EuroLeague top photos of the week

Kevin Punter of Barcelona shoots a jumper over ASVEL's Edwin Jackson

Moses Wright of Olympiacos dunks against Bayern in Munich

Donta Hall of Baskonia in the post against ALBA's Louis Olinde 

Eli Ndiaye of Real Madrid throws it down in front of Zvezda's Nikola Kalinic

Lorenzo Brown of Panathinaikos strips the ball from Fenerbahce's Tarik Biberovic

Elijah Bryant of Efes passes around the defense of Milan's Shavon Shields

Tyrique Jones of Partizan puts Virtus's Mouhamet Diouf on a poster

Walter Tavares of Real Madrid rejects a scoring attempt by Zvezda's Codi Miller-McIntyre

Kevarrius Hayes of Paris emotes after dunking against Monaco

Will Clyburn (8) and Matt Morgan (30) of Virtus and Partizan's Iffe Lundberg reach for the ball

Look back at all the action from Round 5 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week!

Top 10 photos of the week: Round 5

An amazing individual performance in a winning effort allowed TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball to earn Round 5 MVP honors with a career-high PIR of 38, the highest of any player this season.

Round 5 MVP: TJ Shorts, Paris Basketball

An amazing individual performance in a winning effort allowed [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) of Paris Basketball to earn Round 5 MVP honors with a career-high PIR of 38, the highest of any player this season.

Shorts led Paris to an 80-87 road win over AS Monaco in this week’s Rivalry Series game with a career-best 28 points on 9-of-12 two-pointers, 1-of-3 three-pointers and 7-of-9 free throws. He added 4 rebounds, 10 assists – another career high – and 9 fouls drawn to amass a PIR of 38. Shorts has earned MVP of the Round for the first time in his career and is also the first Paris player to achieve this honor.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade center [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) had a PIR of 32 in his team's 69-70 home loss against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. Jones posted 20 points on 6-of-7 two-pointers and 8-of-9 free throws, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 6 fouls drawn. 

[Facu Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) of Real Madrid finished with a PIR of 30 in his side’s 95-72 win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. He had 13 points, no missed shots, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, no turnovers and 8 fouls drawn in less than 20 minutes. 

[Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, with a PIR of 27, and FC Barcelona center [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/), who had a PIR of 26, complete the top individual performances in Round 5. 

Mirotic recorded 29 points, his fourth-highest tally in 251 career games, 4 rebounds and 1 assist as Milan fell 84-96 to Anadolu Efes Istanbul, while Vesely had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in a 90-83 triumph over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

### Individual highs: Tyrique Jones, Partizan, 5 steals

[Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) of FC Bayern Munich led all scorers by scoring 30 points in Round 5, becoming just the 11th player to score 30 points or more in consecutive EuroLeague games. He is also the competition's top scorer at 20.6 points per game.

[Mam Jaiteh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mam-jaiteh/002581/) of Monaco and [Isaia Cordinier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/isaia-cordinier/009549/) of Virtus led all rebounders by pulling down 10 apiece in Round 5. [Neal Sako](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/neal-sako/010545/) of ASVEL is first overall at 9.8 boards per night.

Paris star TJ Shorts was the only player to record a double-digit number of assists in this round, dishing 10. [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv leads the EuroLeague in assists at 9.0 dimes per contest.

Tyrique Jones of Partizan collected 5 steals against Virtus, more than anyone in Round 5. Sako is first in steals at 2.0 per night.

[Khalifa Koumadje](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/koumadje-khalifa/010791/) of ALBA Berlin had 3 blocked shots to lead all players in this round. Koumadje and [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) of Real Madrid are tied atop the overall standings at 1.8 blocks per game.

Shorts (28 points, 10 assists), Jaiteh (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Cordinier (12 points, 10 rebounds) were the only players to record a double-double in Round 5.

AS Monaco v Paris Basketball (2024-10-24T17:00:00.000Z)

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our fourth winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Georgina Tsi beat everyone else in Round 4 with a team nonakos, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 224.45, the highest score this season.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 4 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our fifth winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Julen Salegi Arregi beat everyone else in Round 5 with a team 'serkan team', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 221.40.

Julen had the following lineup: Tyrique Jones of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade as team captain, then the rest of his starting five included Paris Basketball's TJ Shorts, Real Madrid's Facu Campazzo, Olympiacos Piraeus' Sasha Vezenkov, and Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Ercan Osmani. His team's head coach was Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz play-caller Pablo Laso.

