Name: Role players came up big for Fenerbahce
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Fenerbahçe Beko has gone 3-0 versus Paris Basketball this season, but the French side should still feel confident heading into Game 2 of their playoff series.

Fourth time lucky? Paris aiming to bounce back against Fenerbahce

Heading into Game 1 of their playoff showdown on Tuesday night, [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) and [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/) had already sent a signal of how close this series might be.

Their first-ever matchup came in Paris in Round 17 of the regular season, when the Turkish team [sneaked away with an 83-87 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-overcomes-paris-83-87-to-strengthen-grip-on-second-place/) after overturning a double-digit first quarter deficit. Then, in Round 31, an even closer battle again saw Fenerbahce recover a big margin as [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/)’s buzzer-beating three-pointer [secured a dramatic 101-100 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nigel-hayes-davis-the-hero-as-fenerbahce-beats-paris-101-100-to-make-playoffs/).

Those two thrillers sparked hopes that we were in for a treat during this five-game quarter-final, and the opener certainly didn’t disappoint.

Paris started strong to lead by 6 midway through the first, but Fener fought back to take a 7-point lead into the halftime break. And then the second half was a constant source of momentum swings, with neither team able to take control and stamp its authority on the action.

Between [Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nadir-hifi/012640/)’s three-pointer for a 54-55 Paris lead midway through the third quarter and [Errick McCollum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/errick-mccollum/005216/)’s triple to make it 74-72 for Fenerbahce nine minutes later, there were no less than 12 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than 3 points.

Heading into the final minute of regulation, Hifi’s fifth triple of the night to make it 80-78 ensured the outcome was anyone’s guess for the final few possessions. But Paris missed its last chance to go ahead when [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) was off the mark, then [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) sealed the deal with a coolly converted long two-point strike with just 10 seconds remaining for the final points of the night as [Fenerbahce wrapped up an 83-78 Game 1 triumph](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-outlasts-paris-83-78-to-take-series-opener/).

That means now this season between the teams it’s Fenerbahce 3, Paris 0... but with a combined difference of just 10 points over those three contests. So anyone expecting Fenerbahce to simply roll its way into the Final Four over the next couple of games may be sorely mistaken, and Hayes-Davis certainly sees it that way.

“The mindset going into this is that it’s a best-of-five series,” he told EuroLeague TV after Tuesday’s showdown. “You’ve got to break it down into a season. Each game is one season. Make or break, do or die. We had one season today, the game’s over, we won it, but we have a new season that starts on Thursday. So we have to watch the film tomorrow, try to figure out how we can improve, do a little bit better and try to get the same result.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Bu fotoğrafa bir emoji bırak! 👇<a href="https://twitter.com/The_Fourth_Wade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_Fourth_Wade</a> <br><br>Admin: 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/udrLkvUOrY">pic.twitter.com/udrLkvUOrY</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1914786504033149231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Visiting coach Tiago Splitter definitely isn’t in the mood to surrender, saying: “We saw some of the stuff that we prepared that worked, some that didn’t, and I think we’ve got to regroup, watch film, get to practice and walk through some of the stuff.

“Hopefully we’ll have a better shooting night – it feels like we had a bunch of open shots that our shooters didn’t make. We’re playing against a great team and we’ve got to be more prepared next time.”

One specific area where Paris definitely needs to be better prepared is protecting its backboard. Fenerbahce crashed the glass to the tune of 19 offensive rebounds on Tuesday, enabling it to score 21 second-chance points compared to just 8 for Paris.

Between two teams so closely matched, that’s clearly a significant statistic. So if Paris can rectify its defensive rebounding by Thursday night, don’t rule out the French team making it fourth time lucky in its battles with Fener.

Game News

The French club has suffered three very close defeats to Saras Jasikevicius’s team so far this season

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Paris Basketball (2025-04-22T17:45:00.000Z)

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

Anadolu Efes Istanbul looked like staging an upset for much of Game 1 of its EuroLeague Playoffs series at defending champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, but the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague holder showed the makings of a title-winning outfit when it mattered.

