FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) to remain together through the end of the 2027-28 season, the club announced Tuesday afternoon. Punter (1.93 meters, 31 years old) joined Barca this season and is ranked sixth in the league with 17.1 points in 30 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances. He has made 40.9% of his three-point shots and 93.6% of his free throw attempts. Punter has also averaged 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.7 fouls drawn for a PIR of 16.7.

Kevin Punter's best plays of the 2024-25 campaign, his first season in Barcelona jersey

Kevin Punter's best plays in his first season in Barcelona jersey

Barca is the fifth team in Punter's EuroLeague career after previous stops with Olympiacos Piraeus, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. Punter is one of four EuroLeague players to play more than 150 games and average at least 15.0 points, along with Mike James, Alexey Shved and Marcus Brown. He has averages 15.0 points in 154 career games.

"One of the main factors, I would say, is the fact that we are building something, just the stability of the team, of us, is building something for the future," Punter said. "Obviously it is an up and down season but it still doesn't take away the fact that we have the chance to do some good things. I am enjoying myself on and off the court. My connection with my teammates and coaches and everyone around is going really, really well. I am happy and want to continue to be happy moving forward."

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">✅ El Club s’assegura la continuïtat de l’escorta nord-americà per a les properes tres temporades<br><br>Tots els detalls de la renovació, aquí 👇<a href="https://t.co/32nuAOwDxF">https://t.co/32nuAOwDxF</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1907055448915636422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

During his career, Punter has also played for GS Lavrio and AEK Athens of Greece, Port of Antwerp Giants of Belgium, Rosa Radom of Poland and Virtus Segafredo Bologna of Italy. He helped AEK to win the Greek Cup and BCL titles in 2018 and lifted another BCL trophy with Virtus in 2019. Punter also added to his trophy case the Italian Cup with Milan in 2021 and the Adriatic League title with Partizan in 2023.

The veteran guard has averaged 15.0 points over 154 career EuroLeague games

Barca extends sharpshooter Kevin Punter through 2028

The final two rounds of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, the Play-In Showdown, the EuroLeague Playoffs and the EuroLeague Final Four are set to be packed with drama, so make sure you secure a front-row seat with EuroLeague TV's Crunch Time Pass.

Catch the business end of the season with the Crunch Time Pass

The final two rounds of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, the Play-In Showdown, the EuroLeague Playoffs and the EuroLeague Final Four are set to be packed with drama, so make sure you secure a front-row seat with [EuroLeague TV's Crunch Time Pass](https://euroleague.tv/signup?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mar2025_crunchtime).

This pass, which is only available for a limited time, also covers Game 3 of the BKT EuroCup Semifinals, the EuroCup Finals and the NextGen Finals, plus you will have access to the top-notch documentaries and much more that are found on [EuroLeague TV](https://euroleague.tv/signup?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mar2025_crunchtime).

The 'Every Game Matters' mantra is completely true during the regular season, but it takes on a new meaning in the postseason. Witness it for yourself and [purchase the Crunch Time Pass now](https://euroleague.tv/signup?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mar2025_crunchtime).

This includes the final two rounds of the regular season, as well as the entire postseason

FC Barcelona v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-04-11T18:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-04-11T18:15:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v AS Monaco (2025-04-10T18:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-04-11T17:30:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball v ALBA Berlin (2025-04-10T18:45:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Real Madrid (2025-04-10T18:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025-04-10T18:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2025-04-10T18:15:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2025-04-10T18:00:00.000Z)

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2025-04-04T18:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2025-04-04T18:30:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-04-04T18:00:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin v Olympiacos Piraeus (2025-04-04T18:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Paris Basketball (2025-04-03T19:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v FC Bayern Munich (2025-04-03T18:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-04-03T17:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-04-03T17:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v FC Barcelona (2025-04-02T17:45:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2025-04-02T18:30:00.000Z)

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2025-04-02T17:00:00.000Z)

With Javier Gancedo out partying, co-hosts Vasiliki Karamouza and Frankie Sachs teamed up for Episode No. 25 of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast. The show starts with a bang as Vassiliki breaks some news and Frankie reveals the details of their private WhatsApp messages last week!

