Name: Top 5 Plays | Finals Game 2 | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

The postseason gets underway on Tuesday with two Play-In Showdown clashes, Real Madrid vs. Paris Basketball, and FC Bayern Munich vs. Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, which will see one team advance to the playoffs, another eliminated, and two more progress to a do-or-die clash later this week. 

Game Center: The Play-In Showdown

## Tuesday, April 15, 2025

### [FC Bayern Munich 97-93 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/fc-bayern-munich-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2024/308/#boxscore)

Bayern advanced in the Play-In Showdown and will face Real Madrid on Friday for a berth in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs after the German side ground out a dramatic overtime home win against Crvena Zvezda. Big man Devin Booker paced Bayern with 21 points and 5 boards; Carsen Edwards netted 17 points and Nick Weiler-Babb racked up 15 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. At the other end, Filip Petrusev led Zvezda with a monster individual performance garnished by 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT A GAME!!!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAYCZV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAYCZV</a> <a href="https://t.co/s6Jxn6Tlx9">pic.twitter.com/s6Jxn6Tlx9</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1912251760086835219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Real Madrid 73-81 Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/real-madrid-paris-basketball/E2024/307/#boxscore)

Paris upset Real Madrid to clinch seventh place and set up a playoff showdown with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Paris never trailed after the first quarter and led by as many as 13. Although Real mounted a late charge, the EuroLeague debutants held on to continue their historic campaign. TJ Shorts paced the Parisians with 23 points and 9 assists and freshly crowned EuroLeague Rising Star Award winner Nadir Hifi added 15 points. Facundo Campazzo led Real with 17 points and 5 assists.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">EN MODE CAILLERA ‼️ <a href="https://t.co/8IVAo0dkqK">pic.twitter.com/8IVAo0dkqK</a></p>&mdash; Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball/status/1912254939297952116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The last two spots in the playoffs will be decided after this week's three games

Game Center: Paris marches into playoffs; Bayern holds off Zvezda

Real Madrid v Paris Basketball (2025-04-15T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-04-15T18:30:00.000Z)

The most efficient regular season in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague history has come to a close setting the stage for a pair of compelling Play-In Showdown matchups featuring the league’s two most improved teams from last year - FC Bayern Munich and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, this season’s lone newcomer - Paris Basketball, and Real Madrid

Stats review: A look ahead at the Play-In Showdown

The most efficient regular season in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague history has come to a close setting the stage for a pair of compelling Play-In Showdown matchups featuring the league’s two most improved teams from last year, this season’s lone newcomer, and a [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/) team that made it to the championship game each of the last three seasons.  [Last year’s Play-In](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/?round=35&season=E2023) action saw the two higher seeds advance to the field with the seventh-place finisher, [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/tel/?season=2024-25), pushing the eventual champions, [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/?season=2024-25), to the limit in their subsequent encounter in the quarterfinals.

Given their recent run of Final Four appearances, Real Madrid is certainly capable of making a similar splash from the lower half of the playoff seedings. *Los Blancos* will start their quest for a quarterfinals berth against Paris Basketball, who they will face at Movistar Arena for the second time in 12 days.  Earning [a narrow 105-104 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/real-gets-go-ahead-win-against-paris-105-104/) in Round 33 thanks to an outstanding fourth quarter, Madrid notched a key win — its fifth straight — over their Play-In opponent just over a week ago.

The difference late in that game were the shots Madrid was getting out of pick-and-rolls and with Paris creating a EuroLeague record 56% of its offense in the half-court operating out of ball screens, pick-and-roll play figures to be the key to this impending matchup as well. Despite its success down the stretch offensively, Madrid struggled to neutralize Paris’s ball screen attack on the road in their first meeting in Round 16 even in the absence of [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/), but beyond the heroics of [Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/) that night, the hosts otherwise struggled to make shots. Generating 64 points of out ball screens in that game and 66 in their game early in April, Paris has easily exceeded its league-best 42 points created per game in both of those losses to Madrid. How that holds up this week will certainly be something to follow as the club looks to push into the quarterfinals in its maiden EuroLeague voyage.

For Madrid’s part, it averaged 51 points created per game out of pick-and-rolls in its two games against Paris — well above the 34.6 per game average for the rest of the season.  While [Facundo Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) does a lot of heavy lifting there, [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/) had one of his most productive efforts of the season sliding on the ball in Madrid’s win earlier this month.  How these two teams approach guarding pick-and-rolls and what adjustments they make figure to factor heavily into the outcome on Tuesday. Madrid finished in the top five in pick-and-roll defense on the year while Paris finished right at the EuroLeague average.

