Baskonia knew what it was getting in Donta Hall – a EuroLeague-proven center who causes all sorts of matchup problems – and he has certainly lived up to the billing, as he showed again in Round 28.

Donta Hall led from the front as Baskonia beat Zalgiris

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) knew what it was getting in [Donta Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/donta-hall/011196/) – a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague-proven center who causes all sorts of matchup problems – and he has certainly lived up to the billing.

After three seasons with [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/), the Baskonia big man is having his best EuroLeague campaign yet in 2024-25, with [Thursday night’s 66-65 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonia-grinds-out-win-over-zalgiris-66-65/) providing a reminder of just how dominant he can be when he’s on the floor.

Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Hall already found himself on 3 blocks, while he had 6 points and 5 rebounds at halftime. Whether it was the ever-enthusiastic [Laurynas Birutis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/laurynas-birutis/005504/) or the wily veteran [Bryant Dunston](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/bryant-dunston/003048/) looking to frustrate him, he was finding ways to have a notable impact on the contest. 

Hall netted another 5 points in the third period, a quarter in which Baskonia scored just 10 points as a team, as his squad held off a comeback attempt from the visitors. Importantly, he was a perfect 5 for 5 from the line – the first time he has been 100% from the line when shooting 5 or more free throws in his 142-game career.

“We came out slacking a little bit in the second half, but other than that, I feel like our energy and stuff, we maintained the rest of the game,” Hall told EuroLeague TV after the game.

But Hall wasn’t too pleased with Baskonia having to go through another nail-biting finish, even if they did come out on top.

“I’m telling you, I’m tired of it, honestly,” he said. “But hey, we finished this one now, all we can do is look forward.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">La actuación del MVP, Donta Hall, en la victoria de hoy 🔝🔝<br><br>📊 Sus números <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/GebpzndxUV">pic.twitter.com/GebpzndxUV</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1897768940123611620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Baskonia will certainly be doing just that as it improved to a 12-16 record, one win behind Zalgiris. Thursday’s victory was Baskonia’s second over Zalgiris this season, giving it the head-to-head advantage in any tiebreaker situation, and [Pablo Laso](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/laso-pablo/?season=E2024)’s group are now just two wins back of FC Barcelona in 10th, the final play-in spot.

There are six games remaining in the regular season and each victory is priceless at this stage, so Baskonia will be hoping for more of the same from Hall and co. as they enter the home straight.

Game News

The 27-year-old center enjoyed another impressive performance in Round 28

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-03-06T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich improved to 17-11 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and stayed firmly on course to reach the postseason after bouncing back from a sluggish start to steamroll Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 100-82 at SAP Arena

Bayern blows away Crvena Zvezda, 100-82, to stay in postseason picture

FC Bayern Munich improved to 17-11 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and stayed firmly on course to reach the postseason after bouncing back from a sluggish start to steamroll Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 100-82 at SAP Arena.

Carsen Edwards paced Bayern with a game-high 30 points, while veteran Vladimir Lucic racked up 18 and 7 boards. Shabazz Napier netted 16 points and Johannes Voigtmann amassed 11 to go with 9 boards for a rampant home side, which sank 19 of 37 shots from downtown.

Bayern also tied the biggest run in EuroLeague history after conjuring a 25-0 streak late in the second quarter and early in the third, effectively sealing the matchup after stretching its lead from 39-37 to 64-37.

The run equaled that of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at Valencia Basket last season, when the French side went on to win the game by a landslide margin.

Tireless big man Joel Bolomboy was a lone beacon of light for Zvezda as he racked up 12 points to go with a staggering 19 boards. Isaiah Canaan posted 15 points and Codi Miller-McIntyre added 11, but the Serbian team’s porous defense conceded an avalanche of three-pointers in what turned out to be a lopsided contest.

Game Videos

Zvezda, which dropped to 16-12 after a second successive loss, mad a perfect start as the visitors raced into a 0-9 lead with Miller-McIntyre scoring all of his team’s points in that interval. Bayern responded superbly and nosed ahead 20-18 late in the first quarter before Zvezda turned the tide for the last time to lead 25-29 early in the second.

With the game still in the balance midway through the second quarter as Bayern led 39-37, the home team vanquished Zvezda with a whirlwind 25-0 run that silenced a raucous visiting crowd comprising Serbian expats in Munich as well as fans who made the trip from Belgrade.

Three-pointers were raining in from all over as Bayern overwhelmed Zvezda with ironclad defense and quick transition, resulting in a barrage of open shots.

The advantage soared to 76-48 late in the third before Zvezda finally showed some pride and slashed the deficit to 93-82 late in the game, but Bayern finished with a 7-0 run, which capped a memorable win and sent the home fans into raptures.