The Fantasy Challenge Podcast presents: The Barcelona dilemma

With [Javier Gancedo](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fganchetto&data=05%7C02%7Cgeoff.gillingham%40euroleague.net%7Cd5538e3885f74e148dae08dd6ad32641%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638784177282492773%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=cqHvS%2Fo%2BuTedtCFtxT8V7ee%2FvopzX1kyjXZD0oLgatI%3D&reserved=0) out partying, co-hosts [Vasiliki Karamouza](https://x.com/karamouza_vas) and [Frankie Sachs](https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FMrEuroleague&data=05%7C02%7Cgeoff.gillingham%40euroleague.net%7Cd5538e3885f74e148dae08dd6ad32641%7C2b3d64f0329542979f1528435f0a62ce%7C1%7C0%7C638784177282517913%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jYTqaHWOmXpdpUJew4Ihsp615bj%2Fc8Hyn4kpubedxxM%3D&reserved=0) teamed up for Episode No. 25 of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast. The show starts with a bang as Vassiliki breaks some news and Frankie reveals the details of their private WhatsApp messages last week!

Then it's on to the Fantasy Challenge and detailed discussions about the merits of [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/roster/bar/?season=2024-25) players (Frankie has three on his team!) and [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/roster/ulk/?season=2024-25) players ahead of their Wednesday night game. Vassiliki is stuck in a dilemma between [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) and [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) and Frankie has mixed feelings about [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/).

Vasiliki and Frankie go through their choices for Round 33 as well as their captains, including how many points their Wednesday and Thursday captains needs to score to before deciding whether to name [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) (in a matchup against [ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/roster/ber/?season=2024-25)) as captain on Friday. Don’t get caught off-guard by the Wednesday showdown in Istanbul between Fenerbahce and Barcelona, so make sure to set your lineups before they tip off at 19:45 CET. And, as always, good luck, fantasy fans.

 

How many players from Barcelona are too many? Vasiliki Karamouza and Frankie Sachs chat about that and more in episode No. 25.  

FC Bayern Munich and Niels Giffey put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension that will keep them together through 2027

Bayern signs Niels Giffey to extension through 2027

FC Bayern Munich and [Niels Giffey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/niels-giffey/001557/) put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension on Tuesday. Giffey (2.00 meters, 33 years old) has already been with the Bavarian club for three years. He has averaged 6.0 points on a league best 60.5% three-point shooting in 21 games this season. In three seasons with Bayern, Giffey has been worth 5.1 points on 52.0% two-point shooting and 45.25 on threes, which is the fifth-best in the league over that time. In Giffey's first season with Bayern, he joined the prestigious 50-40-90 club by making 51.5% of his twos, 48.2% of his threes and 92.9% of his free throws.

Niels Giffey Top Plays of the 2022-23 Regular Season, 2023 Regular Season and 1 other Season Part

Niels Giffey's top plays with Bayern Munich (2022-2025)

A native of Berlin, Giffey played college basketball at the University of Connecticut and helped it win NCAA Tournament titles in 2011 and 2014. He began his professional career with ALBA Berlin and spent seven seasons there. After a season in Lithuania with Zalgiris Kaunas and a spell in Spain with UCAM Murcia, Giffey first joined Bayern in November 2022.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 - 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕 ✍🏻<br> <br>🇩🇪 Niels Giffey hat seinen Vertrag beim FC Bayern Basketball vorzeitig um zwei weitere Jahre bis Sommer 2027 verlängert.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Giffey2027?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Giffey2027</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/freelanceDE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@freelancede</a> wünscht weiterhin viel Spaß im Job</p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1906983622487445940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As a member of the German national team, Giffey won the Basketball World Cup in 2022 and a bronze medal at EuroBasket 2023. He helped ALBA win the German championship in 2020 and German Cups in 2016 and 2020, won 2022 Lithuanian Cup with Zalgiris and captured the 2023 German Cup as well as the German League and Cup double last season.

