Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | Round 1 | Highlights

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv cruised to a 96-81 victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague opener, putting behind the disappointment of a tough Game 5 loss to Monaco in last season’s playoffs.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-10-05T18:05:00.000Z)

Magic Moment: Lapro connects with Parker!

FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-10-05T18:30:00.000Z)

 Magic Moment: Serge Ibaka rises to block the shot! 

FC Bayern Munich v ALBA Berlin (2023-10-05T18:30:00.000Z)

 Magic Moment Mickey flies for a slam! 

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-10-05T18:30:00.000Z)

 Magic Moment: Willy powers through for a dunk! 

 Magic Moment: Koprivica with a monstruous dunk! 

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | Round 1 | Highlights

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-10-05T17:00:00.000Z)

Magic Moment: Sylvain-Booker connection!

 Magic Moment: Lapro finds Vesely! 

 Magic Moment: Hanga chase-down block! 

 Magic Moment: Mickey detonates a dunk! 

 Magic Moment: Sorkin dunks from an alley-oop! 

 Magic Moment: Simonovic hammers it home! 

Magic Moment: Ndiaye huge block!

Olympiacos Piraeus duo Shaquielle McKissic and Luke Sikma offered their thoughts on facing Panathinaikos Athens ahead of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 1 clash between the two teams on Friday night.

Olympiacos's McKissic, Sikma are ready for 'the best rivalry in the world'

Watching the Greek derby between Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos Athens is enough for any basketball fan to fall in love. Now, imagine being a player in the middle of it

Reds guard [Shaquielle McKissic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shaquielle-mckissic/007853/) has taken on the Greens seven times in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, while new signing [Luke Sikma](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/luke-sikma/006589/) will get his first taste of the derby at EuroLeague level when the two face off in Round 1 on Friday night. It's fair to say that the two are excited.

"It was always something that was on my \[wish\] list: to be able to compete in these crazy rivalry games," said Sikma. "I've only watched it on TV, but now to be able to experience it first hand, it's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

"For me, these are always the biggest games of the year," added McKissic. "I think the amount of weight that the country puts on this rivalry makes it the best rivalry in the world, so it's either go hard or go home."

### Advice for playing in the Greek derby

Olympiacos has dominated this rivalry in the EuroLeague in recent times, with the Reds and McKissic having gone 6-1 in their last seven meetings with the Greens. For the 33-year-old, there's only one piece of advice he would offer to newcomers in this derby: get a good night's sleep.

"Until you get on the court and you feel the fans cheering and that vibration inside of you, it's kind of hard to prepare somebody for that," McKissic commented. "You should get some good sleep before, that's about it. That's probably the best advice, because once the ball goes up you have no idea what's going to happen."

### Playing in the Greek derby for the first time

Understandably, Sikma – one of five signings by Olympiacos this summer – is raring to get involved. The good thing is that he has plenty of teammates that have experienced this derby many times before, including two of the new additions, Nigel Williams-Goss and Nikola Milutinov, who returned to the club in the offseason.

"It's going to be a great atmosphere, a lot of energy," stated Sikma. Fans will be going crazy. As a competitor, it's the games you want to play."

The 34-year-old American has been able to compete in the German derby in the EuroLeague over the last four years, having represented ALBA Berlin in its battles with FC Bayern Munich, but he notes that it is rivalries such as the Greek derby that enhance the power of the EuroLeague.

"It's what makes the EuroLeague the EuroLeague – to have these rivalries that go back so long and run so deep," Sikma noted. "To be able to play those games every year and see that energy and that rivalry alive each time you play is what makes the EuroLeague great."

Panathinaikos hosts Olympiacos at 19:15 CET on Friday, October 6, at OAKA.

The two Olympiacos Piraeus players will feature in the Greek derby against Panathinaikos Athens on Friday night.

Panathinaikos Athens v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-10-06T18:15:00.000Z)

In an exclusive interview, Panathinaikos guard Kostas Sloukas talks about his summer move from archrival Olympiacos and his quest to add to his three EuroLeague titles.

Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos: 'People say I look good in green' 

The passion that the competitors in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague play with on the hardwood is built over years as kids playing on the pavement and blacktops of their hometowns, all over the world. There is no denying the deep-rooted connection between basketball and urban culture.

 “𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 is a philosophy of life 

The passion that the competitors in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague play with on the hardwood is built over years as kids playing on the pavement and blacktops of their hometowns, all over the world. There is no denying the deep-rooted connection between basketball and urban culture.

Immersed in the heart-pounding world of streetball, the EuroLeague motto Every Game Matters is a way of life in which success is not about winning or losing but it is about sacrifice, about trying again and again, about never giving up.

Euroleague Basketball celebrates that culture and the *Every Game Matters* philosophy in this 2023-24 promotional video in which EuroLeague stars Willy Hernangomez of FC Barcelona, Mike James of AS Monaco, Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus and Sergio Rodriguez of Real Madrid and championship-winning head coaches Ergin Ataman of Panathinaikos Athens and Pablo Laso of FC Bayern Munich enter the world of streetball.

Imagine walking by your local schoolyard or park. You hear the noise of the ball slapping against the pavement and banging against the rim. As you get closer, you can see people gathering, taken in by the energy of the streetball.

It’s not a friendly game. It's winner-stays-on, but there is a code of honor and a level of sportsmanship among the players. After the jump ball, suddenly it's not a kid who grabs the ball but rather a EuroLeague superstar. One by one the streetball players become EuroLeague players and the run-of-the-mill backyard battle transforms into a streetball festival using a unique basketball crafted by graffiti artist [SISC](https://siscartist.wixsite.com/sisc).

The onlookers pull out their phones to record the spectacle. Every possession matters; every second of the game is vital and nobody is giving anything for granted, not even skillful lifestyle influencer [Ari Geli](https://www.instagram.com/arigelii) or basketball freestyler [Pulpo](https://www.instagram.com/pulposneakers/).

The video serves as a reminder, right before the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague begins its 2023-24 season, of the roots, the culture and the essence of the game in which every moment matters. A reminder of the philosophy behind every EuroLeague player, every coach, and every fan base. Whether in good or in bad times, they will always respect their history, team’s traditions and their opponents. It is about appreciating every moment in a league where their game, our game and your game matter more than ever.

Whether in an arena or playing street ball , Every second of every game matters. Every possession, every defence matters,

Wherever it's played, giving up is not an option 

The most competitive league in the world is back.

The EuroLeague is back.

#EveryGameMatters”