Four players were unavailable but Xavi Pascual's team found the way to dominate in Paris 


Injury-plagued Barca keeps soaring with triumph in Paris 

It was a special night for FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Pascual. More than 15 years after leading Barça to the EuroLeague crown in Paris, Pascual returned to the French capital and guided his team to another big win.

In the 2010 Championship Game, Pascual and Barça bested Olympiacos Piraeus 86-68. Remarkably, the result on Tuesday was similar: Barça beat Paris Basketball 85-69.

It wasn't easy. Barca has been without playmakers [Juan Nunez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juan-nunez/010106/) and [Nico Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) for a while, and the recently injured big men [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/) and [Toko Shengelia ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/)did not travel to the French capital for this game. Nevertheless, Barça put together one of its best first halves of the season. The teams was aggressive on defense, effective on offense and dominated all aspects of the game.

Barca found a go-to guy in [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/), who scored 13 of his 19 points in the first quarter on perfect shooting. [Dario Brizuela](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dario-brizuela/009992/) came off the bench and did not miss a shot as he racked up 9 points in the first 10 minutes.

Paris Basketball-FC Barcelona | Round 16 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Clyburn kept rolling in the second quarter. His first missed shot was a desperation three deep from the right corner right at the halftime buzzer. He reached the break with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 3-of-3 on free throws for a PIR of 24. By halftime, Barca had outrebounded Paris 22-13, forced the hosts into 9 turnovers and only allowed them to dish 5 assists.

"Indeed, we knew that we were missing guys and everybody had to pick up the slack in every way. So congrats to the guys. Everybody came out here and did their part today. And defensively, we were great, followed the coach's game plan," Clyburn said after the game. "We have a lot of talented guys on this team. And they helped me by being so talented. And I'm kind of in these situations where I'm open to shoot the ball. But congrats to the team today. There's never too much talent."

Without Vesely and Shengelia, Pascual changed his frontcourt rotation and [Willy Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/willy-hernangomez/003196/) had another strong game in the French capital. Last season, Hernangomez led Barca to a 79-90 road win in Paris with 23 points and 10 rebounds for a PIR of 30. This time, Hernangomez saw limited playing time due to foul trouble but still managed to get 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 21 in 19 minutes. [Joel Parra](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-parra/007464/) helped at power forward with 11 points and 7 rebounds in over 30 minutes, and [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) was his usual self, leading all scorers with 21 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">𝟏𝟕 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢 𝟐𝟒 𝐝𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨́ a la primera part. <br><br>Lo de <a href="https://twitter.com/Da_Thrill21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Da_Thrill21</a> és... <a href="https://t.co/62kpdv5L1R">pic.twitter.com/62kpdv5L1R</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/2001036153772818915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

"It's something that we emphasize. They have been going to the offensive rebound especially really, really well. I think the first half, they only had 5 offensive rebounds, and we tried to minimize that. So it was a great game. We executed Xavi's plan... I'm proud of all my teammates," Hernangomez said. "We got this win here in Paris, which was really hard and now focus on the next one on Friday at home."

To wrap up a near-perfect night, [Nikola Kusturica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-kusturica/014128/) made his EuroLeague debut with Barça, becoming the youngest player to do so in club history with 16 years, seven months and 17 days, exactly the same age that [Luka Doncic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/euroleague/players/luka-doncic/005929/) had in his Real Madrid debut. [James Nnaji](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/euroleague/players/james-nnaji/010641/) had Barca's record with 17 years, three months and 13 days.

Barca is now on a four-game winning streak and hosts Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 16 on Friday, December 19.

Game News

Despite missing Four players, Coach Xavi Pascual's team found ways to dominate in the French capital


Paris Basketball v FC Barcelona (2025-12-16T20:00:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket has done it again. Less than a month after edging past Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, the EuroLeague's hottest team at the time, and less than two weeks after outscoring Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on the road, Tuesday night saw the Spanish side pull off another impressive win on Greek soil.

Valencia’s bigs thrived from deep in road win at Olympiacos

[Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/valencia-basket/pam/) has done it again. Less than a month after edging past Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, the EuroLeague's hottest team at the time, and less than two weeks after outscoring Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on the road, Tuesday night saw the Spanish side pull off another impressive win on Greek soil.