Efes' Elijah Bryant was his sixth man, while the remaining four bench players were LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's Neal Sako, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade's Andrej Kostic, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens' Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, and Baskonia's Sander Raieste.

The prize for finishing first in Round 5 is a free VIP Euroleague TV Subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Julen!

Ognjen Vilotijevic and his team 'Yaretai' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 863.40 points.

Trades are now open for Round 6. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season. You can either trade up to four players, or a head coach and three players.

The first game in Round 6, the start of the second double-round week of the season, tips off on Tuesday, October 29, as Efes hosts FC Barcelona at 18:30 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. 

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 5 winner

Panathinaikos BC, led by Kostas Sloukas, stepped up late to defeat Fenerbahçe Beko and send a statement to the rest of the EuroLeague in the process.

Panathinaikos showed the makings of a champion in subduing Fenerbahce 

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens was staring at a third successive defeat in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague but the Greens showed what champions are made of, saving their best for last in [a rollercoaster 76-81 road win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-roars-back-for-a-thrilling-76-81-win-at-fenerbahce/).

Having slipped up at the competition’s debutants, Paris Basketball, before losing at Real Madrid in a rematch of last season’s championship game, Panathinaikos threw away a 13-point lead against Fenerbahce and trailed 70-65 midway through the fourth quarter.

Not surprisingly, it was captain [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) who got the visitors out of jail with a masterclass fourth-quarter performance, sinking 8 of his 13 points – including a clutch triple – in the final frame to give Panathinaikos the lead for good, 73-75.

Having acknowledged that he needed to bounce back after a pair of substandard performances at Paris and Real, Sloukas – playing in his 392nd EuroLeague game, the fourth most all-time – heaped praise on his head coach Ergin Ataman, who masterfully guided Panathinaikos to last season’s title in Europe’s premier club competition.

“This is a big win because it’s a difficult arena and Fener are a great team,” Sloukas said to EuroLeague TV in a post-game interview. “We had a good shot selection in the end, while I had to react because I had played two bad games in a row. It was important to stay calm in crucial moments after Fener reacted when we led by 12 points. I have a very good cooperation with Ataman, he is always hungry and right now he is the best coach in Europe.”

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard Kostas Sloukas spoke to EuroLeague TV after his won against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 5 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Kostas Sloukas: 'Ergin Ataman is the best coach in Europe'

The 58-year-old Turkish tactician, who won back-to-back titles with Fenerbahce’s archrival Anadolu Efes Istanbul before he lifted the coveted trophy in his first season at Panathinaikos, kept his emotions at bay after what must have been another heart-warming victory over a perennial rival.

He acknowledged that Panathinaikos suffered a second-half meltdown which allowed Fenerbahce to turn a 47-60 deficit into a 70-65 lead but also heaped praise on his men, notably Sloukas, after seeing his team have the last laugh.

“For three quarters we played a perfect game,” said Ataman. “We moved the ball well and played excellent defense. In the last quarter, we panicked on offense and committed a series of turnovers against an aggressive Fenerbahce defense.

“But the team showed great character in the last five minutes, especially Sloukas. Just like last year, he took the leadership in crunch time and we found a way to grind out a very important victory. It’s very difficult to win on this court as Fenerbahce is a great team.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">W ☘️☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LiveTheGreenMagic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LiveTheGreenMagic</a> <a href="https://t.co/dYDSuOlrAm">pic.twitter.com/dYDSuOlrAm</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1849903290592444838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Big man [Omer Yurtseven](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/omer-yurtseven/005353/) added: “The comeback that they had was insane, we had some flaws on defense which they cracked but we hit some big shots. We learned a lot from this game and it was a great team effort.”

It was another disappointing night on home court for Fenerbahce head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who saw his outfit mauled by Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 57-76 in Istanbul before a labored 71-78 win at the competition’s bottom team, ALBA Berlin.

“Playing well for one and a half or two quarters is not enough against the EuroLeague champion,” said the visibly anguished Lithuanian tactician. “We didn’t compete in the first half and then we showed some character and found a little bit of basketball, but we made silly mistakes in the end and it cost us the game.”

