In Thursday's 104-89 victory against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Kendrick Nunn shined with 36 points for Panathinaikos BC

Vintage Kendrick Nunn showcased his class again  

[Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-bc-athens/roster/pan/?season=2024-25) hit top gear in crunch time to earn a pair of vital home wins in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, which left the defending champion sitting pretty in fourth place with eight rounds left in the regular season.

Tuesday’s heart-stopping [91-90 defeat of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-edges-fenerbahce-91-90-in-a-titanic-tussle/) was followed by [a masterclass 104-89 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kendrick-nunn-powered-panathinaikos-brushes-aside-efes-104-89/) against [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/roster/ist/?season=2024-25), in which [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) shined as he displayed a vast repertoire of offensive skills.

The 29-year-old shooting guard finished the game on 36 points, having sank 30 in a breathtaking second half as he mixed lethal long-range shooting with some dazzling layups which put Efes to the sword after the visitors held their own for three quarters.

Nunn, who struggled for form recently, came 3 points shy of the [career-high 39](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kendrick-nunn-enjoyed-record-night-at-oaka/) he scored in [December’s 103-74 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nunns-39-points-leads-panathinaikos-past-milan-103-74/) over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, when he did most of the damage in the first half.

Kendrick Nunn scored 18 points in the third quarter

It looked like Nunn would have a patchy night as he netted a mere 6 points in the first half against Efes before he catapulted himself to another level after the break, shooting 4 of 5 from deep in the third quarter and keeping his foot on the gas in the fourth. 

Overall, Nunn was 7 of 10 from downtown, 5 of 11 from inside the arc and a perfect 7 of 7 from the line, once again demonstrating that he is in a league of his own in Europe after being instrumental for much of this season and last, when he lifted the trophy with Panathinaikos in the continent’s premier club competition.

In his postgame comments, Nunn played down the individual goal of setting new personal records as Panathinaikos aims to win back-to-back titles after Efes did the same in 2021 and 2022.  

“We prepared ourselves for a big double week and we got it done,” he said courtside.” We took care at home and now we’ve got to focus on the road. I am not thinking about \[my career-high\], I am just trying to make the right plays, feeding off my energy to help the team.”

Game Videos

Coach Ergin Ataman, the architect of that double feat by Efes before he joined the Greens in 2023, acknowledged that the unstoppable Nunn was a menace all over, but also singled out veteran point guard [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/), who pulled the playmaking skills by dishing out 9 assists to go with 13 points.   

“Sloukas was great in terms of organization and of course Kendrick is an amazing offensive player,” the Turkish tactician said. “When he gets the confidence, he is very difficult to stop.

“We played good defense and perfect basketball overall in the fourth quarter. We won two very difficult games in two days so congratulations to my players, they deserve to rest tomorrow.”

The 35-year old Sloukas, a captain who leads by example and arguably the Greek giant’s most consistent performer lately, in turn heaped praise on [Juancho Hernangome](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/)z and [Cedi Osman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/), the latter pouring 20 points in his most impressive performance of the season.  

“We had two must-win games against a pair of great Turkish teams and having struggled against Efes in the first half, we played good defense in the second with Kendrick leading us at the other end with 30 points,” Sloukas said. “Great hustle by my teammates, Cedi did a great job at both ends while Juancho picked up some crucial rebounds and also came up big when he made some clutch shots.”

Game News

The Panathinaikos guard displayed an array of offensive skills to lead the champs against Efes 

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-02-06T19:15:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich had to fight hard for its latest win, a 76-67 victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday at SAP Garden. As always, Nick Weiler-Babb did a little bit of everything. 

Nick Weiler-Babb was Bayern's defensive anchor against ASVEL

[FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/roster/mun/?season=2024-25) had to fight hard for its latest win, [a 76-67 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-beats-asvel-for-fourth-straight-win-76-67/) over [LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/roster/asv/?season=2024-25) on Thursday at SAP Garden. As always, [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) did a little bit of everything. 

Weiler-Babb was Bayern's silent leader at both ends of the floor. On offense, he was held scoreless in the first half, but he contributed in many aspects of the game. When he got going in the second half, Weiler-Babb made sure ASVEL did not get within striking distance at any point after the break. He finished the game with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for a PIR of 15.

