Name: Llull does what he does best! Motorola Magic Moment
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

AS Monaco clinched a hard-fought 96-86 overtime victory over Zalgiris Kaunas to improve its record to 19-12 

Monaco survives overtime thriller against Zalgiris, 96-86

AS Monaco clinched a hard-fought 96-86 overtime victory over Zalgiris Kaunas to improve its record to 19-12 and remain among the top four teams after 31 rounds. The hosts had to overcome a second-quarter 14-point deficit and trailed 65-72 midway through the last period, but a strong late reaction led by Mike James forced overtime, 80-80. James and Elie Okobo combined for 10 points early in overtime to decide the game as Zalgiris ran out of energy. Zalgiris slipped to 14-17.

James led all scorers with 22 points, Elie Okobo followed with 21, Daniel Theis posted 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Jared Blossongame finished with 15 points and 10 boards. Sylvain Francisco paced Zalgiris with 19 points but missed the winning shot in regulation. Ignas Brazdeikis netted 17 and collected 7 rebounds, while Alen Smailagic chipped in 15 and Isaiah Wong 10 in the losing effort.

Game Videos

With only one three-pointer for each team in the first 3 minutes, the game started with strong defenses that prevailed over offenses. Bradzdeikis opened fire for the visitors with 5 straight points and Francisco and Smailagic followed to put Zalgiris ahead, 7-9. Despite losing Laurynas Birutis early because of his third foul and watching Monaco come back, 11-10, Zalgiris remained strong and punished the hosts with a 0-11 run in which Brazdeikis chipped in 5 more points, to escape to 11-21 and finish the first quarter ahead 15-23.

With Wong running the offense, Zalgiris overcame a first Monaco attempt to rally. A technical foul on James, which turned into his third foul and forced him to the bench, preceded a three-pointer and a slam by Smailagic that made things look even better for the Lithuanian champs, 21-34. The hosts’ timeout didn’t work, as Wong and Smailagic kept producing and Francisco showed up with his first three to dig it deeper, 27-42. A 7-0 run led by Theis stopped the bleeding, while back-to-back daggers from downtown by Matthew Strazel and Alpha Diallo capped a 13-4 spark that made it close, 40-46. A buzzer-beating jumper by Okobo brought Monaco within 44-48 at halftime.

Game News

Arnas Butkevicius set a 46-51 edge from behind the arc after the game resumed, but those were the only Zalgiris points in more than 3 minutes. Monaco managed to complete the rally and tie things up, 51-51, when Okobo hit his second three of the night. The visitors stopped the game and changed four players, who delivered rapidly. Smailagic came first with 5 straight points to wake Zalgiris up, 54-59, as Theis and Birutis collected their fourth fouls almost immediately. A three-point play by Francisco and a late three by Deividas Sirvydis were like water for the thirsty, enabling the visitors to finish the third quarter with a 58-65 edge.

Mam Jaiteh took over for Monaco early in the last quarter, going for 7 points in a row that got the home team within 65-67, as Birutis fouled out. Zalgiris didn’t tremble, though, and used the free-throw line to keep scoring and earn a 65-72 advantage with 6 minutes remaining.  Diallo was the next one to foul out, as Theis and James made it a one-possession game from the line soon after, with the latter hitting a mid-range jumper to tie it, 73-73, entering crunch-time. Edgaras Ulanovas made the most from consecutive offensive rebounds and nailed a three to cool down Monaco, 73-76, but James remained red-hot and tied it again with 5 more points, including a huge three to tie it at 78-78 with 39 seconds to go. Butkevicius gave Zalgiris its last bucket, but Theis sent the game to overtime because of an offensive foul called after the Butkevicius shot.

James continued pulling the strings for Monaco in the extra session as he opened fire with a bucket and followed with 3 free throws after drawing a foul on Dunston to boost the hosts to an 85-80 lead. That was too much for an exhausted Zalgiris, which saw how Okobo extended it to 90-83 soon after.  Despite Francisco hitting from downtown, Monaco felt completely in charge and just needed another bucket from Okobo to seal the win.

Mike James and Elie Okobo suffocated the Lithuanian champs in the extra period

AS Monaco v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-03-25T18:00:00.000Z)

Llull does what he does best! Motorola Magic Moment

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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has become the second team this season to clinch a spot in the 2025 EuroLeague Playoffs, making this the third straight year that the fans on the Asian side of Istanbul will be watching playoff basketball.

Fenerbahce becomes the second team to lock up a playoff spot

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) has become the second team this season to clinch a spot in the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, making this the third straight year that the fans on the Asian side of Istanbul will be watching playoff basketball.

To secure its playoff berth, Fenerbahce needed to overcome Paris Basketball at home in Round 31, which [it did with a memorable 101-100 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nigel-hayes-davis-the-hero-as-fenerbahce-beats-paris-101-100-to-make-playoffs/) thanks to [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/)'s game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.

