By Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
With a 21-1 run in the fourth quarter (28-9), Milan knocked out AS Monaco, getting the 79-71 win at home despite not having Ettore Messina on the bench due to an illness.
Hitting the buzzer-beater to close the third quarter and ending the game with a season-high 23 points and 6/10 from the perimeter, Billy Baron was Milan’s highest scorer of the night.
Giampaolo Ricci went really close to his first-ever EuroLeague double-double with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Brandon Davies followed with 14 points.
“I think we came back in the second half first because we didn’t give up offensively, second because we found very good shots. That was it, congrats to the guys for the unbelievable effort to come back. We made it. Hines’ ejection gave a lot of energy to the guys and to the crowd, which pushed us”, coach Fioretti, who replaced Ettore Messina, said after the game.
In his third game on this court after leaving Milan in 2019, Mike James had a losing effort of 24 points, shooting only 8/24 from the field with 5 turnovers. He also had 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
After hitting the game-winning buzzer-beater against ALBA Berlin, Elie Okobo scored 16 points off the bench.
“Unexpected loss. Honestly, everything changed with Kyle Hines’ two technicals. From that moment, we lost control. They started to score. They had a really good confidence to do other things and win this game”, Sasa Obradovic said after the loss.
Kyle Hines got ejected in the third period after receiving two straight technical fouls, being visibly nervous and angry toward the refereeing trio.
This ejection led to Milan emotionally turning the game around, being pushed by the Mediolanum Forum’s crowd. After closing the first half (47-34) up by 13 points, in fact, AS Monaco lost control of the game, scoring only 24 points between the third and fourth quarters.
The home side didn’t have Shavon Shields, who is expected to be out until the beginning of 2023, Kevin Pangos, out due to a knee injury, and Gigi Datome, who hasn’t played since Round 6.
Jordan Loyd came back to the court with a protective mask after breaking his nose against Real Madrid in Round 12 but left the game with just 1:04 since the start after beating accidentally hit on the face.
After this loss, Milan will play once again at home, facing Valencia on December 29 at 20:30 CET. AS Monaco will return to the Salle Gaston Medecin to face Zalgiris Kaunas on the same day, thirty minutes later.
PHOTO CREDIT: EA7 Emporio Armani Milan