Pedro Martinez’s side downed [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) 92-99 by shooting the lights out on Tuesday night at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. In fact, Valencia nailed half of its 32 three-point attempts, including 6 made threes to turn the game around in the last quarter.

Olympiacos tried to beat Valencia at its own game, turning the first half into a back-and-forth affair, with the visitors securing a 47-49 lead at halftime. The hosts tightened up their defense and opened the second half with a 12-0 run thanks to 9 points from [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/), who nailed back-to-back triples before completing a three-point play. [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) scored inside to give his team a 73-60 lead with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter. 

What came next left the home crowd in disbelief as Valencia fired on all cylinders from beyond the arc, netting as many as 39 points in just over 11 minutes to grab the victory.

Olympiacos Piraeus-Valencia Basket | Round 16 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Leading the charge were not Valencia’s explosive guards, but its two bigs: [Nate Reuvers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/reuvers-nathan/012738/) and [Matt Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/matthew-costello/010444/), who combined for 35 points in the game. 

The former nailed 3 triples to end the game on a career-high 21 points in less than 19 minutes. Meanwhile, the latter drained 4 from deep to bag 14 points just a few days after netting 15 against Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

More importantly, they managed to stretch the floor, causing havoc to Olympiacos’s defense.

“We made 29 assists and only 13 turnovers, but I think the difference was that we shot great on three-pointers, especially our bigs, who opened the defense. Reuvers and Costello played great,” Martinez said in the post-game press conference.

A year after Paris Basketball sent shockwaves through the EuroLeague by going on an extraordinary 10-game winning streak, Valencia has been offering a similar, high-pace style of basketball that has captivated fans across Europe. 

The visitors found an extra gear in the closing stages, where Olympiacos collapsed on both ends of the floor, with Martinez explaining the benefits of his own philosophy.

“In basketball, tactics are very important but the most important is the mental situation,” he added. “For me, in the last quarter there are two important things. 

“One is that when we struggled to score, Olympiacos changed its mentality and maybe thought that the game was over. That’s not the reality, and at this point we scored all the shots we made because we were going up and they were going down. 

“But for me the second reason is that if you look at all our players, the one who plays the most minutes is [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/), who played 24. We try to make a fast rotation, something usual for us in all the games, and sometimes it permits us to arrive in a better physical condition in the last quarter.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🎉🧡<br>¡Así celebramos TODOS la victoria 11!<br><br>🏆 J16 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a><br>🔴 <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Olympiacos_BC</a> 92<br>🟠 <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> 99<br>🤝 <a href="https://twitter.com/MGS_Seguros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MGS_Seguros</a> <a href="https://t.co/kjULGoDRps">pic.twitter.com/kjULGoDRps</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/2001039860656754863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Very few of Valencia’s made threes came off iso or hero-ball situations in the final seconds of a possession. The guests circulated the ball well, doing a great job of finding the open man. Their 29 assists on the night is a season high, as well as a joint club high and the second highest by any EuroLeague team this term.

“We just stuck with the game plan, we’re a run-and-gun team and once we got our opportunities, we started getting stops and things got a lot easier,” Reuvers told EuroLeague TV. “We just keep playing our style, dictating the pace, shooting threes; everyone is hitting shots, playing together. I love this team, I love the guys.”

And who doesn’t love watching Valencia. Having extended its winning streak to five games, Martinez’s men travel to Israel, where they’ll face an in-form Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv side that has won three in a row. But all the Spanish side needs is to play Valencia basketball, execute the plan and they will have nothing to worry about.

Nate Reuvers and Matt Costello combined for 35 points as the guests turned the game around in the fourth quarter

Olympiacos Piraeus v Valencia Basket (2025-12-16T19:15:00.000Z)

When EA7 Emporio Armani Milan announced ahead of Round 14 that Marko Guduric would spend time away from the team to rehab, the aim was clear: get him fully fit and ready to elevate the squad. On Tuesday night, that plan began to pay off.

Marko Guduric has his first big night for Milan in win over Real Madrid

When [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/) announced ahead of Round 14 that [Marko Guduric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/) would spend time away from the team to rehab, the aim was clear: get him fully fit and ready to elevate the squad.

