Name: Big dunk from Hernangomez! Motorola Magic Moment
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

FC Barcelona delivered a strong road performance to triumph 84-98 at AS Monaco in Round 20 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, improving to 11-9 in its quest to climb the standings. 

Dario Brizuela blasts Barca past Monaco, 84-98

FC Barcelona delivered a strong road performance to triumph 84-98 at AS Monaco, improving to 11-9 in its quest to climb the standings. Monaco dropped to 13-7 and will lose a share of first place if Olympiacos Piraeus beats FC Bayern Munich on Friday.

Barcelona controlled early on and took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter before Monaco fought back to make it 41-45 at the break. Monaco briefly led in the third but the visitor pulled away again, standing firm in the final minutes for a key win.

Dario Brizuela led the way with a career-high 27 points, Chimizie Metu added 13 points plus 8 rebounds, with Kevin Punter scoring 14, Jabari Parker providing 12 and Alex Abrines netting 11. Mike James paced Monaco with 23 points and 8 assists, while Matthew Strazel hit 4 triples in his 15 points and Georgios Papagiannis had 10 points plus 4 blocked shots.

Game Videos

Justin Anderson’s jumper opened the scoring before Nick Calathes netted a putback for Monaco. Youssoupha Fall scored twice as Barca operated well inside, establishing a 5-10 lead despite a Calathes triple. Punter’s layup and Parker’s threeball gave Barca a 6-15 edge before James’s layup and Strazel’s triple made it closer. Brizuela responded from deep, but Papagiannis threw down a pair of dunks to boost the host. Elie Okobo’s layup was bettered by Metu’s three-pointer, and Metu quickly added 4 more points to make it 17-25 after ten minutes.

Brizuela’s driving layup made it a double-digit advantage, but Papagiannis and Jaron Blossomgame quickly answered with inside scores. Brizuela stayed hot with two more triples, making it 23-36. Abrines joined the three-point party and Metu scored at the rim, before Blossomgame scored twice to narrow the gap. Parker’s mid-range strike was answered by a pair of long-range strikes from James, and Vitto Brown’s jumper and Okobo free throws completed a 10-0 run to end the half, 41-45.

Game News

Two buckets from Mam Jaiteh kept Monaco moving early in the third quarter, but Fall’s layup kept Barcelona ahead, 45-49. Strazel’s three-pointer and a James free throw tied it up, before Abrines answered with a three and Punter’s long two made it 49-54. Strazel struck two more deep balls for Monaco’s first lead, but Parker and Nunez responded to make it 57-58. Brizuela and Metu pushed Barca further ahead, and Abrines tipped in on the buzzer to make it 60-66 at the end of the third.

Brizuela kept pushing Barca with another triple, and went coast-to-coast for a double-digit lead, 62-73. Calathes responded with a triple but Punter netted 5 consecutive points and soon hit another three, making it 65-83. James kept Monaco hoping from deep, Strazel made a three-point play and Papagiannis added a hook shot for an 8-0 run. Anderson’s tip-in was bettered by consecutive scores from James, pulling Monaco back to 78-85. But Brizuela continued his stellar night with another deep strike, and Parker’s inside basket protected a double-digit lead. Brizuela stepped up again, netting his sixth three-pointer and adding a layup to seal the deal.

The Spanish team grabbed a second consecutive road win to topple the league leader

AS Monaco v FC Barcelona (2025-01-09T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul recorded two straight victories for the first time since Rounds 10 and 11 by beating ALBA Berlin 90-73 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall in Round 20 of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague

Fenerbahce downs ALBA 90-73

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul recorded two straight victories for the first time since Rounds 10 and 11 by beating ALBA Berlin 90-73 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Thursday evening. A tight, back-and-forth affair in the first three quarters was followed by a 22-4 Fenerbahce charge in the fourth to finish the game off. With this victory, Fenerbahce improved its record to 12-7. ALBA registered its seventh consecutive loss and dropped to 3-17.

Sertac Sanli led all scorers with a season-high 18 points. Marko Guduric and Nigel Hayes-Davis netted 14 each, with Bonzie Colson adding 10. Gabriele Procida paced ALBA with 14 points, Matt Thomas had 13 and Malte Delow scored 10.

