EuroLeague top photos of the week

Chimezie Metu of Barcelona and Maccabi's Will Rayman battle for a rebound

Bruno Fernando of Real Madrid dunks against Anadolu Efes

Matt Strazel of Monaco tries to strip the ball from Baskonia's Luka Samanic

Iffe Lundberg of Partizan dribbles past Virtus's Toko Shengelia 

Filip Petrusev of Crvena Zvezda dunks against ALBA Berlin

Neal Sako of ASVEL and Crvena Zvezda's Filip Petrusev vie for a rebound

Moustapha Fall of Olympiacos denies Barcelona's Kevin Punter

Elias Harris of Bayern dunks in Round 26 against ASVEL

Elijah Bryant of Efes and Panathinaikos's Ioannis Papapetrou dive for a loose ball

Youssoupha Fall of FC Barcelona dunks against Olympiacos

Look back at all the action from Round 25 and 26 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week!

Top 10 photos of the week: Rounds 25 and 26

A truly dominant second-half performance by Kendrick Nunn has seen the Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens star earn Round 26 MVP honors with a round-high and career-high 37 PIR.

Round 26 MVP: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

A truly dominant second-half performance by [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) has seen the Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens star earn Round 26 MVP honors with a round-high and career-high 37 PIR.

 

Nunn sat on 6 points at halftime, having scored the final basket of the first half to make it 49-47 against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, then erupted for 30 points after the interval as he finished on 36 – his second-highest tally in 60 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances – in a 104-89 victory. This is just the second time that Nunn has scored 30 points or more in a EuroLeague game, with the other being his 39-point outing in Round 16 earlier this season. He reached 36 points after going 7 for 10 on two-pointers, 5 for 11 on three-pointers and a perfect 7 for 7 from the free-throw line. Nunn also posted 4 rebounds, including 2 on the offensive end, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn. This is Nunn’s MVP of the Round accolade, as he was the Game 5 MVP during last year’s EuroLeague Playoffs.

 

Finishing just behind Nunn was EA7 Emporio Armani Milan’s [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/), who had an equally dominant display in his team’s 87-89 win at Zalgiris Kaunas. LeDay had a 36 PIR having amassed 26 points on 5-of-9 two-pointers, 1-of-2 three-pointers and a perfect 13-of-13 free throws, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 11 fouls drawn. The third-highest PIR in Round 26 belonged to Paris Basketball’s [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/), who had a 33 index rating in his team’s 77-83 victory at Virtus Segafredo Bologna. Shorts finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 two-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 9 fouls drawn. FC Barcelona’s [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) had a 31 PIR, the fourth best in this round, in his team’s 88-90 loss to Olympiacos Piraeus. He posted 20 points on 4-of-7 two-pointers, 1-of-3 three-pointers and 9-of-9 free throws, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 7 fouls drawn. Rounding out the list of top performers is Olympiacos’s [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) with a 30 PIR, having amassed 24 points on 6-of-8 two-pointers, 3-of-6 three-pointers and 3-of-3 free throws, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls drawn and zero turnovers.

 

### Individual highs: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos, 36 points

 

Nunn led all players in Round 26 by scoring 36 points. Vezenkov remains the league’s leading scorer with 20.6 points per game.

 

ALBA Berlin big man [David McCormack](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/david-mccormack/013386/) grabbed 11 rebounds in this round, more than anybody else. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade’s [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) tops the rebounding charts with 8.1 per night.

 

Panathinaikos’s [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz’s [Trent Forrest](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trent-forrest/013367/) both dished the most assists in Round 26 with 9. Paris playmaker Shorts is the new leader in assists this season with 7.3 per game, just ahead of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv’s [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) with 7.25 per contest.