On Tuesday night, that plan began to pay off.

With several notable figures in attendance – including EuroLeague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga, Italy head coach Luca Banchi, and Milan President of Basketball Operations Ettore Messina, who was watching Milan in a EuroLeague game for the first time since stepping down as head coach – Guduric put on a clinic in his second game back as the Little Red Shoes secured an 89–82 win over [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/) at Allianz Cloud. It was Milan’s first game at the venue since 2019.

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Real Madrid | Round 16 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

The 30-year-old, who helped lead Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to the EuroLeague title last season, led Milan in PIR (21), points (22), rebounds (five), and assists (three, tied with [Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/)) in just under 20 minutes. The win improved Milan’s record to 3–1 since Peppe Poeta took over as full-time head coach. Including the two games he coached as interim, Poeta is now 5–1, with Milan sitting at 9-7 on the season.

Notably, Poeta remains undefeated in EuroLeague play as Milan’s full-time head coach (3-0) when Guduric is in the lineup – another reason Milan will be cautious with its star guard’s workload.

“I’m just happy to be healthy, to be back, and to help my teammates in the way I know how,” Guduric told EuroLeague TV after the game. “Thanks to our medical team, the doctors, and physiotherapists — they helped me a lot. I’m just happy to be back.”

“It’s a huge win for us,” he added. “We just have to stay humble and keep our feet on the ground. It’s a long season.”

For Guduric, personal accolades aren’t the priority. His focus is on helping Milan secure a spot in the EuroLeague Playoffs.

“I just try to do whatever the team needs from me,” he said. “Sometimes it’s defense, sometimes it’s playmaking, sometimes it’s scoring. Like I said, I’m just happy to be healthy, and I hope to get into even better shape to help the team even more.”

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Another player working his way back from injury is [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/), who made just his fourth appearance of the season in Round 16. He finished with eight points, two assists, and one steal in just over 12 minutes. Poeta was pleased to see him back on the floor.

“Super happy for Lorenzo, he gave us a lot,” Poeta said in his EuroLeague TV interview. “He gave us what he can: IQ, control of the game, and tempo. He’s almost fully healthy now. He still needs to find his 100 percent form, but the effort he’s putting in and the way he showed up today is huge.”

Milan will remain at home for the second half of the double-round week, hosting Fenerbahce at Allianz Cloud on Thursday. Real Madrid, meanwhile, dropped to 9-7 and will look to bounce back when Paris Basketball visits the Spanish capital the same night.

The Serbian star did a bit of everything for the Little Red Shoes

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Real Madrid (2025-12-16T19:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens eked out a 77-81 win at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul thanks to a majestic performance from the 2025 EuroLeague MVP Kendrick Nunn

Kendrick Nunn steers Panathinaikos past champs

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens eked out a 77-81 win at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul thanks to a majestic performance from the 2025 EuroLeague MVP Kendrick Nunn, who produced a brilliant first half and a mature fourth quarter against the competition’s holders.

The Greens, who won their seventh EuroLeague title in 2024, got some measure of revenge on Fenerbahce for an 82-76 semifinal loss at last season’s Final Four, as Nunn scored 15 points in the first half and 10 in the fourth quarter.

Crucially, he sank 4 successive free throws and TJ Shorts added another in an error-strewn finish, as Fenerbahce closed in to 75-76 with a 7-0 run but fell short in the home straight. Nunn, who led all scorers on a game-high 25 points, heaped praise on his high school buddy Talen Horton-Tucker, who paced Fenerbahce on 22 points.

“Hell of a player, that’s my brother,” Nunn said in his postgame comments. “It’s hard to stop him, but we got the victory and that’s the most important thing.”

Nunn, still nursing an ankle injury, shook off the knock and provided the much-needed long-range firepower as he sank a couple of clutch three-pointers, including one from almost the halfway line with a defender in his face. He added 4 assists and as many steals as the Green’s ended Fenerbahce’s 12-game winning streak in all competitions, improving to 10-6 while the Turkish side dropped to 9-6 in Europe’s premier club competition.

“It was a big game and I had to step up. I was undecided pregame whether I was going to play or not because of the ankle, but it was against the defending champs, so I had to come and get the victory tonight. It’s still hurting, but I’m a warrior,” Nunn added.