An early exchange of blows saw Fenerbahce grab a narrow 6-4 lead following a layup from Marko Guduric. Thomas netted a triple after 3 failed attempts from ALBA, but Devon Hall scored off the bench to put the hosts back in front, 7-6. Sanli took over with 5 unanswered points, with Tarik Biberovic netting a pull-up triple as Fenerbahce took a 16-11 lead into the second quarter.

Dyshawn Pierre and Nicolo Melli scored inside, with the latter completing a three-point play for a 21-13 cushion. Delow replied with 5 straight points before a dunk from Procida in transition and a triple by Will McDowell-White cut the difference to 24-23. After Pierre and Procida traded baskets, a David McCormack bucket and a triple from Thomas tied it at 30-30. Guduric and Sanli netted inside, but 4 points from Procida tied it again before a three-pointer by Colson gave the hosts a 37-34 edge at halftime.

Thomas opened the third quarter with a three, but Colson netted inside and Hayes-Davis drained one from deep for a 42-37 lead. Four points from Elias Rapieque and a bucket by Procida trimmed the deficit to 44-43. Then, a three-point play by Colson was followed by a basket from Skylar Mays for a 50-45 cushion. Hayes-Davis and Delow traded triples before Tim Schneider netted two of his own and Martin Hermannsson scored in transition, slashing the difference to 61-60 heading into the closing quarter.

Hermannsson opened the fourth with another layup, but Guduric drilled an open triple to restore a 64-62 cushion. McDowell-White and Guduric exchanged inside scores before Yanni Wetzell and Tarik Biberovic traded triples, with Sanli completing two straight three-point plays to make it 75-69. Biberovic nailed a midrange jumper and Guduric sank a corner three that opened an 80-69 lead. That’s when Hayes-Davis took over by netting back-to-back triples that put the game to bed.

Fourth-quarter surge allowed the hosts to clinch a second straight victory

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v ALBA Berlin (2025-01-09T17:45:00.000Z)

Grant lobs a sublime pass for Hernangomez to rock the rim with a one-handed slam!

Big dunk from Hernangomez! Motorola Magic Moment

 Grant lobs a sublime pass for Hernangomez to rock the rim with a one-handed slam!

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-01-09T19:15:00.000Z)

Hermannsson found Wetzell, who threw down the slam to cap off a smooth team move!

Wetzell dunks off a smooth ALBA play! Motorola Magic Moment

 Hermannsson found Wetzell, who threw down the slam to cap off a smooth team move!

Georgios Papagiannis treats Dario Brizuela’s floater with disdain!


Papagiannis’s big block! Magic Moment

 Georgios Papagiannis treats Dario Brizuela’s floater with disdain!


Georgios Papagiannis makes a block at one end and throws down a fierce transition slam at the other!

Papagiannis at both ends! Motorola Magic Moment

 Georgios Papagiannis makes a block at one end and throws down a fierce transition slam at the other!

There are no more winless teams in the EuroCup after Trefl Sopot went on the road and ran past BC Wolves 74-97 on Wednesday night.

Trefl played a spoiler role in style: ’Can’t wait for another game’

There are no more winless teams in the BKT EuroCup after [Trefl Sopot](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/trefl-sopot/tso/) went on the road and [ran past Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius 74-97](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/winless-no-more-trefl-shock-wolves-74-97/) on Wednesday night.

“Finally! It took us 14 games," said team captain [Jaroslaw Zyskowski](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaroslaw-zyskowski/013295/), who paced the team with 20 points, shooting 4 of 5 from three-point land, and also had 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

“Guys were passing the ball, I was open, I just knocked down the shots. That’s what I do. I am just happy I was making the shots."

The outcome came as a shock to most. After all, a team with 13 losses in as many games went on the road to down the Wolves, who are fighting for every win in the middle of a tight playoff race in Group A. But it was Trefl, a team seemingly with nothing to play for, coming out as a 23-point winner.

“We deserved it,” Trefl head coach [Zan Tabak](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/trefl-sopot/tso/tabak-zan/) stated. “In so many games this season, we gave our maximum. In so many games, we got really close and we didn’t get it.”

But on this night, they did. And how so.

The key was the third quarter, one which started with a close-range basket from Wolves big man [Marek Blazevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marek-blazevic/008186/). But then Trefl did not allow another field goal the rest of the quarter, and for more than 10 minutes in total. A 1-16 run opened a 17-point lead, which grew to 20 points in the fourth quarter as Trefl cruised to its first win of the season.

If you ask Zyskowski, or anyone else on Trefl, it was a long time coming.