 

Seven players – Paris duo TJ Shorts and [Mikael Jantunen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mikael-jantunen/012613/), FC Bayern Munich pair [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) and [Johannes Voigtmann](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/johannes-voigtmann/007201/), Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s [Sterling Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sterling-brown/012720/), Zalgiris Kaunas’s [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/), and Crvena Zvezda’s [Ognjen Dobric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ognjen-dobric/004007/) – made a round-high 3 steals. Bayern ball hawk Weiler-Babb averages a league-best 1.7 steals per game.

Olympiacos’s [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/), Milan’s [Freddie Gillespie](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/freddie-gillespie/011941/), Bayern’s [Danko Brankovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/danko-brankovic/007639/) all had 3 blocks in this round, the most in Round 26. Real Madrid’s [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/), the all-time leader in blocks, and AS Monaco’s [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) are tied for the best average in blocks with 1.42 per night.

The only player to record a double-double in Round 26 was David McCormack (18 points, 11 rebounds).

His career night capped a perfect week for himself and the Greens

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 26th winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Alexandros Thomos beat everyone else in Round 26 with his team 'lamiara bc', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 243.30.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 26 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 26th winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Alexandros Thomos beat everyone else in Round 26 with his team 'lamiara bc', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 243.30.

Alexandros had the following starting lineup: Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as team captain, then TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball, Nigel Hayes-Davies of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus and Tyrique Jones of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. His sixth man was Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet's Filip Petrusev. The rest of the bench consisted of Olympiacos duo Giannoulis Larentzakis and Nigel Williams-Goss, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan's Freddie Gillespie and Panathinaikos's Panagiotis Kalaitzakis. His team's head coach was Panathinaikos play-caller Ergin Ataman.

The prize for finishing first in Round 26 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Alexandros!

Marko Dukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 4,420.84 points.

Trades are now open for Round 27,  and all fantasy players are allowed unlimited trades.

The first game in Round 27 tips off on Thursday, February 27, as Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade hosts Zalgiris Kaunas at 20:00 CET. That game marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager. 

Baskonia star Markus Howard scored a total of 14 points across his last four games, but on Friday night he erupted for 17 in a win against Maccabi Tel Aviv to shake off his shaky form.

Markus Howard broke out of his slump to fire Baskonia past Maccabi

The last month has been tough for [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/).

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans have grown accustomed to seeing the [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) guard put up big numbers on offense, making jaw-dropping three-pointers with relative ease, but that hasn’t been the case of late.

Howard came into [Friday night’s clash against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonia-downs-maccabi-89-82-to-secure-third-straight-home-win/) having scored a total of 14 points across his last four games: 1 point in Round 22, 6 in Round 23, 4 in Round 24, and 3 in Round 25. The last time he netted a double-digit number of points came back on January 2, when he had 10 in a 73-75 loss to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade before missing Rounds 20 and 21 with an injury.

The first quarter of Baskonia’s game with Maccabi looked like it was going to follow a similar pattern for Howard, who sat on zero points after missing his only three-point attempt in 4:41 minutes on the floor. But, in true Markus Howard fashion, all it took was one shot to fall for his confidence to return.

After [Jake Cohen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jake-cohen/005145/) opened the second quarter with a triple to give Maccabi a 22-26 lead, following a [John DiBartolomeo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/john-dibartolomeo/007990/) steal on Howard down the other end, the Baskonia marksman quickly made amends by draining an off-balanced three from the EuroLeague logo, leading to a huge roar from the Buesa Arena crowd. The three-point festival continued, with [David DeJulius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/david-de-julius/profile/013250/) knocking one down for Maccabi and [Nikos Rogkavopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikolaos-rogkavopoulos/011085/) replying in kind for Baskonia, as the hosts trailed by one at 28-29.

Then, Howard did what he does best – make the impossible look possible. He converted another off-balanced three to give Baskonia the lead (31-29) before striking from deep again, this time in more conventional fashion, to open a five-point lead for Baskonia (34-29). In the space of two and a half minutes, the 25-year-old moved to 9 points and all seemed well.