Panathinaikos ground down Anadolu Efes with airtight defense 

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/?season=2024-25) looked like staging an upset for much of Game 1 of its EuroLeague Playoffs series at defending champion [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/?season=2024-25), but the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague holder showed the makings of a title-winning outfit when it mattered.

Trailing 64-72 at the end of the third quarter after being down by as many as 12 points, Panathinaikos dug deep into its resources and eked out [an 87-83 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-beats-efes-87-83-in-game-1/) after an ironclad defensive performance in the fourth.

Efes had started the game on 0 of 6 from deep in the first quarter and finished the rip-roaring contest with another barrage of misses from downtown, a testament to Panathinaikos making life difficult for the Turkish outfit when the game was on the line.

The home team’s big man [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) emerged with career highs of 20 points and 16 boards, pouring in the baskets at one end of the court while racking up the rebounds at the other to help Panathinaikos protect its home-court advantage.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/juanchiviris41?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juanchiviris41</a> furiously starting the playoffs with 6 career-highs! <br><br>P.S. 40 on PIR on Game 1?! 😳 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LiveTheGreenMagic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LiveTheGreenMagic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Club1908?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Club1908</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneClubOneApp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneClubOneApp</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToAbuDhabi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToAbuDhabi</a> <a href="https://t.co/c2fgqPmV1f">pic.twitter.com/c2fgqPmV1f</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1914784520311615987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hernangomez acknowledged the performance left a lot to be desired despite the outcome and singled out the home team’s pack leader [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/), who battled through a tough night to register 15 points and 5 assists.

Crucially, the last of those was one when he dished out a superb pass to [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/), who sank a clutch three to make the score 85-80 and effectively seal the game as a contest. 

“We never give up but this Efes team is really dangerous,” a visibly relieved Hernangomez said in his post-game comments. “We were up and down, to be honest, we really didn’t play well. So let’s watch the tape and be back for the second game.

“We have a lot of talent on this team and many players who are able to step up. We have the league’s MVP in Nunn and we follow his lead. He did a great job dishing out passes tonight, not least the one to Grant whose shot decided the game. We need everyone as this could be a long series.” 

Game Videos

Grant added: “We’ve only won one game and we know we have to win three so we have to play better than we did tonight.”

The home team’s head coach Ergin Ataman, who faced his former club Efes for the first time in a postseason matchup after winning back-to-back titles with the Turkish team in 2021 and 2022, praised Hernangomez before addressing his team’s dip in the second quarter.  

“Juancho put in a great performance tonight, he spent 39 minutes on the court and congratulations to him,” Ataman told the postgame press conference.

“I am not happy with our defense in the second quarter as we conceded 30 points in this period of the game but having trailed, we got more aggressive when we needed to. The real problem in the second quarter was the offense as we took too many early shots and hence gave away a lot of fast break points.”

When the chips were down, the Greens closed shop and forced its rival into submission 

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-04-22T18:30:00.000Z)

Role players came up big for Fenerbahce

Wade Baldwin had a team-high 15 points, including a clutch late basket, as Fenerbahçe Beko took a 1-0 lead in its playoff series against Paris Basketball.

Wade Baldwin shined on milestone evening as Fenerbahce took Game 1

[Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) surpassed a personal milestone of 2,500 points as he totalled a team-high 15 in [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul’s 83-78 Game 1 victory over Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-outlasts-paris-83-78-to-take-series-opener/) in Tuesday night’s playoff opener, also sending another reminder that he is one of the most dangerous scorers in the continent.

Baldwin has now netted 2,514 points in his 180 games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. And although that might rank him only 40th (and rising) in the all-time scoring list, his average of 14.0 points is up there with the very best: all-time greats Vassilis Spanoulis (12.44) and Juan Carlos Navarro (12.18) both averaged lower than Baldwin’s per night score.

Wade Baldwin shined in Game 1

Showcasing another of his qualities, many of Baldwin’s baskets on Tuesday night came at important times: the former Olympiacos, Bayern, Baskonia and Maccabi guard twice broke long scoring droughts to get his team back on the scoreboard when they needed it the most, once in the first quarter and again in the third. He also finished the first half strong with the last two baskets before the break, including an ice-cool long two to beat the halftime buzzer.