“In the first games of the season we were so close to winning, but unfortunately we were always losing in some crucial moments,” Zyskowski said.

“So, it feels great. I think we played the best game in this competition, offensively and defensively. I am very proud of my team.”

“I believe we got better offensively, more relaxed. We played without pressure,” Tabak explained.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/kkzoltoczarni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kkzoltoczarni</a> 💛🖤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/plkpl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#plkpl</a> <a href="https://t.co/68V5pmVkfi">pic.twitter.com/68V5pmVkfi</a></p>&mdash; MISTRZ POLSKI 2024 🏆 (@treflsopot) <a href="https://twitter.com/treflsopot/status/1877078329724948502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That should trigger alarm bells for future Trel’s opponents. Next up is [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/bah/), a side fighting for first place in Group A and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

After that, it is [Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/besiktas-fibabanka-istanbul/bes/), [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/) and [Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/can/), all teams in the fight for playoff places, as well as aiming to secure the best possible position in the standings.

It all makes already eliminated Trefl in a position to play the perfect role of spoiler, something the team already did on Wednesday night and plans to do again in coming weeks.

“We all are gonna believe we can actually win at this level,” Zyskowski said. “I can’t wait for another game.”

After losing its first 13 games of the season, the Polish side finally tasted victory in Round 14

Trefl played spoiler role in style: ’Can’t wait for another game’

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius v Trefl Sopot (2025-01-08T17:00:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara basketbol has announced the signing of Kay Bruhnke 

Turk Telekom adds Kay Bruhnke to frontcourt

Turk Telekom Ankara announced the signing of [Kay Bruhnke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/-/008259/) on Thursday. Bruhnke (2.01 meters, 23 years old) has spent the past season and a half playing in Lithuania for M Basket-Delamode Mazeikiai. He averaged 18.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 12 games this season and led the league in PIR with 20.7 per game.  

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">✍️ Kay Bruhnke, artık <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnkaraBasketbolu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnkaraBasketbolu</a>&#39;nun bir parçası! 💙🤍<br><br>Welcome to family Kay Bruhnke 👏 <a href="https://t.co/OXKdGxDWjS">pic.twitter.com/OXKdGxDWjS</a></p>&mdash; Türk Telekom Basketbol (@TT_Basketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/TT_Basketbol/status/1877332149356863505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bruhnke is a product of the BBC Bayreuth youth setup and he later played professionally for that club as well as Brose Bamberg. He has also been a member of the German youth national teams. Bruhnke will now make his EuroCup debut with Turk Telekom.

More Turk Telekom news 

The power forward was leading the Lithuanian League in PIR this season

A huge performance in a winning effort allowed Jaleen Smith of Bahcesehir College Istanbul to earn Round 14 MVP honors with a PIR of 32. Smith led Bahcesehir to a 95-93 overtime home win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.

Round 14 MVP: Jaleen Smith, Bahcesehir College Istanbul

A huge performance in a winning effort allowed [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/) of [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/bah/) to earn Round 14 MVP honors with a PIR of 32. Smith led Bahcesehir to a 95-93 overtime home win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.

He finished the game with 19 points on 3-of-6 two-pointers, 2-of-4 three-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws, plus 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 8 fouls drawn, for a career-high PIR of 32, the highest in Round 14. Smith earned EuroCup MVP of the Round honors for the first time and is the second Bahcesehir player to do so; Axel Bouteille was Round 5's co-MVP along with Marko Pecarski of 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys.

Bouteille had the second-highest PIR of the round with 28 against Buducnost. He had 23 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting and 4-of-5 free throws, 9 rebounds and 4 fouls drawn. [Jared Harper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jared-harper/011970/) of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, [Jaroslaw Zyskowski](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaroslaw-zyskowski/013295/) of Trefl Sopot and [Bruno Caboclo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/bruno-caboclo/012096/) of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, each of whom had a PIR of 26, complete the top individual performances in Round 14.

Harper had 21 points on 10-of-10 free-throw shooting, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in his team's 79-91 road victory over U-BT Cluj-Napoca. Zyskowski led Trefl to its first win, 74-97 over Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius, with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Caboclo put his fingerprints all over Hapoel’s 89-68 win against Dolomiti Energia Trento, netting 19 points – shooting 5 of 5 on two-pointers and 3 for 4 from deep – and grabbing 9 rebounds in 22 minutes on the floor. He also had 2 steals, 1 block and drew 2 fouls.

