Several players stepped up during the game to round a near-perfect performance


Zalgiris's depth powered road win in Madrid 

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2024-25) recorded its ninth win in the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season by [downing Real Madrid 83-92](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/zalgiris-overpowers-real-in-madrid-83-92/) at WiZink Center. Finding different go-to guys at different times did the trick for Coach Andrea Trinchieri and his team.

All eyes were set on [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/) at the start of the game and he didn't disappoint, scoring 10 points in the opening 8 minutes to lead his team to a 15-16 edge. [Brady Manek](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/brady-manek/012715/) and [Matt Mitchell](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matthew-mitchell/012622/) provided the fireworks from downtown to give Zalgiris a 19-24 lead after 10 minutes. Far from being done, Walker kept scoring, reaching 21 points in the 18th minute. Once Walker cooled off, [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/) and [Deividas Sirvydis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/deividas-sirvydis/007029/) stepped up to boost the visitors' margin to 38-54 at halftime.

Zalgiris tied a club record with 10 three-pointers in the first half. It had hit 10 three-pointers in a first half once before, in a 96-91 road loss against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the 2019-20 season. Mitchell had made just 2 of 24 three-pointers before this game and buried his only attempt from beyond the arc on this night.

Zalgiris Kaunas playmaker Lonnie Walker had all of his 21 points in the first half of a 83-92 road victory over Real Madrid in Round 15 of the 204-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Lonnie Walker's outstanding first half

"We started off great in the first half. I came out hot playing my game and in the second half it was a collective win. Obviously they were going to be more aggressive, being more physical on me," Walker said after the game. "And my teammates kind of picked me up. Alen \[Smailagic\], Iggy \[Ignas Brazdeikis\], even Brady \[Manek\] were shooting the ball really, really well today. So it was a collective team win. We didn't waver."

Real returned to the floor with one goal in mind: stopping Walker. It worked, as he was scoreless the rest of the way. That's when Zalgiris found other resources in offense to keep a safe lead all the way until the final buzzer. After not scoring in the first half, [Ignas Brazdeikis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ignas-brazdeikis/011983/) had 10 points after the break. [Alen Smailagic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alen-smailagic/011051/) had 8 of his 13 points in the second half. With a balanced offense, Zalgiris did not find much trouble to control the game the rest of the way.

Zalgiris Kaunas guard Lonnie Walker spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Real Madrid in Round 15 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Lonnie Walker: 'It was a collective win'

"I'm exhausted right now because in the second half, they were really going on us," Francisco said after the game. "It's just amazing. I'm really happy for the guys because everybody really stepped up and executed pretty well."

Three-pointers ended up making the difference in the game. Zalgiris buried 15 of 29 attempts from downtown (51.7% 3FG) and Real made just 8 of 26 three-pointers (30.8%). Real had more rebounds, assists and almost matched Zalgiris's team PIR, 88-89, but Zalgiris's outstanding depth made the difference on the court.

"We work well during the few practices we have and this is a very good win for us. Coming here and playing like this the whole game, and I would say controlling the game emotionally, playing with the three-point shot because of course it's difficult for us to go in the paint," head coach Andrea Trinchieri said after the game. "We played a great game. I'm very happy for my players."

Game Videos

Game News

Several players stepped up during the game to round out a near-perfect performance


Real Madrid v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-12-12T19:45:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade very nearly made a mess of its outing at ALBA Berlin but the Serbian team was able to make it five wins in a row, 90-91, as its playmaker Carlik Jones came to the rescue with a late mid-range jumper in a frantic finale. 

Carlik Jones and traveling support got Partizan out of jail in Berlin

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/partizan-nis-belgrade/roster/par/?season=2024-25) very nearly made a mess of its outing at [ALBA Berlin ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/roster/ber/?season=2024-25)but the Serbian team was able to make it five wins in a row, [90-91](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/partizan-edges-alba-90-91-in-dramatic-finish/), as its playmaker [Carlik Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carlik-jones/013369/) came to the rescue with a late mid-range jumper in a frantic finale.

One would have been forgiven for thinking that Partizan was the home team as its fans, comprising expats from Germany as well as supporters who made the trip from Belgrade, forged a fervent atmosphere that made the home players feel like they were in uncharted territory.

“Congratulations to my players and thanks to these people who came here to support us. It’s incredible what they keep doing for us,” Partizan head coach [Zeljko Obradovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/obradovic-zeljko/?season=E2024) said in his post-game comments after seeing his team bounce back from adversity.

