Name: Top 10 Plays | RS Round 29 | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Moustapha Fall pulled off a complete performance, inspiring Olympiacos Piraeus to a 76-74 win over Panathinaikos B.C. at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night in Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Moustapha Fall showed in derby why his impact on Olympiacos is so profound

[Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/)’s first play of the night against [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) was not drawn for [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) nor [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/), the team's two leading scorers. [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/) won the tipoff, [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/) received the ball and Olympiacos’s motion offense was triggered, with [Kostas Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/) finding Fall in the paint.

What could have been a signature slam for the Olympiacos big turned into a statement block by his Panathinaikos counterpart, [Wenyen Gabriel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wenyen-gabriel/013383/), with possession shifting to the visitors. Yet, what could have been a blow in morale for many bigs, served as a motivation boost for Fall, who pulled off a complete performance, inspiring his Reds to [a 76-74 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-holds-off-panathinaikos-to-claim-the-greek-derby-76-74/) at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night.

Gabriel denies Fall on opening possession of derby

There are not many Turkish Airlines EuroLeague centers who can reach that level of impact Fall has on Olympiacos’s game. [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) might be one of them, but the Panathinaikos star missed out on the derby due to long-term injury.

And Fall made the most of his compatriot’s absence by dominating the paint no matter whom he was called to face inside. The Frenchman was crucial in Olympiacos’s efforts to pack the paint, helping to seal all lanes that could have been used for Panathinaikos’s guards to penetrate.

The visitors had a backcourt advantage due to the absence of [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/), but Fall made sure to cover for his teammate on defense. Fall was one of the main reasons why [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) didn’t score a single point in the first half, blocking the MVP candidate’s way to the basket and forcing him off the paint.

Moustapha Fall did it all in the derby

Numbers sometimes speak by themselves, but in Fall’s case, they are rarely enough to demonstrate why he is so crucial for Olympiacos. This time, though, they tell the whole truth. Fall shot 5-for-7 from inside, including a big basket to make it 76-69 with 1:17 left on the clock. He finished the game with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. More importantly, he recorded a season-high 4 blocks, 2 of which came in the first quarter, sending a clear message to whoever tried to attack the basket on Friday night.

“I’m happy when I can help my team get the win, especially against Panathinaikos,” Fall told EuroLeague TV after the game.

An injury that sidelined Fall for several months saw him miss last season’s Greek finals, as well as the first game of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Rediscovering his form after recovering from a serious injury is anything but an easy task for a 33-year-old 7-footer. Yet, Fall is gradually finding his footing and Friday’s display may well be a sign that he’s doing so at the best possible moment – just before the playoffs.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kalimera! ☕️🌫️🤓<a href="https://twitter.com/moustaphafall15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@moustaphafall15</a> made an entrance with style into the <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> Playoffs! 👓🩴<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OLYPAO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OLYPAO</a> <a href="https://t.co/9KA5txJMGF">pic.twitter.com/9KA5txJMGF</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1900817509147672663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With five games to go, Olympiacos has mathematically sealed a top-six spot and it’s pushing to clinch home-court advantage. “We’ve secured our spot in the EuroLeague \[Playoffs\], so we’re happy about this,” Fall added.

Boasting a 22-7 record, the league leader will look to clinch the top spot in the standings for the second time over the last three seasons. And should Fall find consistency ahead of the postseason, Olympiacos will be a clear favorite to seal Final Four qualification for a team-record fourth time in a row.

Fall’s impact on this Olympiacos team is undeniable. And Friday’s display against the reigning champion came to prove why.

Game News

The veteran center dominated on both ends with a complete outing against Panathinaikos 

Olympiacos Piraeus v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-03-14T19:15:00.000Z)

EuroLeague top photos of the week

Rayjon Tucker of Virtus shoots over Real Madrid's Walter Tavares

David McCormack of ALBA is surrounded by Baskonia's Khalifa Diop, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Tadas Sedekerskis

Isiaha Mike of Partizan dunks against FC Barcelona

Shane Larkin of Efes drives past Bayern's Shabazz Napier

Nigel Hayes-Davis of Fenerbahce tries to evade the defense of ASVEL's Andre Roberson

Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos emotes after dunking against Panathinaikos

Ignas Brazdeikis of Zalgiris splits the defense of Paris's Nadir Hifi and Leopold Cavaliere

Nikola Kalinic of Zvezda fights for the ball in between Milan's Nikola Mirotic and Zach LeDay

Vincent Poirier of Efes dunks against Bayern

Evan Fournier of Olympiacos makes his way to basket against Panathinaikos

Look back at all the action from Round 29 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos of the week: Round 29

Round 29 MVP: Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

A stunning individual performance in a winning effort allowed [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) of Anadolu Efes Istanbul to claim Round 29 MVP honors with a round-high PIR of 33.