In the other game on Tuesday, the league’s two most improved teams face off in a test of their season splits. [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/) has been exceptional at home this season going 13-4 to mark its first season at SAP Garden. [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/), in contrast, was this season’s lone team to finish with the same record on the road that it posted at home. After suffering one of its worst defeats of the season [in Belgrade in Round 12](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-demolishes-bayern-101-77/), Bayern scored a comfortable [victory in Munich in Round 28](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-blows-away-crvena-zvezda-100-82-to-stay-in-postseason-picture/). 

That has been the story of the season as Bayern has elevated its game on both ends of the floor at home. Scoring a pristine 1.08 points per possession that eclipses Panathinaikos’s league-best 1.07 average for the season at SAP Garden, but allowing a massive 1.10 points per possession defensively that falls well below this season’s least effective defense away from home, Bayen has operated on the extremes for most of the year. Much of that disparity can be traced to the accuracy of its role players from beyond the arc, something that will be worth monitoring against a Zvezda defense that has done an excellent job defending the perimeter this season. 

[Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) was the standout in the November victory in Belgrade Arena, but picked up 2 quick fouls and played only a few minutes in Zvezda’s March loss. [Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) had a similarly uneven pair of games from Bayern’s side scoring only 3 points over 8 shots in their loss but 30 points over 17 in their win. Who steps up figures to be something to monitor in this game as well. 

If seeds hold, Bayern would get a chance to score its second road victory over the season over Paris while Zvezda would look to complete the season sweep, having won both of their previous matchups. Should Paris score the upset, Bayern could get a chance to notch its second win in Madrid of the year after claiming a victory there in Round 1 while Zvezda would be seeking its first triumph of the season over the historic Spanish club. 

After seeds held in the Play-In Showdown last year and created one of the more dramatic quarterfinals matchups in recent memory, it will interesting to see how things shake out this time.   

Sportradar breaks down the exciting showdowns on tap this week

### FC Bayern Munich

 

**Streaks**

Carsen Edwards has made at least 1 three-pointer in 13 straight games.

Edwards has scored 12 or more points in 12 straight games.

Edwards has scored at least 18 points in seven of his last eight games.

Edwards has had a PIR in double figures in 11 of his last 12 games.

Devin Booker has made at least 1 three-pointer in eight straight games.

Nick Weiler-Babb has at least 1 steal in 11 of his last 12 games.

Andreas Obst has made at least 1 three-point shot in 13 straight and 26 of his last 27 games.

Obst has made multiple triples in 12 of his last 13 games.

Niels Giffey has made at least 1 three-pointer in seven straight games.

Shabazz Napier has made at least 1 three-pointer in seven of his last eight games.

 

**Season rankings**

Carsen Edwards ranks second in scoring with 20.5 points per game.

Edwards and Andreas Obst are tied for second in three-pointers made, each with 2.9 per game.

Niels Giffey ranks first in three-point shooting at 58.0%.

Nick Weiler-Babb leads the league in steals with 1.6 per game.

Shabazz Napier ranks 10th in steals with 1.1 per game.

Weiler-Babb ranks eighth in assists with 4.9 per game.

Napier ranks fifth in free-throw shooting at 93.9%.

Devin Booker ranks fifth in two-pointers made with 4.5 per game.

Edwards ranks ninth in two-pointers made with 4.3 per game.

Danko Brankovic ranks eighth in two-point shooting with 68.4%.

Bayern ranks third in scoring with 87.2 points per game.

Bayern ranks first in free-throw shooting at 83.5%.

Bayern ranks second in three-point shooting at 39.0%.

Bayern's defense has allowed a league-high 59.5% on two-point shooting.

 

**Records/Milestones**

Carsen Edwards ranks 11th all-time in free-throw accuracy at 90.1%.

Johannes Voigtmann is ranked 12th all-time with 1,425 rebounds. Georgios Printezis is 11th all-time with 1,452.

Voigtmann is in 10th place all-time in defensive rebounds with 1,060. Printezis is ninth with 1,065 defensive rebounds.

Voigtmann needs 8 blocks to reach 100 for his career.

Devin Booker needs 1 steal to reach 100 for his career.

Booker needs 18 rebounds to reach 800 for his career.

Game Videos

### Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade

 

**Streaks**

Joel Bolomboy has posted a PIR in double digits in seven of his last eight games.

Bolomboy has pulled down at least 5 rebounds in eight straight games.

Nemanja Nedovic has made at least 1 three-pointer in 11 of his last 12 games.

