Name: Nikola Milutinov: 'We have to stay humble'
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

The French team can take consolation from the fact that all its games against Fener have been very close, with Tuesday’s opener only decided in the last minute as Wade Baldwin’s smooth jumper sealed a home win.

Visiting coach Tiago Splitter will focus on two specific areas. Firstly, shooting from long-range, after Paris made just 11 of its 33 attempts on Tuesday, with 5 of those makes coming from Nadir Hifi. With TJ Shorts, Sebastian Herrera and Mikael Jantunen converting just 2 of their 13 combined attempts, there is clear room for improvement.

Secondly, Fenerbahce was allowed to snare 19 offensive rebounds in Game 1, with 3 apiece for Sertac Sanli and Nigel Hayes-Davis, so the visiting team needs to protect the glass much more effectively.

Fenerbahce’s team-based offensive approach – opposed to Paris’s strong reliance on Shorts and Hifi – was shown by the fact that six players scored in double digits on Tuesday, led by Baldwin with 15. And with Devon Hall – who posted 13 points and 4 assists two days ago – providing backcourt control, the host will look to play the game at its tempo and enjoy another night of physical dominance to take a big step towards the Final Four.

Game Videos

\- Fenerbahce and Paris had never played before March 3; this will be their fourth meeting in 52 days.

\- In Game 1, which was Paris's first-ever EuroLeague game, Fenerbahce pulled out an 83-78 win with Wade Baldwin leading five double-digit scorers with 15 points.

\- In Round 31, Fenerbahce edged Paris 101-100 on a game-winning buzzer-beating triple by Nigel Hayes-Davis. That is the only time Fenerbahce has scored more than 100 points in a game this season.

\- Fenerbahce defeated Paris 83-87 in the French capital in early March in a postponed Round 17 game. It was the first-ever official meeting between the two teams.

\- Fenerbahce's Nicolo Melli and Devon Hall were teammates of Paris guard Maodo Lo at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan last season.

\- Melli and Lo and Paris big man Leon Kratzer were teammates at Brose Bamberg during the 2016-17 season.

\- Paris big man Mikael Jantunen grabbed a personal-best 8 rebounds in Round 31 against Fenerbahce.

\- Paris center Kevarrius Hayes grabbed a career-best 9 rebounds for Zalgiris Kaunas against Fenerbahce in March 2023.

\- Paris's Yakuba Ouattara posted career highs in points (19), three-pointers made (5) and PIR (19) for AS Monaco in a 98-94 overtime road loss at Fenerbahce in January 2023.

\- Fenerbahce guard Devon Hall pulled down a career-high 5 offensive rebounds in Round 17 against Paris.

Game News

After winning all three meetings between the teams this season, Fenerbahce will look to take a 2-0 series lead against visiting Paris.

Game Notes: Fenerbahce vs. Paris

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Paris Basketball (2025-04-24T17:45:00.000Z)

Monaco's backcourt stars led the way past Barca

[AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/?season=2024-25) made the most of its home-court advantage by opening its best-of-five playoff series against [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/?season=2024-25) with [a 97-80 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-downs-barca-in-series-opener-97-80/). Led by its guards, Monaco set a fast pace from the beginning and sealed the win minutes before the final buzzer.

[Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) finally found a way to be effective against Barca. After averaging 13.3 points in his first 18 career games against Barca, James had 23 points in the last regular season game against the club and went for 22 points and 4 assists for a PIR of 19 in Game 1. He was a constant threat on offense, making 5 three-pointers and going one-on-one to hit floaters in the lane. [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/) only missed 3 field goal attempts on his way to 19 points and added 7 assists and 2 steals for a game-high PIR of 26.

Mike James hit five three-pointers on his way to 22 points in AS Monaco's 97-80 win over FC Barcelona in Game 1 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs.

Mike James was unstoppable in Game 1

"It's all about showing effort. I think we showed great character today. We played hard defensively. Even though they had a few offensive rebounds, which we have to correct for Game 2, we just played as a team, sharing the ball. Everybody impacted tonight," Okobo said. "It's playoff time. We compete. Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to go all the way to the Final Four. We will do what it takes to make it happen."

[Matthew Strazel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matthew-strazel/008099/) and [Terry Tarpey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/terry-tarpey/012515/) were Monaco's X-factors in this game. Nearing the end of his breakout season, Strazel confirmed his potential with a strong performance: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 6 fouls drawn for a PIR of 21. Tarpey guarded anyone from shooting guard to power forward, allowing Coach Spanoulis to surprise Barca with a small-ball lineup around center [Daniel Theis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-theis/004132/). Tarpey tallied 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks to lead his team's defense.

Terry Tarpey of AS Monaco had had six points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks, leading his team's defense in Game 1.

