Look back at all the action in Round 16 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos from Round 16

Look back at all the action from Round 16 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Wenyen Gabriel rose to Ataman’s challenge with devastating second half

It’s fair to say that [Wenyen Gabriel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wenyen-gabriel/013383/) has been through a period of ups and downs since joining [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-bc-athens/roster/pan/?season=2024-25) as an emergency mid-season signing. But on Thursday he delivered a strong statement to the Greens and their legion of fans: you can count on me.

The big man was snapped up from [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/roster/tel/?season=2024-25) in December, shortly after star center [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/profile/003842/) was [ruled out for several months](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/all-euroleague-center-mathias-lessort-leaves-game-with-leg-injury/) with a broken leg.

Gabriel’s instant impression was outstanding: his debut saw him netting 6 points without a miss from the field, pulling down 8 rebounds, making 5 blocked shots and grabbing 2 steals as his team became the first [road victors at FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-hands-bayern-first-ever-euroleague-loss-at-sap-garden-69-80/) all season.

Then it all became a lot more difficult. Over the next four games, Gabriel could average only 2.8 points and 1 rebound, mustering a feeble PIR of just 2.5 per night and spending no more than 10 minutes on the floor as he paid second fiddle to in-form [Omer Yurtseven](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/omer-yurtseven/005353/). But then Yurtseven [suffered an ankle injury](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-loses-center-yurtseven/).

Nunn beats the buzzer! Magic Moment

For Thursday night’s home meeting with [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2024-25), Gabriel’s number was called to make his first start in Panathinaikos colors. He answered that call… And then some.

The 27-year-old led all players with a PIR of 28, achieved by pouring in 15 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting, along with 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in a game-high total of nearly 34 minutes on the floor.

And those numbers only tell part of the story, because Gabriel reserved his dominance for the second half as his team launched an almost unbelievable comeback from 29-49 down to eventual [89-76 winners](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-stuns-zalgiris-with-huge-comeback-win-89-76/).

His first points came with the opening play of the third quarter, quickly followed by a couple more as the home team’s initial spurt reduced the deficit to 10 points. Zalgiris resisted and seemed to be taking a 13-point lead – or more – into the final period, but then Gabriel played his part in the most important moment of the game. Protecting his basket on the final play of the third period, he delivered a big block on [Dovydas Giedraitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dovydas-giedraitis/007513/), allowing [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) to run the floor and raise the roof with a buzzer-beating three-point strike.

Game Videos

He continued to deliver throughout the fourth quarter, rising for an even bigger block on [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/) and maintaining his offensive threat with three more scores including, fittingly, the go-ahead-for-good basket at 71-70.

In the aftermath of the thrilling win, Gabriel admitted that he was acting under orders from coach Ergin Ataman to give his team more.

“It was a must-win game for us, and coach challenged me the other day to step up,” he told [EuroLeague.TV](http://EuroLeague.TV).  “My teammates have always been in me every step of the way, their belief in me has continued to grow.”

Reflecting more generally on his team’s comeback, Gabriel explained exactly how Panathinaikos turned the game around so dramatically. “We had to pick up our intensity,” he said. “They scored 51 in the first half and we knew this was a game about defense.

“We came out with a different intensity in the second half. We picked up full court, we pressured the guards, we put more emphasis on the pick and roll. Once we gained some momentum, the crowd chipped in with some energy and we were allowed to let talent take over.”

The win keeps the reigning champ in the thick of the race for a top four finish, and Gabriel showed on Thursday that he can play a major part over the coming weeks.

“Every day I continue to put in the work,” he concluded. “We go out there and make a team effort \[towards\] at the end of the year what we’re trying to go for. Every game matters.”

Every game matters, and every man matters. On Thursday night, nobody mattered more than Wenyen Gabriel.

Game News

The South Sudan big man was sensational in his first Panathinaikos start

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-01-23T19:15:00.000Z)

The 2025 edition of the One Team Games is in the books! Between January 14 to 17, the 38 clubs in the Euroleague Basketball family celebrated the One Team Games at a combined 28 games across the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup, spreading the One Team mantra across the continent. Unforgettable memories were made, connections were strengthened with the club's ambassadors, and everybody united as one – because #WeAreAllOneTeam.

The 2025 One Team Games was once again a roaring success!

