Tamir Blatt made up for the departures of Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown by leading Maccabi Tel Aviv BC to a Round 1 victory against LDLC ASVEL to start the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

What Baldwin-Brown backcourt? Blatt has career night in opener

On Thursday night, [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) made Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv fans quickly forget about last season’s star backcourt of [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) and [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/). The playmaker couldn’t have tipped off the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season any better, enjoying a career night and home victory.

The 27-year-old point guard Blatt posted career highs of 21 points, 12 assists and 36 PIR in [Maccabi’s 89-82 win over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/report-maccabi-vs-asvel/). Blatt made 4-of-5 two-pointers, all 4 of his three-point attempts and his lone free throw, topping his previous best of 17 points for ALBA Berlin against FC Barcelona on December 1, 2022.

Tamir Blatt finished with 21 points, 12 points and a 36 PIR as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv beat LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 89-82 in Round 1 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Tamir Blatt's big night vs. ASVEL

Blatt, who also had 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 fouls drawn and just 2 turnovers in the game, eclipsed his previous high in assists of 9 versus EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on April 11, 2024, for Maccabi. And his best PIR before this game was 20 for ALBA against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on October 19, 2022.

“I feel great. I am really happy for the guys and for the team,” said Blatt, who is playing his second season back with a native Israeli club after two seasons in Germany with ALBA. “It was a great team effort and I’m happy we got the first win.”

About his strong performance, Blatt said: “It’s great to play well and I’m happy and the guys really helped me to get to my spots. The most important thing is that we got the win and we move forward.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TB&#39;s opening night 💪<br>(📸 Djordje Kostic) <a href="https://t.co/POdDEtbTPj">pic.twitter.com/POdDEtbTPj</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1841942000922460448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Blatt’s performance comes after he averaged 7.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 19 minutes over 38 games last season. But because Maccabi had point guards such as Baldwin and Brown, Blatt did not start a single game last season in the EuroLeague.

Maccabi coach Oded Kattash had Blatt on the court for nearly 29 minutes against ASVEL. Blatt’s performance also gave Kattash less reason to play new point guard [Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/) as the Lithuanian playmaker from FC Barcelona played 15 minutes, scoring 4 points and dishing 2 assists.

It was a tremendous start to the season for Blatt in a good Maccabi victory. Who were the team’s guards again last season?

Game News

The Israeli guard fired on all cylinders in Round 1

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-10-03T19:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas fans have a new hero to cheer for after Sylvain Francisco came to the fore late on during his debut, scoring key points in the fourth quarter to help beat FC Barcelona on the opening day of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Sylvain Francisco showed his clutch gene on Zalgiris debut

Drawing energy from the home crowd inside Zalgirio Arena, Zalgiris Kaunas hit the ground running in the first half, holding FC Barcelona to just 31 points and taking a 12-point lead into the halftime interval.

Following the break, the guests turned the game around and tied the score at 48-48 with 2:07 minutes left on the clock in the third quarter. From that point on, Barcelona made the contest a tight affair, with Jabari Parker bringing his squad within 57-54 midway through the closing quarter.

Sylvain Francisco had 19 points in 17:44 minutes on his Zalgiris Kaunas debut as his side beat FC Barcelona 74-67 in Round 1 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Barcelona could not deal with Sylvain Francisco

Then, it was [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/)’s time to shine. The Zalgiris guard came off the bench and carried the team on his shoulders, [leading the hosts to a 74-67 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/zalgiris-kaunas-powers-past-barcelona-74-67/). A step-back triple was followed by two baskets in traffic as he single-handedly extended Zalgiris’s lead to 64-56. The visitors fought back and scored four unanswered points, but Francisco came to the fore again, smoothly dribbling around and breaking Alex Abrines’s ankles before drilling a buzzer-beating triple with 2:17 remaining.

In the post-game interview, the Zalgiris summer signing credited a EuroLeague legend for his clutch three-pointer with less than 30 seconds to go that almost took the roof off Zalgirio Arena. “Shoutout to \[Olympiacos Piraeus great Vassilis\] Spanoulis, ‘cause that’s his move at the end of the day,” Francisco told EuroLeague TV.

