A stunning individual performance in an outstanding team win allowed Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos BC to earn Round 16 MVP honors with a PIR of 38.

Round 16 MVP: Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos BC

A stunning individual performance in an outstanding team win allowed [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) of [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) to earn Round 16 MVP honors with a PIR of 38.

Vezenkov was everywhere in his team's 87-77 home victory over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. He had 27 points on 6-of-9 two-pointers, 2-of-3 three-pointers and 9-of-11 free throws, as well as 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 8 fouls drawn to get a PIR of 38, the highest in this round and his highest PIR this season. This is Vezenkov's 12th MVP of the Round award, only trailing Shane Larkin (17 times) and Nando De Colo (16). Vezenkov has earned MVP of the Round honors for the third time this season, having shared this accolade with Neal Sako of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 2 and exclusively in Round 3.

[Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens led his team to a 103-74 home victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan with a career-high 39 points on 4-of-7 two-pointers, 8-of-16 three-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws, adding 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 fouls drawn for a personal-best PIR of 37. 

[Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/) of Paris Basketball amassed a PIR of 35 in his team's 85-96 home loss against Real Madrid. Lo had 30 points on 9-of-10 two-pointers and 4-of-8 three-pointers, in addition to 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 5 fouls drawn. 

[Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) led FC Barcelona to a 90-63 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul with 25 points on 6-of-11 two-pointers, 2-of-2 three-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws. He added 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 6 fouls drawn to reach a PIR of 32. 

[Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, with a PIR of 31, completes the top individual performances in Round 16. Jokubaitis posted 22 points, shooting 7 for 10 on two-pointers, 1 for 2 from deep, and 5 for 5 on free throws, and he also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

### Individual highs: Balsa Koprivica, Partizan, 4 blocks

Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos led all scorers with 39 points, a new season high among all players. [Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) of FC Bayern Munich remains atop the overall standings with 20.4 points per game.

[Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) of Real Madrid led all rebounders by pulling down 14 boards. He is also the runaway leader with 8.4 boards per night.

[Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) of Anadolu Efes Istanbul dished 12 assists, more than any other player in this round. [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) of Maccabi is first overall with 8.6 assists per game. 

Larkin also led Round 16 in steals, getting 4. Alpha Diallo leads the way in steals with 1.6 per game.

[Balsa Koprivica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/balsa-koprivica/011050/) of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade had 4 blocks in this round. Tavares leads this season's standings with 1.6 blocks per night.

Tavares (10 points, 14 rebounds) and Olympiacos Piraeus’s Sasha Vezenkov (27 points, 10 rebounds) were the only players to get a double-double in Round 16.

Round 16 MVP: Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 17 game between Paris Basketball and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, scheduled to be played on December 19, has been suspended due to the impossibility of Paris Basketball to have a minimum of eight players included on the Authorization List and fit to play due to injury or illness.

Paris Basketball – Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul suspended

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 17 game between Paris Basketball and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, scheduled to be played on December 19, has been suspended due to the impossibility of Paris Basketball to have a minimum of eight players included on the Authorization List and fit to play due to injury or illness.

Euroleague Basketball will evaluate with the affected teams the best possible options to reschedule the game. Further information will be released as warranted in the coming days.

Paris Basketball v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-12-19T19:30:00.000Z)

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 16th winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Furkan K beat everyone else in Round 16 with their team 'KastapooL', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 239.60.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 16 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 16th winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Furkan K beat everyone else in Round 16 with their team 'KastapooL', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 239.60.

Furkan had the following starting lineup: Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as captain, then Olympiacos Piraeus's Sasha Vezenkov, Real Madrid's Walter Tavares, and Anadolu Efes Istanbul duo Elijah Bryant and Dan Oturu. His sixth man was FC Bayern Munich's Nick Weiler-Babb. On the bench, Furkan had Efes's Ercan Osmani, Paris Basketball's Maodo Lo, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade's Vanja Marinkovic, and ALBA Berlin's Tim Schneider. His team's head coach was Zalgiris play-caller Andrea Trinchieri.

The prize for finishing first in Round 16 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Furkan!

Marko Dukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 2,759.90 points.