 

Larkin led Efes to a 92-97 road victory over FC Bayern Munich with a season-high 25 points on 4-of-6 two-pointers, 4-of-8 three-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws. He added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 33, the best index rating this season. Larkin earned MVP of the Round honors for the first time this season and the 18th time in his career, an all-time record.

 

[Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) of FC Barcelona amassed a PIR of 29 on his return from injury as his team beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 87-80. Punter finished the game with 25 points on 2-of-2 two-pointers, 5-of-9 three-pointers and 6-of-6 free throws, as well as 4 assists, 1 steal and 7 fouls drawn. [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne reached a PIR of 27 against one of his former teams, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. He had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal and 4 fouls drawn. [Daniel Theis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-theis/004132/) of AS Monaco and [Johannes Voigtmann](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/johannes-voigtmann/007201/) of Bayern, each with a PIR of 25, complete the top individual performances in Round 29. Theis amassed 16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks in Monaco’s 91-88 loss at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, while Voigtmann posted 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block in Bayern’s defeat to Efes.

 

### Individual highs: Nando De Colo, ASVEL, 11 assists

 

[Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) of Monaco was this week's top scorer with 26 points. [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is the competition's top scorer with 20.1 points per game.

 

[Mam Jaiteh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mam-jaiteh/002581/) of Monaco and [Trevion Williams](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trevion-williams/012604/) of ALBA Berlin led all rebounders by pulling down 11 apiece in Round 29. [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade ranks first overall with 8.3 rebounds per night.

 

Nando De Colo of ASVEL was the only player to reach double digits in assists this week, dishing 11. [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) of Paris Basketball and [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) of Maccabi tie for first place overall with an average of 7.0 assists per night.

 

Bolomboy collected 4 steals, more than anyone else in this round. [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) of FC Bayern Munich is first overall in steals with 1.6 per game.

 

[Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/) of Olympiacos Piraeus had 4 blocks the Greek derby. [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) of Real Madrid (1.38 bpg.) is the competition's top shot blocker with a small lead over [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) of Monaco (1.36 bpg.).

 

Three players registered a double-double in Round 29: Williams (15 points, 11 rebounds), Jaiteh (12 points, 11 rebounds) and De Colo (13 points, 11 assists).

Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague had something for everyone. Check out round's best plays and see who had the best of them!

Top 10 Plays | RS Round 29 | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

 Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague had something for everyone. Check out round's best plays and see who had the best of them!

Round 29: Top 10 Plays

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 29 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 29th winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Konstantinos Maroulis beat everyone else in Round 29 with his team 'Bartzokas Falcons', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 197.00.

Konstantinos had the following starting lineup: Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus as team captain, then Roman Sorkin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Daniel Theis of AS Monaco, Sylvain Francisco of Zalgiris Kaunas and Kostas Sloukas of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens. His sixth man was Nando De Colo of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. The rest of the bench consisted of Paris Basketball's TJ Shorts, FC Bayern Munich's Johannes Voigtmann, Ousmane Diop of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Nicola Akele of Virtus Segafredo Bologna. His team's head coach was Chus Mateo of Real Madrid.

The prize for finishing first in Round 29 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Konstantinos!

Marko Djukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 4,922.79 points.

Trades are now open for Round 30. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season. You can either trade up to four players, or a head coach and three players.

The first game in Round 30 tips off already on Tuesday, March 18, as Paris Basketball hosts EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at 20:30 CET. That game marks 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. 

Rodrigue Beaubois was outstanding in the first half, then Shane Larkin sealed the win down the stretch. 


Beaubois, then Larkin lead Efes's road win 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul confirmed its good form with a 92-97 road win over FC Bayern Munich. Efes became just the third team to win at SAP Garden in the current Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, after Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Virtus Segafredo Bologna. Efes's backcourt stars stepped up to lead their team to its third consecutive victory.

