia (04/10 at 20:30 CET)

PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano

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Pushing late in the game to come back with a 25-7 run in the fourth quarter, Zalgiris Kaunas managed to beat Pieno Žvaigždės 78-68 with a great performance by Laurynas Birutis, who came off the bench for a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The green-and-white side, which will begin the EuroLeague season on the road against Virtus Bologna on Thursday, had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists from the newcomer Nazareth Mitrou-Long. The 24-year-old Danielius Lavrinovičius scored 16 points in 14:49 minutes on the court. On the losing side, instead, Brandon Tabb provided 26 points and 5 steals.

With this victory, Zalgiris Kaunas remains unbeaten in the 2023-24 LKL so far next to BC Wolves, which beat BC Mazeikiai 84-74 on Saturday with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists from the 2023 FIBA World Cup Latvian sensation Arturs Zagars.

16 minutes = double-double! pic.twitter.com/vHVcrA6R0t

— BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) October 1, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Zalgiris Kaunas

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There couldn’t be a better way to open the domestic league season, as the yellow-and-blue side dismantled the newcomer Cagdas Bodrumspor with a 37-point margin (95-58).

Preparing for the first game of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season at home against Olimpia Milano, Fenerbahce won the first official game of the BSL season with 17 points from its highest-scorer Tyler Dorsey.

Other notable performances came from the hands of Yam Madar, who went close to a double-double with 7 points and 12 assists, and Nigel Hayes, who had the usual all-around performance with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. On the losing side, Dominic Artis had 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Earlier in the day in Turkey, Darussafaka beat Besiktas thanks to a clutch buzzer-beater by Kyle Allman, who ended with 13 points. On the black-and-white team, the former ASVEL guard Jonah Mathews had 16 points in the losing effort. David Efianayi, instead, led Petkim Spor to the win against Pinar Karsiyaka with 23 points and 5 rebounds.

Kyle Allman (@kyleallmanjr) wishes you guys a great Sunday with his clutch buzzer-beater to beat Besiktas. So hyped to see him at work in the Basketball Champions League with Darussafaka.pic.twitter.com/PhFEa1tcbd

— Cesare Milanti (@cesaremilanti) October 1, 2023

BSL 2023-24 – Round 1 results:

Manisa – Bahcesehir 90-88
Merkezefendi – Galatasaray 77-93
Tofas Bursa – Samsunspor 104-91
Anadolu Efes – Büyükçekmece 89-78
Turk Telekom Ankara – Bursaspor 72-68
Petkim Spor – Pinar Karsiyaka 81-69
Darussafaka – Besiktas 64-61
Fenerbahce – Cagdas Bodrumspor 95-58

PHOTO CREDIT: Fenerbahce’s X profile

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After a surprising loss to Murcia, Baskonia got back on the right track with a convincing 92-72 win over Bilbao in front of 15,500 fans at the first match in Fernando Buesa Arena of the new season.

Marcus Howard led the way with 16 points, while Chima Moneke added 14 points, Nikos Rogkavopoulos 13. Vanja Marinkovic also finished in double digits with 11 points, as Khalifa Diop was on the verge of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.

For Bilbao, Tryggvi Hlinason scored 13 points with eight boards, Kristian Kullamae added 12, and Adam Smith 11 points.

Big win for Valencia in Malaga

After a loss in the opener against Girona, Valencia first defeated Tenerife on the road, and now recorded another big win over Unicaja in Malaga – 76-82.

Former NBA and Virtus Bologna player Semi Ojeleye led the winning side with 19 points, while Chris Jones added 15.

Kendrick Perry’s 23 points weren’t enough for the hosts. Dylan Osetkowski followed him with 13, Nihad Djedovic with 12 and Jonathan Barreiro with 10 points

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Crvena Zvezda revamped the squad during the summer, signed 10 new players, and started the 2023/24 season with a convincing 81:63 win over Igokea in Laktaši.