Nikola Kalinic has had a PIR in double figures in six straight games.

Kalinic has pulled down 5 or more rebounds in five of his last six games.

Codi Miller-McIntyre has scored 11 or more points in five straight and seven of his last eight games.

Miller-McIntyre has made at least 1 three-point shot in five straight and eight of his last nine games.

Miller-McIntyre has had a PIR of 13 or more in five straight games.

Filip Petrusev has posted a PIR of 10 or more in five straight and seven of his last eight games.

Petrusev has scored in double figures in four of his last five games.

Mike Daum has made all 23 of his free-throw attempts in his EuroLeague career.

Isaiah Canaan has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine of his last 10 games.

Yago dos Santos has made at least 1 three-point shot in four of his last five games.

 

**Season rankings**

Joel Bolomboy leads the league in rebounding with 8.3 per game.

Bolomboy leads the league in offensive rebounding with 3.4 per game.

Bolomboy ranks second in defensive rebounding with 4.9 per game.

Zvezda ranks third in assists with 19.9 per game.

Zvezda has allowed the third-fewest points with 81.1 per game.

Zvezda holds opponents to 33.6% three-point shooting, which is the second-lowest in the league.

 

**Records/Milestones**

Milos Teodosic is in fifth place all-time with 595 three-pointers made. Scottie Wilbekin is fourth with 608 and counting.

Teodosic is ranked fifth all-time in assists with 1,491. Vassilis Spanoulis is fourth with 1,607.

Teodosic ranks 13th all-time in career points scored with 3,420. Toko Shengelia of Virtus Segafredo Bologna is 12th with 3,507 and counting.

Teodosic ranks 13th all-time in free throws made with 709. Sergio Llull of Real Madrid is 12th with 730 and counting.

Joel Bolomboy needs 3 more blocks to reach 100 for his career.

Luka Mitrovic needs 3 steals to reach 100 for his career.

Game News

Game Facts: Bayern vs. Zvezda

### Real Madrid

**Streaks**

Mario Hezonja has made at least 1 three-pointer in 12 straight and 42 of his last 43 games.

Walter Tavares has had a PIR of 14 or more in seven straight games.

Tavares has scored 13 or more points in seven straight games.

Tavares has pulled down multiple offensive rebounds in seven straight games.

Dzanan Musa has scored at least 10 points in seven of his last eight games.

Musa has posted a PIR in double figures in seven of his last eight games.

Facundo Campazzo has made at least 1 three-pointer in five of his last six games.

Campazzo has had at least 1 steal in five straight games.

Sergio Llull has made at least 1 three-pointer in four of his last five games.

 

**Season rankings**

Facundo Campazzo ranks eighth in average index rating with 18.0 per game.

Campazzo ranks third in assists with 6.4 per game.

Walter Tavares ranks second in blocks with 1.3 per game.

Tavares ranks second in rebounding with 7.1 per game.

Tavares ranks second in offensive rebounding with 2.8 per game.

Mario Hezonja ranks fourth in defensive rebounding with 4.7 per game.

Tavares ranks eighth in defensive rebounding with 4.4 per game.

Tavares ranks second in two-point shooting at 75.3%.

Usman Garuba ranks fourth in two-point shooting at 71.1%.

Real leads the league in rebounding with 37.0 per game.

Real leads the league in defensive rebounding with 26.4 per game.

Real leads the league in two-point accuracy at 59.8%.

Real has held opponents to a league-low 51.7% two-point shooting.

**Records/Milestones**

Walter Tavares blocked 88 shots in the 2022-23 season to set the all-time single-season record.

Tavares is the competition's all-time leader in blocks with 469.

Tavares is in fourth place all-time in two-point accuracy at 68.7%.

Tavares has moved into second all-time with 1,857 rebounds. Paulius Jankunas is the all-time leader with 2,010 rebounds.

Tavares ranks third all-time with 703 offensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is second with 705.

Tavares is eighth on the all-time list with 4,249 PIR points. Nick Calathes is seventh with 4,295 and counting, and Kyle Hines is sixth with 4,299.

Sergio Llull is the all-time leader with 441 EuroLeague appearances.

Llull is the all-time leader in three-point shots made with 680.

Llull ranks fourth all-time in scoring with 4,178 points. Vassilis Spanoulis is third with 4,455.

Llull is in seventh place all-time with 1,467 assists. Mike James of AS Monaco is sixth with 1,479 and counting, and Milos Teodosic of Crvena Zvezda is fifth with 1,491 and counting.