The German side shot the lights out from deep to brush aside its Serbian rival after a slow start 

FC Bayern Munich v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-03-06T19:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz gave its play-in hopes a major boost by defeating Zalgiris Kaunas 66-65 in a hard-fought clash at Buesa Arena. Pablo Laso’s men improved to a 12-16 record but remain in 14th, while 13th-placed Zalgiris dropped to a 13-15 mark.

Baskonia grinds out win over Zalgiris, 66-65

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz gave its play-in hopes a major boost by defeating Zalgiris Kaunas 66-65 in a hard-fought clash at Buesa Arena. Pablo Laso’s men improved to a 12-16 record but remain in 14th, while 13th-placed Zalgiris dropped to a 13-15 mark. By doing the double over Zalgiris, Baskonia holds the head-to-head advantage in any tiebreaker situation that may arise.

Donta Hall was Baskonia’s star performer with 11 points and 8 rebounds, as well as 3 blocks, while Markus Howard and Chima Moneke both chipped in with 13 points apiece. Zalgiris’s Ignas Brazdeikis netted 17 points and Alen Smailagic added 11 points.

Baskonia outscored Zalgiris in each of the first two quarters, taking a 38-30 lead into halftime, and that eight-point advantage proved crucial as the visitors held the hosts to 28 second-half points. Still, Zalgiris’s hopes of a comeback win were spurned when Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot moved to 7 points by scoring a turnaround mid-range jump shot with 21 seconds to go to put Baskonia back ahead at 66-65.

Baskonia started hot and opened a 7-2 lead thanks to baskets by Moneke, Khalifa Diop and Tadas Sedekerskis, but Zalgiris soon tied it up after Smailagic’s offensive rebound and score made it 7-7. A Laurynas Birutis finish handed Zalgiris its first lead at 10-11, yet a strong finish to the period, capped by a block and a layup by Hall, ensured it was 18-12 after 10 minutes.

Sylvain Francisco, who didn’t make a field goal in the first quarter, netted from mid-range to start the second, then Brazdeikis kept his impressive start going by scoring five points in quick succession as Zalgiris cut Baskonia’s lead to two points at 23-21. Birutis and Bryant Dunston tied it at 23-23 and 25-25, but a couple of threes by Trent Forrest gave Baskonia breathing room at 33-28. Another triple, this time by Nikos Rogkavopoulos, to end the half gave Baskonia a 38-30 advantage at the break.

Zalgiris came into this game as the best-ranked defense in the EuroLeague and it showed why in the early stages of the third, going on a 6-1 run inside the opening four minutes to reduce the margin to three points, 39-36. Luwawu-Cabarrot and Hall combined to put Baskonia 44-38 ahead, but back-to-back scores by Isaiah Wong, making his Zalgiris and EuroLeague debut, made it 44-43. However, a put-back layup by Moneke and a couple of free throws by Hall gave Baskonia a 48-43 lead entering the fourth.

The game looked like it was going to get away from Zalgiris when Markus Howard, who had gone 0 for 4 from deep through the first three quarters, drained two three-pointers in a row to put Baskonia in control at 56-47. Zalgiris responded, though, as Dovydas Giedraitis scored a layup, Alen Smailagic converted a three-point play and Francisco made a deep three to make it 57-55. Luka Samanic hit back, but another three, this time from Smailagic, made it a one-point ballgame at 59-58. Zalgiris ended up taking the lead at 61-62 for just the second time on the night thanks to Brazdeikis’s offensive board and stick-back, but Howard’s three off the glass at the end of the shot clock calmed down any nerves at 64-62. Smailagic split free throws and then scored a layup to put Zalgiris 64-65 ahead, but Luwawu-Cabarrot’s turnaround jumper from mid-range ended up being the final score with 21 seconds remaining.

The Spanish side is now just one win behind the Lithuanian outfit in the EuroLeague standings

Reigning champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens enjoyed another triumph over last season’s beaten finalist Real Madrid, taking a comfortable 85-70 victory in Athens

Panathinaikos blasts past Real, 85-70

Reigning champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens enjoyed another triumph over last season’s beaten finalist Real Madrid, taking a comfortable 85-70 victory in Athens. The Greens improved to 18-10 to strengthen their top four position, while Real dropped to 14-14.

The Greens dominated early to take a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and stayed ahead the rest of the way despite Real’s attempts to hang in the game. Kendrick Nunn led the scoring with 18 points, while Jerian Grant combined 11 points with 9 assists, Kostas Sloukas had 10 points and 7 assists, Dinos Mitoglou scored 15 with 9 rebounds, and Juancho Hernangomez added 12. Real was led by Mario Hezonja with 18 points and Walter Tavares with 16, with Dzanan Musa scoring 12 and Sergio Llull adding 10.