Mike Tobey led the way for Dusko Ivanovic’s squad with 19 points and eight rebounds, scoring majority in the second half. Former Baskonia player Rokas Giedraitis added 12 points, Dalibori Ilic 11, while Luka Mitrovic finished with 10. Milos Teodosic had seven assists, but only four points on his debut.

For the Basketball Champions League Regular Season participants Igokea, Nikola Tanaskovic was on the verge of a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Marko Jeremic had 15 points, all from beyond the arc, shooting 5/8 for three.

The first half was tough, with both teams making a bunch of fouls, so the players started making regular trips to the free throw line already after three minutes in the second period. Zvezda stayed in front thanks to Giedraitis heroics, who scored 11 points in the first 20 minutes, including a buzzer beater triple at halftime.

Mike Tobey than took matters into his own hands, scoring seven points in a row to open the third period, capitan Branko Lazic added couple of triples, and Zvezda pulled away, grabbing 66-45 lead after 30 minutes of play. Soon in the final period, it was all over.

Photo: ABA League/Igokea/Marija Vuruna

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What a game from Olympiacos in the first Greek derby of the season. The Piraeus side crushed arch-rivals Panathinaikos in Greek Super Cup final with a whooping 75-51 final score.

Olympiacos had a historic 27-0 run in the first 20 minutes, to end the half with a huge 37-11 lead. Panathinaikos improved after the break, but couldn’t threaten the Georgios Bartzokas’ squad advantage.

Giannoulis Larentzakis led the winning side to the first trophy of the season with 20 points. Isaiah Canaan added 12 points, while Nikola Milutinov and captain Kostas Papanikolaou also scored in double figuers, with 10 points each.

For Panathinaikos, only Juancho Hernangomez with 15, Jerian Grant with 14 and Kostas Sloukas with nine points and six rebounds were up to the task.

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Erdem Can started his reign at Anadolu Efes with a win, as his team opened the 2023/24 season in the BSL with a comfortable 89-78 victory over Buyukcekmece.

Will Clyburn led the Istanbul team with 16 points, while talented Emre Melih Tunca shined with 14 points in 14 minutes. Rodrigue Beaubois and the summer signing Darius Thompson added 11 points each, while Ercan Osmani and Erten Gazi finished the match with 10 points apiece. Ante Zizic had a solid overall game with nine points, seven rebounds, three assist and blocks for a PIR of 16 (tied with Clyburn).

For Buyukcekmece Marcquise Reed and Evan Bruinsma scored 18 points each, Devonte Upson followed them with 12, while Kendrick Ray added 10 points.

After a tied first quarter, which Buyukcekmece won 26-25, Efes took control in the second period, going into halftime with a comfortable 48-38 lead. The guests gave a good fight to Erdem Can’s team, but couldn’t erase the deficit, so the hosts entered the final 10 minutes with a 72-59 lead. Soon in the fourth period, it was clear that Buyukcekmece couldn’t threaten Efes’ lead. The hosts grabbed an 80-61 lead and routinely put the game to bed.

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From the 2023 NBA 2K24 Summer League roster of the Milwaukee Bucks and the training camp of Baskonia, Hugo Besson settles in Serbia.

Besson, 22, signed a two-year contract with FMP Soccerbet, the team announced Saturday.

He is available to play for the Belgrade outfit later today. Bouncing into AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season Round 1, his debut will be against Krka in FMP Arena at 17:00 CET.

An eventful offseason saw Besson make the Summer League squad of the Bucks for a second year in a row and move on to join Turkish Airlines EuroLeague outfit Baskonia for preseason preparations. In official action, his efforts will focus on the regional league ABA and the domestic AdmiralBet Basketball League of Serbia. His new team participated in the Basketball Champions League Qualification Round but was knocked out by Openjobmetis Varese.

In 2022, he was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 58th overall pick of the NBA draft and immediately traded to the Bucks. Despite Summer League action, he has yet to get a regular NBA contract.

