Panathinaikos B.C. erupted for 60 points in the first half on great shooting numbers against ALBA Berlin, before coming away with an 85-99 win in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

High-flying first-half offense lifted Panathinaikos B.C. past ALBA Berlin

Panathinaikos Athens grabbed a [convincing 85-99 against ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-alba-berlin-vs-panathinaikos-bc/) at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Friday night, with the Greens leaning on an incredible first-half performance to come away with the win.

Despite some absences and the need to adjust its rotation due to recent new additions, Panathinaikos led for almost the entire game, reached a game-high 17-point difference midway through the third period and didn’t allow ALBA to get closer than 6 points in the final quarter.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That sweet taste of W 💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://t.co/Po7CFTr9lu">pic.twitter.com/Po7CFTr9lu</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1723103575264411987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### A historic first half

Panathinaikos set the foundations of its road win in the first half, displaying a terrific offensive performance that built a 47-60 difference at the break. The Greens were unstoppable in the first and the second quarters, scoring the most points in a half for any team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season.

Panathinaikos’s 60 points was also the third-best first-half total in club history and its second-highest score in a first half playing as a road team. It was only 4 points behind its record, achieved 16 years ago when Panathinaikos beat Chorale Roanne in France, 83-123. On that occasion, the Greens scored 64 points in the first 20 minutes, going into halftime with a 39-64 lead.

“We started the game very well offensively,” Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman stated in the post-game press conference. “Actually, in the first quarter and during the whole first half, we moved the ball very well. We found open shots and we made them.”

Panathinaikos Athens scored 60 first-half points in its 85-99 win at ALBA Berlin in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Panathinaikos's best first-half scoring plays

### Some players went 100% before halftime

In the first half, the Greens had an incredible team line, going for 14-of-17 on two-pointers (82% 2FG), 8-of-12 from deep (75% 3FG) and 8-of-9 from the line (89%). That was possible thanks to several players finishing the first two quarters without missing a field goal.

“It was important that we found pick and roll situations with \[Olek\] Balcerowski that we used very well and then with \[Luca\] Vildoza, who made 4 three-pointers, so we got an important points difference in the first half,” added Ataman.

Actually, Balcerowski and Vildoza were two of the players who were perfect from the field in the first half. The former made all of his 4 two-point attempts, while Vildoza did the same from behind the arc. Kostas Sloukas also joined the party by going 2-of-2 from two and 1-of-1 from downtown, and Grigonis also made 3 field goals, including 2 treys, without missing a shot.

At the foot of the standings, ALBA seek recovery from a hard-fought loss at Valencia, in which Sterling Brown continued his strong form alongside Matt Thomas, whereas Panathinaikos are re-equipped with Kostas Sloukas and Luca Vildoza for selection since they missed the trip to Barça.

ALBA-Panathinaikos Athens | Round 7 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### ALBA couldn’t turn the game on its head

Even though ALBA tried to come back in the second half by using a zone defense that slowed down Panathinaikos’s offense, the difference that the visitors built in the opening two quarters was too much for the home side to overcome.

“ALBA is a team that never gives up,” recognized Ataman. “\[In the second half\] they started to pressure \[us\], they changed their defense, they started to use zone and we had some problems attacking the zone, but after that we found the way again to find the scoring.

“I think that offensively, it was a great game. We made 13 three-point shots, ALBA also made 12. It’s an important victory for us before the double-game week we will play next week.”

More Panathinaikos News

Dinos Mitoglou of Panathinaikos Athens shoots close to the basket during his team's 85-99 win against ALBA Berlin in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Greens exploded for 60 points through the first 20 minutes.

High-flying first-half offense lifted Panathinaikos past ALBA

ALBA Berlin v Panathinaikos Athens (2023-11-10T19:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco Basket improved to a 5-2 record after downing LDLC ASVEL 80-70 in Le Classique in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

AS Monaco Basket fights back, overcomes LDLC ASVEL 80-70

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Elie Okobo of AS Monaco dunks against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne during Le Classique in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The hosts stepped up their defense in the fourth quarter to come away with the win.

Monaco fights back, overcomes ASVEL 80-70

AS Monaco v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-11-10T20:00:00.000Z)

Barça Basket improved to 6-1 and 4-0 at Palau Blaugrana after holding off KK Crvena zvezda, which dropped to 2-5, 86-81 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Barça Basket downs KK Crvena zvezda 86-81 in hard-fought battle

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Rokas Jokubaitis of FC Barcelona gets away from Milos Teodosic of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade during the two teams' Round 7 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Jabari Parker and Jan Vesely came up big for the Blaugrana in the home straight.

