AX Armani Exchange Milan vs. CSKA Moscow
· This rivalry goes back more than half a century - dating back to the 1966 EuroLeague semifinal. It has often been one-sided. Milan won eight of the first 11 games between the sides, but CSKA has enjoyed clear dominance over Milan in recent years, winning nine in a row before last season.
· In a third-Place game of the 2021 Final Four in Cologne, Milan beat CSKA 83-73 with Sergio Rodriguez leading the way with 14 points and 6 assists.
· Milan snapped a 10-game losing streak against CSKA in Round 29 last season with a 76-84 triumph in the Russian capital.
· Last season in Milan, CSKA pulled out an 87-91 win in which Nikola Milutinov grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, including a EuroLeague record 16 on the offensive glass. In that game, CSKA also set a club record with 60 rebounds.
· In the first-ever Final Four back in 1966, CSKA and Milan met in one of the semifinals played in Bologna, Italy. Milan beat CSKA 57-68 thanks to 20 points from future Hall of Famer Bill Bradley and went on to win its first European crown.
· Milan's single-game record for assists is 12, which Mike James, now with Monaco, tied against CSKA Moscow in November 2018.
· Milan center Kyle Hines spent seven seasons with CSKA Moscow. He played 218 EuroLeague games with CSKA, helping the team reach every Final Four in that period, during which they won a total of 173 games and EuroLeague crowns in 2016 and 2019. During his time with the club, he was named team captain and voted as the competition's Best Defender in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
· Milan point guard Sergio Rodriguez spent two seasons with CSKA, from 2017 to 2019, and helped it win the 2019 EuroLeague title. He played under Coach Dimitris Itoudis and was a teammate of the majority of the current CSKA squad.
· Rodriguez posted a career-high with 13 assists playing for Real Madrid against CSKA in January 2016.
· Coach Ettore Messina had two successful stints coaching CSKA. In his first four-year period in the Russian capital, Messina guided CSKA to two EuroLeague titles (2006 and 2008) and reached two more championship games (2007 and 2009). He reached the Final Four twice more (2013 and 2014) when he next took the reins.
· During his years at CSKA, Messina coached only two players from the current CSKA roster, Nikita Kurbanov and Alexey Shved.
· CSKA guard Daniel Hackett played for Milan for a season and a half. Hackett joined Milan in December 2013 and stayed there until the summer of 2015. He was a teammate with Nicolo Melli, and the two helped Milan reach the 2014 EuroLeague Playoffs.
· Hackett and Melli not only played together at Milan in 2014 and 2015, but have also been teammates on the Italian national team.
· Hackett played under Milan head coach Ettore Messina on the Italian national team in 2016. Hackett has been a teammate on the Italian national team also with Milan's Luigi Datome and Paul Biligha.
· Hackett set his career-high in steals with 4 and tied his career-best with 6 triples made in a 78-75 win against Milan in December 2019.
· Milan forward Shavon Shields and CSKA forward Toko Shengelia were teammates at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz for two seasons, from 2018 to 2020.
· CSKA forward Nikita Kurbanov and Milan guard Malcolm Delaney played for Lokomotiv Kuban Kransnodar in the 2014-15 season.
· CSKA guard Alexey Shved earned his first MVP of the Round honor with 29 points and a PIR of 35 playing for Khimki Moscow Region in a 71-77 road win over Milan in December 2017.
· Shved tied his career high in assists with 13 playing for Khimki against Milan in December last season.
· Last season in Milan, when CSKA set a club record with 60 rebounds, Johannes Voigtmann posted his career high in defensive rebounds with 11.
· Milan center Dinos Mitoglou set his career highs in two-point shots (11), rebounds (16) and offensive rebounds (8) playing for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in 102-106 overtime road win over CSKA in January 2020. His 16 rebounds is also a Panathinaikos club record.
· Shengelia matched his career-best with 4 steals last season in a home loss against Milan.