Most importantly, Baldwin's propensity to seize the big moments in his hands saw him strike the evening’s decisive blow with another long two-point conversion with just 10 seconds left on the clock, giving Fenerbahce a two-possession lead which ultimately proved enough for a hard-fought victory.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WADE BALDWIN IV CALLS GAME IN ISTANBUL 🥶<a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> <a href="https://t.co/7cuyVvrnia">pic.twitter.com/7cuyVvrnia</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1914768548758438332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This hasn’t been the easiest year for the 29-year-old, who had to endure two separate spells on the sidelines through injury, including a nine-game absence between Rounds 17 and 27.

But he’s now back and arguably in his best shape of the season, reaching double digits in scoring in four consecutive games following his heroics off the bench against Paris on Tuesday.

That might not be enough to earn him a spot in the starting five for Thursday’s Game 2, however. As coach Saras Jasikevicius somewhat enigmatically explained after the action: “We always say that our bench players are not exactly bench players. This is a luxury we have at Fenerbahce and we’re trying to use it to the best.

“For me, there are no starters or bench players. The starters are the guys who finish the game. So you can see the starting line-up at the end of the fourth.”

That might sound a little confusing, but one thing is crystal clear: Wade Baldwin is a major factor in Fenerbahce’s push for the EuroLeague crown.

The guard led his team to victory as he surpassed 2,500 career points

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens took the lead in its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoff series against Anadolu Efes Istanbul with an 87-83 home win in Game 1 on the back of an impressive fightback in the last 10 minutes of an absorbing contest

Panathinaikos beats Efes, 87-83, in Game 1 

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens took the lead in its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoff series against Anadolu Efes Istanbul with an 87-83 home win in Game 1 on the back of an impressive fightback in the last 10 minutes of an absorbing contest. Juancho Hernangomez paced defending champs Panathinaikos with career-highs of 20 points and 16 boards in an epic battle against Efes big man Vincent Poirier.

Kendrick Nunn, who was awarded his EuroLeague MVP Trophy by EuroLeague president Dejan Bodiroga prior to the game, struggled from the floor all night but still netted 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting while Omer Yurtseven racked up 14 points and 7 boards. Kostas Sloukas scored 13 points for the Greens and Cedi Osman chipped in with 11 against his boyhood club.

At the other end, Shane Larkin and Poirier poured in 17 points apiece for Efes but each missed a clutch free throw in the home stretch, enabling Panathinaikos to grind out the win after Jerian Grant sank a corner three, his only points of the game, to make the score 85-80 in the final minute. Elijah Bryant netted 14 points for Efes and Derek Willis added 11, all of them in the second quarter when the Turkish outfit came up with a breathtaking 0-17 blitz that turned a 32-23 deficit into a 32-40 lead. 

A balanced workload on offense saw Panathinaikos engineer a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter, as the visitors relied entirely on Poirier and Bryant to score their points in the opening 10 minutes.

Panathinaikos romped away to 30-20 early in the second quarter but then came the Efes whirlwind which silenced a fervent home crowd at OAKA Arena and helped the visiting team to a promising 40-48 lead at the interval.

Panathinaikos looked in trouble as Efes extended its advantage to 43-55 early in the second half, with Nunn misfiring and Poirier dominating the paint. Both teams played in fits and starts throughout the third quarter, with Hernangomez instrumental in keeping Panathinaikos alive with a monster performance at both ends of the court.

Having trailed 60-72 late in the third quarter, Panathinaikos came up with a 12-0 run powered by the unstoppable Hernangomez, who was 9-of-12 from the floor including 7-of-7 from inside while he also relentlessly picked up the rebounds in his own paint.

With the game hanging in the balance late in the fourth, Larkin and Poirier faltered from the foul line while Grant put a subdued performance behind with the crunch three which sealed a titanic battle.

