Trying, after all, cost nothing. Thus Treviso Basket has long created various headaches for the “sick” of Italian basketball, Ettore Messina’s Armani, which only came out in the fourth quarter in all its power, managing to pass to Treviso despite the support of 4,922 from Palaverde.
Milan remains a battleship even if without half a team. People like Melli and Davies are at Palaverde to mistreat Cooke. Nutribullet accepts the challenge, but the trio of referees conditions the first quarter (eight fouls called against), on the other hand TvB also goes to the line but throws away 6 points. However, the fourth ends with two excellent plays, one by Zanelli who punishes Messina’s defense with a central bomb, then a second later Banks recovers on the throw-in and it is Sarto who punishes from the arc, bringing Nutribullet back into the game at 16-26.
Banks himself finds the layup that brings Treviso back to a double-digit disadvantage. Simioni finds a hole from 6.25, then defends on Thomas and on the other side Adrian Banks draws his pistol: triple for 26-31. Mitrou-Ling obviously doesn’t fit in and responds like him, then Agent 0 takes it personally and burns him twice in a row, with 10 points in his pocket. After Baron finds a bomb by literally throwing the ball towards the basket, it is Simioni who is possessed by Jabbar’s spirit to find the -5 hook. It’s a pity that the triad doesn’t see Jurkatamm slaughtered by Luwawu-Cabarrot, so Ricci can hit from the bow, while Iroegbu looks like Tomba in speed jumping Melli. Of course, Milan has extraordinary guns, but do you want to put the satisfaction of seeing Jantunen harness Melli and launch Cooke towards a dunk in favor of the photographers? Too bad that Hall puts the triple of +9 on the siren for the first half for the Milanese.
Baron and Mitrou-Long understand that TvB shouldn’t be given any chance after the long break, so Messina’s giropalla finds them unmarked to punish Nicola’s area, so Olimpia flies up +15, 38-53. A couple of good things about TvB, including Soko’s assist to Cooke, and a couple of bad things, like the defense on Biligha and a couple of attacks to review (understatement). Iroegbu finds 5 points in a row, Cooke goes out after the fourth foul and Mitrou-Long remains an unsolvable puzzle. But by hook or by crook TvB stays there, at a distance but not dead. The iron spits the minus -7 to Soko, but then it’s Sorokas who scores from outside, then the former Alviti tries the layup on the siren, but too late. Davies goes to the line twice, Sokolowski triples in the middle, the fourth ends 59-68.
Then Milan takes the chair, they are still the champions of Italy. Pippo Ricci first triples and then gets fouled by Zanelli (fourth foul, very serious), Davon Hall takes his team to more than 15 but Banks doesn’t give up (63-75) before Baron triples and fouls Iroegbu, with Milan at maximum benefit. The Palaverde crowd doesn’t give up because they still see a compact team, determined to sell their life dearly, even in the face of a decidedly superior opponent. Of course, Nicola had to talk about it when Davies put in a frontal shot of 63-81 and with six minutes to go the oxen seemed to have already escaped. But the match must end well, knowing that the next two (Scafati away and Verona at home) will be an authentic crossroads for salvation. Nicola spares Banks, Soko hammers again but Davies is an iraddid (average, defense, dunks, the whole repertoire). There remains a triple from Zanelli, a three-point play from Sorokas and a goal from Simioni to make the defeat less bitter. Ends 80-93.