Hapoel and Dubai make their EuroLeague debuts in the early slots
Game Center: Five games in the books, just two in play
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18 Mins read
Tuesday, September 30
Dubai Basketball 89-76 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Dubai made its EuroLeague debut a memorable one, beating visiting Partizan 89-76 on Tuesday night at Coca-Cola Arena. Dubai opened the game by making its first 7 three-point tries and trailed for only one possession in the third quarter en route to a historic victory. The winners had five scorers in double figures, led by Davis Bertans who netted 20 points on 5-for-7 three-point shooting. Dzanan Musa scored 19, Mfioundu Kabengele added 15 points, Filip Petrusev collected 14 points and 8 rebounds, while Dwayne Bacon finished with 11 points. Tyrique Jones tallied 13 points and 6 rebounds for Partizan, Dylan Osetkowski scored 12, Jabari Parker 11 and Shake Milton 10 in a losing effort.
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv 103-87 FC Barcelona
Hapoel recorded its first-ever EuroLeague win right away by downing Barcelona 103-87 in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Tuesday. Antonio Blakeney led the winners with 20 points off the bench, Vasilije Micic and Dan Oturu each scored 18, Chris Jones had 12 and Elijah Bryant netted 11 for Hapoel. Will Clyburn led Barca with 23 points and Jan Vesely and Kevin Punter each added 13 for the visitors.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul 85-78 Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
Efes kicked off the 2025-26 EuroLeague season with an 85-78 victory over Maccabi at MORACA in Podgorica, Montenegro. An entertaining back-and-forth clash saw the hosts trail 75-76 with 04:10 to go, but Rolands Smits stepped up with 7 straight points in the closing stages to clinch it for the Turkish side. Smits and Jordan Loyd led all scorers with 16 points each. Shane Larkin scored 14, with Ercan Osmani and Nick Weiler-Babb netting 12 each. For the visitors, Jaylen Hoard and Roman Sorkin bagged 15 points apiece in a losing effort.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CEST)
After suffering another near-miss with a semifinals defeat, Olympiacos begins its latest title assault with a trip to new-look Baskonia. The Spanish team has a new head coach, with EuroLeague novice Paolo Galbiati overseeing a roster reloaded with the recruitment of promising talent such as Matteo Spagnolo and Markquis Nowell. Baskonia’s key player continues to be scoring ace Markus Howard, while backcourt facilitator Trent Forrest will hope to continue his outstanding form from the end of last season. Heading into his sixth straight season in charge of Olympiacos, Georgios Bartzokas has not changed much: the likes of Sasha Vezenkov, Evan Fournier and Nikola Milutinov are back to lead the Reds again. But Donta Hall and Tyson Ward are significant signings, adding more quality to an already loaded roster.
Virtus Bologna vs. Real Madrid (20:45 CEST)
Sergio Scariolo tips off his second spell in charge of Real Madrid with a trip to his former club, Virtus. The Spanish giant is looking to bounce back from a relatively disappointing season (seventh place, 20-14), and Scariolo has made moves in the market by recruiting EuroLeague rookies Chuma Okeke and Trey Lyles along with rising star Theo Maledon, who will look to repeat the spectacular performances he delivered last season with ASVEL. With the likes of Facu Campazzo, Mario Hezonja and Walter Tavares returning, Real will take plenty of talent to face a Virtus team which looks to be in rebuilding mode: veteran coach Dusko Ivanovic has signed eight new players and will look for instant chemistry in the backcourt from Luca Vildoza and Carsen Edwards.
Wednesday, October 1
AS Monaco vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (19:30 CEST)
Last season’s beaten finalist Monaco will look for a strong start at home against Zalgiris. Ahead of his first full season in charge, Roca Team coach Vassilis Spanoulis has made one of the summer’s biggest transfer moves by signing former EuroLeague MVP Nikola Mirotic, who will look to strike an instant connection with all-time scoring leader Mike James – now fully reintegrated after missing the end of last season with an internal suspension. Scoring threat Nemanja Nedovic and big man Kevarrius Hayes are also new additions to face a Zalgiris team led for the first time by Tomas Masiulis. The new coach is integrating some significant signings including experienced backcourt duo Maodo Lo and Nigel Williams-Goss, while talented center Azuolas Tubelis will look to make an instant impact in the paint.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Paris Basketball (19:45 CEST)
Reigning champion Fenerbahce begins its title defense with a visit from new-look Paris. The Turkish team has retained the majority of last season’s triumphant squad, with the significant exceptions of Nigel Hayes-Davis and Marko Guduric. Their shoes will be filled by dynamic American guard Talen Horton-Tucker and flying Finn Mikael Jantunen, who is ready to make his debut for Sarunas Jasikevicius by facing his former club. Jantunen was just one of several high-profile summer departures from Paris, which is also led by a new coach in the form of Francesco Tabellini. The French club will hope that Nadir Hifi can continue his development into one of the continent’s most exciting players, while new signings such as EuroLeague rookies Jeremy Morgan and Justin Robinson will need to adapt fast.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Valencia Basket (20:00 CEST)
Valencia returns to the EuroLeague after a one-year absence with a trip to ASVEL. The French club, again coached by Pierric Poupet, will rely on the veteran leadership of Nando De Colo, David Lighty and Edwin Jackson. The significant void left by Theo Maledon’s departure will have to be filled by Glynn Watson Jr, who showed his potential by averaging 16.0 points per game in the French league with Gravelines-Dunkerque. Valencia’s backcourt will be led by one of the competition's hottest prospects, Jean Montero, with plenty of assistance from experienced and versatile new signing Darius Thompson. Another important arrival for Pedro Martinez's team is rebounding star Neal Sako, who makes his debut by trying to dish out a defeat to his former club.