Trades are now open for Round 17. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round. You can either trade up to four players, or a head coach and three players.

The first game in Round 17 tips off on Thursday, December 19, as Panathinaikos hosts Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at 18:45 CET. That game marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager. 

Olympiacos BC overcame a second-quarter collapse to subdue Virtus Bologna 87-77 after the home team’s top performers Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier produced masterclass performances against the Italian outfit.

Olympiacos leaned on Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier to beat Virtus 

[Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) overcame a second-quarter collapse to [subdue Virtus Segafredo Bologna 87-77](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-sinks-virtus-87-77-thanks-to-strong-second-half/) after the home team’s top performers [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) and [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/) produced masterclass performances against the Italian outfit.

Vezenkov engineered an enviable PIR of 38 on the back of 27 points and 10 boards, having shot 8 of 12 from the floor and 9 of 11 from the foul line, while Fournier added 20 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds as Olympiacos bounced back from a second-quarter slump.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bwinMVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bwinMVP</a> of the game, Sasha Vezenkov! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://t.co/REMO6GbrX9">pic.twitter.com/REMO6GbrX9</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1869495356381405391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Having led 25-7 late in the first, the hosts lost their way and allowed Virtus to turn the matchup on its head as [Marco Belinelli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marco-belinelli/bcn/) caught fire and facilitated a 43-46 advantage at halftime for the visiting team.

Having been under pressure to deliver after a patchy run of form, including [last week’s fiasco at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/shorthanded-crvena-zvezda-blows-away-olympiacos-87-73/), Vezenkov acknowledged that Olympiacos was forced to dig deep against its Italian rival.  

“It was tough as we had a very bad performance last week and we knew that we didn’t play well the last two or three games,” Vezenkov told EuroLeague TV in a courtside interview. “We started well but the second quarter was terrible and at halftime we knew we had to start over again.

“We confined Virtus to just 10 points in the third quarter and kept pushing, although we didn’t play our best basketball. We are a great team and we’ve got big expectations, but we have to prove it every week.” 

Fournier, who ignited the second-half comeback when he drained in his shots from all over in the third quarter, revealed that the team took some bruising criticism from head coach [Georgios Bartzokas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/bartzokas-georgios/?season=E2024) at halftime, after the stalwart tactician charged his team with being “softer than butter” on defense in last week’s 87-73 reverse at Zvezda. 

“I was frustrated with how we closed out the first half as the second quarter was really bad,” said the Frenchman. “If we want to be at the top, we need to have certain standards and they have to be maintained for the full 40 minutes. I tried to give the team a boost and some energy in the third. The coach cursed us \[at halftime\] big time, which is exactly what we needed.”

Fournier also heaped praise on Vezenkov, as the two linked up to devastating effect when the chips were down. “Sasha is such an easy player to play with because he is even better without the ball in his hands than with it. That creates a lot of danger for the opposition because of his movement,” Fournier pointed out.

Bartzokas too was unhappy with his team’s temporary meltdown but overall he was pleased to see his team grind out an important win on the back of 23 assists and 42 rebounds, 13 of which were on the offensive end. Olympiacos also shot a solid 13 of 29 from deep, while committing only 9 turnovers.

“For three quarters we controlled the pace but the second quarter was a disaster,” he said. “We stopped passing the ball and defending hard but we are happy that in the end, we returned home with a win. In two days we have another home game against ALBA Berlin and we are looking forward to it.” 

Game News

The Greek team’s dynamic duo led the charge in the wake of adversity 

Olympiacos Piraeus v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-12-18T19:15:00.000Z)

Olympiacos BC improved to 10-6 in the EuroLeague with a workmanlike 87-77 home win over Virtus Bologna (3-13), having ramped up its defense in the second half after spilling an 18-point lead in the first.

Olympiacos sinks Virtus, 87-77, thanks to strong second half

Olympiacos Piraeus improved to 10-6 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with a workmanlike 87-77 home win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna (3-13), having ramped up its defense in the second half after spilling an 18-point lead in the first.

