Olimpia Milano saw off Trieste Pallacanestro 83:79 in the Lega A on 27 September, a result that keeps them third in the table while leaving the visitors in seventh. The hosts had won five of their last six games before this one, though that run included a heavy 97:109 defeat to Venezia back in June. Trieste, meanwhile, had been locked in a mini-series with Brescia across May, losing three and winning two of those encounters before turning to this fixture.
The match itself was tighter than the final score suggests, with both sides trading blows throughout. Milano took advantage of their rebounding edge — 46 to 28 — to control the pace, while Trieste kept pushing from beyond the arc. The visitors knocked down 13 three-pointers compared to the hosts' eight, but those extra attempts didn't translate into enough points to disrupt the balance.
And here's the thing, the game turned on the second half when Milano's defensive rebounds held firm. They pulled down 27 of their own compared to just 19 for Trieste, which meant fewer second chances for the visitors. By then the hosts had extended their unbeaten run and were simply managing the clock, letting Trieste shoot without giving up easy baskets inside.
The statistics tell the story of a game decided at the glass. Milano won 46 rebounds to 28, with 19 offensive boards giving them extra possessions. Trieste shot better from three but committed more turnovers — 11 to 9 — and couldn't convert enough free throws, making 13 of 16 attempts while the hosts went 15 from 20.
We had called for a home win at 72 per cent confidence, and the result followed the prediction. Milano have the deeper squad and showed it when the game tightened, holding their nerve in the closing minutes rather than letting Trieste's three-point barrage drag them into uncertainty.
The gap between third and seventh now sits at seven points, a margin that feels comfortable but isn't permanent. Milano's eight losses this season are still fewer than any side below them, and another victory keeps them moving forward in a league where every game matters.
