Baskonia Collapses in Milan After Defensive Breakdown in EuroLeague, 109-89

MILAN. Baskonia suffered a heavy defeat in their visit to Olimpia Milano, losing 109-89 in EuroLeague Matchday 26. After a competitive first half where the Vitoria side trailed by just one point at halftime, Paolo Galbiati's team completely fell apart defensively in the second half, allowing the Italian squad to break open the game with an unstoppable offensive display led by Shavon Shields, Zach LeDay, and Devin Booker.

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The start of the game promised a high-scoring battle. Baskonia began strong thanks to their offensive rebounding prowess (7-12, min. 3), but loose defense from both sides turned the first quarter into a three-point shooting festival. The Lombards, who shot an astronomical 5-for-6 from three in the opening ten minutes, punished every visiting mistake. Despite the efforts of Markus Howard, who shone in the first half, Baskonia allowed 32 points in the opening quarter—a figure that already foreshadowed the problems to come.

After halftime, the balance fell apart. Olimpia Milano tightened their defense on Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, shutting down the Baskonia attack, while on the other end three-pointers continued to rain in with remarkable efficiency (12-for-19 by the 26-minute mark). A 27-15 run in the third quarter definitively broke the game open, leaving Baskonia without any answer and with a deficit that reached 23 points (101-78).

The absences of Tadas Sedekerskis and Donta Hall weighed heavily on a Baskonia side that also saw Khalifa Diop suffer a head injury and Trent Forrest finish with a cut above his eye. Frustration took over the Vitoria bench, reflected in Galbiati's harsh words after halftime when he called his team's defense "shameful." Not even the head-to-head advantage, which stood at +10 for the Basques after the first leg, could save them from Milan's offensive onslaught, which distributed 20 assists and committed barely any turnovers.

With this result, Baskonia shows a concerning trend away from home in the EuroLeague, exposing a defensive fragility that prevents them from competing when Howard's shooting touch disappears. The collapse in Milan represents a step backward in the Alavese side's playoff aspirations, and they also lose their point differential advantage against a direct rival.

The Vitoria squad will need to quickly move past this result and refocus on their upcoming continental commitments, where defensive improvement becomes non-negotiable if they want to maintain their playoff hopes.