Sasha Vezenkov capped a fine individual performance with a game-high 27 points and added 10 rebounds for an impressive double-double, while Evan Fournier added 20 points, 7 assists and 5 boards for the home team. Alec Peters chipped in with 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Marco Belinelli paced Virtus on 20 points and Matt Morgan added 15 for the visitors, who staged a brief second-quarter comeback to turn a 25-7 deficit into a 43-46 lead at halftime but were unable to keep up their momentum after the interval.

Game Videos

Determined to make amends for last week’s crushing 87-73 defeat at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Olympiacos came out with all guns blazing and led 29-17 at the end of the first quarter. Vezenkov rifled in 14 points on the back of effervescent shooting, 4 of 4 from the floor and 5 of 5 from the foul line.

Olympiacos had dished out 9 assists in the opening period and then suffered a complete meltdown in the second, as Virtus gradually clawed its way back into the contest with Belinelli catching fire. The evergreen 38-year-old veteran sank 12 of his 14 first-half points in the second quarter, allowing Virtus to nose ahead at the interval after Will Clyburn drained a buzzer-beating triple off the glass. The visiting team had totally turned the tables on Olympiacos, dishing out assists like confetti while the home side’s offense came to a screeching halt at the other end.

Facing the prospect of another embarrassing defeat, the Greek outfit shifted back to top gear in the third quarter as Vezenkov, who had a quiet second quarter, rediscovered his scoring touch in the third while Fournier caught fire from all over.

A 7-0 run enabled Olympiacos to turn the tide and the hosts never looked back after edging ahead 50-46, as they went on to engineer a commanding 64-56 advantage ahead of the final 10 minutes.

Virtus was still in it early in the fourth when it trailed 71-64, but the writing was on the wall for the Italian team after a Vezenkov triple ignited an 8-0 Olympiacos run which effectively sealed the contest. The visitors fought hard to keep the deficit down but ran out of time down the stretch, as Olympiacos closed it out for a hard-fought victory.

The home team played ironclad defense after the break to get back to winning ways

Round 16 sees seven games take place on Tuesday night and two on Wednesday night in the first half of this latest EuroLeague double-round week.

Game Center: Several mouth-watering games in Round 16

## Wednesday, December 18

### [Anadolu Efes Istanbul 89-67 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/anadolu-efes-istanbul-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2024/142/)

Efes outlasted Zvezda to take a valuable home win thanks to a strong second half. Efes improved to 9-7, while Zvezda dropped to 8-8. Zvezda dominated the opening quarter to take a double-digit lead, but Efes fought back and it was 36-42 at the break. The hosts continued their recovery to go ahead in the third quarter and a 12-0 run early in the fourth sealed the win. Elijah Bryant and Dan Oturu paced Efes with 17 points apiece and Shane Larkin dished 12 assists. Filip Petrusev top scored for Zvezda with 15 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">💪 On to the next one! <br>Anadolu Efes 89 - 67 Kızılyıldız | Maç Sonucu<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/CE7hbRw9xL">pic.twitter.com/CE7hbRw9xL</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1869464680546312476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Olympiacos Piraeus 87-77 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/olympiacos-piraeus-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2024/143/#boxscore)

Olympiacos improved to 10-6 with a workmanlike 87-77 home win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna (3-13), ramping up its defense in the second half after spilling an 18-point lead in the first. Sasha Vezenkov capped a fine individual performance with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds for an impressive double-double, while Evan Fournier added 20 points, 7 assists and 5 boards for the home team. Alec Peters chipped in with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Marco Belinelli paced Virtus on 20 points and Matt Morgan added 15 for the visitors, who staged a brief second-quarter comeback to turn a 25-7 deficit into a 43-46 lead at halftime, but were unable to keep up their momentum after the interval.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">FINAL 🏀 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> - Virtus Segafredo Bologna 87-77 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OLYVIR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OLYVIR</a> <a href="https://t.co/vQcBHVz4KD">pic.twitter.com/vQcBHVz4KD</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1869488575852798362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