More news from FC Bayern Munich

At the end of the deal the sides will have been together for five seasons

Hear from Andrey Vatutuin, Dimitris Itoudis and Nando De Colo as they discuss CSKA Moscow's 2015 championship game victory in Berlin in the fourth episode of the EuroLeague 25 Moments series.

EuroLeague 25 Moments: CSKA breaks the curse

No team of its era went to more EuroLeague Final Fours than [CSKA Moscow](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/cska-moscow/csk/). And no team suffered more heartbreaking losses.

After winning the crown in 2008, CSKA continued knocking on the door for eight years, but was unable to capture another crown.

In 2014, CSKA management decided to go in a new direction in building the team under coach Dimitris Itoudis, who had yet to be a head of bench in the EuroLeague. In their second season together, CSKA seemed like a team on a mission as they won their regular season and Top 16 groups and swept Crvena Zvezda Belgrade in the playoffs.

By halftime of the championship game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, CSKA led 50-30 in what Andrey Vatutin, CSKA Moscow CEO, calls "one of the best 20-minute stretches of basketball of not just CSKA, but overall."

And then Fenerbahce rallied. Slowly the doubts were creeping into the minds of Vatutin and the club's fans. Fenerbahce tied it on a Bobby Dixon three-pointer and took the lead on Kostas Sloukas free throws.

CSKA had a final possession in which [Milos Teodosic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/milos-teodosic/jdr/) almost lost the ball and [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) badly misfired. It seemed that the curse was on… until [Victor Khryapa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/victor-khryapa/bcq/) soared to put De Colo's miss in and force overtime, where CSKA found its mojo, captured the title and made Vatutin proud.

"It looks like the story is about the successful Victor Khryapa putback. Obviously, it's a legendary moment that will be remembered after years and decades," Vatutin says. "But for me it’s about eight years of hard work, eight years of waiting, eight years of patience and belief that some time it's gonna happen. The title in Berlin is an award for the patience and self-belief."

Hear more from Vatutuin, Itoudis and De Colo about CSKA's ride and the victory in Berlin in the latest episode of the EuroLeague 25 Moments series.

You can also watch [episode one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTOQS-w-PNs&t=86s), [episode two](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHqpRVU6VVs&t=518s) and [episode three](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QutvKk9HswQ) now.

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul v CSKA Moscow (2015-05-17T15:00:00.000Z)

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge co-host Frankie Sachs shares his tips for this week's games

EuroLeague Fantasy tips for Round 33: Jewels in the bargain basement

The penultimate week of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season is upon us and EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge managers everywhere are seeking ways to build the perfect roster. Superstars are always attractive, but when you load up, you are left needing to find inexpensive players to round out the roster. This week I have done some digging to find five players all priced at less than 5.5 credits who could make useful contributions this week – and in some cases beyond.

### Elias Harris, FC Bayern Munich (5.3 credits)

It's taken a minute for the center situation to shake out at Bayern following the injury to Devin Booker. The big beneficiary as of late has been [Elias Harris](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elias-harris/005460/). Between Rounds 29 and 32, he has averaged 11.5 points on 73.9% two-point shooting and 3.0 rebounds for a PIR of 12.8 in 16:15 minutes per game. That’s outstanding production at his price point. The veteran big man could be due for another strong effort this week against Maccabi, which has had some troubles of its own with frontcourt injuries.

Elias Harris Top Plays from FC Bayern Munich vs. Anadolu Efes 03/14/2025, Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. FC Bayern Munich 03/20/2025 and 1 other

Elias Harris highlights: Rounds 29-32

### Joel Parra, FC Barcelona (5.3 credits)

Over the previous six rounds, [Joel Parra](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-parra/007464/)'s role has grown for Barcelona – and that started before the injury to Chimazie Metu. The power forward has played at least 20 minutes in four of the last six games after not doing so at all in the first 26 rounds. He comes off a 9-point, 7-rebound showing against Milan in Round 32 for a PIR of 12 and then had 11 points and 5 boards for a PIR of 11 in the ACB. Parra may not post MVP-like numbers, but for solid production in a Wednesday game at this price, he is a shrewd investment.