“Luck was on our side, to be honest. I believe we dominated the game but we had some bad minutes in the fourth quarter and let them back into it,” added Obradovic. “Credit to ALBA, they never gave up after trailing by 11 and we reacted well after they led by 4. It was a tight game and we were fortunate to come out on top.”

Having shined in the previous round’s [emphatic 91-73 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/partizan-overwhelms-panathinaikos-91-73-to-make-it-four-in-a-row/) over reigning champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Partizan’s biggest of the season in Europe’s premier club competition, Carlik Jones served up yet another majestic display in the Uber Arena.

The playmaker pulled the strings on offense from start to finish to rack up a game-high 24 points to go with 6 assists, 5 boards and 2 steals. Having singled out team captain [Vanja Marinkovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vanja-marinkovic/004761/) for sinking a clutch three-pointer which kept Partizan alive when ALBA was 88-84 up, Jones also heaped praise on the fans for roaring on the Serbian outfit.

“We love you guys,” Jones said when asked if he had a message for Partizan’s faithful. “You’re always there to support us, at home and on the road, you never disappoint us and it always feels like a home game. We love and appreciate you guys.” 

Carlik Jones: 'It always feels like a home game'

Carlik Jones It always feels like a home game _26365197.mp4

He added: “We kept fighting. We led pretty much the whole game, they made a run but we handled it well. A big shout out to Vanja, it was a big shot to keep us in the game and we were able to pull the win out.”

Big man [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/), who made a massive contribution with 20 points and 7 boards, acknowledged that he and Carlik constituted a dynamic duo at the heart of Partizan’s recent run which rekindled the team’s hopes of reaching the postseason.

“It took all of us out there, the full 40 minutes,” he said. “It’s always great playing with a point guard like Carlik, he is going to lead us and I am going to follow up. I am going to be the energy leader and he is going to be the leader handling the ball,” said Partizan’s center.

In Round 16, Partizan hosts LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne while ALBA is at home to Zalgiris Kaunas as the Regular Season of Europe’s premier club competition nears the halfway mark. 

The visitors were on the verge of spilling the game before their die-hard fans and an inspired point guard bailed them out 

ALBA Berlin v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-12-12T18:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich extended its home winning streak at the brand-new SAP Garden to eight games by grabbing a 98-93 comeback victory over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 

Bayern rallies to outlast Maccabi, 98-93

FC Bayern Munich extended its home winning streak at the brand-new SAP Garden to eight games by grabbing a 98-93 comeback victory over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on Thursday night. The visitors started strong and led for the first three quarters, but Bayern bounced back in the fourth, outscored Maccabi 31-21 and clinched a hard-fought victory. The German champs improved to 10-5 for a share of second place in the standings, with Maccabi dropping to 4-11.

Carsen Edwards paced Bayern with 25 points, Andreas Obst netted 23, Devin Booker had 14 and Shabazz Napier added 13. For Maccabi, Jaylen Hoard recorded a team-high 25 points, Levi Randolph chipped in with 20, Wenyen Gabriel scored a season-high 16 points and Tamir Blatt registered a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists.

Obst opened the scoring with a corner triple, but a bucket inside from Gabriel and a Rokas Jokubaitis layup in transition put Maccabi ahead, 3-5. Baskets from Booker and Edwards sandwiched a triple by Blatt, but Hoard netted back-to-back buckets for a 7-14 lead. Obst drilled a second triple before 5 points from Edwards brought Bayern within 15-16. After Jake Cohen netted an open basket from inside, 4 points from Randolph and a Marial Shayok layup on the break opened a 15-25 lead. Five points from Napier ended Maccabi’s 0-9 run. Then, John DiBartolomeo nailed a three and Shayok scored again in transition, but Danko Brankovic netted inside to trim the deficit to 22-30 after 10 minutes.

A hard-fought bucket from Randolph was followed by baskets from Edwards and Brankovic, who took his tally to 6 quick points, cutting the gap to 28-32. Gabriel and Edwards traded baskets before Will Rayman gave Maccabi a 30-37 advantage. Booker scored inside, but Blatt connected twice with Hoard, who extended the margin to 33-41. After Blatt sank back-to-back threes, Booker responded with a three-point play that reduced the gap to 38-48. A triple from Nick Weiler-Babb was followed by an inside score from Edwards, who took his tally to 13 first-half points and brought Bayern within 43-50 at the break.