## Tuesday, December 17

### [AS Monaco 93-74 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/as-monaco-fc-bayern-munich/E2024/136/)

Monaco overcame a double-digit first-half deficit and then used a big third quarter en route to a 93-74 win against the visiting Bayern. Monaco won its third straight game and improved to 11-5. For Bayern, which dropped to 10-6, this is its fourth consecutive road loss. Bayern led by 11 points at the start of the second quarter, but Monaco turned the game around in the second, then used a 20-5 run in the third to pull away for good. Georgios Papagiannis paced Monaco with 14 points. Mike James scored 13, Matthew Strazel and Jordan Loyd had 11 apiece, and Elie Okobo netted 10 points in the win. Carsen Edwards had 17 points for the visitors, Johannes Voigtmann posted 13 and Danko Brankovic scored 11 points in a losing effort.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">💪 Victoire autoritaire de la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> devant son public, ➕️1️⃣9️⃣ face au Bayern Munich ! ♨️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DagheMunegu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DagheMunegu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/CmLoVhrK3S">pic.twitter.com/CmLoVhrK3S</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1869109716271743280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 85-95 Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/E2024/141/)

Baskonia used a 0-10 run to close the first quarter and never looked back en route to victory over Maccabi on Tuesday night at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade. The winners outrebounded Maccabi 25-40 and shot 12 for 26 from downtown (46.2%) in two of the keys to the victory that lifted Baskonia’s record to 7-9, while dropping Maccabi to 4-12. Markus Howard led the way with 28 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting and Chima Moneke tallied 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead Baskonia. Rokas Jokubaitis paced Maccabi with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Roman Sorkin also scored 22.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🔥🔥🔥 ¡VAMOOOSSSS! 💪💪💪<br><br>Sumamos la 7⃣ victoria en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/GfKdFhL4Sq">pic.twitter.com/GfKdFhL4Sq</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1869124640205078684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 103-74 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-ea7-emporio-armani-milan/E2024/137/)

Panathinaikos left no doubt about its quality by thrashing Milan 103-74 at OAKA in Round 16 on Tuesday. Both teams now have a 9-7 record in the standings, with Panathinaikos stopping Milan's six-game winning streak. Kendrick Nunn paced the winners with a career-high and EuroLeague season-high 39 points. He set an all-time EuroLeague record with 7 three-pointers in the first quarter. Jerian Grant added 12 points for Panathinaikos. Nikola Mirotic led Milan with 16 points. Neno Dimitrijevic added 15 while Nico Mannion and Shavon Shields each had 11 for the guests.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final Score ☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OlimpiaMI1936</a> 103-74 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LiveTheGreenMagic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LiveTheGreenMagic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Club1908?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Club1908</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneClubOneApp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneClubOneApp</a> <a href="https://t.co/nCCy5Adjbo">pic.twitter.com/nCCy5Adjbo</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1869129521993285801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

### [FC Barcelona 90-63 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/fc-barcelona-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2024/138/)

Barcelona gave its under-pressure head coach Joan Penarroya some breathing space and improved to 9-7 in the EuroLeague with a 90-63 home drubbing of Fenerbahce (10-6) on the back of a game-high 25 points from Kevin Punter. Justin Anderson was perfect from the floor and the foul line as he added 18 points for the home team while Jabari Parker chipped in with 15 points and 7 boards.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">AIXÍ SÍ, BARÇAAAAA!!!!! <a href="https://t.co/Hhunzf24Xp">pic.twitter.com/Hhunzf24Xp</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1869130024407961791?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Paris Basketball 85-96 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/paris-basketball-real-madrid/E2024/139/)

Real Madrid ended its three-game losing streak by beating Paris 85-96 on Tuesday night at Adidas Arena. With their top scorer and best assist provider TJ Shorts missing out due to illness, the hosts saw Real Madrid lead for the final 32 minutes of the duel despite Maodo Lo stepping up big time in his teammate's absence. With this win, *Los Blancos* improved its record to 7-9, with Paris dropping to 11-5. Facundo Campazzo paced Real Madrid with 19 points, Mario Hezonja scored 17, Dzanan Musa had 12 and Gabriel Deck added 11. Alberto Abalde and Walter Tavares netted 10 points each, with the latter completing a double-double by recording 14 rebounds. Lo led all scorers with a season-high 30 points, but it wasn’t enough. Nadir Hifi scored 21 points and Collin Malcolm had 11 in a losing effort.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🏁 FP: <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParisBasketball</a> 85 - 96 <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/UnicajaBanco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnicajaBanco</a> <a href="https://t.co/0yYO3JP9Oq">pic.twitter.com/0yYO3JP9Oq</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1869133036656451884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [ALBA Berlin 66-86 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/alba-berlin-zalgiris-kaunas/E2024/140/)