As it turned out, those two baskets turned out to be crucial as Baskonia never trailed again in the final 27 minutes of the contest. Howard sat on 15 points on 5 made threes entering crunch time, but he still had the chance to have one more big play.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="eu" dir="ltr">🙌 Gure mutilak 🔵🔴 <a href="https://t.co/0WEclZF0tt">pic.twitter.com/0WEclZF0tt</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1887974784547410178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Maccabi had reduced Baskonia’s 17-point lead (78-61) to just six (85-79) with 2:48 minutes to play, but Howard got the shooter’s roll on a turnaround jumper to restore an eight-point margin (87-79) with 1:06 minutes left and effectively put the eventual 89-82 win on ice.

Baskonia has now won its last three games at Buesa Arena, and the return to form of Howard should make coach Pablo Laso’s side a serious contender to reach the Play-In Showdown once the EuroLeague returns from its hiatus on February 27.

Game News

The game was tight, but the American gave his team the boost it needed in the second quarter

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2025-02-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Friday night’s clash between Virtus Bologna and Paris Basketball was something more than a game, it was an on-court reunion between two EuroLeague legends in Dusko Ivanovic and Tiago Splitter.

Tough halftime talk flipped the switch as student and son beat the teacher in Bologna

Friday night’s clash between [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/) and [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/) was something more than a game, it was an on-court reunion between two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague legends in [Dusko Ivanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/ivanovic-dusko/?season=E2024) and [Tiago Splitter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/splitter-tiago/?season=E2024).

The two men coincided at [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/), where Ivanovic helped turn Splitter into one of the most dominant centers in Europe before he went on to become an NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs.

Yet, that was not the only reunion happening at Virtus Segafredo Arena. Just before tipoff, Ivanovic went to the Paris bench to welcome the visiting staff. Among them, a certain Stefan Ivanovic, the son of Dusko, a former teammate of Splitter and current assistant to the Paris boss.

The two of them embraced in a heartfelt moment, but once the game started, none of this mattered.

<center>
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Virtus imposed its style of play on the guests, who struggled to connect with the basket on offense. “Their defense was very aggressive,” Splitter admitted in the postgame press conference. “This Dusko type of defense was very aggressive and we were not able to handle that.”

Having kept Paris’s offense below 20 points in each of the first two quarters, Virtus took a 46-35 lead into the second half. The guests regrouped in the locker room, where a spark was needed to turn the tide.

“We had a tough talk at halftime,” [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) told EuroLeague TV. “We said we’ve got to look in a mirror, we’ve got to have some pride about ourselves. These teams in the EuroLeague are here to compete regardless of their record. Every game matters.”

Paris fought back and trimmed the deficit to 64-58 after 30 minutes. Yet, Virtus opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run to restore a 72-60 lead with 7:32 remaining. That’s when Paris’s flamboyant guard duo stepped up big time, with [Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nadir-hifi/012640/) and Shorts scoring 12 and 6 points, respectively, to turn the game around.

Hifi finished the game with 23 points, going 3 for 4 from inside and 3 for 6 from beyond the arc in another extraordinary display.

“\[Hifi\] is a kid that sees the rim like a pool,” Splitter added. “Everything is an open shot for him. That’s the kind of confidence he has. Sometimes it's just what he does. He goes out there, dribble, dribble, dribble, step-back. It’s hard to even coach that, but you’re just going to give him the freedom to do that and slowly he’s finding his place in the EuroLeague.”

Meanwhile, Shorts pulled off another complete outing with 16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 9 drawn fouls for a PIR of 33. He went 6 for 8 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line, leading Paris to a morale-boosting victory after losing a couple of days ago to Olympiacos Piraeus at home.

Despite Virtus’s poor record, the game was never supposed to be a walk in the park for Paris. Both Splitter and Stefan were aware that their side would struggle against a tenacious team coached by Ivanovic. Yet, in their first ever matchup as opposing coaches, student and son prevailed against their mentor.

Paris bounced back in the second half to grab a comeback win against Virtus


Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Paris Basketball (2025-02-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Evan Fournier stepped up late for Olympiacos BC to secure a big win for his team at FC Barcelona – and it's not the first time he has become the hero on the big stage.