Rodrigue Beaubois arguably had one of the most perfect first quarters in competition history, getting 16 points on no missed shots, fouls committed or turnovers. He just needed six shots, hitting his two attempts inside the arc and going 4 of 4 from downtown. Beaubois added a big block on Carsen Edwards and found Vincent Poirier for an alley-oop dunk. He was close to beat Efes's scoring record in a first quarter, with Will Clyburn having had 17 first-quarter points against Virtus in last season's play-in.

Beaubois eventually started to miss shots but still reached 21 points with over 3 minutes left before halftime. He went on to score two more points in the next 23 minutes. Until Beaubois cooled off, Larkin had been limited to just two points. Of course, Larkin is no ordinary player for Bayern fans. Back in 2019, he set the EuroLeague's all-time scoring mark against Bayern, scoring 49 points. In his previous game against Bayern, Larkin had 28 points and a PIR of 33, leading Efes to a 109-86 victory.

Rodrigue Beaubois and Shane Larkin led Anadolu Efes Istanbul to a 92-97 road win over FC Bayern Munich.

Larkin, Beaubois combine for 48 points against Bayern

Larkin scored 23 points in as many minutes, stepping up in crunch time to make the difference by netting 12 points in the final 6 minutes. With the game tied at 80-80, Larkin used his footwork to generate space and bank in a shot. He added a pair of free throws and a wild three-point play for an 88-90 lead. In the final minute, Larkin still had time to hit a crucial three-pointer and a pair of free throws. After the final buzzer, Larkin had 25 points on 4 of 6 two-pointers, 4-of-8 three-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 5 fouls drawn and a PIR of 33.

After the game, Larkin and Beaubois talked about the importance of this week, and how locked in Efes is right now.

"It was exciting. At the end of the day, this is a game, and you love to compete and to be in these moments, so to be able to be out there in one of these most competitive games down the stretch, with two teams that are fighting for the playoffs... it was an incredible atmosphere, Larkin said. “I am just really happy that my team was able to stick together, fight all the runs and come out on top. 

"We are basically in playoff mode right now. We know that we have to pretty much win every single game to consider ourselves a team that can get into the playoffs. So we are approaching every single game with the same mentality, and we know it's win or lose. And at the end of the day, we got to win more than we lose. And today we went out there and completed the job."

"This is a big one,” Beaubois added. “Obviously, winning here is very difficult, we know that, but we were able to win this game and also show that we are a real team. Everybody contributed, so this one feels extremely good. 

"We gave everything on the floor, everybody that stepped on the floor. That's the way we need to play if we want to achieve what we are trying to achieve, for sure."

After its last three wins, Efes is 15-14 and two wins away from fourth-placed AS Monaco, which has a 17-12 record. It has three more home games against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Zalgiris Kaunas, and two visits to Serbia to go against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.

Rodrigue Beaubois was outstanding in the first half, then Shane Larkin sealed the win down the stretch


Beaubois, then Larkin led Efes's road win at Bayern

FC Bayern Munich v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-03-14T19:30:00.000Z)

Kevin Punter marked his return from injury with an MVP performance as FC Barcelona downed KK Partizan in Round 29.

Kevin Punter shot the lights out to lift Barcelona past Partizan

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) ground out a big [87-80 home win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-roars-back-to-sink-partizan-87-80/) in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague largely thanks to a vintage performance from [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/), who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck to lead his team’s monster comeback.

The hosts looked in trouble throughout the first quarter as Partizan engineered a 10-point lead on three occasions, with the visitors dominating proceedings early on. That, however, was as good as it got for Partizan.

Punter, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury in mid-February, sank 17 first-half points as Barca stormed back to lead 54-41 at the interval. The livewire guard toyed with his markers and hit nothing but net from downtown, allowing the Spanish outfit to turn the tide for good.

In his postgame comments, Punter was totally down to earth as he praised his former club and stressed that he needed to keep up the good work in a bid to maintain the form he displayed in a vintage performance against the Serbian team.

“Credit to Partizan, they played hard, it was two teams battling for a playoff spot. I am glad we were able to come out on top and I am just trying to take it game by game now, I can’t afford to get overexcited,” the 31-year-old said.

Partizan was unable to profit from 18 offensive boards, having racked up 36 in total, as the visiting team missed a barrage of opportunities to score second chance points, allowing Barcelona to hold on to its lead in a rugged and physical fourth quarter.  

[Tomas Satoransky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tomas-satoransky/002939/) acknowledged that Barcelona produced a rollercoaster performance and not for the first time this term, adding that taking anything for granted in the home stretch of the regular season would be completely counterproductive.