On defense, Weiler-Babb had the tough mission of stopping ASVEL star guard [Theo Maledon](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/theo-maledon/007027/), who earned EuroLeague MVP of the Month honors in December. Maledon struggled to find his rhythm and finished with 7 points, 2 assists and 5 turnovers for a PIR of 3, which was far below his season averages (17.8 ppg., 4.7 apg., 22.1 PIR). Two of those turnovers went straight into Weiler-Babb's hands. It is no surprise that Weiler-Babb leads the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in steals (1.67 spg.).

"We didn't have a great first half. They had a lot of open shots, they just missed them. But I think in the second half we came out to play better defense better, with a lot more movement on the offensive end. And I think that's what helped us as well," Weiler-Babb said. "It's a very tough opponent to play against, and I am glad we came out on top."

Nick Weiler-Babb of FC Bayern Munich stepped up against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. He finished the game with seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and a PIR of 15.

Weiler-Babb's all-around performance

Bayern excelled on defense in the first half, limiting ASVEL to just 30 points before the break. The visitors made only 4 of 20 shots from beyond the arc (20%) despie [Paris Lee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/paris-lee/011225/) hitting back-to-back three-pointers in the final 19 seconds, one of them from beyond midcourt at the halftime buzzer.

Bayern outrebounded ASVEL 25-18 and collecting 6 steals before the break. The hosts finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds, 8 steals and a season-high 5 blocked shots. It beat ASVEL in all of the hustle stats, as the visitors had 10 offensive boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Despite not shooting the ball particularly well (56.3% 2FG, 33.3% 3FG), Bayern excelled on defense and had a solid contribution from backup center [Danko Brankovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/danko-brankovic/007639/), who tallied 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.

"Danko \[Brankovic\] hasn't played much. He has got the opportunity the last couple games and is really taking advantage of it. He gave us great energy in the limited minutes he played," Bayern head coach [Gordon Herbert](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/herbert-gordon?season=E2024) said. "You could tell both teams had their third game in five days. We were tired but fought through it, and I give our players a lot of credit."

With eight games left in the regular season, Bayern already has three more wins than last season and has a shot to match or even surpass the club's best regular season record, 21-13, achieved in the 2020-21 campaign.

The veteran guard stood out on both ends of the floor for Bayern

FC Bayern Munich v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2025-02-06T19:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens completed a perfect double-round week in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after a 104-89 home win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul behind 36 points from Kendrick Nunn

Kendrick Nunn-powered Panathinaikos brushes aside Efes, 104-89

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens completed a perfect double-round week in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after a 104-89 home win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul lifted the defending champion to 16-10 ahead of the February break in the continent’s premier club competition.

The big win came after Tuesday’s dramatic 91-90 victory over visiting Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, giving the Greens double delight against rivals from the Turkish capital, with the Efes result also dishing sweet revenge for a 93-67 debacle in the reverse fixture in December.

Top scorer Kendrick Nunn overcame a recent shooting slump with a majestic performance as he paced Panathinaikos on a game-high 36 points, scoring 30 in a rip-roaring second half as he annihilated Efes from all over.

Cedi Osman capped his best performance of the season with 20 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter when Panathinaikos pulled away to stay in the top four as the battle for playoff spots intensified. Juancho Hernangomez scored 14 points to go with 8 boards while Kostas Sloukas chipped in with 13 points and 9 assists.

At the other end, Darius Thompson led Efes with 14 points, Jordan Nwora and Rodrigue Beaubois amassed 13 each while Dan Oturu posted 11 for the visitors, who were ultimately undone as they sorely missed injured starting point guard Shane Larkin.

The high-octane clash kept fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish, with Efes thriving early on from pick-and-roll plays which facilitated a barrage of dunks by the visiting team’s big men Oturu and Nwora. Having carved out a 17-21 advantage in a rugged first quarter, Efes pulled away to 21-32 before the Greens hit back largely thanks to Osman, who kept the hosts going with Nunn struggling from long range in the opening half.

Feeding off 12 turnovers committed by Efes in the opening two quarters, Panathinaikos, turned the tide on the back of a barrage of fastbreaks and led 49-47 at halftime, despite shooting 4 of 13 from downtown. The Greens were much more clinical from inside, 17 of 24, having also committed a mere 4 turnovers against 11 assists.

Nunn caught fire straight after the interval as he sank 4 of 5 from deep and mixed his long-range shooting with some dazzling layups to keep Panathinaikos in the driving seat ahead of the final 10 minutes, 75-73, netting 18 points in the third quarter while Thompson delivered for Efes at the other end.  