· Milan center Kaleb Tarczewski matched his career-high with 10 rebounds against CSKA in December 2019.
· This rivalry goes back more than half a century - dating back to the 1966 EuroLeague semifinal. It has often been one-sided. Milan won eight of the first 11 games between the sides, but CSKA has enjoyed clear dominance over Milan in recent years, winning nine in a row before last season.
· In a third-Place game of the 2021 Final Four in Cologne, Milan beat CSKA 83-73 with Sergio Rodriguez leading the way with 14 points and 6 assists.
· Milan snapped a 10-game losing streak against CSKA in Round 29 last season with a 76-84 triumph in the Russian capital.
· Last season in Milan, CSKA pulled out an 87-91 win in which Nikola Milutinov grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, including a EuroLeague record 16 on the offensive glass. In that game, CSKA also set a club record with 60 rebounds.
· In the first-ever Final Four back in 1966, CSKA and Milan met in one of the semifinals played in Bologna, Italy. Milan beat CSKA 57-68 thanks to 20 points from future Hall of Famer Bill Bradley and went on to win its first European crown.
· Milan's single-game record for assists is 12, which Mike James, now with Monaco, tied against CSKA Moscow in November 2018.
· Milan center Kyle Hines spent seven seasons with CSKA Moscow. He played 218 EuroLeague games with CSKA, helping the team reach every Final Four in that period, during which they won a total of 173 games and EuroLeague crowns in 2016 and 2019. During his time with the club, he was named team captain and voted as the competition's Best Defender in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
· Milan point guard Sergio Rodriguez spent two seasons with CSKA, from 2017 to 2019, and helped it win the 2019 EuroLeague title. He played under Coach Dimitris Itoudis and was a teammate of the majority of the current CSKA squad.
· Rodriguez posted a career-high with 13 assists playing for Real Madrid against CSKA in January 2016.
· Coach Ettore Messina had two successful stints coaching CSKA. In his first four-year period in the Russian capital, Messina guided CSKA to two EuroLeague titles (2006 and 2008) and reached two more championship games (2007 and 2009). He reached the Final Four twice more (2013 and 2014) when he next took the reins.
· During his years at CSKA, Messina coached only two players from the current CSKA roster, Nikita Kurbanov and Alexey Shved.
· CSKA guard Daniel Hackett played for Milan for a season and a half. Hackett joined Milan in December 2013 and stayed there until the summer of 2015. He was a teammate with Nicolo Melli, and the two helped Milan reach the 2014 EuroLeague Playoffs.
· Hackett and Melli not only played together at Milan in 2014 and 2015, but have also been teammates on the Italian national team.
· Hackett played under Milan head coach Ettore Messina on the Italian national team in 2016. Hackett has been a teammate on the Italian national team also with Milan's Luigi Datome and Paul Biligha.
· Hackett set his career-high in steals with 4 and tied his career-best with 6 triples made in a 78-75 win against Milan in December 2019.
· Milan forward Shavon Shields and CSKA forward Toko Shengelia were teammates at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz for two seasons, from 2018 to 2020.
· CSKA forward Nikita Kurbanov and Milan guard Malcolm Delaney played for Lokomotiv Kuban Kransnodar in the 2014-15 season.
· CSKA guard Alexey Shved earned his first MVP of the Round honor with 29 points and a PIR of 35 playing for Khimki Moscow Region in a 71-77 road win over Milan in December 2017.
· Shved tied his career high in assists with 13 playing for Khimki against Milan in December last season.
· Last season in Milan, when CSKA set a club record with 60 rebounds, Johannes Voigtmann posted his career high in defensive rebounds with 11.
· Milan center Dinos Mitoglou set his career highs in two-point shots (11), rebounds (16) and offensive rebounds (8) playing for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in 102-106 overtime road win over CSKA in January 2020. His 16 rebounds is also a Panathinaikos club record.
· Shengelia matched his career-best with 4 steals last season in a home loss against Milan.
