Name: Juancho flies to the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

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.

Game Videos

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.

Game News

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.

The playoffs opened with a hard-fought home victory in Game 1

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

Juancho flies to the rim! Motorola Magic Moment

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

Larkin and Dozier conjure some magic! Motorola Magic Moment

Baldwin seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment

Hifi’s solo supremacy! Motorola Magic Moment

Oturu with a strong dunk! Motorola Magic Moment

Poirier rips the rim! Motorola Magic Moment

Yurtseven on the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment

Baldwin beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment

McCollum with a sweet dime for Hall! Motorola Magic Moment

Shorts & Hayes combine for alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment

Ward throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment

The post-game press conferences for the Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul versus Paris Basketball and Panathinaikos BC against Anadolu Efes Istanbul will be streamed here

Follow the post-game press conferences here

Yam Madar: 'To bring Hapoel to the EuroLeague is a special feeling'

Yam Madar was the driving force for Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in the latest stages of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup Finals. Despite playing in pain for the playoffs due to a knee injury, Madar was still able to deliver. 

He was named the EuroCup Semifinals MVP after Hapoel knocked off Valencia Basket without the home-court advantage and had 16 points and 6 assists in Game 2 of the Finals against Dreamland Gran Canaria. 

In this exclusive interview that took place minutes after lifting the trophy at Gran Canaria Arena, Madar spoke about his commitment, what it meant for him to lead Hapoel to a European title and the importance of winning the EuroCup. 

 

In this special episode of EuroLeague & Friends, as it welcomes Kendrick Nunn, the newly crowned 2024–2025 EuroLeague MVP. Just before the playoffs tip off, Kendrick opens up about his incredible season, the emotional journey behind his MVP win, and what it means to lead Panathinaikos into the postseason. From his days in Chicago to becoming the face of EuroLeague basketball, Nunn reflects on choosing greatness, committing long-term in Europe, and embracing the competitive fire that drives him. 


The EuroLeague & Friends gang are joined by MVP Kendrick Nunn

In this special episode of EuroLeague & Friends, as it welcomes Kendrick Nunn, the newly crowned 2024–2025 EuroLeague MVP. Just before the playoffs tip off, Kendrick opens up about his incredible season, the emotional journey behind his MVP win, and what it means to lead Panathinaikos into the postseason. From his days in Chicago to becoming the face of EuroLeague basketball, Nunn reflects on choosing greatness, committing long-term in Europe, and embracing the competitive fire that drives him. 

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague has set a new benchmark for fan engagement, with the 2024-25 regular season becoming the most attended in the competition’s history. The average attendance reached a record-breaking 10,589 spectators per game.

EuroLeague regular season attendance sets new record

- **Average attendance rose to an all-time high of 10,589 spectators per game**
- **More than 3 million fans attended games in person**
- **Four straight seasons of record-breaking attendance**

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague has set a new benchmark for fan engagement, with the 2024-25 regular season becoming the most attended in the competition’s history. The average attendance reached a record-breaking 10,589 spectators per game, surpassing last season’s mark of 10,383 and representing a 2% increase, an average of 206 additional fans per game. For the fourth consecutive season, the attendance record has been broken, highlighting the strong bond between the fans and the league.

A total of 3,039,060 spectators attended EuroLeague games throughout the season, 38,219 more than the previous year. Notably, eight clubs sold at least 90% of their available tickets, up from six the previous season. This figure could have been even higher as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv was forced to relocate its home games to Belgrade due to external circumstances, often playing with limited capacity or no spectators.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade once again led the league in both average attendance, 18,486, and fill rate (98%), closely followed by Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade with 18,239 spectators per game and a 94% fill rate. Olympiacos Piraeus also recorded a 94% attendance rate during the regular season, with an average of 11,546 fans attending each game. The league-wide average fill rate of 84% marked a 2% increase from the previous season, highlighting the EuroLeague’s growing connection with fans across Europe.