With the game delicately balanced early in the fourth, 85-83, Panathinaikos conjured a decisive 10-2 run which effectively forced Efes into submission. Nunn and Osman did all the damage and Hernangomez followed in their footsteps, putting the icing on the cake with a three on the buzzer to spark wild celebrations among the joyous home fans inside OAKA Altion. 

The reigning champ’s top scorer sank 30 second-half points as the Greens completed the week’s double over Turkish rivals 

FC Bayern Munich finished a perfect double-round week by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 76-67 at SAP Garden in Round 26 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague


Bayern beats ASVEL for fourth straight win, 76-67

FC Bayern Munich finished a perfect double-round week by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 76-67 at SAP Garden in Round 26 on Thursday. Bayern improved to 16-10 in the standings, is on a four-game winning streak and 11-2 in front of its fans this season. ASVEL dropped to 11-15 after losing its last three games. 

Andreas Obst led the winners with 15 points. Carsen Edwards added 14 while Vladimir Lucic had 10 points and 8 rebounds for Bayern. Paris Lee paced ASVEL with 14 points, Joffrey Lauvergne added 12 while Neal Sako had 10 for the visitors.

Theo Maledon got ASVEL going with a three-pointer and Andre Roberson added back-to-back layups for a 2-7 lead. Oscar da Silva stepped up with a put-back basket that a red-hot Roberson matched with a driving layup. Edwards stepped up for the hosts and da Silva scored twice around the basket to give Bayern an 11-9 edge. Sako found his first points and Danko Brankovic banked in a close shot before Nando De Colo restored a 13-14 ASVEL lead. Obst struck from downtown and Brankovic's layup gave the hosts an 18-15 lead. De Colo and Obst each buried one from beyond the arc, then Niels Giffey's layup made 23-18 after 10 minutes.

Brankovic kept pacing Bayern with a put-back layup early in the second quarter. ASVEL was held scoreless for 4 minutes when Giffey beat Maledon in the low post to give his team a 27-18 Bayern lead. Maledon tried to change things with a one-handed floater in the lane that Lucic erased with a turnaround jumper. Elias Harris scored down low and Edwards's driving layup caused ASVEL to call timeout at 33-20. Johannes Voigtmann buried a corner triple that capped a mammoth 18-2 run, as David Lighty stepped up with a layup. Harris dunked, Sako scored in transition and Lee followed a three-pointer with a buzzer-beating midcourt shot off the glass, bringing ASVEL within 38-30 at halftime.

Joffrey Lauvergne scored around the basket soon after the break. Edwards and Lucic each struck from beyond the arc to restore a double-digit Bayern lead, 44-34. Nick Weiler-Babb scored in penetration and added a wild basket off a spin move to boost his team's lead to 48-34. Lee stepped up with a driving layup that Obst bettered with a catch-and-shoot triple. Weiler-Babb joined the three-point shootout and De Colo downed a mid-range jumper before Sako gave ASVEL hope at 54-41. Brankovic took over with an alley-oop dunk that Giffey followed with a jumper. De Colo and Roberson each struck from downtown to get ASVEL closer, 58-47, after three quarters.

Lucic beat the shot clock with a corner triple early in the fourth quarter. Obst buried his fourth triple to boost Bayern's margin to 64-48 with more than 8 minutes left. Lee and Lighty joined the three-point shootout for a 64-54 score. Voigtmann and Lucic rescued Bayern, which had already started to use longer possessions to run the game clock down. Lauvergne made a three-pointer and added a fastbreak dunk to make it a single-digit game, 67-59. Lauvergne hit a jump hook that Edwards matched with free throws. Lucic found Voigtmann for an alley-oop layup that sealed the outcome, 71-61, in the next-to-last minute.

Andreas Obst and Carsen Edwards led their team to its 16th win


Milan executed its offensive plan to perfection to down Zalgiris

Bouncing back from a blowout defeat is anything but easy in basketball. Doing so just 48 hours after [losing 87-70](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-thrashed-milan-at-home-87-70/) away at [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/roster/mun/?season=2024-25) is even harder. But recovering from that loss with a victory at a packed Zalgirio Arena takes more than talent.

[EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/roster/mil/?season=2024-25) showed character in Lithuania and executed its offensive plan to perfection to defeat Zalgiris on the road. The Italian side [netted 89 points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/milan-holds-off-zalgiris-to-win-thriller-87-89/) against a defense that was the stingiest in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with an average of just 78.0 points conceded per game heading into Thursday’s evening clash.

Ettore Messina put together a strategy to unlock Zalgiris’s defense and his players followed it to the letter. Three of them stood out, with [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/) netting 26 points, [Niccolo Mannion](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/niccolo-mannion/011064/) scoring a career-high 21 and [Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/) recording 17.