Cedi Osman contributed with 11 first-half points and big man Juancho Hernangomez made a telling impact with 9 points and 5 boards, as Panathinaikos forced a staggering 22 turnovers from Fenerbahce and picked up 13 offensive rebounds in a physical game. The defensive steel compensated for poor shooting, as the Greens made only 19-of-44 shots from inside and 7-of-21 from downtown, although the visitors were clinical from the foul line as they banked 22 of 25 free throws.  

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“It was a tough game in a tough environment against a great team,” said Hernangomez. “A great win for us and now we turn our focus to Thursday (at home to Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv). “We have a lot of talent on this team and my job is to get the stops and be aggressive.”  

Fenerbahce head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius conceded that his shorthanded unit was below par, with an 11-0 run at the start of the third quarter turning out to be a false dawn. For all his prowess when driving to the basket, Horton-Tucker was 0-of-4 from downtown and misfiring from long range ultimately cost Fenerbahce as the Turkish side fell short when the chips were down.

“We didn’t have it today, from the first minute,” said Jasikevicius. “We were a little bit short in the rotation, but in general, we slept through the first half completely. We just weren’t ourselves; we had too many turnovers and we made it easy for PAO. We lacked some freshness as it’s a tough and busy schedule, but it’s not an excuse.”

The Greens prevailed on the back of a rock-solid performance from their leader 

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-12-16T17:45:00.000Z)

O’Shae Brissett threw down a dunk with 3.9 seconds left to give Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv a 95-97 win at Dubai Basketball in Round 16 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague

Maccabi shows character in handing Dubai first loss at Coca-Cola Arena

The biggest phrase Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv players and coach Oded Kattash used after its big road win over Dubai Basketball was that the team “showed character”. After failing to finish off games earlier in the season, the Israeli team finally delivered the knockout blow.

O’Shae Brissett threw down a dunk with 3.9 seconds left to give Maccabi a 95-97 win at Dubai Basketball to not only extend its season-best winning streak to three games, but also hand the hosts their first loss at Coca-Cola Arena.

It wasn’t easy, though, as Maccabi saw Dubai race back from 17 points down in the third quarter to tie the game midway through the final period and then get a four-point play by McKinley Wright with 27 seconds left to even things at 95-95. But Iffe Lundberg drove to the basket and as the Dubai defense collapsed on him he fed the ball to Brissett for an easy dunk - his only points of the game. Maccabi’s victory nearly turned into a defeat, but Wright’s long-range attempt was just off at the buzzer.

“It was a very good win for us, especially against a good team,” said Kattash, whose team improved to 6-10. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy to close the game. But we showed character and found a way to get a W. That is something that we were struggling to do earlier in the season, so I am really proud of the players.”

Jaylen Hoard led the way with 21 points, Roman Sorkin had 17 points, Lonnie Walker totaled 14 points before being ejected with 6 minutes to play and Lundberg finished with 13 points and 4 assists.

Sorkin noted some of the same things as his coach, saying: “I think we showed a lot of character after we led and they came back. A few weeks ago, maybe we would have broken down. But we showed character. We kept going.”

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Maccabi twice this season had solid leads in the fourth quarter but could not close the deal.

In Round 5, Maccabi was up by 13 points with under 5 minutes left but lost 94-95 to Olympiacos Piraeus. In Round 9, Maccabi had a 9-point lead with 8 minutes left against AS Monaco and then needed to score the final 6 points in regulation to force overtime, where it lost 107-112.

And then Maccabi fought back from 20 points down to actually take the lead in the fourth quarter at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, but ended up losing 84-75 in Round 10.

“I thought the team played well in spurts. I think we could have done a better job of staying consistent throughout the game. But we’ll take the win. I am really happy. It’s our third win in a row, so that’s good for our team, good for the momentum and the spirit of the team,” added Hoard.

Dubai could not use a career night by Wright, who set personal bests with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists and an index rating of 42. Justin Anderson added 18 points and Filip Petrusev 15 points - though only 4 of those came in the second half.

