Basketball, Serie A Playoffs: Olimpia Milano flexes its muscles in game-2: 91-65 victory over Reggio Emilia

MEDIOLANUM FORUM OF ASSAGO (MI) – The receivership, this time, works. Milan plays three quarters in a photocopy of Game 1, dominating a short opponent for staff, chili and talentand keeps his hands firmly on the handlebars even when coach Ettore Messina gives confidence to the second quintet and the scoreboard would suggest the possibility of a minimum of relaxation.

Sergio Rodriguez preach chachismo in a perfect evening in directing. 14 points, 4/5 from the arc, 5 assists in just 17 minutes, the minimum needed to quickly archive the game. Beside him, the guns fire the viewfinder. Gigi Datome does not miss a beat, white and red top scorer at 16. Shavon Shields meanders in every corner of the field. And, from the bench, everyone contributes, en masse.

Coach Messina can dedicate himself to one scientific distribution of minutespreserving the praetorians in view of the hot moments of the coming days and giving back confidence to the second quintetin difficulty in race-1. Jerian Grant e Tommaso Baldasso they respond with personality on the perimeter, Pippo Ricci factor returns also in attack, Paul Biligha cement the defence acting as an excellent shoulder to the eternal Kyle Hines and also Davide Alvitiunfrozen in the fourth period, shows important signs of psychological recovery.

Reggio Emilia lasts less than a quarter, overwhelmed right from the tap-off from energy, physicality and talent of opponents. Stephen Thompson closes with 15 points, but does not have the same impact as in game-1, when it was a bugbear for Milanese nerves. Mikael Hopkins disappears after an interesting start, Arthur Strautin fight with iron (1/8 shot), Tyler Larson is ectoplasmic again (0 points, 0/6). He tears applause, and a few tears of emotion, Andrea Cinciarini, greeted by a very warm standing ovation from his former audience. Once again he is the last to surrender, living 36 minutes as a one-man band: his box-score reads 19 points with 5/8 of three (top-scorer of the evening), but the emotions perceived on the parquet of the Forum go far beyond mere numbers.

AX Armani Exchange Milano – UnaHotels Reggio Emilia 91-65

• Milano: Rodriguez 14, Shields 9, Datome 16, Bentil 9, Hines 5; Grant 6, Erba 2, Ricci 8, Baldasso 8, Alviti 6, Biligha 4, Hall 4. All .: Messina.
• Reggio Emilia: Cinciarini 19, Larson, Strautins 7, Johnson 3, Hopkins 9; Crawford 6, Colombo, Soliani, Thompson 15, Baldi Rossi 6. All .: Caja.

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