Zalgiris extended its winning streak to three games as it defeated ALBA 66-86 on the road. Zalgiris took control of the game with a 2-22 run spanning the first two quarters to improve to 10-6, including 4-4 away from home. Sylvain Francisco paced the Lithuanian side with 16 points while Lonnie Walker picked up 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for Zalgiris, which has won two straight road games after a previous three-game road losing skid. ALBA has now lost three in a row and six of its last seven from 3-13 record. David McCormack scored a career-high 19 points and Yanni Wetzell added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big win in Berlin. 😤<br><br>(Presented by: Go3). <a href="https://t.co/VPB9i8hkUt">pic.twitter.com/VPB9i8hkUt</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1869136538447307236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 66-86 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/E2024/144/)

\--

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">VICTOIRE XXL À BELGRADE ! 🔥🔥🔥<br><br>Cette équipe est décidément spéciale, premiere win de l&#39;année à l&#39;extérieur en Euroleague et sur le parquet du Partizan s&#39;il vous plait ! 💪<br><br>Un grand bravo à l&#39;ensemble des joueurs et du staff, prochaine étape : déplacement à Kaunas. Let&#39;s go !… <a href="https://t.co/5y070Ygdrg">pic.twitter.com/5y070Ygdrg</a></p>&mdash; LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL/status/1869137778312655304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This is the final double-round week before the holidays 

Game Center: Efes, Olympiacos wrap Round 16 with wins

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-12-17T19:45:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-12-18T17:30:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-12-17T19:45:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball v Real Madrid (2024-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-12-17T19:15:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-12-17T19:05:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v FC Bayern Munich (2024-12-17T18:00:00.000Z)

It’s fair to say that it took a while for Anadolu Efes Istanbul to find its offensive rhythm in Wednesday’s home meeting with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade

Better late than never for Efes

It’s fair to say that it took a while for [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) to find its offensive rhythm in Wednesday’s home meeting with [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/).

The Turkish team was misfiring all over the court in the early stages, failing to convert any of its first 5 field goal attempts and committing 3 turnovers in the process. [Ercan Osmani](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ercan-osmani/012710/) finally got Efes on the scoreboard with more than 4 minutes played, but that certainly didn’t lead to an instant improvement as [Tomislav Mijatovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/mijatovic-tomislav/?season=E2024)’s men could only score 36 points in the first half – by which time it had also committed a startling 13 turnovers.

The second half, however, was a totally different matter.

The initial spark came from [Elijah Bryant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/), who followed consecutive baskets with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer – 9 points in the space of 3 minutes, which were enough to give Efes its first lead, 50-49. [Rodrigue Beaubois](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rodrigue-beaubois/006590/) then took over with 7 points early in the fourth quarter, before [Dan Oturu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dan-oturu/012788/) returned off the bench to score 6 late points and seal the deal.

The [final scoreline of 89-67](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-fights-back-to-blast-zvezda-89-67/) in no way reflected how tough the game had been for Efes. But the fact that the hosts won the rest of the game 39-18 shows just how much the Turkish team dominated the last 15 minutes and Mijatovic was delighted with the way that his players stuck to their task despite their poor start.

“It’s important to play 40 minutes,” the coach said. “Our guys understand that and credit to them. They knew that to beat a great team you’ve got to break them, break them, break them, before you actually break them. So in the fourth quarter we continued with that pressure, continued with active hands, stealing the basketball for easy unanswered points in transition.”

