FC Barcelona ground out a well-deserved 68-77 win at Olympiacos B.C. in the second round of the 2023-24 Euroleague Regular Season. 

FC Barcelona grabs 68-77 win at Olympiacos B.C.

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Nico Laprovittola of FC Barcelona in possession of the ball under pressure from Olympiacos Piraeus duo Giannoulis Larentzakis and Nikola Milutinov during the two teams' Round 2 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Spanish giant forced its Greek rival into submission with a decisive 18-2 run at crunch time.

Barcelona shows its muscle in rollercoaster 68-77 win at Olympiacos

Olympiacos Piraeus v FC Barcelona (2023-10-13T18:15:00.000Z)

Virtus Bologna pulled off a big surprise on the road as it hammered AS Monaco Basket 59-83 after hitting a club record 16 three-pointers in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Virtus Bologna blows AS Monaco Basket away, 59-83

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Ognjen Dobric of Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Elie Okobo of AS Monaco in action during their two teams' Round 2 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The French hosts suffered their worst-ever home defeat in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Virtus blows Monaco away, 59-83

AS Monaco v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-10-13T17:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas remains undefeated in the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season after downing KK Crvena Zvezda 78-74 in front of a sellout crowd at Zalgirio Arena. Zalgiris improved to 2-0 in the standings, while Zvezda dropped to 1-1.

Zalgiris Kaunas steps up late to beat KK Crvena Zvezda, 79-74

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Lukas Lekavicius of Zalgiris Kaunas handles the ball under pressure from Shabazz Napier of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade during the two teams' Round 2 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Rolands Smits, Edgaras Ulanovas and Arnas Butkevicius impressed for the hosts.

Zalgiris steps up late to beat Zvezda, 79-74

Zalgiris Kaunas v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-10-13T17:00:00.000Z)

Home and away teams split four Friday games of Round 2.

Game Center: Barca, Valencia, Zalgiris still unbeaten; Virtus ambushes Monaco

Friday's Live Blogs

### Friday, October 13

[AS Monaco 59-83 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-as-monaco-basket-vs-virtus-bologna/)

Virtus Segafredo Bologna pulled off a big surprise on the road as it hammered AS Monaco 59-83 after hitting a club record 16 three-pointers. Six players hit at least 2 triples for Virtus, which improved to 1-1.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fi" dir="ltr">WIN WIN WIN ⚪️⚫️<br>Che partita, che vittoria 🔥🥵<br><br>🔢 Lundberg 14, Belinelli 13, Smith 12, Shengelia 12, Dobric 9, Hackett 8, Cordinier 6, Mickey 5, Dunston 2, Pajola 2<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmarsiAncora?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmarsiAncora</a> <a href="https://t.co/8cCv5zHTvq">pic.twitter.com/8cCv5zHTvq</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1712906554632970574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Zalgiris Kaunas 79-74 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-zalgiris-kaunas-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/)

Zalgiris Kaunas remains undefeated in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season after downing Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 78-74 in front of a sellout crowd at Zalgirio Arena. Zalgiris improved to 2-0 in the standings, while Zvezda dropped to 1-1.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That was AMAZING!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> home season starts with a big W! 💚 <a href="https://t.co/nyZHiAIkln">pic.twitter.com/nyZHiAIkln</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1712904240480322008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Olympiacos Piraeus 68-77 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-olympiacos-bc-vs-fc-barcelona/)

FC Barcelona ground out a well-deserved 68-77 win at Olympiacos Piraeus in the second round of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season. The visitors overwhelmed the home side in the last few minutes of an enthralling rollercoaster, having thrown away a 15-point second-quarter lead in a vibrant atmosphere.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">GRAN VICTÒRIA, EQUIP 💛 <a href="https://t.co/l0vjW384WF">pic.twitter.com/l0vjW384WF</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1712925293344604255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Valencia Basket 77-74 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-valencia-basket-vs-fenerbahce-basketball/)

Valencia Basket advanced to 2-0 by holding off Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 77-74 in a bruising battle at La Fonteta. The home team led nearly the whole game, and by a maximum margin of 15 points, but Fenerbahce kept battling back and will rue a missed free throw by Scottie Wilbekin which would have tied the game with 4 seconds left. Wilbekin still had a chance to tie it on the final buzzer, but his half-court prayer would not drop. The Turkish team drops to 1-1.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">𝙑𝘼𝙈𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊 🧡🧡🧡<br>¡Cae otro coco en la Fonteta! <br><br>¡Que sean 2️⃣ de 2️⃣ en la <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a>! 😍<br><br>🏆 J2 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a><a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> 77<br>🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> 74<br>🤝 <a href="https://twitter.com/pamesaceramica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pamesaceramica</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qxcx8aIUxz">pic.twitter.com/Qxcx8aIUxz</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1712933318784692600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### **Thursday, October 12**

