By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MILANO, Italy – Needing a victory to go 1-1 in the Regular Season clashes against the yellow-and-blue side, Olimpia Milano completed the job with a suffering 82-76 victory against ALBA at home. It’s the second straight win for the Italians against German teams after beating Bayern Munich.
Devon Hall ended with a team-high 20 of PIR thanks to a performance of 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. “It was important for us to come out and start better, we started the game flat. Coming out with some energy was important. Getting wins in this league is not easy. We’re using everybody, it’s important to try to go far in this league”, he said in the post-game flash interview.
Leading once again his team from the first to the very last minute, Nicolò Melli had 16 points and 4 rebounds with 6/9 from the field. “We stuck together, it was a tough game. We stayed there and in the end, we had a couple of clutch plays. We’re showing our character right now, we need some fresh legs and some energy”, the Italian team’s captain said referring to the team’s injuries.
Shabazz Napier followed his captain with 13 points and 5 assists, while Giordano Bortolani had another convincing night by scoring 12 points off the bench. Finally, Diego Flaccadori added 14 points each to ultimately seal the deal. Ettore Messina shared his satisfaction in the post-game. “They gave everything they had in the second half, everybody contributed. We were a little bit more loose on offense. Very important win, what my players did is absolutely remarkable”, the Italian head coach shared.
Johannes Thiemann led ALBA Berlin with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Returning to Italy, the brotherly duo of Matteo Spagnolo and Gabriele Procida had a huge night for Israel Gonzalez’s team. The 20-year-old Italian playmaker had an all-around performance of 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, going close to a double-double; the Detroit Pistons draftee, instead, ended the game in double-digits with 10 points.
“We tried, but it’s difficult against a team like this. They scored a high percentage in three points, that’s been the key. I’m happy with the game, we had a good one here”, Israel Gonzalez shared.
Moving to Milano after three seasons (2020-23) in Berlin, Maodo Lo couldn’t play against his former team as the German playmaker is still recovering from injury. Shavon Shields, Nikola Mirotic, and Billy Baron joined him on the sideline. On ALBA’s side, Ziga Samar, Louis Olinde, and Justin Bean weren’t part of the encounter in Italy.
🐐🐐 Manuè a Milano 📍#Italbasket | @EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/JA6meNuEZY
— Italbasket (@Italbasket) January 9, 2024
Trailing early in the game, Ettore Messina’s team won
Nicolò Melli started the game with the right approach, scoring 6 of Milano’s first 11 points. Matteo Spagnolo gave ALBA Berlin the first lead of the game at 15-13 with 4:01 to go in the first quarter. The German team tried to create separation early on, getting up 25-19 with 6:44 on the clock in the second after Gabriele Procida’s mid-air two-pointer. At halftime, Milano was leading 37-35.
Ettore Messina’s team tried to escape with a 6-0 run to enter the second half, but Matteo Spagnolo gave ALBA Berlin another opportunity upfront at 45-44 with 5:42 minutes in the third. Gabriele Procida extended the lead to five points (54-49) with a three-pointer from the corner, and Khalifa Koumadje followed with a putback dunk. Diego Flaccadori ended the third quarter with a two-pointer for Milano’s 60-58 lead.
Entering the fourth quarter, the deadly Italian duo composed of Matteo Spagnolo and Gabriele Procida provided the highlight of the night with a monstrous alley-oop. Despite Milano’s attempt to run away for the final victory, Israel Gonzalez’s team always stayed there, as demonstrated by Sterling Brown’s three-pointer at 2:52 on the clock. However, Devon Hall and Diego Flaccadori replied respectively from deep and in traffic to give his team the win.
Concluding the second consecutive EuroLeague double-game week of 2024, Milano and Shabazz Napier will host Crvena Zvezda at home on January 11 at 20:30 CET. ALBA Berlin will continue its on-the-road travels, heading to Villeurbanne to face ASVEL on January 12 at 21:00 CET in the game between the two worst teams of this year’s Regular Season thus far.
PHOTO CREDIT: EA7 Emporio Armani Milano