### Individual highs: Yoan Makoundou, Turk Telekom, 4 blocks

[DJ Seeley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/dennis-seeley/004862/) of Cluj led all players in scoring in Round 14 with 27 points. Jerusalem’s [Jared Harper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jared-harper/011970/) leads the EuroCup in this category with 23.2 points per game.

[Mike Tobey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mike-tobey/008966/) of Dreamland Gran Canaria and [Tai Odiase](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tai-odiase/011823/) of Bahcesehir each grabbed a round-high 10 rebounds. Umana Reyer Venice’s [Mfiondu Kabengele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mfiondu-kabengele/012796/) tops the rebounding charts with 9.5 boards per night.

[Sergio de Larrea](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sergio-de-larrea/010750/) of Valencia Basket and Bahcesehir’s [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/), this round’s MVP, each dished 9 assists, the most in Round 14. Cluj playmaker [Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) is the EuroCup’s leading assist provider with 7.0 dimes per contest.

Ten different players recorded a round-high 3 steals. Valencia’s [Jean Montero](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jean-montero/010042/) and Gran Canaria’s [Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-albicy/003425/) sit together atop the steals charts this season with 2.0 per game.

Turk Telekom Ankara’s [Yoan Makoundou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yoan-makoundou/011935/) had a career-best 4 blocks in this round, the most of any player. Makoundou’s teammate, [Kyle Alexander](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kyle-alexander/011973/), is atop the season leaderboard in blocks with 2.1 per night.

Mike Tobey (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Tai Odiase (16 points, 10 rebounds) were the only two players to record double-doubles in Round 14.

The guard recorded his first such honor after helping his team to an overtime win


Panathinaikos BC has scored 100 or more points in three straight games for the first time in club history, during which time Kendrick Nunn has averaged 30.7 points per night.

Kendrick Nunn inspiring Panathinaikos’s historic stretch at OAKA

In mid-December, some doubts were starting to surround [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/). Despite being the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion, [Ergin Ataman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/ataman-ergin/)’s men had an 8-7 record and had lost four of their five games between Rounds 11 and 15.

Coming off back-to-back [road losses at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/partizan-overwhelms-panathinaikos-91-73-to-make-it-four-in-a-row/) and [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-beats-up-panathinaikos-93-67/), the Greens’ Round 16 clash against an in-form [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/) at OAKA had all the makings of a shock result, which could have seen Panathinaikos fully enter crisis mode.

[Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/), however, made sure that wasn’t the case. Having missed the Round 15 defeat to Efes due to a one-game suspension, the 29-year-old erupted for a career-high 39 points – the joint second most by a Panathinaikos player all-time – after draining 8 three-pointers, also the joint second most in the Greens’ history, in [a thumping 103-74 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nunns-39-points-leads-panathinaikos-past-milan-103-74/). Suddenly, all seemed well in Athens.

Those 103 points were the most scored in a game in the Coach Ataman era at OAKA, and also the biggest winning margin on his watch (13th best all-time for Panathinaikos), but it was a sign of things to come – as was the scoring of Nunn. 

A couple of days after downing Milan, Panathinaikos enjoyed another huge result by [beating Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 104-69](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nunn-shines-again-as-panathinaikos-demolishes-baskonia-104-69/), setting a couple more records – the joint third-best winning margin in the club’s history, a new high under its Turkish tactician, and the most points scored with Ataman at the helm.

That Baskonia game had a bittersweet feel to it after [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) was forced off with a horrific injury in the third quarter, with the All-EuroLeague center having to [undergo surgery on a fractured fibula](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/all-euroleague-center-mathias-lessort-leaves-game-with-leg-injury/) that will rule him out for most of, if not all, the season. Still, Nunn kept doing his thing, scoring 26 points that night as Panathinaikos poured in 100 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time in club history.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sit back and enjoy his highlights from this season... <a href="https://t.co/4iicqSjktP">pic.twitter.com/4iicqSjktP</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1876013989190369350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

Then came an [impressive 69-80 win at FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-hands-bayern-first-ever-euroleague-loss-at-sap-garden-69-80/), ending the German team’s perfect 8-0 start to life at its brand-new SAP Garden arena on a night that saw Nunn finish with 27 points, before a return to OAKA, where Panathinaikos and Nunn kept doing what they have been doing of late: scoring… a lot.