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul 80-103 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-anadolu-efes-vs-real-madrid/)

Real Madrid rose to the occasion against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in a showdown of recent champs, with the reigning titleholders blasting the hosts 80-103. Real lost a 17-point lead but built up a 23-point cushion and improved to 2-0. Those 103 points scored by Real matched *Los Blancos*' best road point total since 2015.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🏀 ¡Contundente victoria frente al <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnadoluEfesSK</a> para sumar la 2ª en la <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a>! 🏀<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/eIYxo9zm4O">pic.twitter.com/eIYxo9zm4O</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1712549236682944840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[ALBA Berlin 86-91 Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-alba-berlin-vs-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz picked up its first win of the season by clinging on to an 86-91 win over ALBA Berlin on Thursday night in the German capital. Baskonia netted 12 triples and overcame 20 turnovers to improve to a 1-1 record, while ALBA dropped to 0-2.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">¡VAAAAMOSSSSSSS! 💪💪💪<br><br>✅ ¡TENEMOS LA PRIMERA 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/lZgW902P88">pic.twitter.com/lZgW902P88</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1712558326691795326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 62-88 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-ldlc-asvel-vs-kk-partizan-belgrade/)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade romped to a 62-88 win at ASVEL Villeurbanne in the second round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season to bounce back from its opening 81-96 reverse at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, reaping the rewards of effervescent team work.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Pobeda crno-belih u Vilerbanu!✊🏽⚫️⚪️<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/OSDGZZSsTx">pic.twitter.com/OSDGZZSsTx</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1712556326591852926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Panathinaikos Athens 78-71 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-fc-bayern-munich/)

Panathinaikos Athens grabbed its first win this season by beating FC Bayern Munich at home. The hosts improved to 1-1, but the visitors dropped 1-1, as this was their first defeat of the campaign following a win in the German derby against ALBA Berlin in Round 1.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final Score ☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBBasketball</a> 78-71 <a href="https://t.co/DNK2tzVHPy">pic.twitter.com/DNK2tzVHPy</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1712561525360341066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

EuroLeague Live Blogs: Four games to see us into the weekend!

Valencia Basket v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-10-13T18:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos B.C. and FC Barcelona come head-to-head in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season at Peace and Friendship Stadium.

Olympiacos B.C., FC Barcelona face off after a summer of change

When Olympiacos Piraeus and FC Barcelona both made it to the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, they were led by a pair of MVPs in Sasha Vezenkov and Nikola Mirotic, respectively. Well, a few months on, the 2023 winner of the award, Vezenkov, left for the NBA, while Mirotic – the 2022 MVP – switched Barca for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

What does this mean, I hear you ask? The floor is there for a new star to emerge. You just have to look at Olympiacos’s 78-88 overtime win against archrival Panathinaikos Athens to see a new hero for the Reds, as second-year forward Alec Peters earned MVP of the Round honors following a dominant individual performance.

Panathinaikos Athens-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 1 | Highlights

New signings Nikola Milutinov and Nigel Williams-Goss, both of whom are now in their second spells with Olympiacos, also shined at OAKA, as did the ever-reliable Thomas Walkup. There were some mumblings in the European basketball community about whether Georgios Bartzokas’s Olympiacos would be as strong this season, but it was a real statement win that the Reds achieved in Round 1.

One day before, some 1900km away, a new-look Barca featuring recent additions Willy Hernangomez, Dario Brizuela and Jabari Parker got off to winning ways by defeating Anadolu Efes Istanbul 91-74 at Palau Blaugrana. There was some pessimism about the Blaugrana’s chances heading into this EuroLeague season, having said goodbye to the likes of Mirotic and Cory Higgins, as well as head coach Saras Jasikevicius, but new boss Roger Grimau saw his team get off to the perfect start.

FC Barcelona-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Round 1 | Highlights

Hernangomez particularly stood out by scoring 18 points in just over 16 minutes on the floor, while fellow big man Jan Vesely also added 16 points. If Barca can find a way to get the EuroBasket 2022 MVP and the 2019 EuroLeague MVP to coexist, as was the case in Round 1 against Efes, it could spell trouble for the rest of the EuroLeague. Nico Laprovittola was another player that impressed for Barca last week, finishing with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.