He had an ACL injury, the second in his career


Gran Canaria: Alocen, out for the season 

Dreamland Gran Canaria playmaker Carlos Alocen is set to miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL in his right knee. Alocen (1.94 meters, 24 years old) got injury early in the second quarter of his team's BKT EuroCup game against Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius. Alocen had a similar injury in his left knee back in 2020, playing for Real Madrid, which had him sidelined for the best part of two years: it took him 651 days to return to a basketball court. Alocen averaged 5.5 points and 3.1 assists in 16 EuroCup games this season.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">📝 Carlos Alocén sufre una rotura del ligamento cruzado.<br><br>▪ El jugador cayó lesionado de su rodilla derecha en el partido del miércoles. Fuerza, Carlos. Volverás mejor, volverás más fuerte.<br><br>¡Estamos contigo! ➡ <a href="https://t.co/b2J8RzJoOH">https://t.co/b2J8RzJoOH</a> <a href="https://t.co/LOVWseJJMx">pic.twitter.com/LOVWseJJMx</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1882730361505095950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Gran Canaria: Alocen out for the season 

AS Monaco center Georgios Papagiannis spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 23 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Georgios Papagiannis: 'We had to win this game'

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v AS Monaco (2025-01-23T19:30:00.000Z)

AS Monaco's young guard Matthew Strazel had another big performance - and earned the praise of head coach Vassilis Spanoulis – after defeating Virtus Segafredo Bologna 80-86 in Round 23 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Coach Spanoulis pleased with Matthew Strazel's improvements 

[AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/roster/mco/?season=2024-25) was missing two of its top scorers for its important showdown with [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/roster/vir/?season=2024-25). Luckily, the club’s young guard [Matthew Strazel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matthew-strazel/008099/) had another big performance - and earned the praise of head coach Vassilis Spanoulis.

Monaco came up with a strong game in taking [an 80-86 road win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-rallies-from-21-points-down-defeats-virtus-80-86/) over in-form Virtus to snap a three-game losing streak despite not having the services of [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/) and [Jordan Loyd](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jordan-loyd/009754/).

While [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) scored a season-high 24 points, Strazel chipped in 14 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in more than 32 minutes on the court. The 22-year-old biggest’s score was a clutch three-point play to give Monaco a 74-78 lead with 1:51 minutes left in the game.

Matt Strazel came up big against Virtus

“Matthew is playing really, really high level basketball. I talk with him a lot and the most important thing is to have great mentality, attitude and work hard every day and listen. Young generations have to listen. Matthew is listening, he’s competing hard, he’s practicing. And I am very happy about him and how he is helping the team get wins,” Spanoulis said of Strazel, who is spending his third season with Monaco after coming over from LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in 2022.

“He has to keep going. He is very young. He has a lot of room for improvement. But I am very very proud of him and the way he takes information and the way he is improving and getting more mature in his game.”

Strazel’s performance was needed against Virtus as Monaco was playing without Okobo and Loyd. Okoko is averaging 12.9 points and 3.9 assists and Loyd has tallied 10.2 points and 2.2 assists this season.

“We had two people out tonight - Jordan and Elie - and that was big, stepping up and winning on the road without two of our bigger players. I am just really happy we could get a road win, especially after last week,” said James, referring to Monaco losing both games from the double-rounder.

Strazel has stepped up in the last two months. In his last five EuroLeague games, the Frenchman is averaging 14.2 points for a season average of 8.5 points. This was the first game since Round 15 that he didn’t make at least 1 three-pointer and he is shooting 44.9% percent from long range on the season.

Strazel came into the season after a great 2024 summer in which he helped the French national team win silver at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Despite being only 22 years old, Strazel already has appeared in 131 EuroLeague games, playing in 16 games in his rookie season in 2019-20 for ASVEL.

So, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that Strazel is there to step up when Monaco is missing something.

Monaco’s young guard has stepped up over the last two months

Virtus Segafredo Bologna-AS Monaco | RS Round 23 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 23 game between Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz had a little bit of everything and then some as Los Blancos won 90-89 on Mario Hezonja's last-second three-pointer


Mario Hezonja decided an instant classic 

It was one of the games of the season. [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2024-25) and [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/roster/bas/?season=2024-25) offered Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans a wild back-and-forth battle that literally came down to the final seconds. The game saw 17 lead changes and [Mario Hezonja](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mario-hezonja/003108/) had the final word, making one of those shots that will be forever remembered by Real fans.

The game had been very close for almost 35 minutes. Real used a 7-0 run that [Facu Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) capped with a layup to get a 71-67 lead. Baskonia bounced back in style, as [Donta Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/donta-hall/011196/) took over with a huge alley-oop slam and [Luka Samanic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/luka-samanic/007579/) did what only the chosen ones do in this competition: posterize [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/). [Trent Forrest](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trent-forrest/013367/) soon gave the visitors a 74-75 edge but it didn't last long. Hezonja, Campazzo and [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/) combined for all the points a 10-0 run that put Real on the right track to win the game, 84-75.