Developing outside the league based in North America, Besson spent the 2022-23 season alongside Victor Wembanyama at Metropolitans 92. Missing four months due to injury, he tallied 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest over 25 appearances in France’s Betclic Elite LNB Pro A.

In 2021-22, he displayed his talents in Oceania’s NBL for the New Zealand Breakers en route to the NBA draft. Previous experience at the senior level was in France through Elan Chalon and Saint-Quentin BB.

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Cibona is scheduled to visit Borac Mozzart in Round 1 of the AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season tomorrow. Financial issues put Sunday’s game and the regional campaign in jeopardy.

Despite lacking the FIBA Letter of Clearance for three new players, the team based in Zagreb requested permission to register Alex Stein, Domagoj Proleta, and Tomislav Buljan to ABA, per MeridianBetSport. The league based in countries of former Yugoslavia possibly bypassing FIBA can generate a series of reactions.

The Adriatic League is private, and thus can potentially grant Cibona’s request. However, the International Basketball Federation would likely promptly respond to such a decision.

The first step was Cedevita Olimpija, Partizan Mozzart Bet, Mornar-Barsko zlato, Buducnost VOLI, Igokea m:tel, and Cibona itself voting in favor of allowing the registration of the players, as noted in the report on the status of the team. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, Mega MIS, and FMP Soccerbet voted against it. Out of the remaining ABA clubs with the right to vote, Zadar did not deliver before the deadline and Krka declined to act.

Tipping off the 2023-24 campaign via Croatia’s FAVBET Premijer Liga with plenty of teenagers suiting up, the team coached by Jaksa Vulic lost to Zadar on Thursday. Under FIBA regulations and pending settling debts with 11 players, the three aforementioned newcomers were ineligible to feature in the lineup. In contrast to private ABA, the top-tier division of Croatia is organized by the country’s Basketball Federation, HKS.

The new investors of Cibona have been dealing with financial issues since taking over in May.

Photo Credit: ABA-Liga.com

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It seems that controversy involving referees is always present in European basketball, no matter the level of the league.

Liege announced that they canceled the game versus Antwerp on October 28, 2023, for the BNXT, protesting about the refereeing criteria on the games. Per Liege, the calls favor native players against import players, and as a result in the BNXT playoffs, three import players of Liege fouled out in the same game.

The club believes that this trend is still ongoing, having so far a 1-1 record in the league, and issued the following press release which includes strong language.

This is short-sighted and theft by referees

Players’ performance requires them to be on the floor to contribute for which they are evaluated for next year. Excessive fouls diminish their ability to perform, deny them future income, and deny the government in all countries the corresponding tax revenue. Referees that are supposed to be neutral are disrupting the livelihood of the players and denying countries incremental tax revenue. It is unacceptable and uncalled for.

Liege decision to protest in the game against Antwerp is not coincidental. Antwerp was very vocal about US owner Ernie Cambo coming to bail out Liege of certain bankruptcy and filed multiple complaints against the team and his organization.

Cambo funds the team through a United States non-profit organization called Miami East Side Sports that helps men secure scholarships and jobs in basketball in the US and abroad. So far over 300 players have received scholarships through this program.

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Walter Tavares is dealing with a respiratory infection.

He is considered doubtful for the meeting of Real Madrid with archrival FC Barcelona on Sunday.

Due to the infection, he did not suit up in Spain’s Liga Endesa Regular Season Round 2. However, the team coached by Chus Mateo prevailed over BAXI Manresa on the road and improved to 2-0 at the top of the 2023-24 edition of ACB. Consequently, he is likely to miss Round 3 as well.

Following up on the Clasico, Los Blancos will open the 2023-24 Regular Season of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with a visit to Baskonia’s Buesa Arena next Friday. Upping his total to 202 games played in Europe’s premier club continental competition, Tavares was named Best Defender of the 2022-23 season en route to winning the championship for the second time in his career.