Facundo Campazzo is in 12th place all-time with 1,102 assists. Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is 11th with 1,109 and counting.

Llull ranks 12th all-time with 730 free throws made. Paulius Jankunas is 11th with 748.

Llull ranks fifth all-time with a 2.7-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.

Facundo Campazzo ranks 13th all-time with a 2.6-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.

### Paris Basketball

 

**Streaks**

TJ Shorts has scored in double figures in all but one of his 33 EuroLeague appearances – including the last 26.

Shorts has posted a PIR of at least 10 in 26 straight games.

Shorts had at least 7 assists in five straight games.

Tyson Ward has made at least 1 three-pointer in 13 of his last 14 games.

Ward has posted a PIR of at least 12 in five straight games.

Ward has scored in double figures in four of his last five games.

Ward has pulled down more than 5 rebounds in four of his last five games.

Mikael Jantunen has made at least 1 three-pointer in 11 of his last 12 games.

Jantunen has made multiple three-pointers in six straight games.

Jantunen has scored 13 or more points in five of his last six games.

Jantunen has posted a PIR in double figures in six straight games.

Yakuba Ouattara is perfect in 11 trips to the foul line this season.

Kevarrius Hayes has pulled down multiple offensive rebounds in four of his last five games.

Sebastian Herrera has made at least 1 three-pointer in six straight games.

Nadir Hifi has scored 13 or more points in six of his last seven games.

Hifi has made multiple triples in five of his last six games.

Collin Malcolm has made at least 1 three-pointer in four of his last five games.

 

**Season rankings**

TJ Shorts ranks second in average index rating with 23.1 per game.

Shorts ranks fourth in scoring with 18.7 points per game.

Shorts leads the league in assists with 7.5 per game.

Shorts leads the league in two-pointers made with 6.1 per game.

Nadir Hifi ranks eighth in three-pointers made with 2.5 per game.

Paris has committed 10.4 turnovers per game, the fewest in the league.

Paris ranks third in offensive rebounding with 11.8 per game.

Paris allows a league-high 12.1 offensive rebounds.

 

**Records/Milestones**

Maodo Lo needs 1 rebound to reach 400 for his career.

Yakuba Ouattara needs 4 three-point shots to reach 100 for his career.

Kevarrius Hayes needs 11 steals to reach 100 for his career.

Game Facts: Madrid vs. Paris

\- When two teams met in Round 28, Bayern beat Crvena Zvezda 100-82 behind a 25-0 run bridging the second and third quarters. Carsen Edwards led the way in victory with 30 points, making 6 three-point shots.

\- In that Round 28 game in Munich, Zvezda's Joel Bolomboy pulled down a club-record and a career-best 19 rebounds, including a career-high 12 offensive rebounds.

\- Zvezda set club records in assists (34) and team PIR (138) in Round 12 when it defeated Bayern 101-77.

\- The home team has won the last eight games since Bayern's 76-78 win over Zvezda in Belgrade in March 2021. Nick Weiler-Babb and Vladimir Lucic are the only remaining Bayern players from that game on the team's roster.

\- During the 2015-16 season, Zvezda and Bayern played each other in the EuroLeague for the first time. In their very first EuroLeague clash, Zvezda got its lone road victory over Bayern, a 79-90 win as Stefan Jovic dished a club-record 19 assists.

\- Zvezda guard Branko Lazic played together with Bayern forward Vladimir Lucic on the Serbian national team that won the silver medal at EuroBasket 2017.

\- Zvezda's Nemanja Nedovic and Bayern's Vladimir Lucic were teammates at Valencia Basket during the 2014-15 season. They have also been teammates on the Serbian national team.

\- Lucic has also been a teammate of Zvezda's Luka Mitrovic, Nikola Kalinic and Dejan Davidovac on the Serbian national team.

\- Bayern guard Shabazz Napier spent the first part of last season with Zvezda.

\- Bayern forward Johannes Voigtmann and Zvezda center Joel Bolomboy were teammates at CSKA Moscow for three seasons, from 2019 to 2022.

\- Bayern forward Oscar da Silva and Zvezda's Nikola Kalinic were teammates at FC Barcelona from 2021 to 2023.

\- Zvezda's Rokas Giedraitis and Bayern's Niels Giffey were teammates at ALBA Berlin during the 2018-19 season.

\- Zvezda's Rokas Giedraitis collected a career-high 4 steals while playing for ALBA Berlin against FC Bayern Munich on December 18, 2019.

\- Zvezda point guard Yago dos Santos pulled down a career-best 8 rebounds in a 74-66 road loss in Munich against Bayern last March.