Maccabi started strong in the third quarter, with Gabriel scoring a couple of baskets and Randolph hitting a triple for a 45-57 cushion. Obst and Randolph exchanged threes before Johannes Voigtmann cut the difference to 50-60. Hoard scored inside and Blatt nailed one from long distance to extend Bayern’s lead to 50-65. But Obst sank another one before buckets from Booker and Voigtmann cut the deficit to 57-67. After Randolph and Obst traded triples, Napier reduced the gap to 64-70 with a layup in transition. Then, Hoard replied with one of his own on the break, but Obst’s sixth triple of the night cut it to 67-72 heading into the closing quarter.

Napier opened the fourth with a triple before a monster slam from Booker and another three from the former put Bayern in front, 75-72. Randolph and Niels Giffey traded three-pointers. Gabriel cut the difference to 78-77. After Edwards scored back-to-back layups, Voigtmann nailed a triple that extended Bayern’s lead to 85-80. Two straight dunks from Hoard tied it, but Obst nailed yet another triple and 4 points from Edwards put Bayern back in front, 92-87, with 01:18 to go. Then, the game turned into a free-throw contest, with Edwards making 4 of 4 from the line to seal it.

The German champs improved to a league-best 8-0 at home 

FC Bayern Munich v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-12-12T19:45:00.000Z)

Lonnie Walker and Sylvain Francisco led Zalgiris to a prestigious road victory


Zalgiris outpowers Real in Madrid, 83-92! 

Zalgiris Kaunas snapped a three-game road winning streak by topping Real Madrid 83-92 in the Spanish capital in Round 15 on Thursday. Zalgiris improved to 8-6 in the standings while Real dropped to 6-9 and is now one a three-game losing streak. 

Lonnie Walker led the winners with 21 points, all of them in the first half. Sylvain Francisco added 17, Brady Manek and Alen Smailagic each had 13, Deividas Sirvydis got 11 while Ignas Brazdeikis contributed 10 for Zalgiris. Dzanan Musa paced Real with 15 points. Mario Hezonja added 14, Sergio Llull 12 and Gabriel Deck 10 for *Los Blancos*.

Walker got Zalgiris going with a three-pointer. Tavares answered with a put-back dunk, igniting a 7-0 run that Alberto Abalde capped with a bomb from downtown. Walker stepped up for the visitors with a driving layup. After Manek and Deck traded triples, Tavares's jump hook gave Real a 12-8 lead. Walker and Manek each struck from beyond the arc to put Zalgiris back ahead, 13-14. Facu Campazzo took over with a driving layup, which Walker matched with a five-meter jumper. Hezonja provided another lead change, 18-16. Mike Mitchell and Sirvydis each joined the three-point shootout to give the visitors a 19-24 lead after 10 minutes.

Hezonja buried a turnaround shot early in the second quarter and Serge Ibaka matched Walker's jumper with a power layup to make it 23-26. Smailagic silenced the crowd with a put-back slam. Llull answered from downtown before Walker scored again. The Zalgiirs guard followed a dunk with a triple that caused Real to stop the game at 26-35. Francisco struck from beyond the arc and followed Smailagic's triple with a driving layup that capped a 0-15 Zalgiris run and gave the visitors a 26-43 lead. Eli Ndiaye and Llull stepped up for Los Blancos and then it was Zalgiris that called a timeout at 34-45. Sirvydis nailed a catch-and-shoot three-pointer, joining forces with Francisco to boost the lead to 38-54 at halftime.

Deck tried to ignite Real's comeback with a backdoor layup right after the break. Hezonja made free throws and Tavares's jump hook soon brought Los Blancos within 44-54. Hezonja scored off a midcourt steal to make it a single-digit game. Francisco and Abalde each struck from beyond the arc. After Brazdeikis buried a step-back jumper, Edgaras Ulanovas gave Zalgiris fresh air at 49-61. Manek sank his third triple, but Musa singlehandedly gave Real plenty of hope at 55-64. Manek downed a jumper, Brazdeikis erased Campazzo's layup-plus-foul with a triple and Francisco kept Zalgiris way ahead, 58-72. Musa got Real a bit closer, 60-72, after 30 minutes.