FC Bayern Munich recorded the highest growth in attendance, with a 75% year-over-year increase following the move to the new, state-of-the-art SAP Arena, which seats 12,500. Bayern averaged 10,872 spectators per game with a 97% fill rate.

Reigning champions Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens also saw a remarkable 17.8% increase in average attendance, driven by their 2024 title win in Berlin and the upgrades made to the historic OAKA arena. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, a Final Four semifinalist, posted a 10.46% increase, with an average crowd of 10,785.

With seven clubs averaging more than 10,000 spectators per game, the EuroLeague continues to set the standard for professional basketball in Europe, both on the court and in the stands.

10 Heroes from past EuroLeague Playoffs

Ahead of that first tipoff, Eurohoops takes a look at 10 players who have defined past quarterfinals with their exploits. Whether they made the baskets that mattered, stepped up in crunch-time situations, engineered major comebacks, authored key victories, emerged as unlikely protagonists or sometimes did all of these together, these are some of the heroes of the EuroLeague Playoffs.

Read more [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1814298/ten-heroes-of-the-euroleague-playoffs/)...

Big games need big plays made by big players. That’s exactly what we expect to see in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs that begin on Tuesday.

10 heroes from past EuroLeague Playoffs

Fantasy Challenge guru Javier Gancedo shares his recommendations for this week

Javier Gancedo's fantasy tips for the start of the playoffs

Welcome to the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs! The best eight teams in the competition are set to fight for Final Four glory in four outstanding best-of-five series. The EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge continues until a champion is crowned in Abu Dhabi. There are unlimited trades, too, and I have some recommendations for all price ranges. Let's see them!

 

### DyShawn Pierre, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (5.8 credits)

A cheaper option to round out your roster. [DyShawn Pierre](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dyshawn-pierre/010560/) has played well against Paris this season, getting 6 points and 5 rebounds for a PIR of 11 in Paris and 7 points and 4 rebounds for a PIR of 11 in Istanbul. Pierre is a great pick-and-roll defender and his experience should allow him to see good playing time in the playoffs. Go for him! 

 

### Dan Oturu, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (10.8 credits)

Looking back, [Dan Oturu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dan-oturu/012788/) played two very good games against Panathinaikos in regular season action and should be an important factor in the series. Efes enters the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak. Oturu struck twice against the Greens, getting 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting for a PIR of 21 in Istanbul and posting 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting for a PIR of 17 in their meeting in Athens.

Mario Hezonja, Kendrick Nunn, Daniel Theis, DyShawn Pierre and Dan Oturu are featured in this week's article.

EuroLeague Fantasy tips: Playoffs Games 1-2

### Daniel Theis, AS Monaco (13.2 credits)

Barca has done well against Monaco this season, winning both regular season games. [Daniel Theis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-theis/004132/) was not present in either of those games and he could be a difference-maker in the series. In eight games with Monaco, Theis has averaged 13.8 points on solid shooting (62.2% 2FG, 41.7% 3FG) and 6.1 rebounds for a PIR of 17.0. His toughness and experience gave Monaco exactly what it needed.

### Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid (13.4 credits)

[Mario Hezonja](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mario-hezonja/003108/) does not need extra motivation before a playoff series, but the fact that Real plays Olympiacos should give him a boost. Real lost against the Reds twice this season but Hezonja posted solid numbers, averaging 16.0 points and a PIR of 16.0. He played a critical role in the Play-In Showdown final game against FC Bayern Munich with 19 points and 7 rebounds for a PIR of 24. A solid choice!

### Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (19.6 credits)

[Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) was crowned the [2024-25 EuroLeague MVP](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/202425-turkish-airlines-euroleague-mvp-kendrick-nunn-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/) after a fantastic regular season in which he averaged a league-best 21.1 points plus 3.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists for a PIR of 20.3. Last season, he brought out his best in the playoffs against Maccabi, averaging 19.2 points on 51.6% three-pointers for a PIR of 16.6. Nunn should be your superstar of choice this week.

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

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