\- Zvezda big man Luka Mitrovic grabbed a career-high 3 steals against Bayern in December 2021.

\- Zvezda swingman Ognjen Dobric grabbed a career-high 6 rebounds against Bayern in March 2021.

\- Bayern sharpshooter Andreas Obst grabbed a career-high 8 rebounds against Crvena Zvezda in March of last season.

Game Notes: Bayern vs. Zvezda

\- In Round 33, Real held off Paris 105-104 as Mario Hezonja scored a season-high 26 points and registered a season-best PIR of 29.

\- In that win, Real point guard Andres Feliz had a personal-best 15 points and a personal-high PIR of 16.

\- In the first-ever official meeting between Paris and Real Madrid in Round 16, Real registered an 85-96 win in the French capital.

\- Paris guard Maodo Lo had season highs of 30 points, 7 assists and a 35 PIR in Round 16 against Real Madrid.

\- Lo grabbed a personal-best 3 steals while playing for ALBA Berlin against Real in January 2022.

Game Notes: Madrid vs. Paris

Voting for the All-EuroLeague Team will be open from Monday, March 31 and will run through Monday, April 14, right after the Regular Season has concluded and before the Play-In Showdown starts. This season, the votes of head coaches and team captains will each account for 35% of the total, while media members will make up another 20% and the fan vote will be worth 10%.

Voting for the 2024-25 All-EuroLeague Team is open

As the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season reaches its thrilling final stretch, and in [accordance to the announced changes in the season awards structure](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/news/euroleague-basketball-adjusts-its-euroleague-awards-structure/), it is time to consider which stars are most deserving of season honors. And the fans will of course have their voices heard!

Voting for the All-EuroLeague Team will be open from Monday, March 31 and will run until Monday, April 14, at 12:00 CEST, right after the Regular Season has concluded and before the Play-In Showdown starts. This season, the votes of head coaches and team captains will each account for 35% of the total, while media members will make up another 20% and the fan vote will be worth 10%.

Upon completion of all voting, the player with the most votes will become this season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP. He and the next four top vote-getters will comprise the All-EuroLeague First Team and the next five will make up the All-EuroLeague Second Team.

To make sure your voice is heard, go to <https://alleuroleagueteam.euroleague.net> to register your vote for the most deserving players from the 2024-25 season! Remember to base your selections on each player's performances for the entirety of the Regular Season!

Voting for the 2024-25 All-EuroLeague Team has now closed!

Anadolu Efes stormed into the EuroLeague Playoffs with eight successive wins in the home straight of the regular season, but it now faces a massive challenge to knock out reigning champs Panathinaikos BC.

Efes braced for titanic clash with champs Panathinaikos

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) stormed into the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs with eight successive wins in the home straight of the regular season, but it now faces a massive challenge to knock out reigning champs [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/).

The best-of-five blockbuster will be spiced up by Panathinaikos head coach [Ergin Ataman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/ataman-ergin/) locking horns with his former club, having guiding Efes to successive titles in 2021 and 2022 before he lifted the trophy with the Greek franchise last year.

It will be Ataman’s first postseason clash with Efes, which missed out on the business end of Europe’s premier club competition the last two years in a row and looked like being confined to the sidelines again before its magnificent late run.

The rivals shared the spoils in the regular season as [Efes prevailed 93-67](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-beats-up-panathinaikos-93-67/) on its home court before Panathinaikos returned the favor with [a 104-89 win in Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kendrick-nunn-powered-panathinaikos-brushes-aside-efes-104-89/), which was the Turkish outfit’s last defeat before going on an eight-game winning streak.

Home-court advantage could be crucial and Panathinaikos, which finished third in the regular season with a 22-12 record, has it in its favor against sixth-placed Efes (20-14), which secured a playoff berth with [an 87-77 win over Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-beats-zalgiris-87-77-to-reach-playoffs/).

Head coach [Luca Banchi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/banchi-luca/?season=E2024), who took over midway through the season, acknowledged that the matchup with Panathinaikos will be an entirely different prospect after seeing Efes muscle its way across the finish line on the final day of the regular season.

He also revealed that Efes was under immense pressure against Zalgiris, having spilled a 19-point lead before coming out on top with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter on the back of steely defense.

“After winning seven games in a row and coming within one game of reaching the playoffs, there was a lot of anxiety. But the team responded in a great way,” Banchi told the postgame press conference.

“In the third quarter we had moments when we struggled to contain their offense, but the last five minutes of the game embodied the will and desire of this group to succeed. What we did defensively has become the team’s trademark and Efes is back in the playoffs after a two-year absence,” he added.