“I think that we attacked fairly well the switches either with the perimeter drives of Mannion or Shavon and with the post-up of Zach,” Messina told EuroLeague TV after the game. “Kudos to all my players for coming here after a poor performance in Munich 48 hours ago. It shows that this group has character and hopefully we can build on that.”

The visitors led for most of the game, but Zalgiris fought back and took a 73-71 edge halfway in the last quarter. Messina’s players didn’t flinch. They remained focused on the game plan by protecting the boards on one end and attacking the switches on the other despite the deafening noise at Zalgirio Arena and clinched a hard-fought win.

“When they got the 2-point lead, we did two very important things,” Messina said in the post-game press conference. “On the very few misses that they had shooting from outside, we always got the defensive rebound. We never allowed them to have a second shot and that limited the damage. Offensively, we attacked the switch well with the penetration, especially of Mannion, and the post-up with Zach. The team was mentally very focused and strong in obviously a very difficult environment.”

Having improved its record to 14-12, Milan remained in the playoff zone despite the important absences of [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/), [Fabien Causeur](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/fabien-causeur/001392/) and [Josh Nebo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/josh-nebo/011199/). And in Kaunas, the Italian side showed that heart and strategy could lead you to a triumph against all odds.

Mannion, LeDay and Shields effectively attacked the switches to clinch a bounce-back win

Zalgiris Kaunas v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2025-02-06T18:00:00.000Z)

Errick McCollum continued making his mark with Fenerbahce

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/roster/ulk/?season=2024-25) has been badly hit by backcourt injuries so far this season, incurring the major blow of a long-term absence for shooting star [Scottie Wilbekin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/scottie-wilbekin/006661/) just 2 minutes into the campaign and also seeing [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) only able to make 13 appearances – most recently in Round 16 at FC Barcelona in December.

But the silver lining to emerge from that injury cloud has been the arrival of the vastly experienced [Errick McCollum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/errick-mccollum/005216/), who was added to Sarunas Jasikevicius’s roster in January to provide some backcourt depth and has immediately proved himself to be a EuroLeague-ready performer.

In Thursday’s showdown with [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2024-25), McCollum made his clearest statement yet that he is ready to play a key role in Fenerbahce’s quest for title glory, netting 19 points and providing the foundations for [an impressive 78-67 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-cruises-past-real-madrid-78-67/) which allows his team to head into the break on a high.

McCollum's early contributions were particularly important. While everyone around him was missing, missing and missing again during an extraordinarily slow start to the action – featuring no points at all for nearly 4 minutes – the guard bucked the trend by repeatedly finding his range. After being introduced with the game scoreless, he netted the game’s first three-pointer 61 seconds later, added another 30 seconds after that and soon scored again to take his personal tally to 8 points in a 10-4 lead.

Errick McCollum rocked Real Madrid

He returned with similar effect in the second quarter, saving his most impressive moment for the halftime buzzer as he drove into the paint before finding fancy footwork to create space for a classy layup, drawing appreciative oohs and aahs from the home fans.

After the game, the veteran played down his early scoring exploits as he told EuroLeague TV: “I‘m a shot-maker, I’m a scorer, and I could see at that moment they needed a spark. So I tried to be really aggressive. Coach put me in a good situation, my teammates believe in me, and I just did what I do.”

Jasikevicius was much more effusive, praising McCollum’s transition to his new team as he said: “For him, it’s very easy to come in the middle of a season. He’s seen all kinds of coaches, all kinds of systems, he’s a very outgoing person, so he fit into the locker room immediately with the guys, and he’s seen everything already. He’s been a great addition, no question.”

Such success at this level has been a long time coming for McCollum, who first appeared in European competition with Greek team Panionios in the 2013-14 EuroCup. He made a major impression in the same competition with Galatasaray, winning both the title and the MVP award in 2016, earning a step up to the EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes Istanbul for a solid 2017-18 season. McCollum’s nomadic existence continued with spells at Russian teams UNICS Kazan, Khimki Moscow and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, before returning to Turkiye with Pinar Karsiyaka.

It seemed that his time in the continent’s elite competition was already over, but then came Fenerbahce’s injury crisis and the subsequent mid-season return to Istanbul, where he has now represented three different clubs.

And it’s fair to say that he has easily exceeded expectations, becoming far more than just a role player with a prominent role in a run of five wins out of six. During that time he has averaged 12.8 points, netting double digits in four consecutive games and also dishing 3 assists in each of the last three.

