UNIPOL FORUM, ASSAGO (MI) – Nicolò Melli had already warned at the beginning of the fourth period. When he, baptized on the bow, he had put the triple of the moment +10. An unmistakable hand gesture. As if to say: “But you are crazy”. The Olimpia captain scores 9 points in the final period, half of the team’s turnover. Including the mystical tap-in with which he appears out of nowhere to give the +7 71″ from the siren, resolving a sinister series of attacks aimed only at grinding out seconds on the clock. And the long-two thanks to which, about thirty seconds later, Milan secured the victory by pushing Germani back two full possessions away.
Melli with the golden touch! Decisive tap-in at the end of game 1 with Brescia
Melli’s furious sprint frames a match in which Milan wins extracting the most hidden cards from his deck. It does without Nikola Miroticrelegated to just 8 minutes due to fouls. Without Shavon Shields, returned after last week’s stop but visibly out of match rhythm. AND without particular individual rings of Shabazz Napierwell placed in a pure director role.
Showing the way is the man you don’t expect. Johannes Voigtmann, the sacrifice of the first game of the post-season. But resurrected with an exploit from 21 points (season-high) with 5/8 from three. His first half begins with groans from the Forum due to a trivial turnover. But it quickly turns into a space shooting clinic. At half-time he is already at 19, an infernal catapult in winning most of the 61 with which Milan repeats the sparks of match 2 with Trento. Alongside him acts one of the best versions of the year Stefano Tonut. Decisive, powerful, darting. 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and the impression of being the hungriest man at this moment of the season. They hit on the perimeter Diego Flaccadori (11) with lots of (deserved) space from the bench, e Devon Hall (10). In paint, thanks to the fouls of Mirotic and Melli, he returns to thunder Kyle Hines. Polished as in its golden age.
the full match report coming soon…
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano – Germani Brescia 95-89 (series at 1-0)
- Milan: Tonut 12, Melli 11, Napier 9, Shields 4, Mirotic 3; Hall 10, Voigtmann 21, Ricci 2, Flaccadori 9, Hines 10. Ne: Caruso, Bortolani. All.: Messina.
- Brescia: Christon 9, Gabriel 9, Della Valle 30, Bilan 11, Akele 3; Burnell, Massinburg 12, Petrucelli 4, Cobbins 6, Cournooh. Ne: Porto, Tanfoglio. All.: Skinny.