Barcelona downs Zvezda 86-81 in hard-fought battle

FC Barcelona v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-11-10T19:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos B.C. improved to 3-4 in the EuroLeague after beating ALBA Berlin, which dropped to 1-6, 85-99 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 regular season.

Panathinaikos B.C. overpowers ALBA Berlin, 85-99

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Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos Athens gets away from Ziga Samar of ALBA Berlin during the two teams' Round 7 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Greens were firing on all cylinders in an offense-focused first half.

Panathinaikos overpowers ALBA, 85-99

ALBA Berlin, Panathinaikos B.C., Barça Basket, KK Crvena zvezda, AS Monaco Basket and LDLC ASVEL are all in action in the EuroLeague tonight.

EuroLeague Live Blogs: Three games to close Round 7!

### Friday, November 10

[ALBA Berlin 85-99 Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-alba-berlin-vs-panathinaikos-bc/)

Panathinaikos Athens bounced back from its last road loss by pulling out a convincing 85-99 win against ALBA Berlin at Mercedes Benz Arena on Friday night. The Greens displayed an incredible offensive performance in the first half, scoring 60 points and opening a 13-point advantage that ALBA could not reduce to less than 6 points in the second half.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final Score ☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@albaberlin</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> 85-99 <a href="https://t.co/cJdCrDU31o">pic.twitter.com/cJdCrDU31o</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1723084536525783344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Barcelona 86-81 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-barca-basket-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/)

FC Barcelona improved to 6-1 in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season after grinding out an 86-81 home win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 7. The win thanks, in large part, to a superb performance from forward Jabari Parker, who paced the hosts with 20 points and 5 rebounds.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">FINAAAAL! QUINA VICTÒRIA, CULERS 🥶 <a href="https://t.co/WUNFtbYY1O">pic.twitter.com/WUNFtbYY1O</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1723090923813314782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[AS Monaco 80-70 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-as-monaco-basket-vs-ldlc-asvel/)

AS Monaco used a strong finish to the game to come back and down French League rival LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 80-70 in *Le Classique* on Friday night. It is Monaco's fifth straight win, which improved its record to 5-2, while ASVEL dropped to a 1-6 record.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">✅️ Victoire de la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> dans ce derby 🇫🇷 en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> 🎆<br><br>🚀 C&#39;est une 5️⃣e victoire de suite sur la scène européenne pour les <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaBoys?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaBoys</a> 🌟<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/RuIUjwVELG">pic.twitter.com/RuIUjwVELG</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1723095370060673204?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Thursday, November 9

[Olympiacos Piraeus 74-75 Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olympiacos-bc-vs-saski-baskonia/)

In a thriller that came down to the final second, Baskonia edged Olympiacos on a game-winning jumper by Codi Miller-McIntyre with 0.7 seconds left. Both teams now have 3-4 records in the standings. Chima Moneke paced the winners with 20 points off the bench and Tadas Sedekerskis added 12 points and 13 rebounds. Isaiah Canaan paced Olympiacos with 23 points. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">👏👏👏 ¡VAMOOOOOOSSSSSS!! 👏👏👏<br><br>✅ GANAMOS EN EL PIREO 🔥<br>Sumamos la tercera ✅ en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/Yl6Soiek5c">pic.twitter.com/Yl6Soiek5c</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1722691065444962544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul 86-82 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-anadolu-efes-sk-vs-zalgiris-kaunas/)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul picked up a very important home victory in its fight to find its early season struggles, as it beat Zalgiris Kaunas 86-82 in overtime in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Curiously, the overtime period only came about after Efes had thrown away an 18-point lead.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Hep en iyisi için mücadeleye devam! 💪<br>Anadolu Efes 86 - 82 Zalgiris Kaunas | Maç Sonucu<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Together?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Together</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/7CxoRsURtE">pic.twitter.com/7CxoRsURtE</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1722697861878489330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 93-90 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc-vs-fc-bayern-munich/)

Maccabi started its temporary tenancy in Belgrade by holding off Bayern in a tight battle that went down to the last few possessions. Bayern led for most of the first half but Maccabi turned the game around just before the break, and Oded Kattash's team stayed ahead throughout the second half to improve to 4-2, while Bayern dropped to 2-5 after four straight losses. Bonzie Colson led the way with 19 points and 5 rebounds, while Lorenzo Brown tallied 13 points and 7 assists. Bayern was paced by Carsen Edwards with 17 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">מנצחים גם בבלגרד! <br><br>לסיקור וסטטיסטיקה &gt; <a href="https://t.co/SctJhiggiQ">https://t.co/SctJhiggiQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/8r288mLBK3">pic.twitter.com/8r288mLBK3</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​🇮🇱​🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1722727556649000984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 85-84 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-fenerbahce-basketball/)