Wilbekin and Baldwin are major losses…but Fenerbahce has found a significant gain with the arrival of McCollum, who is fast becoming one of the best mid-season signings in EuroLeague history.

The Turkish team’s recent signing made another big contribution to down Real Madrid

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Real Madrid (2025-02-06T17:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan got back to winning ways by edging Zalgiris Kaunas 87-89 in Round 26 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Milan holds off Zalgiris to win thriller, 87-89

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan got back to winning ways by edging Zalgiris Kaunas 87-89 on Thursday evening. The visitors led for most of the duel, but Zalgiris turned the game around and took a 73-71 lead midway through the fourth quarter. That was when Zach LeDay stepped up big time to clinch a victory that improved Milan’s record to 14-12. Zalgiris claimed the head-to-head advantage due to its 82-85 comeback win in Italy, but they dropped to 12-14.

Zach LeDay paced Milan with 26 points, Niccolo Mannion netted a career-high 21 points and Shavon Shields added 17. For Zalgiris, Sylvain Francisco registered a game-high 29 points, Lonnie Walker scored 22 and Deividas Sirvydis had 17.

Four points from Mannion were followed by buckets from LeDay and Leandro Bolmaro as Milan grabbed a 4-9 lead. A timeout helped Zalgiris regroup and bounce back, with Edgaras Ulanovas scoring in the paint before Francisco and Walker drilled one each from deep to put the hosts ahead, 12-11. A basket by Shields and 5 points from LeDay brought Milan back in front, 14-18. Then, Neno Dimitrijevic and Giampaolo Ricci opened their accounts from inside, stretching Milan’s lead to 16-24.

Five points from Francisco and a triple by Sirvydis brought Zalgiris within 24-28. Shields added 3 points to his tally before Armoni Brooks responded to a triple by Francisco with one of his own to maintain a 29-34 cushion. Four points from LeDay were followed by a layup from Shields, who opened a 31-39 lead. But Sirvydis netted 5 straight points before Francisco drilled his fourth triple of the game, trimming the deficit to 39-43. LeDay responded by taking his tally to 18 first-half points and Mannion drained one from downtown for a 42-50 lead at halftime.

Milan started strong in the second half, with Mannion and Shields netting 4 points apiece to make it 50-60. Stefano Tonut drilled a three before buckets by Dimitrijevic and Shields gave Milan a 55-67 cushion. But Walker and Alen Smailagic took over with 5 and 4 points, respectively, slashing the deficit to 66-67 heading into the fourth.

Mannion opened the closing quarter with a four-point play, but Sirvydis made 4 of 4 from the line and Francisco hit one from deep to put the hosts ahead, 73-71. Shields responded with a triple before 4 points by Mannion gave Milan a 75-78 cushion. The game turned into a free-throw affair, with LeDay taking his tally to 22 points and restoring a 77-83 lead from the charity stripe. Francisco converted a three-point play and Walker nailed a midrange jumper that cut the difference to 82-84. LeDay netted 4 straight points and Shields sealed the outcome from the line.

LeDay stole the limelight with 26 points against his former team

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade held off ALBA Berlin 71-77 on Thursday night at Uber Arena in the German capital to remain at least tied for fourth place as the sides enter the February break

Zvezda hangs on for 71-77 win in Berlin

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade held off ALBA Berlin 71-77 on Thursday night at Uber Arena in the German capital to remain at least tied for fourth place as the sides enter the February break. The result lifted Zvezda's record to 16-10, while last-placed ALBA fell to 4-22.  

Filip Petrusev bounced back from a 3-point performance earlier in the week to lead Zvezda with 17 points, while Isaiah Canaan added 11 for the winners. David McCormack was on his way to a monster night with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes for ALBA before fouling out in the third quarter. Matteo Spagnolo and Matt Thomas both scored 15 in defeat.

Petrusev started strong with a steal on one end and a basket through contact at the other. Malte Delow got ALBA on the scoreboard with a put-back and soon after Thomas gave the hosts a 5-4 lead with a three-pointer. McCormack added to the lead before Codi Miller-McIntyre's three evened things midway through the quarter. McCormack scored twice more for ALBA, though Zvezda answered through Nemanja Nedovic and Petrusev. Canaan came off the bench to drain a triple that gave Zvezda a 13-15 edge after 10 minutes.