### Injury news

Barca confirmed on Thursday that young guard Michael Caicedo has fractured the metatarsal in his right foot, so he will be unavailable for Friday night’s meeting at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Aside from him, though, the Blaugrana have a full squad to choose from.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">[𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓 𝐌𝐄̀𝐃𝐈𝐂]<br><br>Michael Caicedo té una fractura del cinquè metatarsià del peu dret.<br><br>En els propers dies es coneixeran més detalls del tractament, que serà quirúrgic, així com el temps aproximat de baixa.<br><br>Molts ànims, Michael ❤ <a href="https://t.co/k3uaUe1nGv">pic.twitter.com/k3uaUe1nGv</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1712423787495346326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It is quite a different picture at Olympiacos, however, as [Luke Sikma and Shaquielle McKissic – both of whom featured in the Greek derby in Round 1 – will be out for at least a couple of weeks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/olympiacos-loses-sikma-mckissic-two-more-questionable/), while Nigel Williams-Goss is also out after making his second debut for the club last week. The one positive bit of news for the Reds is that Moustapha Fall is back, meaning Milutinov will not have as big a burden on his shoulders.

### Where the game could be won/lost

In the absence of McKissic and Williams-Goss, Olympiacos is likely to give heavy minutes to Walkup, who is likely to be partnered in the backcourt by Isaiah Canaan. Coming off the bench will be Giannoulis Larentzakis, but he could be accompanied by Ignas Brazdeikis, who would make his Olympiacos debut if he takes to the floor in Round 2.

It will be curious to see how Barca’s guards – Laprovittola, Tomas Satoransky, Rokas Jokubaitis and Dario Brizuela – do up against their counterparts in red, but whichever backcourt comes out on top may be one of the keys to the game.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">📸🎙️ Media Day: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> - FC Barcelona (13/10, 21.15) <br><br>For more pics ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/RDYAFflf0j">https://t.co/RDYAFflf0j</a><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://t.co/zaXyOAoFGc">pic.twitter.com/zaXyOAoFGc</a></p>&mdash; OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1712417936508432851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Then, at center, it will be fascinating to see how Olympiacos’s duo of Milutinov and Fall do when faced with Hernangomez and Vesely. It feels a bit like an old-school game with so many elite big men on the floor, but this is another area in which the more dominant unit will likely end up on the winning side.

There are plenty of fun storylines to follow all over the court, so make sure to tune in for Olympiacos vs. Barcelona from 20:15 CET – it should be a lot of fun.

Giannoulis Larentzakis of Olympiacos Piraeus and Nico Laprovittola of FC Barcelona during the regular-season meeting between the two sides in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign.

Friday night's game will be an interesting barometer of where the two teams stand in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague hierarchy.

Olympiacos, Barcelona face off after a summer of change

Real Madrid, the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion, is firing on all cylinders at present, as it showed during its 80-103 win at Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 2 of the 2023-24 season.

Real Madrid’s offense shows no sign of slowing down

Real Madrid was expected to be very strong this season after the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion kept nearly its entire core together and added a superstar playmaker like Facu Campazzo. But few likely thought the Spanish powerhouse would be clicking on all cylinders already, just two games into the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Real turned a highly anticipated showdown at Anadolu Efes Istanbul into a blowout, [winning 80-103](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-anadolu-efes-vs-real-madrid/) – and that even came after throwing away a 17-point second-quarter lead. The 103 points scored by Real matched its best total on the road since 2015.

### A variety of scorers

Guerschon Yabusele set the tone early, scoring 16 of his 22 points in the first quarter. Fabien Causer added 18 points and Campazzo delivered a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists.

Three other Real players scored in double figures as Chus Mateo’s team totaled 22 assists and shot 61.8% on two-pointers and 41.4% on three-pointers.

“We did a good job \[of\] finding the right guy on offense,” said Yabusele, who made 6-of-7 field goal attempts, including all 3 of his shots from long range. The Frenchman also had 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

### The return of Campazzo

Yabusele announced his return to action in Round 1 against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz with an 18-point, 8-rebound night, and he followed that up in the perfect way possible. One of the keys to Real’s success so far, in Yabusele’s opinion, is the way in which Campazzo has helped the team.