Terry Tarpey's all-around game leads Monaco past Barcelona

"Terry was very good tonight, just like the other players. He was a star in his role. Having this kind of player is very important for a team, and he gave us a lot of energy. He was ready to play. I put him in the '4' position and he knew all the plays of the team at the '4' position without playing there, not even in practice," Coach Spanoulis said after the game. "It was my instinct to put him there and he knew everything. This shows how concentrated he was and how concentrated he is in basketball."

"I just wanted to help the team. I was in a good position to help the team tonight," Tarpey said. "I think it was possibly a statement victory. We really did well protecting our home court. Our fans came out and really pushed us to give us the extra 110% that we needed. But again, we have to watch the film tomorrow, see what we did good, what we did wrong, and try to recreate the same thing in two days."

Monaco hosts Game 2 at Salle Gaston Medicin on Thursday, April 25 at 19:00 CEST.

Monaco heavily relied on its backcourt players to take a 1-0 lead in the playoffs

AS Monaco v FC Barcelona (2025-04-23T17:00:00.000Z)

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 37th winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Kostas Ntzeremes beat everyone else in Game 1 of the EuroLeague Playoffs with his team 'Ntzery55', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 228.30.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Playoffs Game 1 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 37th winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Kostas Ntzeremes beat everyone else in Game 1 of the EuroLeague Playoffs with his team 'Ntzery55', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 228.30.

Kostas had the following starting lineup: TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball as team captain, then his teammate Tyson Ward, Daniel Theis of AS Monaco, Vincent Poirier of Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Juancho Hernangomez of Panathiniakos AKTOR Athens. His sixth man was Monaco's Elie Okobo. The rest of the bench consisted of Monaco's Matthew Strazel, Real Madrid's Sergio Llull, Alec Peters of Olympiacos Piraeus and Nicolo Melli of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. His team's head coach was Monaco play-caller Vassilis Spanoulis.

The prize for finishing first in Round 37 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Kostas!

Marko Djukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 6,360.69 points.

Trades are now open for the 38th round of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/), which is Game 2 of the EuroLeague Playoffs, and there are an unlimited number of trades.

The first playoff game tips off on Thursday, April 24 at 19:45 CEST as Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul hosts Paris Basketball, marking 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. 

Olympiacos BC star Sasha Vezenkov enjoyed an MVP-like performance as his team beat Real Madrid in Game 1 of the 2025 EuroLeague Playoffs.

Sasha Vezenkov shined again with statement outing in Game 1

The [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) fans sent [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) a clear message ahead of [Game 1 against Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-takes-care-of-real-madrid-84-72-in-game-1/) on Wednesday evening. Chants of “MVP, MVP” rained down from the stands before and throughout the contest, with the Olympiacos forward responding by producing an MVP-caliber performance on the floor.

A couple of days after missing out on the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP award, won by Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard Kendrick Nunn, Vezenkov hit the ground running in the first quarter.

Walter Tavares scored the game's opening basket for Real Madrid, but Vezenkov tied it before later drilling a triple for a 12-2 lead. Olympiacos never looked back, with their star man ending the first half on 13 points, having gone 3 for 4 on two-pointers and 2 for 2 from deep for a PIR of 18.

Vezenkov added 10 more points to his tally in the second half to end the game on 23, which he paired with 7 rebounds for a PIR of 31. The Bulgaria international also contributed on defense, recording 3 steals, one of which he turned into an open layup in transition before the break.

“Quality players like Sasha Vezenkov don’t need to prove anything individually,” Georgios Bartzokas said in the post-game press conference. “He came back after this experience in the NBA to go with Olympiacos until the end. And now it’s time for us to step up and win the titles. I’m happy that he played the game the way he’s supposed to play these kinds of games.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bwinMVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bwinMVP</a> of the game, <a href="https://twitter.com/SashaVezenkov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SashaVezenkov</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://t.co/iixxSUXnc9">pic.twitter.com/iixxSUXnc9</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1915146023443329508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A locked-in Vezenkov responded with a blunt “no comment” when asked on EuroLeague TV after Olympiacos’s win over Real Madrid about the MVP chants from the crowd. Eyes set on the prize, he has repeatedly stressed that for him collective success is above individual accolades. 

As Bartzokas noted, his player returned to Europe looking to lead Olympiacos all the way to glory. And Vezenkov’s outing on Wednesday night allowed his team to take an important first step towards its ultimate objective.