Bryant, who jointly led the scoring alongside Oturu with 17 points, agreed with his coach that the pressure exerted on Zvezda – which eventually led the Serbian team to commit 21 turnovers – was the decisive factor, saying: “It starts with deflections on defense. Roddy \[Beaubois\] helped us out a lot there. When one guy starts getting deflections it motivates the other guys. It always starts on the defensive end, and then our defense will lead to offense.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">👊 Keep rollin!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/rFa50O8pvd">pic.twitter.com/rFa50O8pvd</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1869479282755751970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Oturu highlighted the other side of the same coin, pointing out that Efes improved drastically from committing 13 turnovers in the first half to just 7 after the break.

“\[In the second half\] we were taking care of the ball and valuing possession,” he explained. “When you turn the ball over it allows the other team to get out and get easy shots, fast-break points, so taking care of the ball and trying to get good shots on offense allows us to get back and play tough defense.”

That combination of swarming defense and far more effective offense was enough for Efes to more than double the points tally of Zvezda in the second half, 53-25, and leaves Mijatovic’s men nicely poised just outside the all-important top six ahead of Friday’s visit from the other Belgrade team, Partizan.

The Turkish team overcame a slow start to find its form at both ends in the second half against Zvezda

Anadolu Efes Istanbul outlasted Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, 89-67, to take a valuable home win thanks to a strong second half. 

Efes fights back to blast Zvezda, 89-67

Anadolu Efes Istanbul outlasted Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, 89-67, to take a valuable home win thanks to a strong second half. Efes improved to 9-7, while Zvezda dropped to 8-8.

Zvezda dominated the opening quarter to take a double-digit lead, but Efes fought back and it was 36-42 at the break. The hosts continued their recovery to go ahead in the third quarter and a 12-0 run early in the fourth sealed the win.

Elijah Bryant and Dan Oturu paced Efes with 17 points apiece, while Ercan Osmani scored 13, Rolands Smits had 12, Rodrigue Beaubois netted 11, and Shane Larkin only scored 4 points but dished 12 assists. Filip Petrusev top-scored for Zvezda with 15 points, and Codi Miller-McIntyre netted 10.

Miller-McIntyre’s triple opened the scoring in an otherwise slow start, before Ognjen Dobric netted a three and Petrusev powered a layup for a 0-8 lead. Ercan Osmani finally got Efes on the scoreboard and Bryant struck from deep, but Petrusev scored twice and Dobric netted a putback to make it 5-14. Bryant hit another triple and Osmani scored from close-range before Miller-McIntyre kept Zvezda moving from deep. Oturu and Darius Thompson scored at the rim, but Nikola Kalinic drilled a triple to end the first quarter, 14-25.

Bryant’s layup and Smits’ triple pulled Efes closer, before Luka Mitrovic and Beaubois traded close-range finishes. Oturu scored 5 fast points and Smits added a slam, pulling Efes back to 28-33. Oturu’s tip-in completed a 7-0 run, which Yago Dos Santos ended with a driving layup. Beaubois’s mid-range jumper and Stanley Johnson’s transition score were answered by Joel Bolomboy’s jumper, keeping Zvezda ahead at 34-37. Oturu and Dobric both netted at the rim, before Bolomboy struck again for a 36-42 interval score.

Petrusev struck from deep to start the second half, but Bryant scored consecutive baskets to keep Efes close and Jordan Nwora hit a three to bring Efes back, 45-47. Miller-McIntyre scored in transition, but Bryant scored 5 points in a row for the home team’s first lead, 50-49. Nemanja Nedovic from close-range and Dos Santos from deep restored Zvezda’s lead, but Osmani’s free throws sent Efes back ahead, 56-54. Petrusev’s layup was bettered by Osmani from deep at the end of the third, 59-57.

Neither team could score as turnovers flew freely early in the final period before finally Beaubois netted a mid-range jumper and Smits added a triple for a 64-57 lead. Beaubois netted consecutive identical steals and scores for a double-digit advantage after a 14-0 run, before Kalinic finally ended Zvezda’s 5-minute drought from the foul line. Vincent Poirier’s alley-oop and a pair of scores from Darius Thompson stretched Efes’s lead, 78-61, and Oturu’s mid-range finish removed any lingering doubt as Zvezda struggled until the end.

The Turkish team overturned an early double-digit advantage to claim an ultimately comfortable win.