Zalgiris Kaunas guard Sylvain Francisco channeled his inner Vassilis Spanoulis as his team beat FC Barcelona 74-67 in Round 1 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Sylvain Francisco: 'Shout out to Spanoulis, that's his move!'

Francisco finished the night with a game-high 19 points, 15 of which were scored in the last four and a half minutes. “I had to play my game and play for my team, too,” he added. “The third quarter was kind of messed up. I think I realized they were going to play defense on me and on every guy. So, I made sure I run the team first and then play for myself. And they let me do everything, so I was hot and I just took advantage.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Showed up in style, delivered in game. 😮‍💨 <a href="https://t.co/3DJiSQFLjL">pic.twitter.com/3DJiSQFLjL</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1841937545929883699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The 27-year-old guard may have stood out on Thursday, but head coach Andrea Trinchieri stressed that the team’s effort on defense was what allowed the hosts to clinch the victory. “I believe that every player helped us to win the game,” the Zalgiris boss told EuroLeague TV. “Everybody saw Francisco doing Francisco stuff. \[He was\] very important, a game changer. But I would also underline the defense of [\[Laurynas\] Birutis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/laurynas-birutis/005504/), [Arnas \[Butkevicius\]](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/arnas-butkevicius/002676/) and [Matthew Mitchell](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matthew-mitchell/012622/). We need each other. This is a team win.”

[Keenan Evans](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/keenan-evans/011218/)’s departure in the summer may have been a blow for Zalgiris, but Francisco demonstrated on Thursday that the Lithuanian side may have well found a new clutch player who can step up in the final minutes. With its confidence sky-high after a season-opening victory over Barcelona, Zalgiris will travel to Greece next week to take on another EuroLeague powerhouse in Olympiacos Piraeus.

He put on a show in the closing stages to put Barcelona to bed at Zalgirio Arena

Zalgiris Kaunas v FC Barcelona (2024-10-03T17:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Basketball secured a memorable 97-89 win over Real Madrid in the first EuroLeague game at SAP Garden in Round 1 of the 2024-25 season.

Bayern takes opening night thriller over Real Madrid, 97-89

In a thrilling contest of constant swings in momentum, FC Bayern Munich eventually overcame Real Madrid 97-89 to claim a famous victory from the first game at the spectacular new SAP Garden.

The first two quarters followed the same pattern, with Bayern starting strong but Real responding to keep it close at halftime. The script was flipped as the Spanish team surged clear with a 0-13 run after the break, but Bayern came back magnificently with its own 13-0 run to grab the win.

Johannes Voigtmann inspired Bayern with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, Shabazz Napier was the top scorer with 25 points and Carsen Edwards contributed 14. Facundo Campazzo led Real with 19 points and 9 assists, Dzanan Musa netted 18 points and Walter Tavares had 12 points and 9 boards in a losing effort.

Game Videos

Both teams focused their early efforts inside, with Tavares and Musa netting for Real while Vladimir Lucic and Devin Booker answered for the host. Andreas Obst scored 8 points in 90 seconds, including a pair of two three-pointers, making it 14-7. A flurry of threeballs from Voigtmann and Napier kept the host ahead, but Musa and Serge Ibaka both scored from close and long-range, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes incredibly beat the buzzer from mid-court to make it 26-29 after 10 minutes.

Napier scored five points straight early in the second, before Niels Giffey struck a corner three and Edwards had a layup-and-one to complete a 13-0 run for a 39-31 lead. Rathan-Mayes rescued Real with a three-point play, but Napier and Voigtmann again struck from deep, and Booker netted at the basket for the game’s first double-digit lead, 49-38. Sergio Llull’s three-pointer, Tavares’s dunk and Campazzo’s transition jumper pulled Real back, 50-49. Oscar da Silva’s free throws snapped a 0-9 run, and Gaby Deck’s tough layup made it 52-51 at the break.

Voigtmann’s basket at the rim opened the third quarter scoring, but triples from Alberto Abalde and Campazzo, along with a pair of inside strikes from Musa, sent Real ahead, 54-61. Tavares’s three-point play completed a 0-13 run to give the visitor a double-digit lead, before Napier’s fast-break layup ended Bayern’s five-minute scoring drought. Campazzo struck from deep but Booker boosted Bayern with a three-pointer and a showtime slam, 61-69, and Napier added a jumper and one to make it 64-73 with ten minutes remaining.

