L'Olimpia Milano seeks redemption at Cremona: coach Poeta wants a reaction

The disappointment of the heavy defeat, at home, with Dubai is still great. In the match that could have been worth a decisive step toward the Euroleague play-in, the red-and-whites melted like snow in the sun. A misstep that left a bitter taste in the mouth within the group. Coach Poeta expects a prompt reaction. Today, at 8 p.m., EA7 will be on stage at Pala Radi in Cremona. The goal is to return to success immediately, in order to better prepare for the upcoming Final Eight of the Italian Cup (Feb. 18-22, Turin).

Fabrizio Ponciroli

“Cremona is a very dangerous team especially when they play at home. They play very fast basketball, trying to build opportunities from the first seconds of possession, thanks to the athletic qualities of their players and the fact that virtually all of them can score from three-point range. Without Davide Casarin they will be somewhat penalized but their perimeter has enough talent to create enough problems for any team. It will be a tough test for us. The guys will have to bring out everything they have to win,” the words of Kovacic, assistant coach Poeta.

There are 34 previous meetings between Cremona and Milan. Olimpia leads 30-4. It is 15-1 at home and 12-3 on the road in league games. The only loss suffered by Milan was in the 2012/13 season, but the game was actually played in Desio. It ended 81-78 for Vanoli. Records include a Coppa Italia semifinal in 2015, a Supercoppa semifinal at the beginning of the 2015/16 season, and the 2020 Coppa Italia quarterfinal. Olimpia has won all these three games. In the games between Milan and Cremona to be remembered an 82-80 victory with a basket at the end of the period (dunk from a throw-in) by Mindaugas Kuzminskas; another 77-74 with a decisive three-point basket by Vlado Micov, who scored 22 points; the one two years ago in Cremona decided by a triple by Nicolò Melli, 73-72.

In Cremona’s house, watch out for point guard Aljami Durham, who has an important past at the college level, where he played for prestigious programs such as Indiana and Providence, is producing 14.1 points per contest, with 37.7% in three-point shooting, and 2.8 assists per contest. Veteran Payton Willis is a very talented offensive player who had a stellar season in Pistoia in 2023/24 then moved on to Tenerife unless he returned to Italy to play in Cremona.

Do not rule out coach Poeta making some sort of turnover. Tonut, already seen on the court against Dubai, and Diop should have more space, as should Mannion, the latter called to make an important step at the level of quality of play expressed.