In [a 111-90 triumph over Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-excels-on-offense-to-beat-virtus-111-90/), the Greens’ fourth straight win – their longest winning streak this season – saw Nunn have to share the mantle of being the team’s top scorer by netting 27 points, the same as center [Omer Yurtseven](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/omer-yurtseven/005353/), who enjoyed a career night. As such, Ataman’s side has now scored 100 or more points in three successive home games, making more history in the process, and Nunn has averaged a stunning 30.7 points per game over those three wins at OAKA.

Panathinaikos has risen to third in the standings with a 12-7 record thanks to its recent winning run, and this Thursday night (20:15 CET) it hosts [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/), a team that has not given up 100 points or more in a game this season. With Nunn playing at an MVP level and Panathinaikos full of confidence, it should make for a fascinating spectacle as [Zeljko Obradovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/obradovic-zeljko/) returns to the place where he lifted five EuroLeague titles.

Panathinaikos vs. Partizan News

The Greens have flipped the switch since Round 16

Be sure to take a look at the best ten plays of the 2024 25 BKT EuroCup Regular Season Round 14!

Top 10 Plays | Round 14 | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Congratulations to Iraklis Christou, our 14th winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Israklis's team, 'μελισσες', posted a score of 197.30.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 14 winner

Congratulations to Iraklis Christou, our 14th winner in the 2024-25 [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Israklis's team, 'μελισσες', posted a score of 197.30.

Iraklis had the following starting lineup: Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem as team captain, then Zavier Simpson of U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Anthony Cowan of Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius, and Bahcesehir College Istanbul duo Axel Bouteille and Tai Odiase. Sergio de Larrea of Valencia Basket was the sixth man.

The head coach of Iraklis's team was Jerusalem play-caller Yonathan Alon, while the four bench players were Kur Kuath of Veolia Towers Hamburg, Grantas Vasiliauskas of 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, Ali Yuceoral of Bahcesehir, and Giga Janelidze of Umana Reyer Venice.

The prize for finishing first in Round 14 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Iraklis!

The leader in the overall standings remains Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallIsLife', which has a total of 2,411.80 points after the first 14 rounds. Trades are now open for Round 15. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

His playing career speaks for itself, but Vassilis Spanoulis is already forming a reputation as an elite coach in the EuroLeague with AS Monaco Basket.

Vassilis Spanoulis: ‘It’s a big challenge for me and the club’

His playing career speaks for itself, but [Vassilis Spanoulis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/spanoulis-vassilis/) is already forming a reputation as an elite coach in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

The 42-year-old play-caller, who starred as a player for [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) and [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/), was appointed by [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) as the team’s new head coach in early December [following the departure of Sasa Obradovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/sasa-obradovic-sacked-as-monaco-basket/).

Since then, Spanoulis has guided the team to six wins and two defeats, which has seen the Monegasque side rise to first place in the standings with a joint league-best 13-6 record.

“It is a big challenge for me and for the club,” Spanoulis says in a feature interview. “It’s not easy coming in the middle of the season because you haven’t put your identity and your philosophy from the summer, but it is what it is. We have to move forward. There are a lot of things we have to change step by step and not change dramatically; it’s time to put your philosophy and character into the team. Already the team has changed some things.”

Watch the entire interview in full above.

The Monaco coach is 6-2 since taking charge

Umana Reyer Venice exhibited the veteran leadership it possesses by fending off a valiant comeback attempt by Veolia Towers Hamburg to keep its sights set on a top-two finish

Reyer 'stayed with it' to fight off Hamburg rally 

[Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/umana-reyer-venice/roster/vnc/?season=2024-25) exhibited the veteran leadership it possesses by fending off a valiant comeback attempt by [Veolia Towers Hamburg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/veolia-hamburg-towers/roster/ham/?season=2024-25) to keep its sights set on a top-two finish. 

Reyer watched a 25-point cushion get trimmed down to 9 points in the fourth quarter but finished the deal for [a 77-90 road victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/reyer-downs-feisty-hamburg-77-90-to-remain-in-top-form/) to improve to 8-6. Reyer’s sixth victory in the last seven games has the team just one victory behind second-placed team [Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-jerusalem/roster/jer/?season=2024-25) at 9-5. 

“We’ve been stepping up our defense. We have guys healthy now. Offensively we are moving the ball and we’re starting to play with the team that we signed up to play,” said [Kyle Wiltjer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kyle-wiltjer/008052/), who scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the victory. “We’re excited. We have a good rhythm and we hope to continue this success moving into the new year.”