Partizan rescued a dramatic 85-84 home win over Fenerbahce after mounting a second-half comeback to a erase a 9-point deficit in front of a fervent crowd in Belgrade's Stark Arena. Frank Kaminsky paced Partizan with 15 points, having scored 9 of them in the fourth quarter. Partizan improved to 3-4 while Fenerbahce slipped to 5-2 after throwing away a 47-56 first-half lead. Nigel Hayes-Davis enjoyed a blistering first half when he scored 21 points to earn a PIR of 31, a joint 10th all time for a half. But the forward added only 2 points to his tally in the second half as Fenerbahce started to struggle on offense amid Partizan's aggressive half-court pressure.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">POBEDA!✊🏽⚫️⚪️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/N04KHQeXlF">pic.twitter.com/N04KHQeXlF</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1722729365509754971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 83-52 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-valencia-basket-club/)

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OlimpiaMI1936</a> dominates Valencia!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/v2DGuL9von">pic.twitter.com/v2DGuL9von</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1722727737507422377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Real Madrid 100-74 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-real-madrid-baloncesto-vs-virtus-bologna/)

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">👊 ¡Seguimos imparables! 👊<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HalaMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HalaMadrid</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/UnicajaBanco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnicajaBanco</a> <a href="https://t.co/m6CtBbyif1">pic.twitter.com/m6CtBbyif1</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1722732380916441598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Another fantastic week of action in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is here!

Game Center: Monaco wins Le Classique; Barca, PAO also victorious

Real Madrid v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-11-09T19:45:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-11-09T19:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Valencia Basket (2023-11-09T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-11-09T17:15:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v FC Bayern Munich (2023-11-09T19:05:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-11-09T17:30:00.000Z)

AS Monaco hosts LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne of Round 7 in a showdown for regional pride, not to mention a key early-season victory. After Monaco made the Final Four last season and ASVEL finished last, the visitors' EuroLeague icon Nando De Colo acknowledges, "Monaco is a great team. We have to give them a lot of respect." Nonetheless, ASVEL comes off its first win of this season, on the road in comeback fashion, under new head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco. Monaco bounced back from an 0-2 start to win its last four games in a row, but at the same time, head coach Sasa Obradovic knows that "the pressure is all on us." In the last game of Round 7 on Friday night in the principality, one of them will walk off with an extra-meaningful triumph.

 Familiar foes ready Friday's French derby 

To overcome FC Barcelona's home dominance, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade will need to make history by notching its first victory at Palau Blaugrana.

Zvezda looks to finally conquer Palau Blaugrana

Friday of Round 7 features [a very interesting showdown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-barcelona-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/63/) that might look like more of a mismatch at first sight. 

Host FC Barcelona has never lost to Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Palau Blaugrana in seven showdowns between them. What's more, Barca is 5-1 so far this season and has won its three home games by an average of 21.3 points. 

Zvezda (2-4), meanwhile, broke a four-game losing streak last week and wants to use its momentum under new head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos to try the improbable: take its first EuroLeague win this century in Barcelona. As a club, Zvezda is 0-7 in Barcelona, but has gotten closer to its goal lately; after losing its first three games there by 20.7 points per game, over the next four Zvezda was within 8.3 points on average.

Mike Tobey played for FC Barcelona in the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 EuroLeague highlights: Mike Tobey, Barca

The visitors have reasons to be optimistic this time. First, Zvezda now has more experienced players on its roster. [Milos Teodosic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/milos-teodosic/jdr/), [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/), [Mike Tobey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-tobey/008966/), [Rokas Giedraitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-giedraitis/006436/) and [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/adam-hanga/005099/) – though the latter is not due to play because of an injury – know what it takes to win at Palau Blaugrana over the years. Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos led Olympiacos Piraeus past Barca in the 2015 playoffs and also won in Barcelona with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. 

Hanga and Tobey are two of just five players who have worn both teams' jerseys in the EuroLeague. Hanga played for Barca for four years, reaching the 2021 EuroLeague Championship Game. Tobey wore Barca's jersey last season. Another member of this select group will be present in this game, in a special week for him. Barca forward [Nikola Kalinic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-kalinic/004866/) will play against his former team a couple of days after turning 32. He played for Zvezda in the 2014-15 and 2021-22 campaigns. Jaka Blazic and Stratos Perperoglou are the other two players who have played for both Barca and Zvezda. Perperoglou, Kalinic and Hanga have been EuroLeague champions, but not with either of the two squads.