On his first game back at Palau Blaugrana, Saras Jasikevicius saw his Fenerbahce Beko team get blown out for the second game in a row, with FC Barcelona winning by 27 points.

Joan Penarroya, Barcelona spoiled Saras Jasikevicius’s return to Palau Blaugrana

All of the talk in the buildup to Round 16’s Rivalry Series clash between [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) and [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) surrounded [Saras Jasikevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/jasikevicius-saras/), the current Fener head coach who spent three years in Catalonia before departing the club in the summer of 2023.

This game marked Saras’s first return to his former home, where he won the 2003 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship as a Barcelona player and later led the team to three successive Final Four appearances between 2021 and 2023 as head coach. 

Given the acrimonious circumstances surrounding his departure, it was unclear just how Jasikevicius would be received, particularly after comments he made following Fenerbahce’s win at Real Madrid in March 2024 last season.

"It's not the first time I've left Barcelona like this, winning," Saras said back then. "The disappointment is huge because of how I was treated, without any doubt. The bad treatment continues right now, these days it has continued, about my family and that. One day I will speak out, I don't want to do any more harm. One day I will speak much more than I have spoken so far."

However, this time around, things were a lot more cordial. Last summer perhaps saw the burying of the hatchet between Jasikevicius and Barcelona after his son, Lukas, helped the club become Spanish champions at youth level. That day, Saras was in the stands wearing a Barcelona T-shirt and supporting his son’s team alongside his wife, Anna, and daughter, Aila.

Both Barcelona and Fenerbahce came into Tuesday night’s Rivalry Series meeting needing a victory. [Joan Penarroya](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/penarroya-joan/) had seen his team win just one of its last six games, while Saras’s squad had lost three of their last four and came into this contest on the back of [a 30-point walloping by AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-cruises-past-fenerbahce-69-99/).

In the end, it was Barcelona which triumphed – and it did so in style, [winning 90-63](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kevin-punter-shines-as-barcelona-steamrolls-fenerbahce-90-63/). Fenerbahce has now lost its last two games by a combined margin of 57 points, but in the post-game press conference, Saras first wanted to give thanks to the warm reception he received from the Palau Blaugrana crowd.

"I came here to do my job, but I have to thank the Palau," Saras said. "Many thanks to the fans. I think my relationship with Palau has always been incredible. They have been very supportive of me in difficult moments. You really see it as a relationship and my relationship with Palau has always been incredible and I can only say thank you."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tl" dir="ltr">Palau welcomes Saras 🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBbasket</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> <a href="https://t.co/jokqwaVvhb">pic.twitter.com/jokqwaVvhb</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1869100554959609923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Despite its poor run of late, Saras’s Fenerbahce still finds itself in fifth place in the standings with a 10-6 record, while Barcelona is now eighth with a 9-7 mark. 

There is still a long way to go in the EuroLeague season, but Jasikevicius – after an unwanted result on his first return to Palau Blaugrana – will be looking for an immediate response from his group when Fenerbahce travels to take on [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/) on Thursday night. Barcelona, meanwhile, will come up against another of its former coaches as it heads to Italy to face [Dusko Ivanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/ivanovic-dusko/)’s [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/) on Friday night.

Sed id volutpat purus, non fringilla turpis. Proin et dolor tortor. Maecenas ut aliquet arcu. Integer eu volutpat nisi, in luctus augue. Phasellus vel elit cursus, dignissim tortor in, pretium ante. Morbi varius at urna ultricies egestas. Suspendisse dui ligula, interdum non lectus eu, semper gravida nibh. Pellentesque bibendum lacus enim. Nulla aliquet, tortor at consectetur porttitor, est nisi hendrerit dolor, vitae ullamcorper diam arcu a arcu. Suspendisse eu vulputate sapien. Praesent ut elit nec nulla imperdiet placerat vel eu neque. Praesent porttitor felis non ante rutrum, sed tincidunt augue pulvinar. Morbi id urna in nunc dignissim luctus.

The Azulgrana’s former head coach received a warm reception from the home team’s fans, but saw his current squad lose by 27 points