Name: HEZONJA WINS IT! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

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.

Game Videos

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.

Game News

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

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

"Super Mario" buried the game-winning shot with 0.2 seconds left


Hezonja's three leads Real past Baskonia, 90-89! 

In a thriller that came down to the wire, Real Madrid edged Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 90-89 on a game-winning three-pointer by Mario Hezonja with 0.2 seconds left. Real improved to 13-10 in the standings while Baskonia dropped to 9-14. 

Hezonja and Facu Campazzo led the winners with 22 points apiece. Dzanan Musa added 16 while Walter Tavares had 10 for Real. Nikos Rogkavopoulos paced Baskonia with 22 points. Trent Forrest added 19, Chima Moneke had 14 while Luka Samanic got 10 for the visitors.

Musa got Real going with a driving layup. Sander Raieste erased it with a fastbreak dunk and Moneke soon gave Baskonia its first lead, 3-4. Tavares followed a three-point play with a tip-in in a 7-0 run that Campazzo matched with a driving layup. Raieste answered from downtown and Forrest dunked. After Musa stepped up with a layup, Markus Howard and Eli Ndiaye traded triples. Khalifa Diop's jump hook brought the visitors within 15-14. Campazzo bettered Moneke's put-back dunk with a three-pointer and added an acrobatic layup for a 20-16 Real lead. Forrest hit one from beyond the arc and added a stop-and-pop jumper. Alberto Abalde gave Real a 22-21 edge after 10 minutes.

 

Samanic took over with a three-point play early in the second quarter. Andres Feliz beat the shot clock with a running hook, which Hezonja followed with consecutive layups for a 28-26 Real lead. After Hezonja buried a three-pointer, Rogkavopoulos and Usman Garuba traded baskets. Moneke brought Baskonia within 33-31. Garuba kept pushing Los Blancos with a layup. but Forrest followed a jumper with a wild driving layup that put Baskonia ahead 35-37. Kamar Baldwin matched Hugo Gonzalez's alley-oop layup with a step-back jumper and Rogkavopoulos's corner triple boosted the visitors' lead to 37-42. Serge Ibaka answered from downtown and Campazzo's floater brought his team within 42-45 at halftime.

Hezonja downed a jumper right after the break. Moneke answered with a put-back layup, which Baldwin followed with a mid-range jumper for a 44-49 score. Hezonja followed a three-pointer with a layup. Forrest hit another jumper before Campazzo's basket-plus-foul gave Real a 52-51 edge. Xavier Rathan-Mayes found his first points and Moneke dunked in transition before Musa boosted his team's lead to 56-53. Rogkavopoulos and Howard each buried a triple in a 0-8 run that Forrest capped with a fadeaway jumper. After Tavares and Musa made free throws, Rogkavopoulos answered with a layup. Campazzo kept Real close. Ognjan Jaramaz and Tavares traded layups before Rogkavopoulos's tip-in fixed the score at 64-67 after three-quarters.

Garuba scored down low at the start of the fourth quarter and Musa's three-pointer prompted Baskonia to call timeout at 69-67. Campazzo capped a 7-0 Real run with a layup, as Hall stopped the show with a huge alley-oop slam in traffic. After Campazzo and Rogkavopoulos exchanged layups, Samanic dunked on Tavares. Forrest's layup put Baskonia ahead 74-75 with less than 6 minutes left. Hezonja scored in penetration and got help from Musa and Campazzo in a 10-0 run that seemed to seal the outcome, 84-75. Forrest stepped up with a driving layup, however, and Rogkavopoulos added a floater and a three-pointer. Moneke silenced the crowd with a wild four-point play that put Baskonia up 84-86. Samanic capped a 0-13 run from the foul line. Hezonja's three-pointer got Real within 87-88 with 27.4 seconds left. Baldwin and Samanic combined to shoot 1 for 4 from the free-throw line before Hezonja won the game at the buzzer with an incredible three-pointer.

Hezonja's three leads Real past Baskonia, 90-89

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

Mario Hezonja gives Real the win with a three-pointer: one of the biggest shots of the season!

