The City of Cagliari final will be between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Bayern Munich. Today (8:30 PM), the two teams will battle for the trophy, concluding a weekend that brought some of the Euroleague's top players back to the capital. First, at 6:00 PM, the third-place match between Maxima Roma and Asvel Villeurbanne will take place.
The opening matchup between Hapoel and Maxima was tight until the final possession, with the Israelis leading 80-78. Despite being without Vasilije Micic, Itoudis's men immediately attempted to take control of the game, closing the first quarter with an 11-point lead. However, Rome responded before halftime and completed the comeback in the third quarter to tie the score at 50-50. Two free throws by Zach LeDay with 14 seconds remaining decided the final head-to-head. Maxima, however, had one last opportunity, but John Brown failed to find the basket. Wainright scored 14 points for Hapoel, while Blakeney and Oturu each added 10; Brynton Lemar was the leading scorer among the Romans with 13.
The second semifinal featured more dramatic moments. Bayern and Asvel played closely in the first half, before France accelerated in the third quarter. Patty Mills sparked a 24-14 run that allowed Tony Parker's team to gain a lead. In the final quarter, however, Munich once again overturned the momentum and sealed the win, led by Norris's 14 points and Voigtmann's 10 (the score was 81-72).
