Theodore helps AX Milan to first win

AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan outlasted FC Barcelona Lassa to gain its first win of the season with a 78-74 triumph at Mediolanum Forum, leaving both teams with 1-3 records. Barcelona was up by 15 after a powerful second-quarter charge sparked by Juan Carlos Navarro, but Milan responded quickly to level by halftime, and the hosts surged clear in the fourth quarter to establish a lead big enough to withstand a late Barcelona flurry. Point guard Jordan Theodore was the stand-out performer with 19 points and 7 assists, while big man Kaleb Tarczewski combined 11 points with 8 rebounds. Mantas Kalnietis scored 14 points, and 11 rebounds from Arturas Gudaitis helped the hosts win the battle of the boards 38-30. For Barcelona, Thomas Heurtel had 13 points and 7 assists, with Navarro also scoring 13 and Pau Ribas netting 12.

The early stages went back and forth, with Ribas and Sasha Vezenkov both scoring 4 early points as Barcelona went 7-10 ahead midway through the first. Vladimir Micov and Dairis Bertans sank triples for Milan as Kevin Seraphin got into his stride with two consecutive baskets for the visitors, before Adrien Moerman’s buzzer-beating triple saw the first quarter end with Barcelona leading 17-22. Navarro entered the action by scoring 8 points in less than two minutes, as his team enjoyed a 2-12 run to establish a commanding lead. Another Navarro triple made it 23-37, but Milan then rallied with a thrilling 12-0 run including a three-point play from Bertans and a driving lay-up by Theodore, who then teed up an alley-oop for Tarczewski and produced another layup to make it 39-39 at halftime.

Both teams struggled for offensive rhythm in a third quarter containing seven lead changes, and Milan led by 1 point as the final quarter got underway. The same pattern resumed early in the fourth with both offenses struggling and the game staying close, until a 7-0 run featuring two layups from Kalnietis gave Milan some breathing room, and another layup from Theodore made it 65-60 with four minutes remaining. A Navarro-style finish from Petteri Koponen reduced the deficit, but Barcelona suffered a blow as Seraphin fouled out with more than three minutes to play. The irrepressible Theodore’s floater made it a 6-point game, and two tip-ins from Gudaitis appeared to have put the game beyond Barcelona’s reach. Back-to-back triples from Moerman and Ribas made it 74-71, but Pierre Oriola missed a tough alley-oop lay-up and Kalnietis hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.