· Milan center Kaleb Tarczewski matched his career-high with 10 rebounds against CSKA in December 2019.
Game Facts - AX Armani Exchange Milan
Streaks
Shavon Shields has scored in double figures in 18 of his last 19 games.
Sergio Rodriguez has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine straight games.
Malcolm Delaney had double-digit PIRs in six of his last seven games.
Rankings
Luigi Datome ranked fifth last season in three-point accuracy at 51.1%.
Records/Milestones
Kyle Hines is in 11th place all-time with 2,753 points scored. Ante Tomic is 10th with 2,780 career points.
Hines is ranked second all-time with 262 blocked shots. Bryant Dunston of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is the all-time leader with 273 and counting.
Hines ranks second all-time with 657 offensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is the all-time leader with 705.
Hines ranks fifth all-time with 1,466 rebounds. Ante Tomic is fourth with 1,545.
Hines ranks 14th on the EuroLeague career charts with 564 free throws made. His former CSKA Moscow teammate Milos Teodosic is 13th with 570.
Next time he enters the game, Sergio Rodriguez will make his 300th appearance in the EuroLeague. He ranks ninth all-time.
Rodriguez is ranked third all-time with 1,409 assists. Nick Calathes of FC Barcelona is second with 1,526 and counting.
Rodriguez ranks third all-time with 497 three-pointers made. Vassilis Spanoulis is second with 518.
Rodriguez is in seventh place all-time with 3,151 points. Paulius Jankunas of Zalgiris Kaunas is in sixth place with 3,178.
Rodriguez is in ninth place all-time with 251 career steals; Nando De Colo of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is eighth with 255.
Luigi Datome ranks seventh all-time in free throw accuracy at 91.0%.
Nicolo Melli ranks 20th all-time with 972 total rebounds. Nikola Milutinov is 19th with 1,002 and counting.
Malcolm Delaney needs 4 steals to reach 100 for his career.
Delaney needs 26 points to reach 1,500 for his career.
Game Facts - CSKA Moscow
Roster
Every CSKA player has previous experience in the competition and at least four EuroLeague appearances.
Streaks
Johannes Voigtmann has made at least 1 three-point shot in 13 straight and 25 of his last 26 games.
Daniel Hackett has made at least 1 three-pointer in seven of his last eight games.
Iffe Lundberg has made at least 1 three-pointer in eight straight games.
Marius Grigonis made at least 1 three-point shot in eight straight games.
Alexey Shved has made at least 1 three-pointer in 42 of his last 43 appearances.
Shved has scored in double-digits in 17 straight and 96 of his last 97 appearances.
Shved has posted a PIR in double figures in 29 of his last 30 games.
Rankings
Alexey Shved led the EuroLeague in scoring last season with 19.8 points per game.
Shved ranked second last season in average PIR with 19.6 per game.
Shved led the EuroLeague last season with 7.7 assists per game.
Shved led the league last season with 3.5 three-point shots made per game.
Marius Grigonis was tied for third in the EuroLeague last season in free-throw accuracy at 94.4%.
Records/Milestones
In Round 17 last season, Nikola Milutinov smashed the EuroLeague single-game record with 16 offensive rebounds in a road win over AX Armani Exchange Milan.
Milutinov ranks eighth on the all-time list with 464 offensive rebounds. Bryant Dunston of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is seventh with 468.
Alexey Shved holds the EuroLeague single-season records with 740 points and 107 three-pointers made, both set in the 2017-18 season.
Shved ranks ninth all-time with 418 three-point shots made for his career. Gianluca Basile is eighth with 421.
Shved ranks 12th all-time in scoring with 2,743 points. Kyle Hines is 11th with 2,753 and counting.
Shved ranks 12th all-time with 577 free throws made for his career. Sergio Llull is 11th with 580 and counting.
Shved needs 19 assists to reach 800 for his career.
Marius Grigonis is ranked second all-time in free throw accuracy at 92.8%.