Da Silva and Edwards scored the first 5 points of the final period, before Rathan-Mayes reignited Real. But Voigtmann’s fourth triple of the night was followed by Niels Giffey from deep, tying it up at 75-75. Edwards scored four straight points and Napier hit his fourth three-pointer, giving the host an 82-77 lead midway through the period. Voigtmann stretched the advantage into double digits with another deep strike, completing a 13-0 run. Campazzo’s layup and Musa’s three-pointer gave Real hope, and Campazzo struck from deep to make it 90-87 inside the last minute. Campazzo’s free throws made it 90-89, but Lucic also held his nerve from the line to seal the win.

On a special night for the German side, it recorded a memorable victory

FC Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (2024-10-03T18:45:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz secured an 88-82 win over KK Partizan in Round 1 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Baskonia grinds down Partizan, 88-82, thanks to cohesive team effort

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz celebrated an impressive 88-82 home win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 1 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after coming from behind in an enthralling contest which lit up a packed Buesa Arena.

New arrival Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who joined Baskonia from French rival LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne during the offseason, came up big on his debut for the Spanish outfit as he earned the player of the game award after racking up 15 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and 1 block in a smooth all-round performance.

Sharpshooter Markus Howard netted a team-high 17 points for Baskonia, captain Tadas Sedekerskis added 14, Chima Moneke posted 13 and Trent Forrest chipped in with 10, including a clutch three-pointer off the glass in the fourth quarter which gave the home team the lead for good, 73-72.

At the other end, twin towers Tyrique Jones and Brandon Davies carried a new-look Partizan with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Vanja Marinkovic scored 11 points against his former club and Iffe Lundberg netted 10 for the visitors, who ran out of steam down the stretch after dominating the first half.

Ironclad defense saw Partizan engineer a 32-38 first-half lead, with Tyrique Jones proving a handful for Baskonia’s big men. Davis too enjoyed plain sailing on offense, with Partizan sinking five shots from downtown in the opening two quarters while stifling out Baskonia’s long-range artillery.  

Jones continued to torment his markers in the third, scoring 9 points in the opening five minutes with some lightning moves close to the rim, but Howard and Luwawu-Cabarrot found their range too at the other end as Baskonia slashed the deficit to 59-60 heading into the final 10 minutes of a rip-roaring matchup.

The home fans were in raptures when Luwawu-Cabarrot scored the final basket of the third period, rounding his marker before he took off and rocked the rim with a one-handed slam jam which could figure as a strong contender for one of the best dunks of the season.

With Jones slowly running out of steam, Davis took over the mantle for Partizan early in the fourth quarter, but one could sense the visitors would be forced into submission after Forrest made that audacious shot off the glass to turn the tide.

With their confidence high, Baskonia hit top gear in a frantic finish and made sure they gave head coach Pablo Laso a dream debut on an emotional homecoming to his boyhood club, where he featured as a player from 1984 to 1995.

Davies and Marinkovic kept Partizan barely afloat in the last two minutes with a couple of fine shots from deep, but it was too little too late as Howard kept his nerve from the foul line to seal Baskonia’s victory.

The home side trailed for much of the contest and then prevailed down the stretch with five players finishing in double digits

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-10-03T18:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Tel Aviv BC leaned on a strong fourth quarter to beat LDLC ASVEL 89-82 in Round 1 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Maccabi comes from behind to beat ASVEL, 89-82

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv opened its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season in style with an 89-82 victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, coming back from 10 points down in a game that featured 23 lead changes.

Tamir Blatt had career highs of 21 points, 12 assists and 37 PIR for Maccabi while Jaylen Hoard and Jordan Loyd both scored 15 points, while Jasiel Rivero added 11 points and 9 rebounds. Joffrey Lauvergne paced ASVEL with 17 points and Paris Lee tallied 12 points and 4 assists. 

Theo Maledon knocked down a three-pointer for ASVEL’s first points of the season and Loyd did the honors for Maccabi before Rivero gave the home side its first lead. That was the start of a breathtaking back and forth with 14 lead changes in the first quarter - Lauvergne pouring in 9 points for the guests and Rokas Jokubaitis scoring two straight baskets for Maccabi. ASVEL finished strong with the final nine points on a couple of three-point plays by Nando De Colo and Mbaye Ndiaye and a buzzer-beater triple from Edwin Jackson to lead 24-31 after 10 minutes.