The Olympiacos forward ended the series opener with 23 points and a PIR of 31

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2025-04-23T18:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus center Nikola Milutinov spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Real Madrid in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Nikola Milutinov: 'We have to stay humble'

Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Real Madrid in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Sasha Vezenkov: 'Real Madrid will come ready to play in Game 2'

Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Tarpey's big block! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

Olympiacos Piraeus made the most of a bouncing Peace and Friendship Stadium and opened its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoff series against Real Madrid with an 84-72 victory on Wednesday night

Olympiacos takes care of Real Madrid, 84-72, in Game 1

Olympiacos Piraeus made the most of a bouncing Peace and Friendship Stadium and opened its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoff series against Real Madrid with an 84-72 victory on Wednesday night. The Reds led from start to finish, with their defense strangling *Los Blancos*, which scored just 29 points in the first half. Real Madrid fought back and won the last two quarters, but the hosts maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

Sasha Vezenkov combined his game-high 23 points with 7 rebounds for a PIR of 31. Evan Fournier netted 13 points, Nikola Milutinov scored 11 and Alec Peters added 10. Sergio Llull paced Real Madrid with 16 points, Mario Hezonja recorded 13 and Dzanan Musa bagged 11.

Walter Tavares opened the scoring with a trademark hook bucket, but 5 points from Vezenkov, 4 by Fournier and a three-point play from Nigel Williams-Goss gave Olympiacos a 12-2 lead. Inside scores from Kostas Papanikolaou, Fournier and Vezenkov made it 21-6. Milutinov netted back-to-back baskets off the bench, but Andres Feliz and Alberto Abalde scored on the other end, cutting the deficit to 27-14 after 10 minutes.

Buckets by Williams-Goss, Milutinov and Shaquielle McKissic allowed the hosts to maintain a 33-18 cushion. Serge Ibaka responded with a triple and Gabriel Deck scored inside, but Saben Lee and Milutinov dunked in transition before a Vezenkov corner three established a 42-25 lead. Then, Musa netted 4 straight points from the charity stripe, but Peters nailed one from deep to make it 47-29 at halftime.

Real Madrid head coach Chus Mateo was ejected with a second technical foul before Vezenkov and Campazzo traded triples to open the third quarter. Hezonja drilled one of his own before baskets from Tavares and Feliz brought Real Madrid within 58-43. Llull connected from downtown and Feliz went coast-to-coast for a layup, but Fournier replied from inside for a 64-51 cushion heading into the closing quarter.

Milutinov added 2 points to his tally and Peters scored back-to-back baskets for a 77-53 lead. Llull netted 8 straight points on the other end, but Thomas Walkup replied with a triple on his return to action after three and a half months sidelined through injury, 75-61. After Musa netted a floater off the glass, Fournier responded with a triple for a 78-64 lead. Llull drained a corner triple, but Peters answered with one of his own to make it 82-67, practically putting the game to bed.

The Reds' defense limited the visitors to just 29 points in the first half

After a balanced first half in Game 1 against FC Barcelona, AS Monaco Basket returned to the floor in the second half ready to roll. What happened next? 


Monaco's second-half focus led to Game 1 victory over Barcelona

After three consecutive Game 1 losses in as many years, [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) finally opened a playoff series with a victory, [downing FC Barcelona 97-80](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-downs-barca-in-series-opener-97-80/) to lead a 1-0 lead.

It was not as easy as the final scoreboard shows, as Barca led 44-45 in the opening minute of the second half. That is when Monaco's defense finally clicked, which led to higher percentages on offense. 

Three-point defense after the break was one of the biggest keys to this game. After both teams hit 6-of-13 three-pointers (46.2% 3FG) in the first half, Monaco kept hitting long-distance shots after the break, downing 6-of-15 triples (40% 3FG), whereas Barca was limited to just 1-of-9 makes from downtown (11.1% 3FG).

Monaco took excellent care of the ball, getting more steals (9) than turnovers (8). It also finished the game with 21 assists, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.63. On the other hand, Barca had 18 turnovers, 9  in each half, and only dished 11 assists, a new season-low. It previously dished 12 assists against Real Madrid in a 96-91 loss in Round 27.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🗣️ 𝟏–𝟎 That&#39;s what we like!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DagheMunegu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DagheMunegu</a> <a href="https://t.co/Em9UFhTwQj">pic.twitter.com/Em9UFhTwQj</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1915123027622117520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Monaco had 13 second-half assists, which allowed coach Vassilis Spanoulis's team to improve its two-point shooting percentage. Monaco hit just 7-of-18 two-point shots before the halftime interval (38.9% 2FG), and went on to down 16-of-22 shots inside the arc (72.7% 2FG) after the break. Steals and better ball circulation allowed Monaco to win the game.

"In the second half, I think we played incredible defense at the level that my players and our team can play, and at the level that I wanted against a super talented team, one of the best offensive teams in Europe," Spanoulis said after the game. "It's important that we played good basketball and took the lead in the series, but this doesn't mean anything. We've already started to prepare the second game."