Evan Fournier showed big-shot mentality for Olympiacos

[Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) fans already knew their team boasts one of the continent’s most decisive players… and now they have two.

Having won the EuroLeague MVP award in 2022-23, [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) is further cementing his top-tier status with a relentlessly consistent series of spectacular performances, week after week after week.

But Vezenkov – although he performed to his usual high standards with a game-high 24 points – was not the man who decided [Friday’s thrilling 88-90 victory over FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-overcomes-barcelona-in-last-second-thriller-88-90/), which allows the Reds to roar into the midseason break with a two-game lead at the top of the standings.

Instead, it was [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/). With the game tied and 18 seconds on the clock for Olympiacos to win it, the veteran French swingman was entrusted with the responsibility of dribbling on the perimeter before creating space for a shot, which he did by spinning away from [Jabari Parker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jabari-parker/012745/), driving towards the basket and – just one second before the final buzzer – scooping up a right-handed shot off the backboard and in.

“We wanted to play with the time and go to the basket at the end, not giving time to Barcelona for the last shot,” explained coach Georgios Bartzokas, making it sound almost as simple as Fournier made it look.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">damn <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanFourmizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EvanFourmizz</a> <a href="https://t.co/YFDRoYOTQE">https://t.co/YFDRoYOTQE</a> <a href="https://t.co/y1CmBwRfwv">pic.twitter.com/y1CmBwRfwv</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1887981693711098191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Just like that, the game had been won, Fournier was the hero – and it wasn’t really surprising.

Although he is a EuroLeague rookie, the 32-year-old has made a career out of wanting the ball in his hands when it burns the most. The greater the degree of difficulty, the more he wants to make the shot. The latest miss only taking him closer to the next make. The higher the stakes, the greater the desire.

This ability was first seriously showcased this season in Round 8, [when Fournier grabbed the Greek derby by the scruff of its neck](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/clutch-evan-fournier-decided-the-greek-derby-in-style/), draining 8 points in the last 3 minutes to turn an 83-82 deficit into an 89-94 road victory over local rival and reigning champ Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

So it was totally understandable that the Reds would opt to put the game in his hands again on Friday night, and equally predictable that Fournier would rise to the occasion by keeping his calm for an ice-cool game winner.

He is now also approaching Vezenkov levels of consistency, averaging 16.8 points per game, netting at least 18 points in six consecutive games and multiple three-pointers in 10 straight.

And now the message has been sent loud and clear to the rest of Europe: if Vezenkov doesn’t get you, Fournier will.

The Reds found a hero in Barcelona on Friday

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2025-02-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Zeljko Obradovic is rarely entirely pleased with his team’s performances as he keeps asking for perfection, but this time he had nothing but praise for his ruthlessly efficient KK Partizan outfit after a comprehensive 69-86 road drubbing of AS Monaco.

Coach Obradovic hailed Partizan’s clinical display in Monaco

Zeljko Obradovic is rarely entirely pleased with his team’s performances as he keeps asking for perfection, in line with his unequivocal record of being the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s most decorated coach.

This time, however, the 64-year-old tactician, who has won nine titles with five different clubs in Europe’s premier club competition, had nothing but praise for his ruthlessly efficient [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/) outfit after [a comprehensive 69-86 road drubbing of AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/partizan-beats-monaco-69-86-to-complete-perfect-week/).

Partizan took Monaco to the cleaners thanks to ironclad defense coupled with patient and balanced offense, with six visiting players finishing in double digits as the top performers picked up the baton from each other.

“We talked at halftime that we need to stay aggressive at both ends of the court. I am very happy how we played today,” Obradovic said in his postgame comments. “We prepared the game well against a quality team and after they took 9 offensive rebounds in the first half, we had that under control in the second.

“We were aggressive on defense and smart on offense. Again, a big thanks to our fans, whose support was as special as ever. Every game will be super important until the end of the regular season.”