Banchi endured a torrid 2-5 start when he arrived in January before a whirlwind streak saw Efes overcome one hurdle after another, courtesy of effervescent team work with an array of players stepping up to the plate when the chips were down.

The victorious streak instilled a new level of belief that Efes can rekindle recent glory and lift the trophy for the third time in five years, although it faces a formidable task against a resourceful and talent-packed rival.

“Moving forward we need to stay confident as the playoffs will reset everything, and we will head into the quarterfinal series with the DNA of a team that never gives up and keeps fighting until the last second of the last game,” said Banchi.

Having heaped praise on his staff, Banchi also hailed the presence of club president Tuncay Ozilhan whose commitment to the cause inspired the team to defy the odds, as they climbed from 13th place to sixth in 43 days on the back of a relentless effort.

“The players did a great job in the final part of the season but I believe that our president initiated their surge because at our lowest ebb when we were collecting defeats, he was the first to support the team as he travelled with us to road games,” Banchi stressed. “For me, that was a great lesson as you have to keep learning from the best.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">🚨 MAÇIN GÜNÜ VE SAATİ BELLİ DEĞİL AMA SADECE 18 SAATTE <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOLDOUT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOLDOUT</a> 🚨<br><br>🫂 Panathinaikos Aktor serisinin üçüncü maçında tribünler kapalı gişe olacak. Mücadeleye hazırız! <br><br>😤 &quot;Burası BGM, burası İstanbul... BENİM YERİM BURASI&quot; <a href="https://t.co/qpIDI7df4y">pic.twitter.com/qpIDI7df4y</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1911080111681523944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Efes is likely to rely on a balanced roster with a stack of players capable of carrying the mantle while Panathinaikos will hope that the league’s top scorer [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/), who is averaging 21.5 points per game, stays in top gear throughout the series.

The backcourt of Nunn, [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/) and [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) face the toughest job imaginable against the Efes trio of [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/), [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/) and [Elijah Bryant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/), who were ruthlessly efficient at both ends of the court in the final push to reach the playoffs.

The heavyweight clash will be a basketball feast for the fans, with a Final Four spot at stake in arguably the standout series of this season’s playoffs.  

Sed id volutpat purus, non fringilla turpis. Proin et dolor tortor. Maecenas ut aliquet arcu. Integer eu volutpat nisi, in luctus augue. Phasellus vel elit cursus, dignissim tortor in, pretium ante. Morbi varius at urna ultricies egestas. Suspendisse dui ligula, interdum non lectus eu, semper gravida nibh. Pellentesque bibendum lacus enim. Nulla aliquet, tortor at consectetur porttitor, est nisi hendrerit dolor, vitae ullamcorper diam arcu a arcu. Suspendisse eu vulputate sapien. Praesent ut elit nec nulla imperdiet placerat vel eu neque. Praesent porttitor felis non ante rutrum, sed tincidunt augue pulvinar. Morbi id urna in nunc dignissim luctus.

The former EuroLeague winner faces a mammoth task to eliminate the Greek giant

Efes braced for titanic battle with champs Panathinaikos

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-04-11T17:30:00.000Z)

EuroLeague top photos of the week

Look back at all the action from Round 34 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos of the week: Round 34

Check out 2024-25 EuroLeague Playoffs calendar

After the drama of the Round 34 of the regular season, top six of the eight playoff spots are filled. Olympiacos Piraeus, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and AS Monaco clinched the top four spots and have home court advantage.

In the playoffs, Panathinaikos will face sixth-placed Anadolu Efes Istanbul, and that best- of five series will [tip off on Tuesday, April 22 at 20:30 CEST](https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/0274e36c-a55f-4e73-88a2-81c8d4c25bf5.pdf), with Game 2 scheduled two days later at the same hour.

On [Wednesday, April 23 at 19:00 CEST](https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/0274e36c-a55f-4e73-88a2-81c8d4c25bf5.pdf), Monaco will be starting its best-of-five series against fifth-placed FC Barcelona, with Game 2 set to be played on Friday, April 25, also at 19:00 CEST.

Meanwhile, Olympiacos and Fenerbahce still have to learn their respective opponents.

Fenerbahce will play the winner of the Play-in Showdown game between [Real Madrid and Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/real-madrid-paris-basketball/E2024/307/) which is set for April 15, while Olympiacos will have to wait until Friday, April 18 to learn whether it faces Real, Paris, FC Bayern Munich or Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.