Smailagic took over with a power layup early in the fourth quarter and Brazdeikis banked in a close shot that made it 60-76. Brazdeikis beat the shot clock with a highly-contested jumper. Deck improved on that with a three-point play and Tavares's layup forced Zalgiris to call timeout at 65-78. Smailagic made free throws, Deck scored again and Campazzo's follow-up layup got *Los Blancos* within 69-80 with 6 minutes left. Sirvydis and Francisco each buried a three-pointer to break the game open, 69-86. Real kept fighting in the final 4 minutes but only rallied once the outcome was clear.

Zalgiris overpowers Real in Madrid, 83-92

Will Clyburn converted a four-point play with 1.9 seconds left to give Dusko Ivanovic a triumphant debut as Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach in an 81-82 road victory over his former club Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. 

Clyburn saves Virtus, 81-82 at Baskonia, to give Ivanovic victory in debut 

Will Clyburn converted a four-point play with 1.9 seconds left to give Dusko Ivanovic a triumphant debut as Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach in an 81-82 road victory over his former club Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. The game was tight throughout and Virtus never gave up, coming up with the improbable finish in Ivanovic’s first game back at Buesa Arena.

Clyburn’s heroics snapped Virtus’ six-game losing streak for a 3-12 record, including 2-5 on the road. Clyburn scored 23 points, Toko Shengelia had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Isaia Cordinier chipped in 11 points. Baskonia, which was coached by Ivanovic on four separate occasions for a total of 273 EuroLeague games, has dropped two straight games for a 6-9 record. Nikos Rogkavopoulos was Baskonia’s top scorer with 19 points while Markus Howard struggled from outside but picked up 13 points. 

Alessandro Pajola opened the scoring from deep for the visitors and a Chima Moneke triple gave Baskonia its first lead 7-5. Shengelia had a strong start with 7 straight points as Virtus went on a 2-9 run to pull ahead 9-14. Triples from Trent Forrest and Howard knotted the game 17-17. And a long ball from Rogkavopoulos evened the game 21-21 after 10 minutes. 

Baskonia reclaimed the lead 26-24 early in the second quarter only to see Virtus put together a 3-9 spurt for a 29-33 advantage. Virtus could not get enough multiple consecutive scores to pull away and Baskonia tied it at 36-36 and 38-38, which was the halftime score.

The game remained tight and Baskonia took its biggest lead of the game at 45-41. Virtus held the hosts scoreless for more than 2 minutes and Shengelia scored 5 points to help the Italian side lead 45-48. The lead switched hands five times and Baskonia was up 55-52. The hosts were up 57-56 after three quarters.

Howard’s second triple made it 64-59 but Clyburn answered right back with a three-pointer before Rogkavopoulos’s third three-pointer gave Baskonia the biggest lead of the game, 70-64, with 5 minutes to play. Isaia Cordinier tallied two scores and Virtus tied the contest at 70-70. Rogkavopoulos stepped up for the home side with a three-pointer and tip-in for a 75-72 cushion with 87 seconds to play. Donta Hall added an alley-oop dunk to make it 77-72 but Clyburn cut the deficit to 78-76 with 13 seconds to play. Kamar Baldwin converted two free throws with 12 seconds left but Rogkavopoulos split two with 4.5 seconds remaining for a 79-76 score. Clyburn raced up the court and banked in the shot at the buzzer and was fouled by Moneke, converting the game-winning free throw with 1.9 seconds to play after the referees reviewed the game clock. 

Will Clyburn provided the heroics as Virtus picked up a victory in Dusko Ivanovic’s debut as coach 

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-12-12T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade celebrated its fifth successive win and improved to 7-8 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after eking out a dramatic 90-91 win at ALBA Berlin

Partizan edges ALBA, 90-91, in dramatic finish 

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade celebrated its fifth successive win and improved to 7-8 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after eking out a dramatic 90-91 win at ALBA Berlin, as Carlik Jones produced another masterclass individual performance.

The playmaker led the visiting team’s charge with a game-high 24 points, 6 assists and 5 boards, including a clutch mid-range jumper with 1.7 seconds left on the clock. Big man Tyrique Jones chipped in with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Sterling Brown added 18 points against his former club. At the other end, David McCormack paced ALBA on 16 points and 6 rebounds, while Matteo Spagnolo and Tim Schneider netted 13 points apiece.

With over 5,000 loud visiting fans thronging the Uber Arena, Partizan felt like the home team throughout and prevailed in a tense finish, as the Serbian side bounced back from an 88-84 deficit in the home straight to force the final twist.

A see-saw first half saw the lead change hands time and again before Partizan took a 46-51 advantage into the locker room at the interval, with Tyrique Joes pouring 16 points through the opening two quarters as he dominated the paint at both ends of the court.