Chima Moneke, Donta Hall and Luka Samanic of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz all dunked in traffic against Real Madrid.

Baskonia's outstanding dunks

Baskonia had other ideas, as Forrest and [Nikos Rogkavopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikolaos-rogkavopoulos/011085/) ignited a 0-13 run highlighted by [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/)'s four-point play. When Samanic made free throws with 1:09 left, Baskonia led 84-88 and Real needed answers on offense. Hezonja buried a big three-pointer and Real fouled [Kamar Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kamar-baldwin/012597/) with 18.7 seconds remaining. Baldwin, an 87.0% free throw shooter before this game, missed both attempts. Samanic grabbed the rebounds and split his attempts for a 87-89 score with 17.1 seconds left.

Real had the stroke of luck it needed with those 3 missed free throws and had a chance to win the game after a timeout. Campazzo almost turned the ball over but Tavares grabbed the loose ball and found Hezonja. He had time to dribble once, see Moneke fly past him and take an open shot. Nothing but net. Hezonja had won the game with 0.2 seconds left. His celebration, raising both hands to the crowd, pointing to the court and bumping Real's logo on his jersey, is already one of the most iconic moments of the season.

Real Madrid edged Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 90-89 on a game-winning three-pointer by Mario Hezonja with 0.2 seconds left.

Hezonja's game-winning shot

After the game, Hezonja said that he felt his game-winner allowed him to bounce back from what he thought it was a slow game despite his good numbers: 22 points, 5 rebounds and a chase-down block.

"The ball was bouncing over my head. I never had a good position for a single rebound, they had some multiple possessions," Hezonja said. "That's how it felt for the entire game. So terrible game for me, terrible game for the team. Okay, we won, this is always nice, to give the show for our fans. This is what they pay to come to see, but if we want to get as far as we want to this year, we really have to clean these errors now because everything started to be so, so important and we need to go up in in the standings."

So far, Hezonja saved this one at the buzzer and Real is now one win away from third-place AS Monaco, its Round 24 opponent next week.

The game between Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz had a little bit of everthing, and then some 


Real Madrid v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025-01-23T19:45:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv earned a morale-boosting 85-73 win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade after an inspired performance in the Serbian capital’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall

Maccabi trampled Crvena Zvezda behind an aggressive approach.

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/roster/tel/?season=2024-25) earned a morale-boosting [85-73 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/sharpshooting-maccabi-rolls-over-crvena-zvezda-85-73/) over [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/roster/red/?season=2024-25) after an inspired performance in the Serbian capital’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, giving its fans something to cheer about in an otherwise difficult season.

Having been forced to move its home fixtures from Israel for a second successive season, Maccabi silenced a predominantly Zvezda crowd in the gym and improved to 6-17, while the Serbian side slipped to 13-10 and now faces a tight battle to reach the playoffs.

Maccabi was buzzing from both inside and outside, shooting 12 of 23 from deep and 19 of 29 inside the three-point arc while forcing Zvezda to take a barrage of tough shots from all over.

The visiting team made a mere 19 of 41 from inside and 7 of 23 from downtown, a testament to Maccabi’s ironclad defense that knocked the Serbian side off its stride from the start.

Zvezda’s clutch player [Isaiah Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/), in devastating form recently, was limited to just 2 points – both of them from the foul line as he shot 0 of 6 from the floor with his markers hustling him all over the perimeter.

At the other end, player of the game [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) scored 14 as he sank 4 of 5 from deep and managed 6 boards too, while [John DiBartolomeo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/john-dibartolomeo/007990/) netted a team-high 15 on 5 of 7 shooting from deep.

Finally, [Jaylen Hoard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaylen-hoard/006835/) racked up 13 points to go with 2 assists and 4 steals as Maccabi dictated the pace throughout, with Blatt and head coach Oded Kattash underscoring just how much the win meant to the Israeli champs.

“We really needed it and we played great on both ends, most of all defensively,” Blatt said in his postgame comments. “Every game matters so we just have to keep fighting and build on this, trying to get as many wins as we can,” the playmaker added.

Kattash acknowledged that his team was hungry to snap its poor run in Europe’s premier club competition. “We headed into the game with the right energy and the right attitude, having won the battle of the boards and most of the 50-50 balls,” he said.

"We had a good week of practice and we played the right way at both ends of the court. We needed this one for our confidence, our fans and our people, as it hasn’t been easy for us this season. We came out aggressive and ready to play, so I think we deserved to win.”

The loss comes at a bad time for Zvezda ahead of what is certain to be rip-roaring Serbian derby at archrival Partizan Mozzartbet Belgrade next week, with head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos conceding that his men lacked focus and energy.