The reigning champs produced a stellar fourth-quarter comeback against the Turkish team to nose ahead in the series

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens forward Juancho Hernangomez spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Juancho Hernangomez: 'We have a lot of talent, everybody can step up'

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard Jerian Grant spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Jerian Grant: 'That's what championship teams do'

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Yurtseven at it again! Motorola Magic Moment of the NIght

Yurtseven at it again! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

 Grant seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment 

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard Devon Hall spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Paris Basketball in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Devon Hall: 'Taking care of home court is most important'

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward Nigel Hayes-Davis spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Paris Basketball in Game 1 of their 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'We got the job done'

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Paris Basketball | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Paris Basketball | PO Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul edged out Paris Basketball, 83-78, in a very closely contested encounter featuring 15 lead changes to start the playoff series with home-court advantage intact.

Fenerbahce outlasts Paris, 83-78, to take series opener

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul edged out Paris Basketball, 83-78, in a very closely contested encounter featuring 15 lead changes to start the playoff series with home-court advantage intact.

Paris made a fast start, but Fenerbahce soon responded to take a 49-42 halftime advantage. The second half was back and forth until the final possessions, which Fenerbahce controlled to grab the win. 

Wade Baldwin led six Fenerbahce players in double digits with 15 points, followed by Nigel Hayes-Davis (14), Devon Hall (13), Tarik Biberovic (11) Errick McCollum (11) and Bonzie Colson (10). Nadir Hifi paced Paris with 21 points including 5 triples, with Tyson Ward netting 19 and TJ Shorts pairing 17 points with 7 assists.

Khem Birch’s layup opened the scoring, but Shorts netted twice for Paris’s first lead. Ward dunked before Shorts and Mikael Jantunen added three-pointers to make it 8-12. Colson scored 5 fast points for Fener, but a pair of dunks by Kevarrius Hayes kept Paris ahead. Neither team scored for more than three minutes until Hifi’s fast-break layup stretched the lead to 11-19, and Baldwin ended Fener’s five-minute drought with a three-ball. Hayes responded with a layup-and-one, before Baldwin and Hayes-Davis made it 18-22 after 10 minutes.

Hall’s three-pointer and Biberovic’s layup were answered by two buckets from Ward early in the second, before Colson’s triple gave Fener the lead, 28-26. Shorts and Birch traded inside scores, but Hayes-Davis kept the hosts ahead from long-range. Collin Malcolm, McCollum and Hifi all struck from deep, keeping it tight at 36-35. Colson’s tip-in, McCollum’s triple and Hall’s strong finish were met by Malcolm and Shorts from close range, before a pair of Baldwin buckets made it 49-42 at the break.

Ward netted the first 4 points of a low-scoring start to the second half, before Baldwin got Fener back on the scoreboard. Hifi’s layup was bettered by Biberovic’s deep strike for a 54-49 lead midway through the quarter. Hifi stayed hot with an off-balance three-pointer, and added another for a lead change, 54-55. Hayes-Davis hit straight back from mid-range, before Ward and Biberovic traded triples. Shorts and Hall netted at the rim, and Hifi’s skillful scoop shot was answered by another Hall score for a 63-62 Fener lead with 10 minutes remaining.

Ward restored Paris’s lead from long-range, but Biberovic hit right back with his own three-ball. Ward stayed hot with another triple, but Dyshawn Pierre did the same at the other end to make it 71-68. Yakuba Ouattara scored two straight baskets for another lead change, but McCollum hit another three-ball to help give Fener a 76-72 lead. Hifi’s triple was answered by McCollum’s floater, and it was 80-75 heading into the last two minutes. Another Hifi three-ball made it a one-score game, but Shorts’s miss was followed by Baldwin’s nerveless long two to seal the win.

Role players came up big for Fenerbahce

Juancho Hernangomez: 'We have a lot of talent, everybody can step up'

Jerian Grant: 'That's what championship teams do'

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Yurtseven at it again! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

Grant seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment

Devon Hall: 'Taking care of home court is most important'

Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'We got the job done'

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Paris Basketball | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Juancho flies to the rim! Motorola Magic Moment

Larkin and Dozier conjure some magic! Motorola Magic Moment

Baldwin seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment

Hifi’s solo supremacy! Motorola Magic Moment