Carlik Jones pulled all the strings on offense and Duane Washington enjoyed a flawless second quarter, nailing 13 points in the opening half as the trio fired on all cylinders for Partizan. At the other end, Matt Thomas scored 11 points and Spagnolo added 7 for ALBA, with both sides shooting in fits and starts from long range.

Partizan seemed to be coasting after Brown rifled in 13 points in the third quarter and gave Partizan a 61-72 lead late in the period, but ALBA came storming back in the fourth and turned the matchup on its head down the stretch.

With Partizan’s offense coming to a screeching halt in the last few minutes, the home team engineered an 88-84 lead with a 13-2 run before Marinkovic nailed a 3-pointer for Partizan while Carlik Jones sank a pair of free throws followed by the audacious mid-range jumper.

With Partizan 89-91 ahead, McCormack drew a foul but missed the first free throw before inadvertently scoring with the second. Incredibly, Brandon Davies missed both shots from the foul line at the other end with 0.7 seconds left and gave ALBA one last chance to stun Partizan, but the home team’s desperate sideout from one end of the floor to the other fell short.  

The Serbian team stretched its winning streak to five games

AS Monaco grabbed a big road win at the top of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings by thrashing Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 69-99

Monaco cruises past Fenerbahce, 69-99

AS Monaco grabbed a big road win at the top of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings by thrashing Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 69-99. The two teams are now level at 10-5 in a share of second place, with the Turkish team having lost three of its last four games.

There was little between the teams in the first half, which finished with Monaco holding a 38-43 lead. The visitors raced to an 18-point lead at the end of the third and weren’t troubled after that. Monaco’s backcourt stars all stepped up, with Mike James pairing 21 points with 5 assists, Elie Okobo scoring 19 and Jordan Loyd contributing 12, while big man Donatas Motiejunas provided 9 points and 11 rebounds. Nigel Hayes-Davis paced Fenerbahce with 28 points, Wade Baldwin added 13 and Sertac Sanli scored 10.

Loyd and Motiejunas gave Monaco a fast start inside, but the inevitable Hayes-Davis scored 5 points in a row and Sanli added a triple for an 8-4 lead. Motiejunas stopped the 8-0 run and Terry Tarpey netted from deep, before Hayes-Davis and Georgios Papagiannis traded inside scores for an 11-11 tie. Vitto Brown’s three-pointer was answered by floaters from Baldwin and Hayes-Davis, and close-range finishes from Jaron Blossomgame and Khem Birch ended the first quarter at 19-17. 

Marko Guduric opened the second quarter with a mid-range jumper before Blossomgame answered from deep. Sanli and James netted jumpers, but 4 fast points from Baldwin kept Fenerbahce ahead, 27-22. Brown’s three-point play and Tarpey’s transition bucket tied it up, and Loyd’s triple completed an 0-8 run for a 27-30 lead. Baldwin and James traded layups before free throws sent Monaco up 29-35. Sanli hit another triple, Blossomgame and Okobo netted inside, and Tarik Biberovic struck a triple on the halftime buzzer to make it 38-43.

Loyd’s triple opened the second half scoring, and James’s free throws briefly made it a double-digit game, 38-48. Nicolo Melli’s mid-range strike and Birch’s putback boosted Fenerbahce, but soon James hit a triple and Papagiannis produced two dunks to make it 46-61. Brown added a mid-range strike to complete a 0-9 run, which was snapped by Hayes-Davis and Sanli. But Okobo kept pushing Monaco, netting a triple on the third quarter buzzer to make it 54-72.

Okobo stayed hot with an inside score to start the final period, before Hayes-Davis gave Fenerbahce hope with 5 fast points. Matthew Strazel answered with a three-point play, before Biberovic and Hayes-Davis pulled it back to 63-79 with 7 minutes left. James hit a triple and Blossomgame added a tip-in to make it 63-84, removing any doubt over the outcome long before the final buzzer. James hit another deep strike, Blossomgame exploded a putback slam and Monaco completed a perfect night as Mam Jaiteh returned from injury to help complete the rout.

Vassilis Spanoulis’s team delivered a solid performance to win easily in Istanbul.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v AS Monaco (2024-12-12T17:45:00.000Z)

In his first game as Virtus Bologna head coach, Dusko Ivanovic returns to Baskonia, where he coached 273 EuroLeague games across four spells. This is the first time he will be a visiting head coach at Buesa Arena.