### Strong start and a strong finish

Fenerbahce’s journey to its 11th playoff trip this century had some ups and downs in the first part of the season as the team was hit hard with injuries to key backcourt players. [Scottie Wilbekin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/scottie-wilbekin/006661/) suffered a season-ending injury in Round 1, [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) and [Devon Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/devon-hall/011205/) were both absent for a significant amount of time, and [Marko Guduric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/) and [Sertac Sanli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sertac-sanli/002968/) missed games, too.

None of that prevented Fenerbahce from having a strong start to the campaign, winning nine games in the opening 11 rounds to sit atop the standings.

However, late in November and throughout December, with the forementioned injuries piling up, Fenerbahce went on a losing stretch by five of its next six games, including a 30-point home drubbing against Monaco and a 27-point road loss at FC Barcelona.

But with the turn of the new calendar year and players slowly coming back post-injury, head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius steadied the ship. Fenerbahce has been one of the best teams ever since.

Led by All-EuroLeague forward [Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) and key contributions from Guduric and Hall, Fenerbahce went on a run. With its Round 31 win against Paris, Fenerbahce has now won 11 of its last 14 games.

That streak included a road win against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, a 10-point triumph in Piraeus against a league-leading Olympiacos, as well as big wins in Paris and Milan.

Despite a balanced offensive contribution coming from much of the roster, the key to Fenerbahce’s success – its ability to overcome injuries – has come from its defensive effort. Fenerbahce has allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (80.8 PPG), and that defense has been particularly stiff around the rims where Fenerbahce has held opponents to 9.5 offensive rebounds, the second-fewest in the league, and the fourth-lowest two-point shooting at 53.9%.

### Looking to continue playoff winning habit

So far, Fenerbahce has won six of its 10 playoff series, but it has an even better percentage when you consider that it has won six of eight best-of-five series.

Fenerbahce made five Final Fours in a row, from 2014 to 2019, and won the championship in 2017. It also reached the Final Four last season before falling in the semis against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Berlin.

While there is still a battle in the fight to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs, Fenerbahce is now assured that it will be engaging in battles in April and May to make its seventh EuroLeague Final Four appearance.

More Fenerbahce News

The Turkish giant, having won 11 of its last 14 games, is playoff bound

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Paris Basketball (2025-03-25T17:45:00.000Z)

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Fenerbahce Beko wrapped up its place in the EuroLeague Playoffs in style by beating Paris Basketball 101-100 on a game-winning three-pointer by Nigel Hayes-Davis.

Nigel Hayes-Davis the hero as Fenerbahce beats Paris, 101-100, to make playoffs

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul wrapped up its place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs in style by beating Paris Basketball 101-100 on a game-winning three-pointer by Nigel Hayes-Davis. Paris star TJ Shorts looked as though he had given his side the victory when he scored a layup with two seconds remaining to set a 98-100 score, but Hayes-Davis caused the roof to come off Ulker Sport and Event Hall with his triple.

Marko Guduric led Fenerbahce in scoring with 25 points. Hayes-Davis ended the night with 19 points, with Errick McCollum pouring in 18 and Tarik Biberovic adding 14. Paris, which could only suit 10 players due to its injury crisis, had Shorts and Nadir Hifi both net 19 points, while Mikael Jantunen had 14, Yakuba Ouattara 13, Kevarrius Hayes 12, and Sebastian Herrera 11.

Despite being without Collin Malcolm, Maodo Lo, Daulton Hommes and Leon Kratzer, Paris had a solid start to the first quarter and led 2-7 after scores by Jantunen, Shorts and Ward. Fenerbahce tied it back up at 7-7 thanks to Guduric and Biberovic, but Paris was the more impressive side in the early going, getting contributions from a number of players. Herrera, Hifi and Ouattara ensured Paris had the lead before Jantunen and Tyson Ward forced Fenerbahce to call a timeout at 14-20. Shorts drained a mid-range jumper to ensure it was 17-24 in Paris’s favor after the first frame.

Guduric tried to inspire Fenerbahce’s response with five points early in the second, but Jantunen, Hayes and Ward combined to open the first double-digit lead of the night at 22-23. The hosts were struggling to keep a lid on the visitors’ offense, and Hifi caused a real headache for coach Saras Jasikevicius with a couple of tough scores before going 6 for 6 on two trips to the line, 37-49. An 8-2 end to the half for Fenerbahce, capped by Guduric’s push shot that beat the end-of-quarter buzzer, made it 44-51 at the break.

Herrera’s corner three got the third quarter underway, 44-54, as Paris restored its double-digit advantage. Shorts and Hayes kept finding ways to put points on the board, too, with the visitors going up by 15 points for the first time at 48-63. Wade Baldwin scored six points in a hurry for Fenerbahce, 54-63, but Ouattara and Hifi struck from beyond the arc to open a 15-point gap again, 54-69. Ouattara also hit from deep again at 57-72. All the momentum was in the visitors’ favor, and Hifi’s three beat the shot-clock buzzer with three seconds to go as Paris took a 71-84 edge into the final period.