“He makes a lot of things easy for us,” added Yabusele. “His passing skills are amazing. His scoring skills, too. He can put the pressure on \[opposition defenses\] and we just try to follow him. He’s a great leader for us and he makes a big difference to the team.”

Campazzo, however, prefers to keep his feet on the ground: “Stats are for you guys. I don’t like stats. I just try to give my energy and try to make the right decision, the right call. I just want to give everything I have into the game. Sometimes good things happen, sometimes not. I just try to make the right decisions on the court.”

Facu Campazzo had a 15-point, 10-assist double-double as Real Madrid beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul 80-103 in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Campazzo's highlights vs. Efes

One week after a somewhat underwhelming display at Baskonia, when he had 2 points and 5 assists in 23 minutes on the floor, the 32-year-old was more like the Facu Campazzo that was adored by Real’s fans during his first stint at the club.

Speaking after the win at Efes, Coach Mateo was satisfied with his team’s showing.

“It was a team win. Everybody did their role,” he stated. “We are working good as a team. We shared the ball very well. We want to get our rhythm going. We want to play with a good pace on offense. When we run, we are good. But we need to stop a little bit and play with more discipline.”

### More reinforcements on the way

Mateo noted that his side is still a work in progress, as players like Walter Tavares and Gabriel Deck still need to be reincorporated into the team after their respective injuries. Both players made their return to action at Efes, with Tavares playing 17 and a half minutes and Deck seeing 13:41 minutes on the court.

“We will probably play a little bit worse than before. We don’t have a lot of practices, so we need a good spirit,” Mateo commented.

Still, Mateo knows his Real roster wants to work and get better.

“We are competitive and we try our best every game. We are hungry and always want more and more.”

Looking at what Real Madrid did on the road against a strong team like Efes, that could be a scary proposition for the rest of the EuroLeague.

More Real Madrid News

Facu Campazzo of Real Madrid attempts an audacious pass under lots of pressure from Anadolu Efes Istanbul center Tibor Pleiss.

The reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion is firing on all cylinders at present.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Real Madrid (2023-10-12T17:30:00.000Z)

Following the suspension of the Round 2 game between EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, the game has been rescheduled to be played on Tuesday, 31 October 2023 at 20:30 local time.

Euroleague Basketball announces rescheduled game

Following the suspension of the Round 2 game between EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, the game has been rescheduled to be played on the following new date.

**ROUND 2**

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Tuesday, 31 October 2023 at 20:30 local time.

Panathinaikos B.C. beat FC Bayern Munich 78-71 at OAKA on Thursday night in Round 2 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season, which was Ergin Ataman's first win as the Greens' head coach.

Cheerful Ergin Ataman celebrates first Panathinaikos B.C. victory

Panathinaikos Athens boss Ergin Ataman grabbed his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague win as the Greens’ head coach on Thursday night, as [his side defeated FC Bayern Munich 78-71](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-fc-bayern-munich/).

The hosts, who were without Kostas Sloukas and Dinos Mitoglou due to injury, put in a solid display on defense, with Ataman pointing to his players’ hustle throughout the game as the key to winning. Asked about how he felt about his first victory as Panathinaikos boss, Ataman had a big smile on his face.

“I feel good,” the Turkish tactician replied. “It was a good game, an incredible game. We didn’t play well but \[showed\] hustle. Last week we lost in overtime, today we won. It’s a good win.”

Ergin Ataman was interviewed after Panathinaikos Athens's 78-71 win against FC Bayern Munich in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Ataman's post-game flash interview

### Focusing on defense over offense

Panathinaikos forced Bayern into 10 turnovers and managed to contain star guard Carsen Edwards, who struggled to find open shots and registered 0 points in just over 16 minutes on the floor. In his post-game press conference, Ataman praised his team’s focus, energy and determination on defense.

“We were very aggressive on defense,” Ataman commented. “We were successful \[in our bid\] to stop Edwards. So only \[Leandro\] Bolmero and \[their\] offensive rebounds created problems for us. They scored more than 20 points after \[grabbing\] 14 offensive rebounds, but the hustle of the team was very good.”

### Lessort's relief after beating Bayern

After Panathinaikos’s home defeat in their season opener against Olympiacos Piraeus, some reports claimed that Ataman held a seven-hour training session for his players, something he denied after beating Bayern. However, player-of-the-game Mathias Lessort jokingly explained why the victory against Bayern was of major importance for the players.