A special night awaits for Dusko Ivanovic at Buesa Arena

Some things go together perfectly in life. There’s fish and chips, bread and butter, and also [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) and [Dusko Ivanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/ivanovic-dusko/?season=E2024).

All Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans know the history that Dusko has with the Spanish side, but Thursday night (20:00 CET) will see the legendary head coach take on his former team at Buesa Arena for the first time as Virtus Segafredo Bologna comes to town.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 🤝<br><br>Tomorrow Dusko returns to Buesa, this time as coach of <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VirtusSegafredo</a> 🧢<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/aO3zAv7EN8">pic.twitter.com/aO3zAv7EN8</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1866815196502884616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ivanovic was appointed as Virtus’s replacement for [Luca Banchi ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/luca-banchi-resigns-as-virtus-bologna-head-coach/)last Thursday, but he had to watch on from a courtside seat as interim head coach Nenad Jakovljevic took charge for [the team’s home loss to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-downs-virtus-on-the-road-87-94/), which saw the Bologna-based outfit drop to a 2-12 record. With this mark, Virtus matched its worst-ever start to a EuroLeague campaign, having gone 2-14 in 2008-09… when it played just 14 games that season.

There are some familiar faces on the Virtus roster for Dusko, who had [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) and [Achille Polonara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/achille-polonara/002084/) with him at Baskonia as they won the Spanish League title in 2019-20. Just last season, the Montenegrin was on the Baskonia sideline when it eliminated Shengelia and Polonara’s Virtus from the postseason in the Play-In Showdown. Conversely, going all the way back to 2001, Ivanovic was the Baskonia head coach as it lost 3-2 to the Manu Ginobili-led Virtus 3-2 in the EuroLeague Finals.

Curiously enough, Ivanovic has been Baskonia coach in 273 EuroLeague games across four spells, achieving a 151-122 record with the team, but in his other 127 games in the competition, he has never faced them at Buesa Arena. In Europe’s premier club competition, Dusko spent three years with [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/), one season with [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/), four games with [Khimki Moscow Region](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/khimki-moscow-region/khi/), just over a season with [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/), yet he has never had to come up against *his* people in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">B/W jersey (𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒑) ready to fight together 🧢🏀 <a href="https://t.co/nmosurSldz">pic.twitter.com/nmosurSldz</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1867200460966302200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The only two times that he has faced Baskonia as a head coach in the EuroLeague came in the 2006 third-place game in Prague, Czech Republic, when his Barcelona side lost to their domestic rival, and in Round 30 of the 2022-23 season with Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, a game his squad won.

"I am very happy to be in Bologna, it is a great team with great players,” said Ivanovic in his first comments as Virtus boss. “I believe in this team and I believe in these players, I think they have the right character and we are ready to fight. As fate would have it, my first game is against Baskonia and my last game last year was against Virtus – it is a special game for me.

“I believe in the guys and I think we can improve. The focus of the early days? We have to be a team and play together, believe in it. Virtus has always played well, but lost so many games by a few points. A little bit of bad luck, but this is basketball and that can change and help the players also mentally to win these games. Toko \[Shengelia\] and Achille \[Polonara\]? We won a Spanish championship together; they are good players and good people. They haven't changed, they have good character and they want to win.”

The Baskonia fans will welcome Dusko back with welcome arms, but there is no time for sentiment. Virtus urgently needs a win to kickstart its EuroLeague season, and with 400 EuroLeague games under his belt, Ivanovic is well prepared to guide the Italian side through tricky waters, starting at a place he knows very well.

The Montenegrin play-caller takes on Baskonia in his first game on the Virtus bench

Following the success of Andrea Trinchieri's "My Five Signature Players", the second episode of the series features Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Saras Jasikevicius.

Saras Jasikevicius: My Five Signature Players

Following the success of [Andrea Trinchieri's "My Five Signature Players"](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/andrea-trinchieri-my-five-signature-euroleague-players/), the second episode of the series features [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) head coach [Saras Jasikevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/jasikevicius-saras/?season=E2024).

Now in his 10th season as a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague play-caller, with Jasikevicius having led [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/) from 2016 to 2020, [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) from 2020-23, and Fenerbahce from 2023 to present day, the 48-year-old has coached some incredible players. In this episode, five players are selected that have had a big impact on Saras's coaching career to date.

Euroleague.net's Javier Gancedo sat down with the Fenerbahce head coach to reflect on some players who have had a big impact on his coaching career