Partizan, which made a dismal 2-8 start to the regular season, seems to have hit top gear at just the right time as the Serbian outfit improved to 14-12 ahead of the February break, staying firmly in the postsason picture while also boosting its hopes of squeezing into the top six.

Among a pack of performers, center and player of the game [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) stood out with 17 points and 7 boards, putting Monaco to the sword with a strong finish after [Sterling Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sterling-brown/012720/) netted 16 of his game-high 18 points in the first half.

Humble as ever, Jones credited his teammates for a smooth team effort which saw Partizan sink 8 of 16 from downtown and win the battle of the boards 35-32 after trailing 14-20 in that department at halftime.   

“I am proud of everybody who contributed to this one and that’s the whole locker room,” said Jones, who also made a shout-out to Partizan’s traveling faithful. “The black-and-white always travel, we love their support and we’re going to keep fighting.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">&#39;AJDEEEEEEE🖤🤍 <a href="https://t.co/qGJRTuAdMm">pic.twitter.com/qGJRTuAdMm</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1887960847869260039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Brown, for his part, lauded Jones and [Brandon Davies](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/brandon-davies/007870/), who also came up big in the paint at both ends as he racked up 15 points and 5 rebounds.

“It’s a very important win and our bigs really carried us in the second half with their rebounding and strong finishing,” said Partizan’s sharpshooter. “The game plan was to make it difficult for them on the offensive end as well as limit them on defense as they’ve got some great scorers.”  

Monaco was limited to 8 of 28 from long range while its pack leader [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/), who made 3 of 6 from deep for 13 points, went 0 of 7 from inside in the wake of relentless hustle from his markers. Ultimately, Partizan outplayed Monaco all over and will head into the break brimming with confidence after a thoroughly impressive victory.

Known for always demanding more from his team, the veteran tactician heaped praise on his men after a sterling effort

AS Monaco v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-02-07T18:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos BC outlasted FC Barcelona in a back-and-forth battle at Palau Blaugrana, as Evan Fournier’s game-winner on the final buzzer gave the Reds an 88-90 victory. 

Olympiacos overcomes Barcelona in last-second thriller, 88-90

Olympiacos Piraeus outlasted FC Barcelona in a back-and-forth battle at Palau Blaugrana, as Evan Fournier’s game-winner on the final buzzer gave the Reds an 88-90 victory. Olympiacos retains top spot in the standings with a 19-7 record heading into the break, with Barca dropping to 14-12.

The first half featured 12 lead changes and ended with Barca leading 47-45. Olympiacos controlled the majority of the second half but Barca hung in there until Fournier delivered the killer blow with the final act of the game. 

Sasha Vezenkov led the scoring with 24 points, with Nigel Williams-Goss adding 20, Fournier netting 18 and Shaq McKissic scoring 11. Kevin Punter paced Barca with 20 points, Chimizie Metu added 16 while Jabari Parker and Dario Brizuela had 16 apiece.

Game Videos

Vezenkov’s layup opened the scoring, but was soon answered by a dunk from Youssoupha Fall. Evan Fournier and Joel Parra traded triples as it stayed close, 7-7. Punter’s jumper gave Barca its first lead, and Youssoupha Fall netted again before Vezenkov stayed hot with a triple. Williams-Goss and Parker traded inside scores, then Vezenkov appeared again as the Reds went back ahead, 13-16. Parker and Punter forced another lead change, but that changed through Williams-Goss, Moustapha Fall and Giannoulis Larentzakis, finishing the first quarter 18-22.

Williams-Goss struck a three to open the second, before Metu’s jumper and Brizuela’s triple reignited Barca. Vezenkov and Brizuela kept the threes falling, making it 26-28. Metu scored consecutive baskets to send Barca ahead, but only until McKissic’s three-point play. Fournier and Tomas Satoransky traded mid-range jumpers, and the scoring was evenly shared until Justin Anderson’s triple gave Barca the lead. Alec Peters hit back, but Metu stayed hot with a long two, and Barca led 47-45 at the break.