Check out the [2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs calendar](https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/0274e36c-a55f-4e73-88a2-81c8d4c25bf5.pdf).

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs will tip off on April 22

After being named as the EuroCup Finals MVP, Hapoel Tel Aviv BC star Johnathan Motley reflected on what felt like an "out of body" experience.

Johnathan Motley lived 'out of body' experience as EuroCup Finals MVP

Athletes envision themselves performing their craft beforehand so that when the moment comes they are able to remain calm under all the pressure. [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/johnathan-motley/011157/) did exactly that before the BKT EuroCup Finals and it was the reason why the [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/) center was so relaxed after being named the Finals MVP. 

Motley was outstanding in both games of the Finals and was the logical choice as MVP, especially after he scored 26 points to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for a PIR of 28 in [Hapoel’s 94-103 win over Dreamland Gran Canaria in Game 2](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-sweeps-gran-canaria-for-first-eurocup-title-and-ticket-to-euroleague/). The big man tied a EuroCup Finals record of 12 free throws made and set a new best mark with 16 free throws attempted. 

“I am just happy we got it done,” said Motley, who tallied 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in the Game 1 win. 

“I was very confident in my team. We work really hard. We have a great locker room. Everybody trusts each other."

Motley added after the trophy ceremony: “Right now, I am surprisingly calm … I envisioned myself doing the trophy thing all week. It’s just crazy that I am in it right now. It’s kind of out of body right now.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">MVP 👹 <a href="https://t.co/WSG3dQLFBX">pic.twitter.com/WSG3dQLFBX</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC/status/1910828496416284934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The great showing in the Finals was not a surprise as Motley has shined all season, grabbing a spot on the 2024-25 BKT All-EuroCup First Team. 

“It was a difficult season, every game was away. But the fans came out. And we have a great locker room. We all love each other. We all don’t care who does what. We all instill confidence in each other. That's what made us get to this point,” said Motley. 

The 29-year-old played two seasons in the EuroLeague with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Now he can start envisaging himself playing at that level again. 

The big man showed all season why he is one of the best players in the competition

Johnathan Motley lived 'out of body' experience as EuroCup Finals MVP 

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2025-04-11T19:00:00.000Z)

The final round of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season saw a career game from one of its biggest stars, as Nikola Mirotic dominated for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and took home the 10th MVP of the Round award of his 276-game career.

Round 34 MVP: Nikola Mirotic, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

The final round of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season saw a career game from one of its biggest stars, as [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) dominated for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and took home the 10th MVP of the Round award of his 276-game career.

Mirotic posted a personal-high PIR of 40 in Milan’s 111-89 win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Mirotic scored 23 points on 5-for-8 two-point shooting, 3-of-4 triples and 4-of-4 free throws. He pulled down 10 rebounds, had 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, while drawing 6 fouls. All of that in just 24 minutes on the floor. His 10th MVP of the Round award sees him tie Vasilije Micic for the sixth most all-time.

The next-best PIR, 35, belonged to [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens. In a 111-104 win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Nunn netted 31 points, making 3-of-8 twos, 6-of-10 threes and all 7 of his free-throw attempts, while dishing 10 assists and pulling down 3 rebounds.

[Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul had a 32 PIR in his team’s 77-89 win at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Hayes-Davis collected 24 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. Milan’s [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/) posted 31 PIR, scoring 32 points on 6-for-10 shooting from both two-point and three-point range, along with 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Rounding out the list of top performers in the final round of the regular season are [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) of Panathinaikos and [Neal Sako](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/neal-sako/010545/) of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, each with 29 PIR. Hernangomez had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals, while Sako finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 78-83 loss against AS Monaco.

### Individual highs: Zach LeDay, Milan, 32 points

 

Zach LeDay led all scorers in the regular-season finale with 32 points. Nunn finished as season’s top scorer with an average of 21.1 points per game.

 

[Trevion Williams](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trevion-williams/012604/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv pulled down 13 rebounds, the most in Round 34. [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) of Crvena Zvezda took the honors as the regular season’s top rebounder with 8.3 boards per night.

 

[Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/) of Olympiacos Piraeus had 13 assists, more than any other player in this round. [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) of Paris Basketball leads the league with 7.5 dimes per contest.

 

Paris center [Kevarrius Hayes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevarrius-hayes/010390/) had 4 steals in the final round of the regular season. [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) of FC Bayern Munich tops the steals charts with 1.6 per game.

 

ASVEL’s [Andre Roberson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/andre-roberson/013405/) had 3 blocks, the most in this round. [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) of Monaco is the league’s top shot-blocker with 1.4 per game.

