MIES (Switzerland) - Do you believe in miracles? If not, you might change your mind, because those do happen in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL.
For example, you might witness unbelievable turnarounds in the decisive outcomes of games, teams overcoming the odds and shocking the opponents, even players turning into heroes for their fanbases.
That's pretty much what happened on Tuesday night of the BCL Regular Season in Season X. Stay with us to figure out what occurred around Europe, starting from a Lithuanian celebration in the heart of Poland.
Legia Warszawa 77-79 Rytas Vilnius
Rytas Vilnius fans couldn't wait for Tuesday to come, as a red-and-black wave came all the way from Lithuania, ready to celebrate in Poland.
With a win over Legia Warszawa and a simultaneous victory by MLP Academics Heidelberg over Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola, they would have celebrated making it to the Round of 16.
For the fourth time in the club's history since joining the BCL, Rytas are Sweet 16 bound following their 79-77 road win against Legia, breaking a four-game losing streak away from Vilnius.
Only a few days after being called up by Poland for the FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers, Jerrick Harding gave the Polish fans a preview of his offensive package.
Rytas' leader had 22 points, including a clutch floater for a 77-74 lead with 12 seconds to go following a spin-move in traffic. He has now scored 20+ points in seven of his last nine games in the BCL.
This is not even the craziest of stats about the American guard, who bounced back perfectly after his rough landing against Legia in the reverse fixture: he has scored 72 points over 69 minutes played in Season X.
He's a very humble person and a great player. In crucial moments, all the lights will go on him. You are lucky to have him as well.
The Lithuanians completely outscored the opponents in points from the bench (46-14) and in the paint (44-28). Jordan Walker added 15 points, while Gytis Radzevicius flirted with a double-double at 8 points and 9 rebounds.
Before playing next to him with the Polish national team, Andrzej Pluta tried his best to escape with a victory out of his matchup with Harding, but finished with a losing effort of 23 points and 8 assists.
Jayvon Graves (16 points and 8 rebounds) and Race Thompson (15 points) also tried to give their contribution to Legia. However, the Polish side stay at 2-3 in a three-team tie with Heidelberg and Promitheas in Group A.
MLP Academics Heidelberg 82-62 Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola
Rytas fans weren't the only ones paying attention to what was going on in the other matchup in Group A.
Indeed, Heidelberg knew that they would have been in danger with a win by Legia. That result, combined with a loss by the German team, would have eliminated them. Guess what? None of the two happened.
While Promitheas stayed in the game until halftime, the second half was all about Heidelberg, which won 82-62 in front of their fans to keep their hopes alive in Season X.
A 16-0 run to go up 54-39 after starting the third quarter down 38-39 sparked the hosts' win.
The Weathers brothers stepped up for Heidelberg: Marcus finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Michael added 10 points and 6 assists. Marcel Keßen went close to a double-double with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
Claudell Harris Jr. had a 21-point losing effort in Germany.
Galatasaray MCT Technic 79-80 Pallacanestro Trieste
More than a month ago, Galatasaray MCT Technic and Pallacanestro Trieste already proved to everybody that this was going to be a tough matchup, with the winning shots coming in the clutch.
In Italy, the Turkish team escaped with the 90-91 road victory in one of the best games of the BCL Regular Season thus far. On Tuesday, another one-point win took place, but with the red-and-white side enjoying it.
At the end of a 40-minute battle, which featured 12 lead changes in Istanbul, Israel Gonzalez's team won 80-79 thanks to a clutch driving layup by Markel Brown, who ended with 13 points and 7 assists.
Who will enjoy the victory's spotlight, however, is Mady Sissoko, who dominated under the rim to ultimately conclude with a winning effort of 21 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 9-of-12 from the field.
"I'm very happy because I saw a reaction in the team. We were solid today. We didn't receive fast breaks. [...] The team played hard and together to get this win," Gonzalez commented as his team improved to 2-3 in Group E.
I thought it was a hard-fought battle. We did a great job of taking our punches and responding back with some action.
Trieste fans will now wait for Wednesday's clash between Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets and Igokea m:tel: with a win by the Germans, the BIH side will be eliminated, while the Italians will celebrate getting to the Play-Ins.
Errick McCollum's 26-point losing effort wasn't enough for Galatasaray, which couldn't extend their winning streak to five games, staying unbeaten in Group E. The Lions had already qualified for the Round of 16.
Le Mans Sarthe Basket 88-90 Dreamland Gran Canaria
Following their most recent road defeat to SL Benfica, Le Mans Sarthe Basket wanted to come back stronger than ever, counting on their good tradition at home.
Before Tuesday, they had won six of their previous seven games when playing behind their friendly walls, and with a victory against Dreamland Gran Canaria, they would make a statement in the race for the Play-Ins.
The script looked promising, as the French side were up by 14 points (39-25) with 3:55 minutes to play in the second quarter. If basketball has taught us something, however, it is to never underestimate the opponent's heart.
Despite already being qualified for the Round of 16, Gran Canaria wanted to do something that only a few have done before: win their first five games in the BCL.
Said and done: 90-88 on the road and a perfect 5-0 start, joining Besiktas and Neptunas Klaipeda in 2016-17 and Virtus Bologna in 2018-19 as the only teams capable of doing so.
Entering the fourth quarter down by 10 points (75-65), Jaka Lakovic's team quickly re-entered the picture, getting their second lead of the game with four minutes to go at 82-83.
Braian Angola was Gran Canaria's hero, as he concluded with 25 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. He shot 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while the whole team ended with 16-of-31 from the perimeter.
Miquel Salvo (19 points over 5-of-9 from three) and Ziga Samar (12 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds) were decisive as well.
Le Mans also had a magnificent night from beyond the arc (48.2%, 13-of-27), but weren't successful.
Except for the 2005-born David Simonovic, everybody contributed to the scoresheet, with David DiLeo (14 points) leading it.