HEZONJA WINS IT! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv celebrated a rare win in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as the Israeli champions blew away Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 85-73

Sharpshooting Maccabi rolls over Crvena Zvezda, 85-73

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv celebrated a rare win in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as the Israeli champions blew away Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 85-73, improving to 6-17 after sinking 12 of 23 shots from downtown.

The outcome may turn out to be a damaging loss for Zvezda, which slipped to 13-10 and took a dent in its bid to reach the playoffs after looking flat and devoid of energy on a court the Serbian side is all too familiar with.

Maccabi, playing its home games in Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall for a second successive season, was paced by John DiBartolomeo who netted a team-high 15 points and Tamir Blatt, who scored 14 as the duo made 9 of 12 three-pointers between them.

Jaylen Hoard added 13 points for Maccabi and Roman Sorkin chipped in with 12, giving Maccabi a fully deserved victory as the hosts led from start to finish in a lop-sided matchup. Filip Petrusev paced Zvezda on 15 points and veteran guard Milos Teodosic added 14, but none of their misfiring teammates managed double figures.

The first quarter was tight with several lead changes before Maccabi nosed ahead 21-20 at the end of the opening 10 minutes. The Israeli side then engineered a 10-0 run at the start of the second, pulling away for good as DiBartolomeo and Blatt shot the lights out while Sorkin kept getting the better of his markers in the paint. Looking hungrier and more agile all over, Maccabi built a 44-32 lead at the end of the first half and held firm in the third quarter, when Zvezda enjoyed its best spell on the back of 12 quickfire points from Teodosic.

Heading into the fourth quarter with a 68-59 advantage. Maccabi forced Zvezda into submission with a 10-4 run as its players hit one clutch shot after another with big Trevion Williams contributing with some tough efforts. Blatt put the icing on the cake with a deep off-balance three to make the score 84-69 in the dying minutes and seal the contest before the final buzzer. 

The Israeli champs thrived on long-range shooting as Tamir Blatt and John DiBartolomeo shined 

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

Samanic posterizes Tavares! Motorola Magic Moment

Gabriel’s huge rejection! Motorola Magic Moment

Hall's alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment

Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard P.J. Dozier spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 23 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

P.J. Dozier: 'We have an amazing group'

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2025-01-23T17:30:00.000Z)

Nunn beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment

What a dish by James! Motorola Magic Moment

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

Coach Banchi saw his Anadolu Efes Istanbul pull off a statement victory by cruising past an injury-hit EA7 Emporio Armani Milan with a 110-66 win on Thursday evening in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Efes showed off its offensive arsenal against helpless Milan

A five-game losing streak dealt a major blow in morale to an [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/roster/ist/?season=2024-25) side that hadn’t managed to make the most of the so-called new head-coach bounce following Luca Banchi’s arrival.

Having suffered consecutive defeats in his first three games in charge, Banchi saw his team pull off a statement victory by cruising past an injury-hit [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/roster/mil/?season=2024-25) with [a 110-66 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/coach-banchi-celebrates-first-win-as-efes-thrashes-milan-110-66/) on Thursday evening.

“We lost our last five games. It was time for us to respond and send a message,” Banchi admitted after the game.

Showing off its elite offensive firepower, Efes responded in style. Seven players reached double digits in scoring; [Rodrigue Beaubois](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rodrigue-beaubois/006590/) led the way with 18 points, while [Jordan Nwora](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jordan-nwora/013363/) (15), [Rolands Smits](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rolands-smits/007109/) (13), [Elijah Bryant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/) (12), [Ercan Osmani](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ercan-osmani/012710/) (12), [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) (11) and [Dan Oturu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dan-oturu/012788/) (10) followed suit.

“A solid performance, approaching the game with the proper energy and having from everybody a collective effort to respond to this difficult momentum. I really liked the spirit,” Banchi said in the post-game press conference.

Efes became the fifth team ever with nine double-digit PIR players in one game, as [Vincent Poirier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vincent-poirier/004887/) and [P.J. Dozier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/perry-dozier-jr/012742/) joined the aforementioned seven teammates on that list.

A special mention for the new Efes signing, as Dozier shined on both ends, recording 8 points and a career-high 9 assists in just his second game for the Turkish side.