Nikola Kalinic Top Plays of the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

2021-22 EuroLeague highlights: Nikola Kalinic, Zvezda

Barca head coach Roger Grimau should have good memories when he faces Zvezda for the first time in his coaching career. He will have to work on stopping Teodosic, just like he did as a player in the 2010 EuroLeague Championship Game. Back then, Grimau was Barca's team captain and Teodosic the freshly crowned EuroLeague MVP, playing for Olympiacos. Barca ended up winning the game, 86-68, and Grimau lifted the trophy on top of the podium. To this date, Barca has not won the EuroLeague again.

Regal FC Barcelona is the 2010 Euroleague champion! Barca downed Olympiacos 86-68 in the final before a packed house at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in the French capital to win its second Euroleague crown

CLASSIC GAME: 2010 EuroLeague Final: Regal FC Barcelona vs Olympiacos

Coach Grimau showed great resourcefulness last week. With playmakers [Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/) and [Nico Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) sidelined, he opted to use versatile forward [Oriol Pauli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/-oriol-pauli/003204/) as point guard. Pauli finished the game with 12 points and 4 rebounds in his first EuroLeague appearance this season. 

Both teams had very different approaches on offense so far this season. Zvezda heavily relies on three-point shots, ranking second in attempts per game at 30.7. Barca takes way less shots from downtown (23.8) but is more affective, hitting 39.2% of them (Zvezda 33.2%). Barca takes almost one two-point shot per minute (39.5 per game), ranking third in scoring (83.7 ppg.) and leading in defensive boards (27.7) and PIR (102.2).

We have all the ingredients for a great game: talented veterans on both sides and a chance for Zvezda to make history.

Partizan center Frank Kaminsky saved his best for the last of his team's thrilling victory against Fenerbahce, swinging the momentum in crunch time.

Kaminsky inspired Partizan's late coup

[Frank Kaminsky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/frank-kaminsky/012743/) did not hit the ground running at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade when he joined the Serbian team from the Houston Rockets during the off-season.

The 30-year-old center from Illinois, who had spent eight years in the NBA after being selected by the Charlotte Hornets in 2015 as the ninth overall draft pick in 2015, struggled to adapt to the European game in his first few outings in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

He had a huge pair of shoes to fill after the departure of Mathias Lessort, who joined Panathinaikos Athens after a superb season at Partizan, narrowly missing out on the 2023 Final Four in Kaunas.

Thursday night's home game against Fenerbahce seemed to be producing another tough night for Kaminsky, who was locked in a titanic personal battle with the Turkish side's big man, Jonathan Motley, one of EuroLeague's most physically dominant centers.

Then, in the fourth quarter of the epic contest, Kaminsky just let himself go. After forcing Motley's fifth and final foul with 5:36 to play, Kaminsky promptly completed a 15-point comeback with a pair of perfect free throws at 75-75. He then scored his team's next 6 points to keep Partizan close enough in the final minute to seize victory from the jaws of defeat. 

All told, Kaminsky scored 11 of his 15 points in the final 10 minutes, but he almost went from hero to zero in the final few seconds. With Partizan leading 85-84, an inbound pass caught him wrong-footed with the basket at his mercy and the ball slipped through his fingers. The visitors had 5 seconds left to force a final twist. In the end, Kaminsky and some 20,000 Partizan home fans were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief after Tyler Dorsey's last-gasp shot on the buzzer clanked off the iron.

Frank Kaminsky inspired Partizan against Fenerbahce

Kaminsky credited the energy that those fans supplied for the team's second-half improvement.

"For the way we played in the first half and the way we played in the second half, we were like two completely different teams," Kaminsky said coming off the floor. 

"In the second half, we made all the plays we needed to make and we had a lot more energy. When you are at home in front of these fans, you feed off the energy of the crowd. We have a lot of guys on this team who can step up in big moments, and that was the story of the game tonight."

Power forward Alen Smailagic also made some clutch shots down the stretch and he singled out second-to-none team spirit as a key ingredient in Partizan's fightback.

"The whole game was tough because Fenerbahce is a really good team, they have great players and a great coach," he said. "But we are a brotherhood with a lot of fight in us, and the important thing is that we stayed together."

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 9 game between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will be played in Belgrade instead of Istanbul, with the contest now taking place at 20:05 local time on Thursday, November 16.

Order of Fenerbahce-Maccabi games switched; Maccabi vs. Real Madrid gets new date

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 9 game between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will be played in Belgrade instead of Istanbul, with the contest now taking place at 20:05 local time on Thursday, November 16.

This decision has been taken considering the recommendations of both the Israeli and Turkish governments.

The suspended Round 6 game, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Real Madrid, has been rescheduled to be played on November 28, 2023, at 20:05 local time in Belgrade.

All Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv home games played in Belgrade will be behind closed doors until further notice.