After setting a club record by netting 84 points through the first three quarters, Paris went cold at the worst time possible. McCollum’s three gave the Fenerbahce fans hope at 74-84, and that started an 18-2 run as the hosts flipped the game on its head. The three-ball was particularly effective, as that McCollum triple was followed by one for Guduric, another for McCollum, two in a row by Hayes-Davis, who finished the run by scoring inside. Hayes-Davis’s second three tied it up at 86-86, then he completed the comeback at 88-86. Paris wasn’t going away, though, and got some big baskets by Ward and Ouattara, with the French side leading 93-98 with 1:05 minutes left. Baldwin’s runner and Biberovic’s three tied it up at 98-98, but Shorts thought he’d scored the game-winner with two seconds left. But Hayes-Davis’s three-pointer at the buzzer wrapped up the victory.

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Bahcesehir College Istanbul center Marko Simonovic spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team defeated Dreamland Gran Canaria in Game 1 of the BKT EuroCup Semifinals. 

Marko Simonovic: 'We played an amazing game'

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2025-03-25T17:00:00.000Z)

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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Dreamland Gran Canaria | SF Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Bahcesehir College Istanbul is one win away from the BKT EuroCup Finals after defeating former champion Dreamland Gran Canaria 74-66 in the opening game of their best-of-three semifinals series at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall

Bahcesehir overpowers Gran Canaria 74-66 in Game 1 of semifinals

Bahcesehir College Istanbul is one win away from the BKT EuroCup Finals after defeating former champion Dreamland Gran Canaria 74-66 in the opening game of their best-of-three semifinals series at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. After trailing by 5 in the opening quarter, Axel Bouteille fueled a 13-0 run for the hosts who held on the rest of the way.

The lead would reach 18 at one point, before Gran Canaria was able to rally within 5 in the fourth quarter. However Marko Simonovic made sure Bahcesehir held on for the victory by scoring 10 of his game-high 20 points in the last period. Simonovic also posted 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a brilliant performance, while Bouteille finished with 15 points for the winners. Mike Tobey posted 14 points for Gran Canaria in defeat.

Bahcesehir opened the scoring with a second-chance three-pointer from CJ Massinburg before Gran Canaria got going with a pair of jumpers. Bouteille and John Shurna traded threes to make it 8-8. Tobey stepped up with a slam and a three to put the visitors ahead and Joe Thomasson broke down his defender for a layup and a 10-15 lead. Bouteille scored 5 straight points to tie things and then he fed Sehmus Hazer for a go-ahead triple. Simonovic added a slam before Bouteille scored again to complete a 13-0 run. A long jumper by Caleb Homesley drew Gran Canaria within 27-21 after 10 minutes.

After a layup by Hazer, Furkan Korkmaz's free throws gave the hosts a double-digit lead. Korkmaz added a three-pointer for a 34-21 lead. Homesley free throws ended a 3+ minute scoring drought, but Bahcesehir continued to roll as Jaleen Smith connected from deep and Korkmaz got to the line, prompting a Gran Canaria timeout. Shurna stepped up with 3 free throws and a three-pointer to narrow the gap to 40-29. Bahcesehir used its rebounding prowess to overpower the visitors and Tyler Cavanaugh's three-pointer made it 47-33. The half ended with the home team ahead 49-37.

Cavanaugh knocked down a three and Simonovic added a jumper as Bahcesehir extended its lead to 17, which prompted a Gran Canaria timeout. The stoppage changed little as the hosts continued to score almost at will. The visitors showed signs of life with a Nicolas Brussino three and a Homesley jumper to get within 59-46. George Conditt helped Gran Canaria continue to chip away at the deficit and Mehdy Ngouma's three-pointer ended the low-scoring third quarter with the score 62-52.

Ngouma scored twice to get Gran Canaria within 7 early in the fourth quarter as the Bahcesehir attack stalled. Thomasson picked off a pass and cashed it in for a layup that made it 64-59. That was as close as Gran Canaria would get as Simonovic scored on the next two possessions. The visitors continued to fight, but the clock became an opponent, too, and Bahcesehir was able to hold on in the final minutes.

Marko Simonovic was the star performer for the winners with 20 points and 8 rebounds

Ergin Ataman, head coach of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, has been sanctioned with a fine of €10,000 for actions that caused the abnormal interruption of a game on occasion of its home game against Alba Berlin under 27.2.a) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code. The decision may be appealed before the Appeals Judge.

Latest disciplinary sanctions

Euroleague Basketball has announced the following disciplinary decision pertaining to incidents that occurred in Round 30 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.