ASVEL continued the surge in the second quarter and Jackson gave the French side a 10-point lead, 26-36. Blatt stepped up at the other end with two three-pointers and Roman Sorkin put Maccabi back ahead 43-42. Lauvergne and Hoard went at it in the paint against each other and the game went back and forth again with four lead changes to end the first half with ASVEL up 51-52 at the break.

Early in the second half, Lee and David Lighty hit triples and ASVEL was up 54-58. Maccabi had a strong spurt of 10-2 with Rivero book-ending the run with scores and a 64-60 cushion. A Lee triple pushed the guests back into the lead, 64-65. Two Tarik Black scores had ASVEL up 65-69, but the score was level 70-70 after three quarters.

Shaq Harrison tallied the first five points of the third quarter to give ASVEL a five-point lead. John DiBartolomeo trimmed the margin to 77-78 on a three-pointer for Maccabi. The defenses of both teams were finally getting consistent stops, though Lauvergne made it 77-82. Blatt and DiBartolomeo both hit triples at the other end and Maccabi was up 83-82 with 2 minutes to play. Blatt then hooked up on alley-oop dunks by Hoard on back-to-back possessions to make it 87-82 with 30 seconds to play to decide the game. 

The Israeli side went to another gear in the fourth quarter to win the game

AS Monaco Basket, with Mike James still working his way back to form post-surgery, steamrolled Olimpia Milano in Round 1 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Monaco ‘better than expected’ in demolition of Milan

In the lead-up to the season opener, the battle between AS Monaco and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan was pitted as a clash between two recent Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVPs: [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/), the current holder of the award, and the 2022 MVP, [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/).

Yet, the two star players ended up being more on the periphery as [Monaco overwhelmed Milan 93-80](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-runs-past-milan-in-opener-93-80/) to start its season on the right foot.

"I would say it was over my expectations, to be honest," claimed Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic. "It was a great team win, everybody contributed on a high level. The first part was good defensively, and the whole game we did a great job offensively."

James, in action for the first time since a procedure on his back over the summer, played 18:36 minutes and finished with 9 points and 5 assists, with all but two of those assists coming in the first half. James gave his teammates a nice boost, scoring his first bucket after only seven seconds and helping Monaco to a 21-halftime lead.

"It is different when Mike is there, the floor is larger with him, I would say," said Obradovic.

"Mike James is an X-Factor, always. He makes it easier for us, and we just play off of him," added [Alpha Diallo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alpha-diallo/011226/), the game’s top scorer with 20 points.

But what made the biggest difference was Monaco’s offensive rebounding. The hosts had 12 offensive boards in the first two quarters, on 20 missed shots.

It prompted a halftime reaction from Milan coach Ettore Messina, who questioned his team’s heart. The visitors allowed just 3 offensive rebounds after the break, but the deficit proved to be too big to overcome.

"There are a lot of good things we showed in this game," said [Mam Jaiteh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mam-jaiteh/002581/), who had 10 points and 7 rebounds. "There have been many changes on the team, but the mind is there, the atmosphere is good, and I have no doubt we are going to raise our team spirit and chemistry."

After one game, played without [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/) and with James far from his best, Monaco certainly looks like it will have plenty to say this season.

Alpha Diallo was the team's surprise star on the night

AS Monaco v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-10-03T17:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos BC had a happy return to Uber Arena, where it won its seventh continental crown last May. On Thursday night, the Greens downed ALBA Berlin 77-87 in Round 1 and showed they have the potential to be even better this season. 

Panathinaikos showed its impressive depth in Berlin 

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens had a happy return to Uber Arena, where it won its seventh continental crown last May. On Thursday night, [the Greens downed ALBA Berlin 77-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-bc-beats-alba-in-berlin-77-87/) in Round 1 and showed they have the potential to be even better this season.