"It was important to get the win because we don't want to spend another eight hours in the gym,” Lessort said. “All jokes aside, it was a good win.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a> squad can fully rest now 😅 <a href="https://t.co/7Z9meSa8DQ">pic.twitter.com/7Z9meSa8DQ</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1712565994449961327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Yet, after the final buzzer, Ataman put those rumors to bed, stressing that the only way for his players to improve is by going through their mistakes and learning from them.

“It’s very strange now with the social media where everybody said that we made a six- or seven-hour practice,” he stressed. “We made just one hour-and-a-half \[of\] practice and a four-hour video session because we are a new team and we watched our mistakes; we talked about this and tonight we had some answers. Nobody can survive with a seven-hour practice and I’m not a stupid coach to do that two days before a EuroLeague game. So, social media, please write the correct things.”

After signing as many as 11 players in the summer, Panathinaikos remains a work in progress, but the two-time EuroLeague champion head coach has already demonstrated that he is the ideal man to undertake such a project. Panathinaikos’s win on Thursday was Ataman’s first as the team’s boss, but there will be many more to come this season.

More Panathinaikos News

Ergin Ataman salutes the Panathinaikos Athens fans before the team's game against FC Bayern Munich in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion made sure his team got over the line at the second time of asking.

Cheerful Ataman celebrates first Panathinaikos victory

Panathinaikos Athens v FC Bayern Munich (2023-10-12T18:15:00.000Z)

KK Partizan Belgrade secured a club-record 62-88 win on the road at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Scorned by Obradovic, KK Partizan turned up against ASVEL

It was all gloom and doom after Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade succumbed to Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 81-96 in the opening round of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, having trailed by as many as 24 points in the Israeli capital.

That defeat prompted many Serbian sports pundits to question the team’s resolve and ability to emulate last season’s success, when Partizan reached the playoffs and narrowly missed out on the Final Four.

### Responding to criticism

It also drew a backlash from head coach Zeljko Obradovic, who challenged his players to show the kind of mettle which had catapulted Partizan into being last term’s surprise package in Europe’s premier club basketball competition. They responded superbly at ASVEL with an 88-62 whitewash of the French side in a one-sided contest.

LDLC AVSEL Villeurbanne-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | Round 2 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Bar the opening few minutes when ASVEL nosed ahead 10-9 in a hectic start to the game, Partizan dominated in every department and never looked back after turning the tide with a 13-3 run. Mixing aggressive defense, which produced 11 steals for the visitors and 14 turnovers from ASVEL, Partizan was able to race away with a barrage of easy points resulting from fast breaks.

The visitors built a 43-29 halftime lead despite poor three-point shooting (2-of-11) and it was clear the writing was on the wall for ASVEL after the advantage soared to 72-48 thanks to more one-way traffic in the third quarter.

### Players stepping up

Apart from the usual suspects who did their bit, Partizan also thrived on superb cameo roles from role players, namely Danilo Andjusic and Balsa Koprivica, who came off the bench to provide the extra spark. Andjusic netted 8 first-half points and Koprivica lit up the contest with a spectacular dunk in the fourth quarter, highlighting Partizan’s superior quality.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">Samo tebi verni, samo tebi odani!🖤🤍<br><br>HVALA GROBARI!<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/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/C2ED0daOmp">pic.twitter.com/C2ED0daOmp</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1712570560180285737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Subdued veteran Nando De Colo, who scored a mere 4 points in just under 20 minutes on the court, personified ASVEL’s failure to match Partizan in any department. It will be back to the drawing board for coach TJ Parker, while Obradovic can now look forward to next week’s Round 3 blockbuster at home to FC Barcelona before a tough visit to last season’s runners-up, Olympiacos Piraeus.

“It was a tough night for us, we didn’t expect this kind of game,” Parker said during his post-game press conference. Obradovic stressed the opening defeat to Maccabi spurred the coaching staff into action: “We started the EuroLeague in a very bad way and we then talked to the players and told them they had to step up.”

“Tonight, the aggressive defense gave us the opportunity to run. We had a very good game against a good team and I also want to thank all our fans who turned up to support us.”

One could be forgiven for thinking Partizan was the home team, as the away fans who made the trip to the Astroballe created a cracking atmosphere from start to finish, silencing the home faithful as they roared Partizan on to its biggest road win in the competition.

More Partizan News

The Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade players celebrate beating LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 62-88 in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade responded to its coach’s criticism with the club’s biggest EuroLeague road win on foreign soil.

Scorned by Obradovic, Partizan turned up against ASVEL

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-10-12T18:00:00.000Z)