It was another nail-biter for Dubai after its last three games were decided by just 1 point - including two wins. Dubai dropped to 7-9, including a 6-1 record at its home arena - though the game was played without fans in the stands.

“Again, the game was decided by one possession. Again we fought back. We didn’t have enough power and energy to break the game,” Dubai coach Jurica Golemac said. “The crucial part was the third quarter when we started without energy, without aggressiveness, without intensity. They got confidence and took an advantage. We fought back and found the rhythm, but not enough to win the game.”

After Dubai led 52-51 through 20 minutes, the home side managed only 14 points in the third frame. Wright nearly delivered another magical victory after his game-winning basket with 0.5 seconds in an 89-88 home win last week.

But it wasn’t meant to be and Maccabi collected its character-building win.

Maccabi gave up 17-point lead, but extended win streak to three games

Dubai Basketball v Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (2025-12-16T16:00:00.000Z)

With Javier Gancedo unavailable this week, we welcome fantasy expert and friend of the pod Arale Weisberg aboard for episode No. 12 of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast! Arale joins Frankie Sachs of EuroLeague.net, Sport 24's Vasiliki Karamouza to think through all the angles as they try to create the perfect fantasy teams for Rounds 16 and 17.  

Fantasy Challenge Podcast: It's Lonnie time! And more!

With Javier Gancedo unavailable this week, we welcome fantasy expert and friend of the pod Arale Weisberg aboard for episode No. 12 of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast! Arale joins [Frankie Sachs](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FMrEuroleague&data=05%7C02%7Cgeoff.gillingham%40euroleague.net%7C8f23c17ba6e24a938a4c08ddff3a0ce8%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638947346960894891%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qhPt96t3ngeIaZ%2FSU%2FA67vi5euxZ5OVn9QfMhhj343M%3D&reserved=0) of [EuroLeague.net](http://EuroLeague.net), Sport 24's [Vasiliki Karamouza](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fkaramouza_vas&data=05%7C02%7Cgeoff.gillingham%40euroleague.net%7C8f23c17ba6e24a938a4c08ddff3a0ce8%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638947346960937569%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RuVg%2FRj%2BbH%2FiJbU%2BYkpXVo6vX%2B39lXvvomI9gNtMJLs%3D&reserved=0) to think through all the angles as they try to create the perfect fantasy teams for Rounds 16 and 17.  

They salute the outstanding recent play of Lonnie Walker, Kevin Punter and McKinley Wright and question whether Filip Petrusev, Nigel Williams-Goss and Nikola Milutinov are the right picks. The trio also agonize over the best coach to have in Round 16. They also discuss the latest EuroLeague news and how it could affect us in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge.

Frankie, Vasiliki and Arale all reveal their teams for Round 16 and react to questions sent in by Fantasy Podcast viewers in the “Get Featured, Get Rewarded” segment.

If you love the EuroLeague, you will love the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast.

Frankie and Vasiliki are joined by fantasy expert Arale Weisberg for this week’s episode

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Virtus Bologna (2025-12-19T19:45:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025-12-19T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2025-12-19T19:15:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v FC Bayern Munich (2025-12-19T18:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-12-19T18:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Dubai Basketball (2025-12-19T17:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Paris Basketball (2025-12-18T19:45:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2025-12-18T19:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (2025-12-18T19:15:00.000Z)

Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv v Valencia Basket (2025-12-18T19:05:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Virtus Bologna (2025-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)

Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v AS Monaco (2025-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v FC Bayern Munich (2025-12-17T19:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-12-17T18:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-12-16T19:05:00.000Z)

Javier Gancedo shares his recommendations for the coming week in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge

EuroLeague Fantasy tips, Rounds 16-17: Who should be in your fantasy lineup?

Welcome to the last EuroLeague double-round week of 2025! After Round 17, unlimited trades will be allowed for the third time this season, so it is a good time to try to be a bit more creative in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge and look for opportunities in the market to be more competitive in private leagues, the Trophy Cup and the overall standings. Before I make my recommendations for the coming week, let's see how my colleague Igor Petrinovic's choices were last week.

Igor recommended Matthew Strazel of AS Monaco after a couple of great games. He had 11.0 fantasy points and his fantasy managers earned 0.1 credits, so it was a good one. Momo Diouf of Virtus Bologna continued his streak of solid games. Against Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, he posted a PIR of 18 and pushed his value up 0.4 credits.