Panathinaikos had five players score in double digits, with all of them being with the team last season. [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) led the way with 16 points. [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) added 14 and 8 rebounds, [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) had 11 points in his favorite city (he became a EuroBasket champion with Spain and a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague winner with the Greens at Uber Arena) while [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) and [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/) each netted 10. Sloukas had 8 of those in the final five minutes to make sure he stopped ALBA's fourth-quarter comeback.

After the game, Nunn gave us one of the keys that could make the Greens better: the team is deeper, and that should pay off in the long run.

"It felt good, especially opening up here in Berlin. It felt really nice to be back in this arena. Most importantly we got the victory, so I'm happy," Nunn told the EuroLeague TV cameras. "It adds depth to our team. Like you were seeing today, we almost did a five in, five out type of sub, and we have the depth to keep guys fresh. That will help us throughout the season."

Indeed, the newcomers all delivered and showed they can be major contributors in the long run. [Cedi Osman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/) had 5 points, a steal and a block, being very active at both ends. [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) finished the game with 5 points and 5 assists. [Omer Yurtseven](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/omer-yurtseven/005353/) had 8 points on 4-of-4 shots, 3 rebounds and a PIR of 10 in just over 14 minutes.

Lorenzo Brown, Omer Yurtseven and Cedi Osman combined for 18 points to lead Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens past ALBA Berlin in Round 1.

Newcomers gave Panathinaikos a boost in Round 1

Lessort believes that the fact that Panathinaikos is the reigning EuroLeague champion does not change things at all, as the Greens will have to go out there and fight for every victory.

"It is a whole new season. We don't start this season with any advantage from last season. We are starting from zero and have to prove ourselves again," Lessort said. "We have a lot of new players and never two seasons look the same. We cannot count on last season to carry on to this one. This is our season and we have everything to prove this year."

It is early in the season but head coach Ergin Ataman knows that its improved depth can be decisive in Panathinaikos's challenge to win a second consecutive EuroLeague title for the first time in club history.

"We have a good depth in our roster. We need to find a better focus on defense, because offensively, we have great potential. But sometimes on defense, the players on the court try to rest and this is not good because we need to find more fast-break points to break the game," Coach Ataman said. "OK, we can learn about this. We will work, it is the beginning of the season, so I have a lot of confidence for these guys."

Next week, Panathinaikos returns to OAKA to play its first EuroLeague game since the 2023 playoffs, on October 10 against FC Bayern Munich.

The Greens could be even better in 2024-25 than they were in 2023-24

ALBA Berlin v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-10-03T16:45:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas, led by some fourth-quarter heroics by Sylvain Francisco, downed FC Barcelona 74-67 in Round 1 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Zalgiris powers past Barcelona, 74-67

Zalgiris Kaunas started its 2024-45 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign in style by beating FC Barcelona 74-67 at a buzzing Zalgirio Arena on Thursday. The hosts dictated the tempo throughout the content and imposed their style of play on FC Barcelona by playing tough on defense, which forced the visitors to score fewer than 20 points in each of the four quarters.

Sylvain Francisco led all scorers with 19 points, 15 of which were scored in the closing quarter. Ignas Brazdeikis also stood out on his return to Zalgiris and netted 17 points. Nico Laprovittola scored 12 points for the guests, with Kevin Punter and Jabari Parker recording 11 each.

Summer signings Tyrone Wallace and Brazdeikis netted a bucket apiece to start the game, but Willy Hernangomez responded from inside to tie it at 4-4. Brazdeikis sliced through Barcelona’s defense twice after a Jabari Parker triple and scored two layups to put Zalgiris ahead, 10-7. Then, Deividas Sirvydis opened his account from beyond the arc on his Zalgiris debut, but Barcelona newcomer Punter responded with one of his own on the other end to make it 13-10. Triples from Dovydas Giedraitis and Dovydas Giedraitis extended Zalgiris’s lead to 21-14 heading into the second quarter.

Wallace and Brazdeikis started strong again in the second and gave Zalgiris a 25-14 cushion. Yet, Barcelona fought back, with Laprovittola drilling a triple from deep to trim the deficit to 27-21. Boosted by the energy injected by the fans, Zalgiris responded with two triples from Arnas Butkevicius and a hard-fought Laurynas Birutis bucket to restore a 37-26 lead. Punter replied to a Matthew Mitchell midrange jumper with a triple on the other end, but Brazdeikis drilled an impossible off-balance basket to beat the second-quarter buzzer and make it 43-31 at the break.