“Shoutout to the coach,” Dozier told EuroLeague TV. “He came in and embarked on a tough situation in the middle of the season. He’s with a new team, got a new player \[in me\]. There’s a lot of moving parts right now and we’re all trying to figure it out. But we have a great group and the team chemistry is good, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Efes shared the ball in an exemplary manner and fired on all cylinders. The hosts recorded 26 assists and shot 17-for-27 (63.0%) from behind the arc. They matched their scoring record in a non-overtime game (110 points) by dealing Milan its largest-ever defeat.

“Efes played the game that they can play,” Milan head coach Ettore Messina stressed in the press conference. “They are a very, very good team. Very deep. They played and scored and just… destroyed us.”

Having put the five-game losing slide behind them, Efes will look to gain confidence ahead of a tough clash in Greece against [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2024-25) next week.

“We needed that \[win\] because lately we didn’t play the basketball that we wanted to play,” Beaubois told EuroLeague TV. “We need to use that momentum and keep playing like this. Because when we’re playing like this, we are hard to beat.”

Having dealt Olympiacos [a 91-89 defeat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-overcomes-early-deficit-to-overcome-olympiacos-91-89/) back in Round 4, Efes has now set sights on building a winning streak after sending a fresh message with an offensive masterclass against Milan on Thursday evening.

It marked the fifth time a team ever had nine players with double-digit PIRs 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 23 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Petrusev turns around and dunks! Motorola Magic Moment 

Hezonja stops Diop! Motorola Magic Moment

What a flowing move from Maccabi!

Blossomgame flies for the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment

Anadolu Efes Istanbul snapped its five-game losing streak by crushing EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 110-66 in Round 23 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on Wednesday evening at the Basketball Development Center

Coach Banchi celebrates first win as Efes thrashes Milan, 110-66

Anadolu Efes Istanbul snapped its five-game losing streak by crushing EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 110-66 on Wednesday evening at the Basketball Development Center. Head coach Luca Banchi celebrated his first victory as Efes boss in style, with the hosts cruising past an undermanned Milan missing Nikola Mirotic, Josh Nebo, Ousmane Diop and Fabien Causeur. Having matched its scoring record in a non-overtime game, Efes improved its record to 11-12. Meanwhile, Milan suffered its largest defeat in competition history in dropping to 12-11.

Rodrigue Beaubois led all scorers with 18 points, Jordan Nwora netted 15 and Rolands Smits had 13, with Elijah Bryant and Ercan Osmani scoring 12 apiece. Shane Larkin chipped in with 11 points and Dan Oturu added 10. For Milan, Armoni Brooks bagged 13 points and Zach LeDay scored 10 in a losing effort.

Osmani and Vincent Poirier got the hosts going from inside before 5 points from Larkin and another bucket by the Efes center gave them an 11-3 lead. Leandro Bolmaro and Elijah Bryant traded baskets, but Beaubois netted 5 points off the bench, stretching Efes’s lead to 18-7.  Nwora and Beaubois drained back-to-back triples for a 24-9 cushion after 10 minutes.

Efes pulled away in the opening stages of the second quarter thanks to a 7-2 run inspired by P.J. Dozier. Brooks responded from downtown before a layup from Niccolo Mannion slightly cut the difference, 34-16. But Beaubois and Shavon Shields exchanged threes, with 4 points from Oturu maintaining a 41-21 cushion for the hosts. Larkin, Darius Thompson and Osmani nailed three straight triples before a bucket from Dozier made it 56-31 at halftime.

Poirier and Osmani opened the third with powerful slams before triples from the latter and Larkin opened a 68-37 lead. Milan looked helpless, with Efes firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc to go on a 16-2 run. Brooks and Giampaolo Ricci responded with back-to-back triples on the other end, but Efes took an 87-48 cushion into the closing quarter.

Efes looked unwilling to take its foot off the gas, as 4 points from Nwora and an Oturu slam gave them a 95-53 lead. Bolmaro drilled one from deep before a floater from Neno Dimitrijevic cut the deficit to 95-60. But Smits and Beaubois hit a triple each to end Milan’s momentum, making sure that Efes would hold off any potential comeback attempt by the visitors.

The Turkish side managed to snap a five-game losing streak with a dominant home victory