Game News

The EuroLeague titleholder displayed grit and mettle when the chips were down to prevail in a fervent atmosphere

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-10-25T17:45:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona got a timely boost from 18-year-old prospect Dame Sarr in its 90-83 win over LDLC ASVEL, which should spell good news for the Italian moving forward.

Dame Sarr was the spark Barcelona needed against ASVEL

FC Barcelona protected its home court on Friday night in a hard-fought battle against a feisty LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne side, which held slim leads for the majority of the night, with 18-year-old guard [Dame Sarr](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dame-sarr/011666/) helping breath life into his team.

[The 90-83 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-edges-asvel-90-83-to-notch-fourth-straight-win/), which improved Barcelona's record to 4-1, tying it with Zalgiris Kaunas for the best in the league, is even more important given the week the team had just gone through. Last weekend, guard [Nico Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) went down with a serious-looking injury that on Monday was confirmed as [a season-ending ACL tear](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nico-laprovittola-to-undergo-knee-surgery/). A couple of days later, the Barcelona squad posted a video on social media wishing "Lapro" a speedy recovery.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="pt" dir="ltr">𝐓&#39;𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐌, 𝐋𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐎 🫶 <a href="https://t.co/Xi7WEIQje1">pic.twitter.com/Xi7WEIQje1</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1849021492383637905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With [Theo Maledon](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/theo-maledon/007027/) and [Neal Sako](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/neal-sako/010545/) leading ASVEL at Palau Blaugrana, and [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) and [Charles Kahudi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/charles-kahudi/kir/) doing all the right things for the first three quarters, it looked like Barcelona might suffer another shock, this time in the form of a home defeat.

But [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) was making shots throughout the night, [Tomas Satoransky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tomas-satoransky/002939/) made a couple of clutch triples, and [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/) did his job, both in the paint and on the perimeter. But one name everyone one was mentioning after the game was that of Sarr.

Dame Sarr finished with 3 points, a rebound, a steal and a block. For him, this was his season debut, and third appearance in the competition.

Sarr gave Barcelona energy vs. ASVEL

"It was important for us that Dame Sarr improved our energy," coach Joan Penarroya said on EuroLeague TV after the game.

Sarr spent just 7 minutes on the floor. He had a brief appearance in the first half, then entered with 46 seconds left in the third quarter, immediately grabbing a defensive rebound. He opened the fourth with a blocked shot on the perimeter, then had a steal as Barcelona had encountered problems controlling defensive glass early in the fourth.

And when ASVEL went up 71-76, Sarr immediately nailed a corner triple, starting a 12-3 run which gave Barcelona the lead for good.

FC Barcelona center Jan Vesely spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 5 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Jan Vesely: 'Shout-out to Dame Sarr, he brought the energy'

In the last quarter ASVEL scored 14 points, and Sarr was one of the reasons Barcelona managed to slow the visitors down.

"In the second half we changed our intensity," Jan Vesely said. "Shout-out to Dame Sarr, he really brought the energy on the court and lifted everybody."

"He did a great job with that, and that's what you expect from a young guy, to help you with that."

Sarr finished with 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 block. For him, this was his season debut, and third appearance in the competition. An Italian native who has come through Barcelona's youth system, he grabbed his chance and showcased his talent. 

Hard to stop at youth level, Sarr showed he has something to offer Barcelona's first team, and defensive hustle is what will bring him opportunities.

With Laprovittola sidelined, everyone will need to chip in something extra the rest of the way. And Sarr showed on Friday night how even a contribution from the bench in limited minutes can make a big difference.

The 18-year-old, in his first game this season, was just what the doctor ordered for Joan Penarroya's side

FC Barcelona v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-10-25T18:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Basketball is now 3-0 at its brand-new SAP Garden after beating Real Madrid, Paris Basketball and now Olympiacos BC, with Carsen Edwards and Devin Booker shining for Gordie Herbert's team.

FC Bayern's new Garden of Eden 

Following home victories against Real Madrid and Paris Basketball, FC Bayern Munich made it three wins from three at the brand-new SAP Arena on Friday night by [beating Olympiacos Piraeus 84-80](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/carsen-edwards-leads-bayern-past-olympiacos-84-80/).

Over 11,000 fans pushed Bayern to its third home win in as many games, with [Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) making it happen by scoring 14 of his 30 points in the final nine minutes. 

The 26-year-old guard made 10 of 14 two-pointers on the night, including a go-ahead put-back layup that put Bayern ahead for good, 72-71, midway through the fourth quarter. He also put the victory on ice by hitting a pair of free throws, fixing the final score with 11.2 seconds remaining.