McKinley Wright was also an excellent choice. Not only did he make the game-winning shot to lift Dubai Basketball over FC Bayern Munich, but Wright had 30.8 fantasy points and earned 0.7 credits to the fantasy managers who had him. Mario Hezonja of Real Madrid also gained value, 0.3 credits, through his 19.8 fantasy points. Finally, Leo Bolmaro of EA7 Emporio Armani saw limited playing time and dropped -0.5 credits with a negative fantasy score of -0.9. That's four wins and a loss for Igor. Well done! He should probably write this column every week! But alas, you are stuck with me for now. Here are my recommendations for Rounds 16 and 17:

Tyrique Jones has averaged a PIR of 28.5 over the last two games

### Tyrique Jones, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (15.9 credits)

I know, [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) is an expensive player, but my recommendation is based on the fact that Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos is seeing less playing time. If you are looking for an alternative to "Milu", look no further. Jones has averaged 18.0 points and 9.8 rebounds for a PIR of 28.5 over the last two games.

 

### Will Clyburn, FC Barcelona (14.1 credits)

There are a few Barca players who have improved their numbers since Xavi Pascual became the team's head coach and [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/) tops that list. Clyburn has been unstoppable in the last two games, getting 22 points and a PIR of 24 against Zvezda, and following that up with 28 points and a PIR of 33 against Olympiacos. His next game? Against run-and-gun Paris!

Justin Anderson, Azuolas Tubelis, Tyrique Jones, Johannes Voigtmann and Will Clyburn are featured in this week's article. 

EuroLeague Fantasy tips: Rounds 16-17

### Azuolas Tubelis, Zalgiris Kaunas (10.6 credits)

I guess no one saw this coming, but [Azuolas Tubelis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/azuolas-tubelis/008192/) has been one of the best power forwards in the EuroLeague this season. In his first campaign with Zalgiris, Tubelis has already had three games with a PIR of at least 23. His last one? 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and a PIR of 26 against Paris!

 

### Johannes Voigtmann, FC Bayern Munich (9.2 credits)

Okay, so you don't want to spend that much money in a center. I get it and have another choice for you. [Johannes Voigtmann](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/johannes-voigtmann/007201/) has seen much more playing time lately and has made the most out of it, averaging 12.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and a PIR of 2.0 in the last two games. All for less than 10.0 credits!

 

### Justin Anderson, Dubai Basketball (7.4 credits)

Dubai has a lot of backcourt injuries, which means other players have seen extended playing time. All eyes are on Wright, but [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/) has been sensational over the last three games, averaging 13.0 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting and 7 of 13 on three-pointers, plus 5.0 rebounds for a PIR of 17.3. Sensational!

More EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge News

Sportradar's Matt Kamalsky examines the defensive improvements that have vaulted FC Barcelona and Valencia Basket to top-three spots in the standings

Stats review: Explaining Barcelona and Valencia's rise in the standings

There was significant movement at the top of the EuroLeague standings following Round 15 as Valencia Basket and FC Barcelona jumped into the top three, joining [Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/hapoel-ibi-tel-aviv/roster/hta/) to form the trio of teams with at least 10 wins thus far.  That is no small feat for a pair of teams that started the season 2-3 and 3-3, respectively, before rattling off impressive strings of performances that now put them in striking distance of first-place heading into the final two-round week of 2025. 

For [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/roster/bar/), the change that has sparked its recent success is pretty specific.  With its offense performing at a top-10 level even as it had a couple players in and out of the lineup in the early going, much of its growth has come defensively, hinging almost entirely on a change in approach at guarding pick-and-rolls. 

On the surface, Barcelona has gone from allowing 1.07 points per possession over its first six games to only 0.97 per possession over its last nine. That is roughly the equivalent of jumping from 20th to fourth in defensive efficiency. Digging a little deeper, the choices that have supported that improvement are pretty clear. After giving opposing ball handlers quite a bit of latitude in the early going, Barcelona is facing 5 fewer possessions from opposing guards in the pick-and-roll per game — getting over screens more consistently and often just doing a better job of forcing opposing guards to give up the ball, whether hedging or switching.  Similarly, rotating early to limit scoring opportunities for opposing screeners — especially on pops to the perimeter, Barcelona has loaded up to stop two-man actions.  Even if it is facing more jumpers when the ball is sprayed out to the wings, it has contested looks within pick-and-rolls and deflected enough passes with its rotations to more than compensate.