Launching his seventh campaign with the team based in Spain’s capital, the Cape Verdean center was instrumental in the latest Supercopa Endesa triumph with 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per contest in Murcia. He added 15 points and three rebounds for the home win opposite Casademont Zaragoza in the opening round of the Liga Endesa Regular Season.

Tavares, 31, represented his country in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the first-ever appearance of Cape Verde, during the offseason. He tallied 9.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game over five appearances in Japan. His side narrowly missed a berth in next summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net

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Real Madrid defeated Baxi Manresa 94 – 88 on the road to improve to 2-0 in the Spanish ACB. The Blancos, who were minus star center Edy Tavares, used a late push with 13 points in the last five minutes of the game to get the win.

The score was tied at 81 halfway through the fourth period when Real made a 3 – 9 run to go up 84 – 92 with 1:42 to play. Manresa couldn’t overcome that deficit and dropped to 0-2.

Dzanan Musa scored a game-high 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out four assists for Real Madrid while Facu Campazzo notched 15 points plus eight dimes. Sergio Llull had eight out of his 13 points in the final period.

Tavares, 31, did not suit up for Round 2 of Spain’s Liga Endesa Regular Season. He is dealing with a respiratory infection, said head coach Chus Mateo after the game.

Brancou Badio dropped 16 points for Manresa.

ACB newcomer Palencia came extremely close to beating Barcelona, once in regulation and another time in the extra period. In the end, the Blaugrana prevailed 84 – 83 in overtime courtesy of Nicolas Laprovittola’s heroics.

While finishing with 20 points plus seven assists, Laprovittola hit the winning free throws with four seconds to play. He had sent the game to overtime by draining the buzzer-beater from midrange after making a free throw and intentionally missing the second one with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Willy Hernangomez had 21 points for Barcelona while Tomas Satoransky scored six out of his nine points in the last minutes of overtime with back-to-back 3-pointers to respond to Palencia’s Yannick Franke.

Franke finished with 19 points and five rebounds. Brandon Brown had 21 points plus five assists.

After just two rounds of action, only Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona and UCAM Murcia are left perfect in the standings with a 2-0 record.

Liga Endesa 2023-24 Round 2 Results:

Zaragoza – Murcia 100 – 92
Murcia – Baskonia 88 – 76
Tenerife – Valencia 86 – 94
Joventut Badalona – Granada 86 – 80
Girona – Gran Canaria 88 – 64
Palencia – Barcelona 83 – 84
Andorra – Rio Breogan 63 – 69
Manresa – Real Madrid 88 – 94

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With five players scoring in double figures, Bayern Munich defeated Syntainics MBC 96 – 87 to begin the 2023-24 German League season with a win and quite the offensive performance for the crowd in BMW Park.

Newcomer Leandro Bolmaro led Bayern scorers with 16 points while Isaac Bonga posted 16 points, six rebounds, and five rebounds. His fellow world champion with Germany Andreas Obst scored 15, Sylvain Francisco dropped 12 points and Elias Harris had 11 points in a very balanced output for Pablo Laso’s team.

In his first official game in Europe since his return from the NBA, veteran big man Serge Ibaka delivered six points (on 3-11 shots), five rebounds, and two blocks over 16:39 minutes. He wasn’t able to make shots but delivered some fine highlights.

Yeah, this kind of layup doesn't fly with @sergeibaka around…

Alle Spiele der @easyCreditBBL gibt's LIVE bei @dynsport#FCBB #WeBallTogether pic.twitter.com/GWOyak6itL

— FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) September 29, 2023

Diante Baldwin (17 points, five rebounds), Stefan Bircevic (16 points, six rebounds), Charles Callison (14 points), Johnathan Stove (13 points) and former Bayern Munich player and club great John Bryant (11 points) finished in double-digit numbers for Syntainics.

