Olimpia Milano – Reggiana

Italy – Basketball Serie A, day 3.

Saturday 14/10/23, 19:00CET

It’s time for a big win at Assago Forum, after a disappointing beginning of the season. In the last month, the big favorite Olimpia lost the Supercoppa Italiana (73-78 to Virtus Bologna), then the Euroleague debut (85-82 at Fenerbahce’s) and their first game in Serie A (77-68 in Naples) already at day 2. The good news, if anything, is the impact of Nikola Mirotic: 26,5 points scored in the last two, for the former Barcelona’s superstar. But around him, coach Messina must rebuild a roster that last year – despite many difficulties – in the long term found the way to the scudetto. Shavon Shields is not at his best, while the Italians – from Melli to Ricci and Tonut – are recovering their physical condition after a tiring World Cup in Asia. This notwithstanding, Milano is always the team to beat.

From hell to heaven. Just last spring, Reggio Emilia was facing the specter of a dramatic relegation to Serie A2. In this 2023/24, they are first in the league with two wins in as many games: a sprint that hardly can last long, but still proves the hard work undertaken by the club during the summer. Reggiana decided to say goodbye to a playmaking legend such as Andrea Cinciarini, not an easy choice; at the same time, they have restarted from a rejuvenated roster who has in Kevin Hervey (a formerly OKC player) the new technical leader. On top of that, the appointment of the Greek coach Dimitris Priftis, at his first Italian experience.

Reggiana have never won in Milan in the last 11 years. To upset the odds, Hervey and pals are required to play a perfect sequence of offensive and defensive basketball: if Olimpia are put off the pace, they can suffer – their seasonal defeats occurred when scoring 72 points on average. Apart from that, both the technical gap and the motivation for a convincing home-win are firmly pointing in the direction of Milano.