After a balanced first half, Vassilis Spanoulis's side returned to the floor in the second half ready to roll

Follow the post-game press conference after Game 1 between Olympiacos BC and Real Madrid in the 2025 EuroLeague Playoffs.

Follow the Olympiacos-Real Madrid post-game press conference

McKissic skies for a ferocious slam! Motorola Magic Moment

Follow the post-game press conference after Game 1 between AS Monaco Basket and FC Barcelona in the 2025 EuroLeague Playoffs.

Follow the Monaco-Barcelona post-game press conference

AS Monaco center Daniel Theis spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat FC Barcelona in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Daniel Theis: 'Matthew Strazel sets the tone for our defense'

AS Monaco guard Elie Okobo spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat FC Barcelona in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Elie Okobo: 'We showed great character today'

AS Monaco-FC Barcelona | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

AS Monaco-FC Barcelona | PO Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

AS Monaco struck first in its best-of-five series with FC Barcelona by grabbing a 97-80 victory in Game 1 of the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs at Salle Gaston Medecin on Tuesday night. 

Monaco downs Barcelona in Game 1, 97-80

AS Monaco struck first in its best-of-five series with FC Barcelona by grabbing a 97-80 victory in Game 1 of the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs at Salle Gaston Medecin on Tuesday night. Monaco has a 1-0 lead in the series and hosts Game 2 on Thursday. 

Mike James and Daniel Theis led the winners with 22 points apiece. Elie Okobo added 19, Matthew Strazel had 13 while Mam Jaiteh got 10 for Monaco. Kevin Punter led Barca with 16 points. Dario Brizuela and Youssoupha Fall each added 13 for the guests. Fall also grabbed 14 rebounds for a double-double.

Punter got Barca going with a three-pointer, then he erased Mike James's triple with an off-balance shot from beyond the arc. Theis and Fall traded layups before James's second three-pointer tied it at 8-8. Punter insisted from downtown and Justin Anderson's wild three-point play boosted the visitors' lead to 8-14. Alpha Diallo joined the three-point shootout. Anderson made a highly-contested jumper before Okobo drew Monaco within 13-16. After Theis struck from beyond the arc, Jan Vesely found his first points and Brizuela's driving layup established a 16-20 Barca lead. Vesely kept pushing and Alex Abrines improved on Jaiteh's put-back layup with a triple. Terry Tarpey and Okobo got Monaco within 21-25 after 10 minutes.

Okobo made a three-pointer early in the second quarter and Jaiteh's jump hook gave Monaco its first lead, 26-25. After Abrines sank free throws, Monaco took control. Strazel started a run from the foul line and Okobo struck again from beyond the arc. Jaron Blossomgame scored around the basket and got help from Theis to make it a double-digit game, 37-27. Okobo's fast-break dunk continued a 15-0 run that Theis capped with free throws, 41-27. Fall rescued Barca with a three-point play and Brizuela added a three-pointer in transition that prompted Monaco to stop the game at 41-33. Fall scored again and Punter got Barca even closer, 42-37. Jaiteh downed a jump hook, which Brizuela bettered with a three-pointer. Fall's put-back layup fixed the halftime score at 44-42.

Brizuela helped Barca regain the lead, 44-45, immediately after the break. Okobo banked in a floater that James followed with an off-balance triple, which gave Monaco fresh air at 49-45. Okobo sank a step-back jumper that Theis followed with a three-pointer. James added a floater before Tarpey's fast-break slam caused Barca to call timeout at 56-47 after a 14-2 run. Jabari Parker scored in the paint and erased Theis's floater with a turnaround jumper. Tomas Satoransky stepped up with a backdoor layup that Theis improved on with consecutive dunks for a 64-53 Monaco lead. Strazel ignited the crowd with a huge three-point play and fed Jaiteh for a fast-break dunk that broke the game open, 69-55. James struck twice from beyond the arc to boost the hosts' lead to 76-59 after three quarters.

Anderson made a layup in transition early in the fourth quarter. Strazel matched that with a layup off a steal, which Jaiteh followed with a close basket for an 80-61 Monaco lead. James stepped up with a one-handed floater in the lane before Joel Parra and Fall brought Barca a bit closer, 82-68, with over 6 minutes left. After James scored again in penetration, Brizuela and Strazel exchanged three-pointers before Okobo's backdoor layup sealed the outcome, 90-71, midway through the fourth quarter. Barca kept trying, but eventually it waved the white flag as it chose to rest its best players for Game 2, giving the Monaco fans plenty of time to celebrate a well-deserved win.

Daniel Theis and Mike James led the Roca Team to a convincing victory