### Stefano Tonut, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (4.8 credits)

Injuries have hit the Milan backcourt, which makes it even more likely that [Stefano Tonut](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/stefano-tonut/006509/) will continue to get opportunities that few players at his price will see. He played 25 minutes in Round 32 and notched a PIR of 11 for the second time in three games – after only cracking double figures once before that. The main drawback to Tonut is that Milan plays on Turn 3, so you may not want to gamble on him as a starter, but even having nice contributions on the bench can be very useful.

### Jake Cohen, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (4.7 credits)

Maccabi has been without Jaylen Hoard and Jasiel Rivero for weeks and Trevion Williams missed Friday's game. [Jake Cohen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jake-cohen/005145/) stepped into the void last week with two of his best games all season. The 34-year-old posted 15 points and 6 boards for a PIR of 19 in Round 30 against the champs and followed that up with 10 points and a PIR of 7 against Efes. Check out how Maccabi lines up in the Israeli League on Monday night to see if Williams or Hoard return and then follow that up with the injury report on Wednesday. If it looks like Maccabi is shorthanded up front again, Cohen could – and should – be your man.

Dame Sarr highlights

### Dame Sarr, FC Barcelona (4.5 credits)

There is no better pickup in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge right now than [Dame Sarr](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dame-sarr/011666/). Coach Penarroya is giving the young man burn and he has produced in his limited games as a starter, while only costing 4.5 credits. Sarr posted 13 points, 3 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 16 against Milan in Round 32 and had 7 points in 20 minutes over the weekend against Joventut Badalona. The value for the price – plus the upside of an 18-year-old – makes Sarr the man of the moment.

EuroLeague Fantasy tips, Round 33: Jewels in the bargain basement

Let's look at the most efficient scorers in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season since January 1, 2025 among players using at least 9 possessions per game.

Stats review: Who have been 2025's most reliable scorers?

With two rounds remaining, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season is nearing its conclusion. Only two teams have locked up their playoff qualification and there are a dozen teams still vying for a chance to advance to the next phase... And every team currently in the postseason picture is still competing for important seeding, so momentum at this juncture of the season is incredibly valuable.

The contributions of the players above have been critical to their team’s performances down the stretch. The table lists the most efficient scorers since January 1st among players using at least 9 possessions per game.

The intrigue at the top here aligns with the ongoing battle at the top of the standings. Despite the efforts of [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/), who has held one of the top spots on every version of the list in all of his recent EuroLeague campaigns, [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) leapfrogged [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) in Round 32 to rise into first place with two games remaining. [Errick McCollum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/errick-mccollum/005216/) has had a lot to do with that. The 37-year-old did not join Fenerbahce until January and, amid a few quiet nights, has shot the lights out off the bench on numerous occasions late in the year. Like [Marko Guduric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/) further down this list, he gives that offense another X-factor who can run extremely hot offensively. With very little decided in the Play-In Showdown qualification spots, what the difference between the top two seeds means in the short term is difficult to say, but there’s pride and Final Four seeding on the line for the league’s current leaders.

After finishing 2024 at 9-9, [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) has gone 9-5 in 2025 while gaining important ground on several teams around them in the standings for tie-breaker purposes. [Dario Brizuela](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dario-brizuela/009992/)’s sudden rise as a knockdown shooter has been an important factor in that turnaround.  After a mini-slump that saw him shoot only 15% from beyond the arc in November, Brizuela has shot 53% from three ever since - a big reason why Barcelona now leads the EuroLeague in bench scoring.

[Sterling Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sterling-brown/012720/)’s placement here is not especially surprising - he’s been one of this season’s most opportunistic three-point shooters while finishing at a 73% clip on the interior.  The same goes for [Nikos Rogkavopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikolaos-rogkavopoulos/011085/) who has made more jump shots over closeouts than anyone on the year.

[Jordan Loyd](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jordan-loyd/009754/) and [Daniel Theis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-theis/004132/) were both in-season pickups for [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) who have both filled significant roles in their late-season battle for home-court advantage in the playoffs. While Loyd’s scoring chops are well-established, Theis last played in the EuroLeague during the 2016-17 campaign. He’s quickly solidified himself as one of the league’s most effective roll men nonetheless.