“In the third quarter we closed the gap from 15 points to 8 but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to knock Maccabi off their rhythm,” the Greek tactician told reporters at the postgame press conference.

“Tonight we weren’t aggressive and we need to change that. We were nervous and we didn’t take the right decisions because we were always one step behind and lacked concentration.”

The home team dominated at both ends of the court as it mixed impressive shooting with strong defense

Maccabi trampled Crvena Zvezda behind an aggressive approach

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-01-23T19:05:00.000Z)

Real Madrid guard Facu Campazzo spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 23 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Facu Campazzo: 'We got lucky a little bit'

AS Monaco marched back from 21 points down to defeat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 80-86 on the road in Round 23 to snap a three-game losing streak in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Monaco rallies from 21 points down, defeats Virtus 80-86 

AS Monaco marched back from 21 points down to defeat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 80-86 on the road to snap a three-game losing streak. Virtus went up by 21 points early in the second quarter and Monaco finally claimed the lead midway through the final frame to grab the victory. Monaco bounced back from the two losses in last week’s double rounder to improve to 14-9. 

Mike James scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Matthew Strazel had 14 points and Donatas Motiejunas and Georgios Papagiannis both chipped in 11 points in the win. Virtus dropped to 7-16 overall and 5-4 overall since Dusko Ivanovic took over as head coach. Toko Shengelia scored 15 points, Alessandro Pajola had 14 and Marco Belinelli 11. Virtus made 8 of its first 12 three-pointers before ending 13 of 34 from long range for the game.

Jaron Blossomgame scored 4 quick points to help Monaco jump ahead 3-8. The hosts meanwhile relied on long jumpers and got three triples - one of them a four-point play from Belinelli to go up 13-10. Rayjon Tucker knocked down a second three-pointer and Matthew Morgan converted 3 free throws as Virtus led 26-18 after 10 minutes. 

Virtus continued the strong play to start the second quarter with Pajola sandwiching triples around a Morgan three-point play in a 13-0 run for a 39-18 advantage. It was a 21-1 surge over the two quarters. Monaco needed nearly 3 minutes before finally scoring on a James three-point play to start a 0-7 spurt to trim the deficit to 14 points. Monaco kept chipping away at the lead thanks to Papagiannis with 7 points in a 2-14 run to make it 47-41. Virtus led 49-41 at the break. 

Another Tucker triple early in the second half pushed the lead back to 12 points. Petr Cornelie countered with a three-pointer and dunk and Monaco was within 53-48. Alpha Diallo added three scores and Monaco closed the gap to 60-56. The score was 62-56 after 30 minutes.

Virtus still had a 66-58 lead early in the final frame, but James drained back-to-back triples and the game was deadlocked 66-66. Monaco finally came all the way back to lead 67-68 on 2 Blossomgame free throws. Belinelli’s triple was answered from long range by James before Belinelli drained another three-pointer and it was 74-73. Papagiannis scored inside at the other end and Strazel converted a three-point play to give Monaco the lead 74-78 with 111 seconds to go. Blossomgame added a putback dunk and James iced the game with 4 free throws in the final 53 seconds.

Monaco snaps three-game losing streak as Mike James shines in fourth quarter 

Real Madrid-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 23 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard Tamir Blatt spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 23 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Tamir Blatt: 'We really needed this'

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 23 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Panathinaikos AKTPR Athens center Wenyen Gabriel spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 23 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Wenyen Gabriel: 'Coach challenged me to step up'

Kendrick Nunn’s momentum-changer sparked historic comeback for Panathinaikos

Heading towards the halftime interval of Thursday’s all-greens showdown between [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-bc-athens/roster/pan/?season=2024-25) and [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2024-25), it seemed certain that the reigning champs were heading towards a third straight victory while their Lithuanian counterparts were preparing to reignite their playoff challenge with a statement road win.

Zalgiris had dominated the first half at both ends of the floor, leaning on an unstoppable interior offense and a smothering defense. The lead grew to 20 points, 29-49, when [Deividas Sirvydis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/deividas-sirvydis/007029/) scored 7 points in a row to cap a 0-11 run.

Even when the second half started with an inevitable initial Panathinaikos comeback, Zalgiris was still able to reassert its advantage. [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/) and Sirvydis scored in a 0-6 run that grew the lead to 55-69 with just 12 minutes left, just after home team coach Ergin Ataman underlined his team’s frustration by being hit with a second technical foul for dissent, consigned to the locker room for the rest of the game.

Then the madness ensued.

