The Greek referee scandal reaches the EuroLeague, Dončić commits 11 turnovers in a win, and Shorts is MVP of the round

The Greek scandal: a 17,000-euro holiday and the EuroLeague's former head of referees

The investigation into fixed games in Greek basketball is no longer a domestic affair. Court documents now include Richard Stokes, who was the EuroLeague's director of referees from March 2015 to June 2023. According to testimony from a club official, Vangelis Liolios - now president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, then head of Promitheas - agreed to pay for a multi-week stay at the luxury Costa Navarino resort in the summer of 2021, worth 17,000 euros. The booking, according to the statement, was forwarded by email to referee Ilias Koromilas, who was staying there at the same time. The investigation covers 2016 to 2026, six suspects and around 50 suspicious games, and 820,000 euros in cash was found at the home of one of the arrested referees. For now these are allegations, not verdicts. But when a club president treats the man who assigns referees across Europe, who really believes it's just hospitality? "This is sacred for us," Šarūnas Jasikevičius said after Fenerbahçe's 64:61 win over Olympiacos.

Dončić: a win, 23 points and the most turnovers of his career

Luka Dončić and the Lakers won the city derby against the Clippers 125:117, but the Slovenian star will remember the night for something else: 11 turnovers, the most of his career. His previous high was nine, which he had hit six times. Add 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists on 8-of-21 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 from three. The show was stolen by new signing Walker Kessler: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 6 blocks on 10-of-14 shooting. "He's proving a lot of people wrong," Dončić said of his centre. The Lakers are 2-0, and Dončić clearly has room to get better - which, for the rest of the league, is more of a threat than a comfort.

Flagg out after Nesmith's hard foul

Cooper Flagg, last season's rookie of the year and the No. 1 draft pick, was done against Indiana by half-time. In the final minute of the first half, as he ran in for an open dunk, Aaron Nesmith fouled him, Flagg lost his balance and landed on his left shoulder. Shoving between the two teams followed, a flagrant foul for Nesmith and technicals for him and Naji Marshall. An MRI showed a mild shoulder sprain: Flagg misses the game against San Antonio and will be re-evaluated next week. Before the injury he had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in just 17 minutes, and Dallas still won 121:105. Nesmith paid for the foul with a flagrant, but the bigger price may be paid by Dallas - several days, or more, without the most important young player in the franchise.

MZT sink in the fourth quarter in Nikšić

Macedonian champions MZT Skopje Aerodrom suffered their first defeat in the ABA 2 League: 85:75 at Sutjeska in Nikšić, in the second round of Group C. For three quarters it was a game - MZT led 40:39 at half-time after winning the second quarter 29:23 - and then the hosts took the last quarter 25:16, and that was that. Noah Farrakhan scored 18 and Dimitrije Nikolić 17 points, the only double-digit performances for the visitors. Fans online weren't gentle: "Five foreigners for what?" The group also includes Triglav and Sloboda Užice, and only the top two teams from each of the four groups go through to the second phase. The schedule doesn't wait: on Tuesday AEK Larnaca visit the "Jane Sandanski" hall in the FIBA Europe Cup, and on Thursday MZT play away in Strumica in the Super League.

Shorts EuroLeague MVP of the round - against his former club

Round seven of the EuroLeague has a name with a Macedonian stamp at the top. T.J. Shorts, the former Macedonian national team player, led Valencia past his old club Paris 104:93 and finished with 25 points and 9 assists. A PIR of 33 - the same as Zach LeDay, who powered Hapoel Tel Aviv to a 90:81 win over Virtus Bologna with 22 points and 10 rebounds, so the two shared the MVP award. The best answer to a former club is given on the court - and Shorts gave it with 25 points.