 “It was up and down and it’s happened to us a lot this season but we expected a physical game from them,” the Czech guard said. “It would be a mistake to look at the standings now as we’ve seen throughout the season. Every win or loss changes the standings so much, that’s how the EuroLeague is right now and we just have to focus on the next game.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">VICTÒRIA IMPORTANTÍSSIMA, BARÇA 💙❤ <a href="https://t.co/qrzEPZabKU">pic.twitter.com/qrzEPZabKU</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1900667995606700226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Barcelona head coach Joan Penarroya praised his team’s valiant effort.  “I am very happy for this important win, we showed character to turn the game around after trailing in the first quarter. The team showed great mentality to grind out a big win,” he said.

Penarroya’s grim faced counterpart Zeljko Obradovic could only concede that Partizan paid the price for an awful second quarter which Barcelona won 29-9, leaving the Serbian team a mountain to climb after the break.

“We reacted in the second half but it was too late,” Obradovic stated.  “We had some opportunities but we missed too many open shots. This is basketball, we had a very bad second quarter and we have to learn from our mistakes.”

In Round 30, Barcelona is at home to Zalgiris Kaunas while Partizan entertains Anadolu Efes Istanbul in a pair of dogfights for berths in the business end of Europe’s premier club competition. 

The livewire guard came off the bench in his first appearance in a month to sink his former club

FC Barcelona v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-03-14T19:45:00.000Z)

Sasha Vezenkov finished with team highs in points (18), rebounds (9) and assists (5) as Olympiacos BC beat Panathinaikos BC, and his performance may have just wrapped up the EuroLeague MVP trophy for him.

Sasha Vezenkov responded to MVP debate with complete display in Greek derby

[Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) did a bit of everything on the court [against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-holds-off-panathinaikos-to-claim-the-greek-derby-76-74/) on Friday night. 

Having finished with team highs in points (18), rebounds (9) and assists (5), the [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) forward's fingerprints were all over the Reds' 76-74 derby victory at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

The performances of Vezenkov and [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) so far this season have sparked a debate about which player should clinch the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP award. Yet, Vezenkov’s statement outing against Nunn’s Panathinaikos may have just put an end to the discussion.

With five games to go in the regular season, Vezenkov has helped the league leader [become the first team to clinch a top-six spot](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-is-the-first-team-to-reach-the-playoffs/). The 29-year-old forward averages 20.0 points, second only to Nunn's 20.1 PPG, as well as 6.3 rebounds and a league-best 24.5 PIR. In his previous MVP campaign in 2022-23, he was the top scorer of the competition with 17.2 points per game while ranking second in rebounds (6.8) and recording a league-high PIR of 21.2.

With this victory, Olympiacos claimed the head-to-head advantage over Panathinaikos by beating its fierce rival for the eighth game in a row. Some would argue that this victory was the perfect way to avenge Olympiacos’s loss the last time these two teams met, which came in the Greek Cup final in February. But Vezenkov is locked in on the Reds' main objective and has his eyes set on the EuroLeague championship.

“No, no, no,” Vezenkov stressed to EuroLeague TV when asked if this victory serves as revenge for the Greek Cup final defeat. “Because we want titles. We don’t want wins. It’s very important that we won against Panathinaikos, but our goal in this team is to go until the end. We have to be focused, be hungry, be together and go get it.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big W and big celebration for <a href="https://twitter.com/olympiacosbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@olympiacosbc</a> 🔴⚪️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RivalrySeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RivalrySeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/8ddIMRyGHU">pic.twitter.com/8ddIMRyGHU</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1900659342543585667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Having scored in double digits in all 27 of his appearances this season, Vezenkov has demonstrated time and time again that he is one of the best all-around scorers on the continent. But on Friday, he also showed that he can be decisive in other aspects of the game by protecting the boards on defense and distributing the ball on the offensive end when needed.

His last MVP season was followed by a one-year spell in the NBA. On his return, Vezenkov is proving that his performance in the 2022-23 term was no one-off. And he’s doing so in style – by putting together another MVP-caliber campaign.

The Olympiacos forward recorded 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the win over Panathinaikos

FC Barcelona guard Tomas Satoransky spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat KK Partizan in Round 29 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Tomas Satoransky: 'It's a mistake to look at the standings'

FC Barcelona guard Tomas Satoransky spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 29 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

FC Barcelona-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

FC Barcelona took a big step towards securing a postseason berth in the EuroLeague after rallying from a 10-point deficit to beat KK Partizan 87-80, as Kevin Punter returned from injury to haunt his former club.