Neither team scored in the first 2 minutes, before Hezonja’s layup opened the scoring. Wenyen Gabriel got the hosts on the scoreboard and Hernangomez netted the game’s first triple. Hezonja stayed hot with two more scores, but Hernangomez’s reverse layup and Nunn’s spectacular slam made it 11-6. Hernangomez again struck from deep before inside scores from Tavares and Alberto Abalde were bettered by Nunn at the rim and Cedi Osman from deep for a 19-11 lead. Nunn added a triple and a buzzer-beating jumper, making it 24-13 after 10 minutes.

Hezonja continued to pace Real with the opening bucket of the second quarter, but Mitoglou responded with a three and a layup for a 29-17 lead. Tavares scored twice, but Nunn hit another deep strike before Musa, Tavares and Hugo Gonzalez pulled Real closer, 33-27. Llull and Sloukas traded two-pointers, and Lorenzo Brown kept Panathinaikos moving with another three-pointer. Musa and Bruno Fernando were on target for Real and it was 40-33 at halftime.

Grant’s three-pointer opened the second half, before two scores from Gabriel made it a 15-point margin. Hezonja finally struck Real’s first three-pointer of the night and soon completed a 0-8 run with an alleyoop slam, pulling it back to 48-42. The visitors kept pushing through Facundo Campazzo’s floater, but Grant’s three-point play rescued the Greens. Hezonja and Nunn exchanged thrilling slams before Sloukas and Mitoglou restored a double-digit lead, but Llull’s trademark three-pointer made it 63-53 with 10 minutes left.

Layups from Musa and Fernando pulled Real closer, but free throws settled Panathinaikos and Mitoglou’s three-pointer made it 68-59 with 6 minutes to play. Sloukas added a fastbreak layup for another double-digit advantage, but another Tavares dunk kept Real hoping. Nunn scored twice either side of Llull’s triple and Grant’s three made it 79-68 with 2 minutes left. Mitoglou’s layup removed any lingering doubt as the Greens cruised home with Hernangomez’s three-point play.

A rematch of last season’s championship game saw the home team dominate from start to finish

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Real Madrid (2025-03-06T19:45:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul registered its second straight road victory this week by thrashing EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 76-100 on Thursday night at Unipol Forum

Fenerbahce crushes Milan, 76-100

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul registered its second straight road victory this week by thrashing EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 76-100 on Thursday night at Unipol Forum. The visitors outscored Milan in each of the four quarters and led for the majority of the game, with their defense being solid throughout the contest. With this win, Fenerbahce improved its record to 19-9 in its bid to secure postseason home-court advantage through a top-four spot. Milan dropped to 15-13, but remains in the playoff conversation.

Errick McCollum led all scorers with 18 points for the winners. Wade Baldwin scored 15, Nigel Hayes-Davis had 14 and Devon Hall added 10. For Milan, Shavon Shields netted 17 points, with Zach LeDay and Nikola Mirotic scoring 11 apiece.

Shields got Milan going with 5 straight points and Mirotic netted in the paint for a 7-4 lead. Khem Birch and LeDay traded scores inside before buckets from Bonzie Colson and Marko Guduric put Fenerbahce ahead, 9-10. A Mirotic basket was followed by a corner three from Giampaolo Ricci, who put Milan back in front, 14-13. Baldwin netted back-to-back buckets off the bench before McCollum gave Fenerbahce a 17-19 edge. Then, Sertac Sanli nailed a midrange jumper and Tarik Biberovic opened his account from deep to make it 19-24 after 10 minutes.

The guests started strong in the second quarter, as Sanli and Nicolo Melli sank a triple each for a 23-30 lead. The latter nailed another against his former team and McCollum scored 5 straight points to make it 28-38. Milan went on a 6-2 run fueled by Shields, but Hayes-Davis completed a three-point play to restore a 34-43 lead. Baldwin drilled back-to-back triples before Biberovic and Hall scored inside to open a 37-53 lead at halftime.

Shields opened the third quarter with a three-point play, but Milan lost both Mirotic and Freddie Gillespie to injuries. Niccolo Mannion nailed one from downtown, but Guduric answered with a layup on the other end, 46-60. Hayes-Davis drilled a three and Colson scored inside to maintain a 50-67 lead. Six straight points from Hayes-Davis were followed by a McCollum layup, with the guests taking a 56-76 cushion into the closing quarter.

Biberovic scored from deep and Baldwin added 4 points to his tally for a 59-85 lead. A helpless Milan struggled to find the energy in their bid to push for a last comeback attempt, with Fenerbahce maintaining its consistency on both ends to close the game out.