[Cedi Osman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/) is another player who has returned to the EuroLeague for the first time since the 2016-17 season and while he got off to a modest start, he has starred at times in 2025 for the defending champions.  While [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) is in good shape to secure home-court advantage in the quarterfinals, currently sitting in third place, perhaps the wildest fact of the second half of the season is that they still are technically not assured a spot in the postseason with two games remaining.

[Shabazz Napier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) started the season on fire, cooled off mid-year, and then picked his level of play back up in time to keep [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/) on the edge of the top four. Napier creates separation for his jumper at a high level and has been very tough to guard when his jumper is falling on top of that.

Whether this group keeps things going through the final two weeks is a point of interest as there’s still a staggering amount on the line with the season winding down.

The most-efficient players in the league have had big roles in their teams' success 

Stats review: Who have been 2025's most reliable scorers? 

Paris Basketball continues to surprise in this year's EuroLeague, with its season sweep of Panathinaikos BC keeping its playoff hopes well and truly alive.

Tiago Splitter happy to be making history with Paris

[Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/) needed something special to beat reigning champion [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) on the road, and the French club certainly delivered that in a thrilling encounter on Friday night.

Inspired by backcourt leader [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) flirting with a triple-double as he amassed an astonishing combination of 20 points, 14 assists and 9 rebounds, along with 2 steals and 9 fouls drawn, for a PIR of 36, Paris came flying out of the blocks to score 56 first-half points. It then held its nerve to survive a trademark Panathinaikos comeback attempt in the final period.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This match up was 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/rmc0L54zUr">pic.twitter.com/rmc0L54zUr</a></p>&mdash; Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball/status/1905918308840296516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[The 98-101 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/paris-stuns-panathinaikos-in-thriller-98-101/) – secured when [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) missed an improbable attempt to force overtime at the final buzzer – was even more impressive as it came on the back of demoralizing late collapses and narrow defeats against [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/zalgiris-edges-paris-83-81-on-franciscos-jumper/) and [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nigel-hayes-davis-the-hero-as-fenerbahce-beats-paris-101-100-to-make-playoffs/) in its previous two road games.

Those heartbreaking losses gave Paris’s doubters plenty of opportunity to extend their argument that Tiago Splitter’s men lack the experience to grind out tough wins when it matters the most in the world’s most competitive league. After stepping up to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by winning the BKT EuroCup last season, and with a roster largely containing players who had never previously played in this competition, it’s easy to understand those concerns over Paris’s ability to last the pace against most seasoned opposition.

And when the fourth quarter in Athens saw Splitter’s team’s advantage dwindle away from 17 points (69-86) to just 5 points (86-91), with more than half of the final period still remaining and 18,000 Panathinaikos fans creating an intense cauldron of noise with every possession, even the most optimistic Paris player must have struggled to prevent his head from swirling with doubts.

But the French side held its collective nerve, finding just enough at both ends of the court to hold on for a huge victory that could prove to make all the difference between a direct passage into the playoffs and not even making the play-in.

And the scale of his team’s achievement was not lost on Splitter, who was happy to laud his players after watching them beat Panathinaikos for the second time this season.

“It's huge,” admitted the Brazilian. “It’s a big accomplishment. This whole season has been amazing and today we played one more of those games. The guys played their hearts out, some guys with injuries they played through.

“This is the last sprint of the season. We’ve still got two tough games coming, but this one was huge for us. We have a small history in EuroLeague but it feels amazing to be part of this. The fourth quarter was a little tougher for us: they were switching everything, they put you in tough spots, playing with the crowd. It’s really hard to beat them here, but somehow we found a way to get the win.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">VIEW AFTER THE WIN AGAINST PANA 👓🤩 <a href="https://t.co/6VtYtquW1y">pic.twitter.com/6VtYtquW1y</a></p>&mdash; Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball/status/1905967419341881589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Paris must now travel to face the mighty [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/) before finishing the season with a seemingly friendly home game against last-placed [ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/ber/), and it’s conceivable that Splitter’s team could finish anywhere between third and eleventh.

Whatever happens, Friday’s Greek drama suggests that Paris will not suffer for a lack of character.

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