By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Forced by Anadolu Efes to the wrong end of Game 1 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Quarterfinals best-of-five series was merely the tip of the iceberg for AX Armani Exchange Milan Tuesday night. Nicolo Melli picked up an injury late in the fourth quarter generating another blow for the team guided by Ettore Messina.
“We couldn’t buy a bucket. We didn’t play well on offense. We shot awful, and we also got depressed. And on top of that Nicolo Melli got hurt in his calf. So it was a very, very bad night,” the 62-year-old Italian tactician walked through Game 1, “Let’s hope to regroup and play the second one.”
Game 2 follows on Thursday. Both sides will meet again in Milan’s Mediolanum Forum. However, the home-court advantage secured through a grueling Regular Season now belongs to the defending EuroLeague champions.
Melli, 31, managed to put up a team-high 10 points in Game 1’s losing effort. Limited to 17/55 field goals, his side kept falling further behind instead of launching a comeback bid in the second half. Potentially being deprived of the services of the former NBA big man will only make matters worse moving forward in the best-of-five series versus the Turkish outlet.
Luigi Datome underwent surgery on his left knee a couple of weeks ago and will not be available in Game 2. Also out, Greek import Konstantinos Mitoglou serving a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. In addition, former San Diego State standout Trey Kell has been dealing with a leg injury.
Photo Credit: EuroLeagueBasketball.net