Barcelona roars back to sink Partizan, 87-80

FC Barcelona took a big step towards securing a postseason berth in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after rallying from a 10-point deficit to beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 87-80, as Kevin Punter returned from injury to haunt his former club.

The result means Barcelona improved its record to 16-13 and moved up to sixth while Partizan dropped to 15-14 and slid down to 10tth place after a second successive defeat, with the Serbian outfit now facing a do-or-die battle in the last five rounds of the regular season to clinch a spot in the business end of the competition.  

Punter, who joined Barcelona from Partizan during the off-season, sank a game-high 25 points, including 17 in a rip-roaring first half when Barcelona fought back to lead 54-41 at the interval having won a monster second quarter 29-9.

Chimezie Metu came up big with 16 points and 6 boards while Tomas Satoransky added 11 points, 3 assists and as many steals for Barca, which turned the matchup on its head after Partizan had raced into an early 0-8 lead and then extended the advantage to 13-23 and 22-32 in a flawless first quarter for the visitors.  

At the other end, Sterling Brown and Isiaha Mike netted 16 points apiece for Partizan, but both men were stifled out in a rugged and physical second half when baskets were hard to come by. Carlik Jones scored 14 while Vanja Marinkovic and Brandon Davies amassed 11 points each for the visiting team, which committed 10 turnovers and some of them turned out to be very costly.

Game Videos

Brown and Mike fired on all cylinders as Partizan appeared to be in complete control in the first quarter, with shots raining in from all angles for the visitors. However, the tide turned in the second as the Serbian team clearly missed Iffe Lundberg in the backcourt, with the Danish guard pulling out due to illness several hours before the contest.

In contrast, Punter made his first appearance in a month for Barcelona after recovering from a shoulder injury and led the home team’s onslaught in the second quarter, hitting three-pointers almost at will with Metu following in his footsteps.

Barca kept firing on all cylinders early in the third and maintained its 13-point advantage, 65-52, before Partizan conjured a 0-9 run and threw the game wide open. The hosts regained their composure and led 73-67 ahead of the final 10 minutes, with Partizan missing a pair of open these in a single possession.

It was a titanic tussle in the fourth as Partizan closed the gap to two points, 77-75, on the back of aggressive half-court pressure and five unanswered points by Mike at the other end, but the visitors fizzed out when the chips were down and Barca effectively sealed the contest with a 6-0 run.

An easy steal followed by an easier dunk from Satoransky, courtesy of a comical Partizan turnover, drew a wry smile from visiting head coach Zeljko Obradovic, who could only watch helplessly as Barcelona ultimately coasted to a much-needed win. 

The Spanish giant stormed back from a first-quarter deficit to snatch a precious home win 

PJ Dozier sends it in the air and Dan Oturu throws it down in traffic. BOOM!

Oturu's alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

For the fourth season in a row, Olympiacos BC fans will get to see their team compete in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Olympiacos is the first team to reach the playoffs

For the fourth season in a row, [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) fans will get to see their team compete in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

The Reds [beat Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 76-74](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-holds-off-panathinaikos-to-claim-the-greek-derby-76-74/) in Round 29 on Friday night to move to a 22-7 record and remain at the top of the EuroLeague standings.

This is the 16th time that Olympiacos has made it to the current playoff format, which has been in place since the 2004-05 season.

### The cream of the crop

It took a new-look Olympiacos a little while to get going early in the season as it looked to reintegrate 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/), back after a year in the NBA, and get fellow new signing [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/) up to speed with the team's offense. Georgios Bartzokas's men sat at 2-3 after five games, but few people doubted Olympiacos; it just needed to iron out some kinks.

The Reds then went on a six-game winning run to improve to 8-3, with the run beginning with notable victories over three powerhouses in Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Panathinaikos. Despite stumbling between Rounds 12 and 15, going 1-3, a run of seven straight wins allowed the Greek side to take command of first place with a 16-6 record.

Olympiacos is now in the midst of another period of six consecutive wins, having responded to a surprise home defeat to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul by beating Paris Basketball and Barcelona on the road before downing Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Panathinaikos at home.

Coach Bartzokas's team currently ranks first in PIR (104.2) and assists (21.1 APG), while they are second in scoring (87.4 PPG). MVP candidate Vezenkov is also first in PIR (24.5) and second in points (20.0 PPG) among all players.