Carsen Edwards of Bayern Munich became just the 11th player in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague history to score 30 points or more in consecutive games.

Edwards scores 30, ties EuroLeague record

In fact, Edwards became just the 12th player in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague history to score 30 points or more in consecutive games, having netted 32 in Round 4 against Paris. [Jaka Lakovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jaka-lakovic/ata/) of Krka Novo Mesto was the first player to do so back in 2001, getting 31 against Zadar and 38 against Real Madrid. 

[Nikola Vujcic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-vujcic/apb/) and [Alexey Shved](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alexey-shved/KVZ/) had back-to-back 30-point games but different seasons. [Milos Vujanic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/milos-vujanic/aup/), [Vlado Scepanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/vlado-scepanovic/aug/), [Milos Teodosic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/milos-teodosic/jdr/), [Lynn Greer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lynn-greer/crr/), [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/), [Charles Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/charles-smith/ctn/) and [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/), the only player to do it twice, complete this select group of players.

Edwards now has a chance to become the first player to score 30 or more points in three consecutive games, which would be a first in EuroLeague history. Edwards, however, praised his team's defense at the end of the game.

"I am just happy we got the win. We started off a little slow but I think just coming together and trying to get stops on defense, that's just the best part for us," Edwards told EuroLeague TV. 

"I hope we can build on this but we still have a lot of things to work on. We just stayed together and tried to get stops. I think that's the end of it, whether the shots are going in or not. If our defense is consistent, we can build off that."

[Devin Booker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/devin-booker/007056/) added 20 points while [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) and [Shabazz Napier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) each had 10 for Bayern, which grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, hit 24-of-37 two-point shots (64.9%) and limited its turnovers to just 9. Weiler-Babb finished the game with 6 rebounds, 9 assists and just 1 turnover.

The game went down to the wire, too. Olympiacos trailed 82-80 and [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) missed twice from downtown on consecutive trips down the floor before Edwards sealed the outcome from the foul line. When the dust settled, Booker said that the crowd, and the way Bayern fans pushed their team in the fourth quarter, was a big factor in this win.

"It feels great to pull it out in the end. We had a couple of scares there but fought until the end. I'm proud of my guys, man," he said to EuroLeague TV. 

"It was tough, it is always tough to play against Olympiacos. They always have a great team, especially this year, but we are playing at home in front of our crowd, so they gave us a little bit of an advantage. We hit some tough shots and also missed some easy shots, but like I said, we fought until the end. 

"We need \[the crowd's support\], that's when we needed it most: the fourth quarter, when everybody is tired and we are drained physically and mentally. I think they gave us an extra boost."

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ANOTHER W AT THE <a href="https://twitter.com/SAPGarden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SAPGarden</a> FOR BOOGIE AND THE BOYS 💪💪💪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBallTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeBallTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAYOLY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAYOLY</a> <a href="https://t.co/SgqVqrc7fL">pic.twitter.com/SgqVqrc7fL</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1849914309083586669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

For the first time in 10 EuroLeague seasons, Bayern has won its opening three home games of the season. Its next home showdown comes in Round 8 against Zalgiris Kaunas, which will see former Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri and ex-Bayern guard [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/) head back to the German city on November 7. 

Bayern fans will certainly be hoping that SAP Garden remains the team's Garden of Eden in the coming weeks and months.

Carsen Edwards starred once again as the German side improved to 3-0 at its new home

Bayern's new Garden of Eden 

FC Bayern Munich v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-10-25T18:45:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona improved to a joint league-best 4-1 record after beating LDLC ASVEL 90-83, which saw the French side drop to 2-3.

Barcelona edges ASVEL 90-83 to notch fourth straight win

FC Barcelona had to battle hard as it downed the visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 90-83 on Friday night at Palau Blaugrana. This victory is Barcelona's fourth consecutive win, giving the *Azulgrana* a joint league-best 4-1 record, while ASVEL dropped to 2-3.

ASVEL was in front for almost the entire first half, and the team traded leads throughout the third quarter before the visitors went up early in the fourth. But Tomas Satoransky, Kevin Punter and Jan Vesely hit key baskets down the stretch as Barcelona took over the lead and prevailed in the final minute. 