Canaan and Lous Olinde swapped threes to begin the second quarter. Canaan put Zvezda up 18-22 only for McCormack to come alive and tie the score at 22-22 and 24-24 and – after Petrusev split free throws – the ALBA center made a short jumper to give his team a 26-25 lead. Ognjen Dobric put Zvezda in front with a triple and Rokas Giedraitis made it 28-32 with a jumper from the corner, prompting an ALBA timeout. ALBA fought back with baskets from Will McDowell-White and Spagnolo. John Brown stole the ball from McCormack at one end and scored at the other to give Zvezda a 35-40 halftime lead.

Zvezda scored the first two baskets of the second half, but Matt Thomas stepped up for ALBA with free throws and a three-pointer. ALBA kept the run going with a three by Delow and free throws by Elias Rapieque to even the score at 45-45. There was little to separate the teams over the next few minutes – though Zvezda did miss several free throws – and the score was again tied at 50-50. McCormack came off the bench for a monster alley-oop that tied that game at 52-52, but shortly after he fouled out. Zvezda went on another run through Canaan, Bolomboy and Kalninic. Spagnolo connected from deep to make it 55-59 at the end of the third quarter.

A three by Thomas brought ALBA to within 1 and then Rapieque scored on a put-back and in transition to give the hosts a 62-61 edge. After a timeout, Yago Dos Santos replied with a three-point play. Petrusev scored in the paint and Dos Santos from behind the arc to give Zvezda a 64-69 lead. Despite an ALBA timeout, Petrusev scored in the paint again. Giedraitis made it 66-73 with 3 minutes to go. Delow made a tough bucket for ALBA only to see Giedraitis answer with free throws. Thomas made a clutch three with 43.2 seconds remaining to give ALBA hope at 71-75, but that was as close as ALBA would get.

ALBA fought until the end, but Zvezda proved too strong

ALBA Berlin v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-02-06T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul outclassed Real Madrid, 78-67, to strengthen its top four position and condemn the Spanish side to three straight losses. Fenerbahce heads into the midseason break at 17-8, while Real drops to 13-13.

Fenerbahce cruises past Real Madrid, 78-67

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul outclassed Real Madrid, 78-67, to strengthen its top four position and condemn the Spanish side to three straight losses. Fenerbahce heads into the midseason break at 17-8, while Real drops to 13-13.

The first 18 minutes were closely contested before a 12-0 run gave Fenerbahce a 40-28 interval lead. Real tried to respond after the break but long-range shooting ensured the home team stayed comfortable. Nigel Hayes-Davis top scored with 20 points, Errick McCollom netted 19 and Marko Guduric added 10. Facu Campazzo was Real’s only scorer in double digits, with 11 points.

Neither team could score in the opening 3 minutes, until Hayes-Davis finally netted a jumper. McCollom added a threeball before Walter Tavares dunked Real’s first points. McCollom followed another triple with a midrange jumper for a 10-4 lead, and inside scores from Campazzo and Dennis Smith were answered by Devon Hall’s three. Real kept on penetrating, with buckets for Bruno Fernando, Campazzo and Smith providing a 13-16 lead before Tarik Biberovic’s triple tied it up after 10 minutes.

McCollom opened the second quarter with his third triple, which Andres Feliz matched to make it 19-19. Hugo Gonzalez nailed a baseline dunk but Fener stayed hot from deep through Arturs Zagars, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes also struck from long-range for another tie, 24-24. Nicolo Melli joined the host’s three-pointer party, DyShawn Pierre scored two in a row under the basket, Hayes-Davis struck from deep and McCollom classily beat the buzzer to make it 40-28 at the break.

Guduric opened the second half scoring before Real fought back with a triple from Campazzo and two from Sergio Llull, narrowing the gap to 44-39. But Hayes-Davis scored two mid-range floaters to settle the home team, and Fernando’s alleyoop was bettered by Bonzie Colson’s inside bucket and Devon Hall’s triple to restore a double-digit lead, 56-44. Hayes-Davis netted again, making it 58-47 with ten minutes left.

Tavares scored 5 points early in the fourth quarter, but Fener’s three-point barrage continued as Hayes-Davis struck a pair and Guduric added another for a 67-54 advantage. Hayes-Davis stayed hot and fed Colson for a mid-range jumper, maintaining a comfortable lead midway through the period. Guduric added another threeball to make it 74-56, and Biberovic’s layup made it a 20-point game. The scoring pace dropped as Feliz scored twice to narrow the gap, but the outcome was never in doubt as Fener cruised home.

The Turkish team was dominant throughout to stay in second place