Armani archives the first act of the grueling tour de force that will force it to three double rounds in the next four weeks of the Cup, sipping energy in an almost scientific way. It does with the safety of a superior team, aware of being able to resolve the evening with the quality of its veterans and with lwith recovered defensive compactness after a first at a relatively mild intensity. It is the evening of Gigi Datome, recovered after a month’s stop due to the injury suffered in the heating of Trieste, and immediately ready to reignite like a match: 15 points (second best performance of the season after the 17 shot at Barcelona) that show a brilliant and confident player, as if the forced break had served to recover the many energies spent in the first part of the season.
While Datome pocketed the MVP award for continuity within the game, the trio protagonist of the break between the two final periods is instead unprecedented. The brain is the brilliant one of Serge Rodriguez, in the smell of double-double with 9 points and 9 assists (season-high tied after the 9 served against Panathinaikos), but the hands are those of Kaleb Shieldewski e Pippo Ricci.
Euroleague
Messina: “Good second half, excellent defense. Datome was important”
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6 MINUTES AGO
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While the Chacho puts a patch on the dull evening by Malcolm Delaney, the strange pair of the red and white front-court shields the varnish going to the rescue some unusual défaillance of the Melli-Hines couple and the poor concentration with which Ben Bentil he self-expels himself from the race. Once the double-throw area is closed, it is then the attack that makes the eyes shine. Tarczewski (8 points, second best performance of the season) flies above the iron annihilating Christ Koumadje’s 223, almost irrepressible in the early stages of the game, and Ricci (10, career-high tied) provides precious spacing on the perimeter to shoot those triple killers that they echo the chorus “Pippo! Pippo!” from the stands of the Forum.
The Alba gasps, crushed in just 6 points in five minutes and in free fall in the percentages from the arc (9/25 at the end). Those frustrating baskets at the edge of the siren found several times in the third period are now transformed into irons, crushed by a pressure that the front-court can no longer bear. On the perimeter, the defensive work of Devon Hall also solves the things Maodo Lo (disappeared after 13 points scored in the first half alone), and then Kyle Hines (12) to launch the credits with three consecutive baskets signed by as many brilliant assists from Chacho.
The archived victory brings Olimpia back to hook Olympiacos and Zenit St. Petersburg in third place with a record of 12-6 (but Milan is at a disadvantage in the direct confrontation with both) e overtaking on CSKA Moscow, remained in sixth place at 12-7. On Friday the European tour continues with the trip to Russia, a very important match to put another brick towards qualification for the playoffs.
AX Armani Exchange Milan – Alba Berlin 84-76
- Milano: Delaney 4, Hall 4, Datome 15, Melli 10, Hines 12; Grant 7, Rodriguez 9, Tarczewski 8, Ricci 10, Daniels 3, Bentil 2. Ne: Biligha. All .: Messina.
- Alba: Blatt 9, Eriksson 4, Zoosman 10, Sikma 9, Lammers 6; Lo 13, Da Silva 8, Smith 5, Schneider, Olinde 6, Koumadje 6. All.: Gonzalez.
Euroleague
Olimpia Milano-Alba Berlin in LIVE-Blogging
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3 HOURS AGO
Euroleague
Messina: “Good second half, excellent defense. Datome was important”
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6 MINUTES AGO
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