Kevin Punter led the winners with 20 points. Jan Vesely was also key, posting 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Jabari Parker scored 12, and Alex Abrines had 11 points for Barcelona. Theo Maledon paced ASVEL with 21 points, Neal Sako collected 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Nando De Colo and Charles Kahudi scored 14 points apiece in defeat.

Game Videos

Maledon scored seven points early as ASVEL opened the game with a 2-9 lead. Maledon also connected with Sako for an alley-oop dunk, before a triple from Admiral Schofield opened an 8-15 advantage. But two triples from Abrines, sandwiching one three-pointer from Tomas Satoransky, tied it at 17-17, before De Colo's logo three-pointer made it 17-20 after 10 minutes.

Dario Brizuela's three, Barcelona's fourth in a row, tied it at 20-20, but Kahudi led ASVEL's 0-6 run to keep the visitors ahead. After Abrines and Schofield traded triples, Barcelona started to get to the foul line more often, then Punter's triple tied it at 33-33. More baskets from Punter gave Barcelona the lead, and after Melvin Ajinca and Parker traded triples, Maledon and Sako helped the visitors take a 43-44 margin into halftime.

Both teams were getting buckets with ease in the third quarter. Edwin Jackson started things with a three-pointer for ASVEL, but Vesely answered with a rare triple before Punter and Abrines capped a 9-0 run to make it 52-47. But Sako and Kahudi got the margin back to a single point, and Kahudi put ASVEL back into the lead, 55-56. Vesely had a three-point play for the hosts, but Maledon did the same at the other end. Juan Nunez answered with a triple to make it 63-62, but De Colo scored four quick points and Kahudi made a runner, only for a Dario Brizuela to Chimezie Metu to combine for alley-oop dunk that tied it at 69-69 at the end of the third quarter.

ASVEL jumped ahead again, and Maledon's triple opened a 71-76 margin. But Dame Sarr answered with a corner three, and a triple from Satoransky made it 79-79 midway through the fourth. Vesely grabbed an important offensive rebounds and scored, before Satoransky's triple opened 86-81. Sako scored a layup with two minutes left after the hosts had made a couple of defensive stands. Maledon attempted a quick triple, which would have tied the game, but instead, Punter's jumper with 27 seconds to go made it 88-83, sealing the deal.

Kevin Punter and Jan Vesely helped the hosts fight off the efforts of Theo Maledon and Neal Sako

Carsen Edwards and Devin Booker combined for 50 points as FC Bayern Basketball beat Olympiacos BC 84-80 in Round 5 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Carsen Edwards leads Bayern past Olympiacos, 84-80

FC Bayern Munich is now a perfect 3-0 at SAP Garden, its brand-new arena, after edging Olympiacos Piraeus 84-80 in Round 5 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season on Friday night.

Bayern improved to 3-2 in the standings while Olympiacos dropped to 2-3. Carsen Edwards led the winners with 30 points on 10-of-14 two-pointers. Devin Booker added 20 while Nick Weiler-Babb and Shabazz Napier each had 10 for Bayern. Sasha Vezenkov was Olympiacos' leading scorer with 16 points. Tyler Dorsey added 12 and Moses Wright had 10 for the guests.

Moustapha Fall got Olympiacos going with a dunk and a layup. Edwards and Vezenkov traded layups, then Andreas Obst struck from downtown for a 5-6 Bayern deficit. Johannes Voigtmann hit a floater and followed Edwards' layup with a turnaround jumper that capped a 9-0 run. Fall hit a jump hook, Booker answered with a mid-range jumper and Vezenkov got the Reds within 13-12. Edwards sank a step-back jumper, Kostas Papanikolaou and Booker exchanged three-pointers, then Vezenkov's layup made it a one-point game, 18-17. Papanikolaou scored down low and Booker restored a 20-19 Bayern lead after 10 minutes.

 

Napier swished a mid-range jumper early in the second quarter, then Oscar da Silva erased Luca Vildoza's floater with a reverse layup. Vildoza struck from beyond the arc and fed Wright for a backdoor layup, good for a 24-26 Olympiacos lead. Napier sank a stop-and-pop triple, Weiler-Babb added a backdoor layup and Booker ignited the crowd with an alley-oop dunk that gave Bayern a 32-28 advantage. Alec Peters, Dorsey and Vildoza each struck from downtown and Wright dunked twice in a 0-15 run that made it a double-digit ballgame, 32-43, at halftime.  