Olympiacos’s super duo | Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier in sync

### How has Olympiacos historically fared in the playoffs?

Since the 2004-05 season, Olympiacos has gone 9-6 in the 15 playoff series it has played to date. It holds a 23-8 record in playoff games held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, but in road games it has been a different story, having posted a 10-21 record on its travels.

In fact, Olympiacos made history last year by advancing to the Final Four for the third year in a row, something it had never done before. Its Final Four appearances are as follows: 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024. It will be hoping to keep writing history in 2025.

Now that Olympiacos has locked up a top-six finish, its next objective will be to finish in the top four and thus will guarantee home-court advantage in the playoffs, with Games 1, 2 and 5 taking place at the higher-seeded team's court.

More Olympiacos News

The Reds guaranteed a top-six finish by beating archrival Panathinaikos in Round 29

Anadolu Efes guard Shane Larkin spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat FC Bayern Basketball in Round 29 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Shane Larkin: 'We're in playoff mode right now'

Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard Shane Larkin spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat FC Bayern Munich in Round 29 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

FC Bayern Munich-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Shane Larkin and Rodrigue Beaubois combined for 48 points as Anadolu Efes beat FC Bayern Basketball 92-97 on the road in Round 29.


Shane Larkin leads Efes past Bayern, 92-97

Anadolu Efes Istanbul grabbed its third consecutive victory by topping FC Bayern Munich 92-97 at SAP Garden in Round 29 on Friday. Efes improved to 15-14 in the standings while Bayern dropped to 17-12 having lost just its third home game this season. 

Shane Larkin paced the winners with 25 points. Rodrigue Beaubois added 23 while Dan Oturu and Elijah Bryant each had 12 for Efes. Nick Weiler-Babb and Carsen Edwards led Bayern with 18 points apiece. Johannes Voigtmann added 16 while Elias Harris had 15 for the hosts.

Voigtmann got Bayern going with a three-pointer. Beaubois followed a jumper with a fast-break layup for a 3-4 Efes lead. Voigtmann banked in a floater before Weiler-Babb scored a layup and a jumper, good for a 9-4 Bayern lead. Weiler-Babb bettered Ercan Osmani's tip-in with a bomb from downtown. Beaubois struck twice from beyond the arc and Darius Thompson added a fast-break layup to make Efes regain a 12-14 lead. Bryant buried a jumper, then Rolands Smits capped a 0-12 run with a layup. Voigtmann stepped up with a layup before a red-hot Beaubois downed consecutive catch-and-shoot triples. Shabazz Napier bettered Poirier's dunk with a three-pointer to get Bayern within 17-26 after 10 minutes.

Larkin scored in penetration and Oturu added a layup in transition to boost Efes's lead to 17-30. Napier stepped up for the hosts, Weiler-Babb hit a jumper and Voigtmann's backdoor layup made the guests call a timeout at 23-33. Weiler-Babb nailed a stop-and-pop triple and Niels Giffey improved Oturu's alley-oop slam with a bomb from downtown. Edwards took over with a driving layup before Beaubois fired in his fifth triple and added a jumper to make Bayern stop the game at 31-40. Smits sank a floater and Larkin struck from downtown to cap a 0-10 Efes run. Voigtmann and Edwards stepped up for Bayern, but Larkin did better with back-to-back three-pointers. Giffey banked in a close shot for a 37-51 score at halftime.  

Weiler-Babb nailed a stepback triple right after the break. Vladimir Lucic also struck from downtown for a 43-51 Bayern deficit. Harris followed a basket-plus-foul with a dunk that made Efes call a timeout, 48-51, after a 13-0 run. Porier stepped up for the guests and Bryant followed a triple with a driving layup, giving Efes fresh air at 48-58. Edwards and Harris rescued Bayern, then Voigtmann brought his team within 57-60. Edwards buried a baseline jumper and Napier completed the hosts' comeback, 62-60. Smits fired in one from downtown, Edwards scored again before Oturu restored a 64-65 Efes edge. Edwards buried a three-pointer to give Bayern a 67-65 lead after 30 minutes.