The visitors led for most of the game to clinch a second road victory this week

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2025-03-06T19:30:00.000Z)

The 25th season of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 2024-25, is a cause for celebration. From the stars and big moments that came before to those writing new chapters in present day, the EuroLeague's legacy continues to be written. Join us as we take it to the next level. #Only25

EuroLeague 25: The legacy continues

FC Bayern Munich has confirmed that Oscar da Silva will be sidelined for the 'coming weeks' after undergoing knee surgery.

Oscar da Silva out for 'coming weeks' after knee surgery

[FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/) has confirmed that [Oscar da Silva](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/oscar-da-silva/011244/) will be sidelined for the 'coming weeks' after undergoing knee surgery.

Da Silva, in his first year with Bayern, has made 25 appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, averaging 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in largely a bench role.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Injury Update: Oscar suffered a medial ligament injury in his right knee and underwent successful surgery in Munich this Wednesday. He will be out for the coming weeks. Get well soon, Oscar! 🙏<br><br>🇩🇪 <a href="https://t.co/JV5AIG8FDG">https://t.co/JV5AIG8FDG</a><br>🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/cN3Qfcd0eE">https://t.co/cN3Qfcd0eE</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> || 📷 Pahnke <a href="https://t.co/Vy0UiW7okE">pic.twitter.com/Vy0UiW7okE</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1897697803583078585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"Bayern's basketball team will have to continue without Oscar da Silva," Bayern revealed in a statement on Thursday. 

"The 26-year-old national player suffered a medial ligament injury in his right knee during the EuroLeague game in Paris a week ago and underwent successful surgery in Munich this Wednesday. As a result, the power forward will definitely be out for the coming weeks."

More Bayern News

The forward is in his first season with Bayern

Will Edy Tavares reclaim the crown? Can Thomas Walkup return strong and soon enough to defend (pun completely intended) his title? Or will another contender rise up and win the award for the first time in their career?

As we’ve entered the final stretch of the regular season, let’s take a look at arguably the most prominent candidates to claim the EuroLeague Best Defender award for 2024-25.

Read more [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1793826/the-race-for-the-2025-euroleague-best-defender-so-far/)...

The Race For The 2025 EuroLeague Best Defender So Far

AS Monaco head coach Vassilis Spanoulis stressed that Wednesday’s 79-91 win away at Paris Basketball was a team victory and Daniel Theis and Jordan Loyd led the way with 21 points each

Daniel Theis, Jordan Loyd cooked in statement victory at Paris

[AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/roster/mco/?season=2024-25) head coach Vassilis Spanoulis stressed that [Wednesday’s 79-91 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-downs-paris-79-91-in-french-league-derby/) at [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/roster/prs/?season=2024-25) was a team victory, with the visitors sharing the ball smoothly and recording 25 assists at Adidas Arena. Yet, there were two players who thrived on the floor, inspiring Monaco to an important road triumph in the French League derby. [Daniel Theis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-theis/004132/) and [Jordan Loyd](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jordan-loyd/009754/) netted 21 each, combining for almost half of the team's points.

The former needed just a couple of games to adapt to his new surroundings following his return to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Monaco’s new signing hit the ground running and netted 8 first-quarter points in his second appearance for Spanoulis’s side.

Daniel Theis's best plays against Paris

The visitors took a 39-44 cushion into the third quarter, which they opened with a 12-0 surge inspired by Theis, who netted 7 of those points. [Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nadir-hifi/012640/) made 3 from the line to bring Paris within 42-56, but Loyd came to the fore with 10 straight points to open a 47-66 lead. Monaco stepped up its defense, which held the hosts to just 14 points in the third quarter.

"That was big for us,” [Alpha Diallo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alpha-diallo/011226/) told EuroLeague TV. “Coming out from halftime. We knew that we wanted to continue being aggressive and that’s what we did with that 12-0 run.”

Theis equaled his career-high point tally, with Loyd recording a season-high in points scored. The German center also registered a game-high 7 rebounds, as well as 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block, contributing on both ends of the court.

“Everybody knows Daniel,” Spanoulis told EuroLeague TV. “I know Daniel. That’s why we brought him here. Today he was really important for us, like all the guys.”

As for Loyd, he was almost perfect from the floor, making 4 of 5 from inside the arc and going 4-for-4 from deep.

“I try not to look at \[the stats\] too much. Maybe it’s the new haircut, I don’t know,” Loyd joked after the final whistle.

Monaco got back to winning ways after losing their previous two games and improved its record to 17-11 heading into the last six duels of the 2024-25 regular season. Coming up next is a road clash against [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/roster/tel/?season=2024-25) at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall next week, when Theis and Loyd will look to build on Wednesday’s performance by helping Monaco to kickstart a winning streak.

 The two Monaco aces netted 21 points each in the road win

Paris Basketball v AS Monaco (2025-03-05T19:30:00.000Z)