 

Weiler-Babb scored in penetration soon after the break and erased Vezenkov's triple with his own shot from beyond the arc. Papanikolaou answered from downtown, Edwards hit a mid-range jumper and a red-hot Weiler-babb made Olympiacos call a timeout at 42-49. Edwards followed three-point play with a rainbow jumper. Thomas Walkup stepped up with a triple and Evan Fournier added a layup, but an unstoppable Booker dunked twice and buried a three-pointer to complete Bayern's comeback, 55-54. Vezenkov and Fournier rescued Olympiacos, Napier answered with a driving layup and Edwards' reverse layup tied it at 59-59. Vezenkov made the Reds regain a 59-61 edge after 30 minutes.

Wright dunked again early in the fourth quarter. Danko Brankovic scored down low and Edwards added a three-pointer and a baseline jumper that gave Bayern a 66-65 edge with over seven minutes left. Dorsey and Shaq McKissic each struck from beyond the arc to give Olympiacos fresh air at 66-71. Booker scored around the basket and Edwards added consecutive layups to ignite the crowd at 72-71. Voigtmann soon capped a 9-0 Bayern run with a dunk that made Olympiacos call a timeout at 75-71. Dorsey split free throws, Booker hit two attempts and Edwards's three-pointer boosted Bayern's lead to 79-72 with three minutes to go. Walkup and Dorsey sank a corner triple for a 79-78 score in the penultimate minute. Napier downed a three-pointer, then Fall dunked but Vezenkov missed twice from beyond the arc. Edwards sealed the outcome from the foul line, making it 84-80 with 11.2 seconds remaining.

The Bayern guard and big man Devin Booker combined for 50 points on the night

Panathinaikos BC bounced back from its back-to-back EuroLeague losses by beating Fenerbahçe Beko 76-81 on the road in Round 5 of the 2024-25 season.

Panathinaikos roars back for a thrilling 76-81 win at Fenerbahce 

Reigning champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens forced the final twist in a 76-81 road win at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and improved to 3-2 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, snapping a two-game skid with a resilient performance.

Having beaten the Turkish side 73-57 in last season’s semifinal, Panathinaikos continued to haunt Fenerbahce as player of the game Kostas Sloukas sank 13 points, including a clutch fadeaway three-pointer which gave the visitors the lead for good in a dramatic finish.

Lorenzo Brown paced Panathinaikos with 15 points. Mathias Lessort scored 14 while Omer Yurtseven and Lorenzo Brown chipped in with 12 each. At the other end, Tarik Biberovic netted a game-high 16 points for Fenerbahce, Wade Baldwin amassed 14 and Bonzie Colson poured 11 for the hosts, who slipped to 3-2 after a second successive home defeat.

Panathinaikos dominated proceedings throughout the opening three quarters on the back of ironclad defense which forced 10 turnovers from Fenerbahce in the opening half, while the visitors only had 2 as they also managed 9 assists and 5 steals.

That, in turn, generated smooth offense with Nunn shooting the lights out in the opening two quarters, draining 12 points while Lessort added 9 thanks to his trademark hard-working approach in the paint at both ends. Panathinaikos led 35-46 at halftime and built on its advantage in the third quarter to open up a 47-60 lead, subduing a normally fervent home crowd in Istanbul.

Fenerbahce then staged a rip-roaring fightback as the hosts came up with a 23-5 run which turned the game on its head and propelled them into a 70-65 lead in the home straight, with a galvanized Biberovic sinking a pair of deep threes in the process.

The home fans were in full swing as Panathinaikos suddenly looked like a fish out of water and victory seemed within reach for Fenerbahce, but Sloukas again stepped up to pile more misery on his former club.

With the home side 73-72 ahead, the livewire guard buried a deep three in his defender’s face with 67 seconds left on the clock to turn the tide for good. He did it from the exact same spot where he drained a game-winning shot for Olympiacos Piraeus in a 2023 playoff game against Fenerbahce, with the Greek side eventually winning the series 3-2 and advancing to the Final Four.

The writing was on the wall for the home team after Lessort followed up with a layup and a free throw, before scoring a late tip-in which finally forced Fenerbahce into submission while it gave visiting head coach Ergin Ataman another sweet victory against a longtime rival club.

Having led for most of a pulsating clash, the Greek side fought back from adversity to prevail in a thrilling climax 