easyCredit BBL Regular Season Round 1

ratiopharm Ulm – Niners Chemnitz 90-85
Rasta Vechta – Bamberg Baskets 101-79
MLP Academics Heidelberg – ALBA Berlin 81-90
Hakro Merlins Crailsheim – Rostock Seawolves 85-81
Basketball Lowen Braunschweig – EWE Baskets Oldenburg 91-86
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg – Veolia Towers Hamburg 79-87
FC Bayern Munich – Syntainics MBC 96-87
Telekom Baskets Bonn – Tigers Tubingen (4/10)
Wurzburg Baskets – BG Gottingen PPD

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Olympiacos started the battle for the first trophy of the season in a convincing manner, defeating Peristeri 84-64 in the Greek Super Cup semifinal.

Nikola Milutinov had a double-double in his first official game upon returning to the club with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Another returnee, Nigel Williams Goss, also added 16 points, while the captain Kostas Papanikolaou finished in double digits as well, scoring 12 points.

Peristeri showed solid resistance in certain moments of the game, with Jaylen Hands leading the team with an impressive performance. The former PAOK guard scored 24 points with seven rebounds and showed that he’ll be a formidable addition to Vasilis Spanoulis’ squad.

Kenny Williams with 12, and Nemanja Dagubic with 11 points were the only ones managing to keep up with him.

Olympiacos was pretty much in control from the very beginning, opening the game with an assertive 16-3 run. Peristeri fought back and briefly took the lead in the second period, but the Piraeus team got back on the right track after halftime and eventually pulled away in the middle of the final period.

In the other SuperCup semifinal, Panathinaikos Athens prevailed over PAOK Thessaloniki 77 – 64 thanks to a strong second half. Mathias Lessort led the Greens with 20 points plus seven rebounds while Kyle Guy scored 14 and gave to the Greens a crucial advantage in the third period, when they were up by 20.

Olympiacos, the SupeCup reigning champion, will face Panathinaikos for the 2023 title on Saturday (19:00 CET).

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The ABA League has introduced an innovative approach to coach challenges, setting itself apart from most European basketball leagues.

Each team will be entitled to two coach challenges per game in the 2023/24 season, and head coaches will keep their challenges if they are successful.

In a departure from the norm, the ABA League has adopted a procedure akin to that seen in tennis, but should the challenge prove unsuccessful, it will be forfeited.

Furthermore, each coach will now have two challenges at their disposal during a game, but they’ll be limited to deploying one of them within the final two minutes of the game, which includes any overtime periods.

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Maccabi Tel Aviv will have the chance to play against Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Winner Cup final without even giving a semifinal game.

To be exact Hapoel Tel Aviv forfeited the semifinal after the police have taken the decision to scan every fan’s ID number before they can attend the match for security concerns, leading to huge queues outside the venue.

Hapoel Tel Aviv wrote the following message on their social media accounts.

“Sports fans – not criminals!

Starting in the morning we began to receive messages from which we understood that the Israeli police treated tonight’s game as a war event in which the fans included, from the age of eight to eighty, women, and children – all of them were potential criminals.

In light of the attitude in which the audience was treated at the entrance to the hall, we decided that there was no point in going up to play tonight.

The sport belongs to the fans!”

After this decision, Hapoel Tel Aviv may face a fine of up to 100.00 euros.

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Jahlil Okafor scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds to help CAI Zaragoza get its first win two rounds into the 2023-24 Spanish ACB season by defeating Unicaja Malaga 100 – 92.

Okafor shot 6-7 on 2-pointers, 1-2 triples and dished out two assists in his second official game in Spain and Europe in general. The former No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft previously had 13 points in his debut, a loss on the road to reigning EuroLeague champion Real Madrid.

During the 25:04 he spent on the floor, Okafor provided a fine sample of his skilled low-post moves and his rich offensive game. He scored in a variety of ways, pretty much making short work of anyone he found in front of him while attacking the basket.

Santi Yusta led Zaragoza overall with 20 points. Nihad Djedovic dropped 18 points for Malaga.

Photo: ACB

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