Barcelona hit the ground running in the second half, forcing Zalgiris to commit 3 turnovers, and Laprovittola and Tomas Satoransky made the most of them to cut the difference to 43-37. Zalgiris struggled on offense and netted just one bucket in the first four and a half minutes of the third quarter. In the meantime, Alex Abrines drilled a three-pointer and Laprovittola nailed a layup to bring Barcelona within 45-42. Then, Sirvydis sank his second triple of the game, but buckets from Chimezie Metu and Parker were followed by two free throws from Justin Anderson, who tied the game at 48-48.  Edgaras Ulanovas came off the bench to provide his team with some much-needed energy, stealing a ball and scoring one from inside to give Zalgiris a narrow 50-48 cushion heading into the last quarter.

The hosts started strong in the fourth, with Brazdeikis and Mitchell scoring from inside before the former drilled one from deep to extend Zalgiris’s lead to 57-48. But Barcelona fought back and responded with a 0-6 run of their own, inspired by Parker. Yet, a step-back triple from Francisco got the fans off their seats before two buckets from the Zalgiris guard and another 2 three-pointers took his tally to 17 points and allowed the hosts to restore a 72-65 lead, practically clinching the victory.

Sylvain Francisco and Ignas Brazdeikis were the hosts' heroes on the night

AS Monaco Basket led from start to finish as it beat Olimpia Milano 93-80 in Round 1 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Monaco runs past Milan in opener, 93-80

AS Monaco led from start to finish and opened the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season in style, downing the visiting EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 93-80 on Thursday night. Monaco opened the game with an 18-4 run and held a 21-point lead at halftime behind its 12 offensive rebounds. The visitors halved the lead early in the fourth quarter behind Armoni Brooks, and briefly got within single digits, but Monaco’s lead was never in danger.

Alpha Diallo paced Monaco with 20 points, Elie Okobo had 14, while Furkan Korkmaz, Mam Jaiteh and Matthew Strazel scored 10 apiece, with Jaiteh also pulling down 7 rebounds. Mike James, last season’s MVP, had 9 points and 5 assists in less than 19 minutes on the floor. For Milan, Armoni Brooks netted 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, while Neno Dimitrijevic had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Zach LeDay also scored 11, and Shavon Shields finished with 10 in the defeat.

James needed just seven seconds to score his first basket, a short pull-up jumper, while Milan needed six minutes to get its first field goal, only scoring a pair of free throws in those opening minutes. Until then, Mam Jaiteh, Furkan Korkmaz and James have opened an 11-2 lead, and a three-point play from Alpha Diallo helped open an 18-4 margin. Zach LeDay and Armoni Brooks cut into the margin a bit, but the hosts held 22-10 after the opening 10 minutes.

Monaco wasn’t slowing down in the second, too. A triple from Okobo, the first of the game, and second-chance points by Jaron Blossomgame and Vitto Brown opened a 30-12 margin. Josh Nebo inside and Shavon Shields with a three-point play gave Milan some life, but Matthew Strazel and Okobo each knocked down a three, and a second-chance layup from Motiejunas extended it to 38-18. Shields had a three-point play and LeDay had Milan’s only three-pointer of the half, but Monaco went into the break up 47-26.

Nikola Mirotic knocked down two triples in the first three minutes of the third quarter, and a transition corner triple from Giampaolo Ricci cut it to 53-39. Milan kept charging, and a three-point play by Nebo got the visitors within 55-42. But a triple from Diallo changed the momentum, sparking a 7-0 run which restored a 20-point margin. A three-pointer from Strazel helped open 66-44, before Milan scored the last five points of the quarter and cut the deficit to 66-49 entering the final 10 minutes.

Back-to-back triples from Brooks gave Milan hope, cutting it to 68-55, and forcing coach Sasa Obradovic to call a timeout. Brooks continued to be hot, scoring eight more points, including two more three-pointers, getting Milan within 73-63. Milan got the deficit into single digits, 77-68, with 4:41 left, but a second-chance three from Diallo and a three-point play from Okobo opened 85-70, and Milan did not threaten again.