Andreas Obst downed a three-pointer and Edwards added a jumper to boost Bayern's lead to 72-66. Dozier answered from beyond the arc and Beaubois's layup made it a one-point game, 72-71. Obst took over with back-to-back three-pointers but Oturu single-handedly kept Efes within 78-76. Larkin banked in a driving shot which Bryant followed with a fast-break layup for a 78-80 Efes lead. Harris scored down low and Weiler-Babb swished a three-pointer but Larkin kept Efes in charge, 83-84, with 4 minutes left. Voigtmann sank a triple that Bryant erased with a basket-plus-foul. Edwards took over with an acrobatic driving layup that Larkin improved with a wild three-point play. Harris dunked before Larkin's three-pointer gave Efes a 90-93 lead with 49.8 seconds left. Obst and Edwards each missed twice from downtown before Harris got Bayern within 92-93 with 14.7 seconds remaining. Larkin made free throws, Weiler-Babb missed from downtown and Dozier sealed Efes's win with a layup.

The 32-year-old and Rodrigue Beaubois combined for 48 points as their team racked up their 15th victory of the season

Olympiacos BC extended its winning streak against Panathinaikos BC to eight games by edging past its rival 76-74 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night.

Olympiacos holds off Panathinaikos to claim the Greek derby, 76-74

Olympiacos Piraeus extended its winning streak against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to eight games by edging past its rival 76-74 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night. The hosts led for most of the game and were up by as many as 17 points (58-39) with 3:38 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Panathinaikos showed character and bounced back in the fourth, making it a one-possession game in the closing stages, but didn’t manage to complete the comeback.

Having also won away at Panathinaikos earlier this season, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague leader claimed the head-to-head advantage while also mathematically sealed a top-six spot, improving its record to 22-7. Meanwhile, the guests dropped to 18-11 in their pursuit of a top-four finish.

Sasha Vezenkov paced Olympiacos with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Nigel Williams-Goss scored 14 points before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury. Kostas Papanikolaou netted 11 and Moustapha Fall added 10. For Panathinaikos, Konstantinos Mitoglou scored a team-high 18 points, Cedi Osman recorded 13, 9 of which were scored in the first quarter, Lorenzo Brown poured in 11 and Juancho Hernangomez had 10.

It was raining triples in the opening stages of the Greek derby, with Papanikolaou and Williams-Goss responding to a couple of Osman three-pointers by hitting one each before Vezenkov netted four straight points for a 10-6 lead. Williams-Goss added four points to his tally, extending Olympiacos’s early surge to 15-0 for an 18-6 cushion. Osman scored inside to end that run, but Fall netted at the other end for a 20-9 lead after 10 minutes.

Tibor Pleiss opened his account with a mid-range jumper, but Peters responded with one of his own and Papanikolaou drilled a triple that extended Olympiacos’s advantage to 25-11. Kostas Sloukas netted four straight points off the bench, but Shaquielle McKissic answered with a triple, 28-15. Vezenkov completed a four-point play, yet Panathinaikos responded with a 0-8 run fueled by Hernangomez, who brought the guests within 33-25. But Fall dunked before three points by Vezenkov gave Olympiacos a 38-27 cushion at halftime.

Mitoglou and Papanikolaou traded triples before Osman and Williams-Goss exchanged buckets inside, with Vezenkov scoring four straight points for a 47-32 lead. Sloukas responded with a three-point play, then buckets by Lorenzo Brown and Wenyen Gabriel cut the difference to 50-39. Luca Vildoza drained a corner triple before setting up Fall for a dunk that extend Olympiacos’s lead to 58-39. Yet, Brown nailed a three and a pair of transition buckets from Mitoglou and Kendrick Nunn brought Panathinaikos within 58-48. But Nikola Milutinov netted inside and Vildoza made 2 of 2 from the line to make it 62-50 heading into the closing quarter.

Saben Lee opened the fourth with four straight points – his first in an Olympiacos jersey – and Milutinov slam-dunked for a 68-54 cushion. Brown replied with four straight points and Nunn scored in transition to bring Panathinaikos within 70-59. Brown and Mitoglou drilled back-to-back triples before a couple of free throws from the latter slashed the deficit to 74-69. Fall slammed home a dunk, but Nunn nailed a triple and Mitoglou scored inside to make it 76-74 with 34 seconds left on the clock. Milutinov missed inside, but Sloukas couldn’t hit what would have been the game-winning triple as Olympiacos clinched the victory.

The Reds registered their eighth-straight victory against their rivals

Olympiacos BC forward Sasha Vezenkov spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Panathinaikos BC in Round 29 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Sasha Vezenkov: 'We want titles, not wins'

Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Round 29 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.