 

There were eight double-doubles in Round 34: ASVEL’s duo of Roberson (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Sako (20 points, 11 rebounds), Panathinaikos pair Nunn (31 points, 10 assists) and [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) (18 points, 11 rebounds), Maccabi’s Williams (17 points, 13 rebounds), Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s [Isaac Bonga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaac-bonga/006760/) (14 points, 11 rebounds), Real Madrid’s [Serge Ibaka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/serge-ibaka/003583/) (11 points, 10 rebounds), and Mirotic (23 points, 10 rebounds).

The veteran forward ended his regular-season campaign on a high 

Top 5 Plays | Finals Game 2 | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Check out the best plays of Round 34, and see who had the best of them!

Top 10 Plays | RS Round 34 | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

 Check out the best plays of Round 34, and see who had the best of them!

Round 34: Top 10 plays

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 34th winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Noam Schvartz beat everyone else in Round 34 with his team 'Schvartz5', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 243.30.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 34 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 34th winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Noam Schvartz beat everyone else in Round 34 with his team 'Schvartz5', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 243.30.

Noam had the following starting lineup: Nikola Mirotic of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan as team captain, then Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens's Kendrick Nunn, Carsen Edwards of FC Bayern Munich, Mikael Jantunen of Paris Basketball and Moses Wright of Olympiacos Piraeus. His sixth man was Olympiacos's Alec Peters. The rest of the bench consisted of Filip Petrusev of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Roman Sorkin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Sylvain Francisco of Zalgiris Kaunas and Kevin Punter of FC Barcelona. His team's head coach was Paris play-caller Tiago Splitter.

The prize for finishing first in Round 34 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Noam!

Marko Djukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 5,854.24 points.

Trades are now open for Round 1 of the Play-in Showdown, and the number of trades is unlimited.

The first Play-in game tips off on Tuesday, April 15 at 20:00 CET, as FC Bayern Munich hosts Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, 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. 

"The 7th Star" documentary - coming soon

A documentary on Panathinaikos ending its 13-year wait to rule Europe again. After a manic summer in which two-time champion Coach Ataman arrived, together with 10 new players, hopes were high for a Panathinaikos side hoping to lift its first EuroLeague championship since 2011.

The 7th Star - Trailer

Congratulations to Yonatan Deutsch, our 25th and final winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Yonatan's team, 'hapoel 76ers', posted a score of 182.80.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Finals Game 2 winner

Congratulations to Yonatan Deutsch, our 25th and final winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Yonatan's team, 'hapoel 76ers', posted a score of 182.80.

Yonatan had the following starting lineup: Johnathan Motley of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv as team captain, then his teammates Antonio Blakeney, Yam Madar and Tomer Ginat, as well as Nico Brussino of Dreamland Gran Canaria. George Conditt of Gran Canaria was the sixth man.

The head coach of Nikolaos's team was Hapoel's Dimitris Itoudis, and the four bench players were all from Gran Canaria: John Shurna, Andrew Albicy and Joe Thomasson of Gran Canaria, as well as Noam Yaacov of Hapoel.

The prize for finishing first in the 24th round of the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Yonatan!

The winner of the overall standings is Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallIsLife', which has a total of 4,023.35 points.

Are you ready to prove that you are the smartest Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fan around? Do you want to win a big prize? You're in the right place! The EuroLeague Playoffs Bracket Challenge is now live, and it's easy to create your bracket. 

EuroLeague Playoffs Bracket Challenge: Big prizes on offer!

Are you ready to prove that you are the smartest Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fan around? Do you want to win a big prize? You're in the right place!

The [EuroLeague Playoffs Bracket Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/10/bracket) is now live, and it's easy to create your bracket. Here's what you need to do:

- Log in to your EuroLeague ID account.
- Log in to your EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge account. If you don't have an account, create one.
- Follow this link: [**https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/10/bracket**](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/10/bracket).
- Create your bracket. You can create up to three per account.
- Make sure your bracket or brackets are submitted before the first Play-In Showdown game.
- After creating your bracket, you can modify it until the start of the first game.
- That's it. Easy!

### What prizes can you win?

The grand prize in the EuroLeague Playoffs Bracket Challenge are two tickets for the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four. 

Coming in second place overall will result in four Turkish Airlines EuroLeague tickets for the 2025-26 regular season for any game(s) selected by the winner.

And third place will receive one EuroLeagueTV Annual Pass for the 2025-26 season.

So what are you waiting for? Make your bracket now and share it with your friends and family!