The third quarter’s final play was seemingly under Zalgiris’s control, trying to extend a 57-70 lead. But then [Wenyen Gabriel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wenyen-gabriel/013383/) denied the driving [Dovydas Giedraitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dovydas-giedraitis/007513/) with a powerhouse block, the loose ball was picked up by [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/), who immediately raced down the floor before pulling up to drain a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

That momentum-changer was followed by an electric start to the final quarter, as Nunn scored another trio of baskets and [Cedi Osman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/) scored at the rim. [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) joined the fun, Gabriel continued his stellar second half with the go-ahead score, [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) added free throws, Hernangomez hit a triple and Gabriel scored again. In the space of just over 4 minutes, a 21-0 run had turned the game on its head, and shellshocked Zalgiris had no answer as the home team continued to dominate until the final buzzer.

As the raucous celebrations of the fans attested, it was a big win for a Panathinaikos team that was desperate to avoid falling to a third straight defeat.

It was also historic, with the recovery from a 20-point deficit tying the biggest-ever comeback achieved by the Greens – alongside a 22-42 to 86-83 swing against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in April 2021.

Top scorer Nunn, who poured in 25 points, didn’t even seem surprised when he spoke to [EuroLeague.TV](http://EuroLeague.TV) after the game, explaining: “There’s a lot of character in our locker room, from top to bottom. Guys step up when everything is going wrong, just finding a way, every possession, not quitting.

“We could have easily given in, but there’s a lot of character in the dressing room and credit to all my teammates.”

The Greens erased a 20-point deficit to end a two-game losing streak

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 23 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens launched a comeback for the ages to overcome Zalgiris Kaunas with a thrilling 89-76 home win in Round 23 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Panathinaikos stuns Zalgiris with huge comeback win, 89-76

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens launched a comeback for the ages to overcome Zalgiris Kaunas with a thrilling 89-76 home win. The reigning champs were down by 20 before halftime, but a 21-0 run sealed a thrilling recovery which improved the Greek team to 14-9, while Zalgiris dropped to 11-12.

Zalgiris controlled from the opening tipoff and pulled into a 34-51 lead by halftime. But the second half was a totally different story as the home team dominated for an ultimately comfortable win. Kendrick Nunn led the scoring with 26 points, while Wenyen Gabriel excelled with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Kostas Sloukas added 16 points, and Juancho Hernangomez scored 14. Lonnie Walker 19 for Zalgiris, with Deividas Sirvydis adding 15.

Arnas Butkevicius opened the scoring from deep, before Hernangomez responded from close range. Brady Manek, Jerian Grant and Walker kept the scoreboard moving, and Laurynas Birutis netted two in a row to push Zalgiris ahead, 6-11. Walker’s three-point play was answered by Ioannis Papapetrou and Grant as the scoring slowed, and Papapetrou struck again for his team’s first lead, 15-14. But Dovydas Giedraitis, two scores from Sirvydis and Matt Mitchell’s layup-and-one pushed Zalgiris back in front, 17-25, at the end of the first.

Nunn’s layup was answered by Bryant Dunston’s putback slam to start the second, before Cedi Osman and Nunn gradually pulled the host closer, 26-32. Birutis, Giedraitis and Walker gave Zalgiris a quickfire 0-6 run for a 26-38 lead. Nunn finally made the home team’s first triple, but Walker hit back with a driving bucket before Dunston dunked and Sirvydis blasted 7 points in a row to make it 29-49 after a 0-11 run. Sloukas scored 5 fast points to stop the bleeding, and it was 34-51 at the interval.

Gabriel and Grant gave Panathinaikos a fast start to the second half, but Francisco’s triple reasserted Zalgiris. Hernangomez, Butkevicius and Nunn all struck from deep to make it 44-57. Gabriel and Nunn pulled the host within single digits, 50-58, but Walker’s threeball relieved the pressure. Gabriel netted another inside bucket, before home team coach Ergin Ataman was ejected for his second technical foul. Walker again struck from deep and Sirvydis added a layup, making it 60-70 after three quarters despite Nunn’s buzzer-beating triple.

Osman’s triple and Nunn’s consecutive baskets narrowed the gap to 67-70 to start the final period. Hernangomez made it a 1-point game, and Gabriel’s layup forced a lead change. Hernangomez’s triple and Gabriel’s layup completed a 21-0 run, making it 78-70. Ulanovas scored Zalgiris’s first points for 6 minutes from the line, but Sloukas netted consecutive baskets for a double-digit lead, 83-72. The unstoppable Gabriel’s layup underlined the host’s dominance, sealing the outcome long before the final buzzer as Zalgiris failed to score a single field goal in the final quarter.

The reigning champ recovered from 20 points down with a stunning fourth quarter