While [Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/valencia-basket/roster/pam/) has made its gains on the defensive end as well, its path there has been less conventional; it is taking away opportunities inside and challenging teams to beat it from beyond the arc. After facing 27.6 three-point attempts per game with its defense set through the first five games, it has faced only 20.4 per game in the 10 games since. That’s the difference between rankings 20th and second in three-point attempts allowed in the half-court. With many of those attempts coming off the catch, Valencia has contested a higher percentage of the attempts it has faced on the perimeter than it did in the early going, while allowing a league-best 58% shooting around the rim. While the success in that latter regard aligns with its adjustments, Valencia's opponent’s three-point percentage dropping from 42% to 32% has been a pleasant surprise and key to their rise in the standings.

The challenge for Barcelona and, perhaps even more so, Valencia moving forward is the same as it has been for every team climbing the standings in the EuroLeague over the last several seasons in particular: sustainability. While Fenerbahce was 10-5 through 15 games last season, Panathinaikos had only just fought its way above .500 during its championship run, while Anadolu Efes was just 7-8 during its 2021-22 championship campaign. The level of parity in the EuroLeague does not make it easy for teams to show their championship form, especially in the early part of the year. 

While their ultimate placement remains to be seen, Valencia and Barcelona deserve credit for finding their footing and changing their fortunes so quickly. The question remains: is there another team prepared to rise even higher than this year’s current leaders or can the current trio of leaders hold serve over the next several months?

Sportradar's Matt Kamalsky examines the defensive improvements that have vaulted Barcelona and Valencia to top-three spots in the standings

Olympiacos Piraeus extended its perfect start in the Greek League to 10-0 after a commanding 62-105 victory over Peristeri Athens at Andreas Papandreou Arena

Olympiacos dominates Peristeri to stay perfect in Greek League

Olympiacos Piraeus extended its perfect start in the Greek League to 10-0 after a commanding 62-105 victory over Peristeri Athens at Andreas Papandreou Arena. The Reds turned a close contest into a rout with a spectacular third quarter that featured a 0-24 run.

Sasha Vezenkov led the winners with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Alec Peters contributed 15 and 6, Kostas Papanikolaou added 11 points and Tyler Dorsey 10, while Thomas Walkup dished 16 assists. Ty Nichols was Peristeri’s top scorer with 13 points and Alvo Cardenas and Riley Abercrombie betted 10 each.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">ΤΕΛΙΚΟ 🏀 Περιστέρι - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> 62-105 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PEROLY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PEROLY</a> <a href="https://t.co/1Mp6qcrAY2">pic.twitter.com/1Mp6qcrAY2</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/2000231862632116670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Head coach Giorgos Bartzokas opened the game with Walkup, Evan Fournier, Peters, Vezenkov, and Nikola Milutinov. Vezenkov set the tone early, scoring Olympiacos’s first 6 points and finishing the opening period with 10. Despite his strong start, Peristeri stayed competitive thanks to Nichols, who had 8 points and 2 steals to give the hosts a slim 22-21 lead after 10 minutes.

Olympiacos tightened its defense in the second quarter and began to pull away. Vezenkov continued his scoring spree, reaching 17 points by the 15th minute as the visitors built a double-digit advantage. By halftime, Olympiacos led 35-50, with Dorsey adding key baskets to complement Vezenkov’s early dominance.

The third quarter was when Olympiacos broke the game open. Bartzokas’s men locked down defensively, holding Peristeri to just 3 points over 9 minutes while unleashing a 0-24 run. Peters spearheaded the offensive explosion as Olympiacos executed flawlessly on both ends, winning the quarter 9-32 and stretching the margin to 44-82. The final period was purely academic, but Olympiacos continued to entertain, surpassing the 100-point mark and sealing its tenth straight league win in style.

More Olympiacos news

The Reds improved to 10-0 on the Greek League season