By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Heading to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs next week, AX Armani Exchange Milan confirmed one new COVID-19 case Wednesday. The team member returning the positive test was isolated, according to health and safety guidelines.
Six team members were found positive for coronavirus last week. Overcoming disruptions, the Italian outfit managed to defeat LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on the road to complete the schedule of the EuroLeague Regular Season and earn the third seed in the Playoffs bracket. The 19-9 record painted the regular-season picture for the team coached by Ettore Messina.
Finishing third clinched the home-court advantage in the best-of-five series of the Playoffs. As the third seed, Olimpia Milano will take on Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv or Anadolu Efes, depending on the outcome of the final Regular Season contest, a rescheduled Round 23 game between Maccabi and Fenerbahce Beko, set to be held tonight (18:30 CET).
Deprived of the services of Konstantinos Mitoglou and also missing Luigi Datome to start the Playoffs, the best-of-five series will stretch between April 19 and May 4. The season-ending tournament follows at Belgrade’s Stark Arena from 19 to 21 May.
Coming off a domestic loss to LBA Serie A defending champion Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Sunday, the team located in Milan fell a couple of games behind in the hunt to secure the top seed of the Italian League Playoffs. The 19-5 W-L tally versus the 21-3 of the Bologna outlet shapes the two-game distance. Germani Brescia follows in third place carrying an 18-7 record.