Anderson hit another three-ball to start the second half, and Parker added another. Williams-Goss restarted the Reds with a transition layup, but Punter’s triple made it 56-47. Vezenkov hit back with three consecutive scores in a 0-7 personal run, and Fournier sent his team ahead with another deep strike, 56-57. Anderson’s triple snapped the 0-11 run for another lead change, but Fournier scored 5 in a row to put the Reds on top. Brizuela and Williams-Goss scored inside, and it was 65-66 with 10 minutes left.

Metu’s layup was bettered by Williams-Goss from deep at the start of the fourth, and McKissic and Williams-Goss kept the Reds rolling for a 67-74 lead. Brizuela’s three-ball rescued Barca, but Williams-Goss hit another floater to make it 70-78. Satoransky’s mid-range strike sparked a 5-0 run as the hosts rallied, but Williams-Goss again scored at the rim and free throws stretched the lead to 75-82. Punter scored 4 points straight, and Brizuela’s corner three made it 82-84 with two minutes left. Vezenkov saved a broken play with a layup, but Punter’s 4 free throws tied it, 88-88, with 18 seconds left. Olympiacos had one possession to win it, and Fournier took until the last second before driving for a dramatic layup off the glass.

Two title contenders served up an instant classic at Palau Blaugrana

Paris Basketball rallied back in the fourth quarter to defeat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 77-83 on Friday night. 

Paris fights back to beat Virtus, 77-83

Paris Basketball rallied back in the fourth quarter to defeat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 77-83 on Friday night. The hosts were leading for most of the game, but Paris mounted a fourth-quarter comeback inspired by guard duo TJ Shorts and Nadir Hifi to grab a road victory. The visitors got back to winning ways, improving their record to 15-10. Virtus recorded its fourth straight loss and dropped to 7-19.

Hifi led all scorers with 23 points, Shorts netted 16 and Mikael Jantunen added 13. Toko Shengelia paced Virtus with 17 points, Isaia Cordinier netted 15 and Rayjon Tucker scored a season-high 14 points in a losing effort.

Collin Malcolm got Paris going with 5 straight points before layups by Shorts and Jantunen gave the visitors an early 2-9 lead. But Virtus went on a 7-0 run, with Achille Polonara tying the game up from beyond the arc. Six points from Shengelia and one bucket from Cordinier saw Virtus grab its first lead of the game, 17-12. Then, back-to-back baskets from Momo Diouf were followed by inside scores from Matt Morgan and Shengelia, who opened a 25-17 lead after 10 minutes.

Mikael Jantunen opened the second quarter with a corner triple, but two straight layups from Shorts trimmed the deficit to 27-24. A put-back slam from Shengelia was followed by a Marco Belinelli triple that restored a 38-29 lead. Then, Justin Holiday netted from deep for his first-ever EuroLeague points before Belinelli's three off the glass gave Virtus a 46-35 cushion at halftime.

Andrejs Grazulis replied to triples from Ward and Jantunen with one of his own before a mid-range jumper by Shengelia made it 55-41. Yet, Paris answered with a 0-9 surge fueled by Hifi and Maodo Lo. Tucker ended the run with a triple, but Bandja Sy replied with a follow-up slam that cut the difference to 58-54. Tucker netted 5 straight points on the other end, before a buzzer-beating bucket by Jantunen brought Paris within 64-58 heading into the closing quarter.

Tucker opened the fourth with two off-balance triples that stretched Virtus’s lead to 72-60. But Paris responded with a 0-13 run, as triples from Sy and Hifi were followed by a layup from the latter for a 72-73 edge. Grazulis and Shorts traded scores inside before a floater from the Paris guard gave his team a 74-77 lead. Cordinier answered with a hard-fought bucket, but Sy slammed it home after a Shorts dish before Hifi finished it off from the line.

TJ Shorts and Nadir Hifi fueled a fourth-quarter comeback for the visitors