Wiltjer was not concerned about the team giving up so much of the big advantage. 

“We just tried to stay with it. It’s tough to play with the lead. We kind of got complacent for a couple minutes. But we stayed with it, we made it tough for them. We got some steals and did enough to get the victory,” he said. 

Reyer did a good job shooting the ball from the outside, hitting 11 of 28 three-point attempts. That 39.3% percent is 7.1% better than the team’s percentage coming into the game - which was ranked 14th in the competition. But Reyer was also facing the second-worst team in defending the long ball as Hamburg’s opponents shot 38.5% on three-pointers. 

Reyer coach Neven Spahija was not pleased that Hamburg made things interesting, but he was not surprised.

“At halftime, I said to my team that Hamburg would not give up. They are so competitive. They are physical and they scored 29 points in the third quarter which is not acceptable for us,” the coach said. “But we controlled the game for three quarters and found a way to bring it to the end.”

Reyer showed class by not letting Hamburg finish comeback 

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Umana Reyer Venice (2025-01-08T18:30:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg-Umana Reyer Venice | Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Joventut Badalona did not find much trouble to beat Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul 93-70 and go up to 5-9 in the standings. 


Joventut's quiet day in the office 

[Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/roster/jov/?season=2024-25) did not find much trouble in securing [a 93-70 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/joventut-thrashes-besiktas-93-70/) over [Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/besiktas-istanbul/roster/bes/?season=2024-25) and improving to 5-9 in the standings. 

It was a key game for Joventut in its goal to reach the playoffs, as it needed to win and to get the potential head-to-head tie-break advantage, as [it lost 82-76](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/ec2425-rs5-report-bes-jov/) against Besiktas in Istanbul. For a change, Joventut fans had a chance to enjoy a quiet night, as their team dominated from start to finish, never trailing at any point.

[Yannick Kraag](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yannick-kraag/010161/) was the first to score, igniting a 12-1 game-opening run that [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/adam-hanga/005099/) capped with back-to-back three-pointers. Joventut was far from being done, playing one of its best first halves of the season despite being without star forward [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sam-dekker/009672/). It led 22-11 after 10 minutes and extended its margin to 49-27 at halftime.

Joventut Badalona beat Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul 93-70, using a 12-1 opening run to get the lead and never look back.

Joventut's 12-1 opening run

Stats left no doubt about Joventut's dominance before the break. The hosts made 12 of 19 two-pointers (63.2% 2FG) and 7 of 13 three-pointers (53.8% 3FG), getting 12 assists with only 6 turnovers. On the other hand, Besiktas struggled to score from all angles (28.6% 2FG, 33.3% 3FG), tallying more turnovers (9) than assists (7). Five Joventut players scored at least 6 points before halftime, with [Devon Dotson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/devon-durrell-dotson/013285/) (11) and [Kassius Roberson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kassius-robertson/012740/) (10) already in double digits.

Joventut managed to keep a double-digit lead all the way in the second half. All 11 players who stepped on court scored, including [Ian Platteeuw](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ian-platteeuw/012226/), who received a warm ovation in his first EuroCup home game of the season. Joventut finished the game with a season-high team PIR of 120. Its previous record was 116 in [a 92-89 home victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/joventut-survives-trefl-rally-wins-92-89/) over Trefl Sopot. [Ante Tomic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ante-tomic/002507/) needed just 18 minutes to get 5 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for a PIR of 16.

"We played a great game, surely one of our best games. I am happy because we played with consistency and good basketball for 40 minutes. I think we deserved this victory and also won the tie-breaker, which was very important for us," Joventut head coach [Dani Miret](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/jov/miret-daniel/?season=U2024) said. 

"We still have \[playoff\] chances if we stay at a good level and win all of our games. We have to focus on what we can control, which is playing at this level. If we do that and keep winning games, we will have a chance."

The hosts never trailed in recording a comfortable home win

Joventut had a quiet day at the office against Besiktas

Joventut Badalona v Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (2025-01-08T18:30:00.000Z)

Cedevita Olimpija trampled Aris all over

[Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana/roster/lju/?season=2024-25) took a big step toward securing a postseason berth in the BTK EuroCup with a 98-79 whitewash of [Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-thessaloniki/roster/ari/?season=2024-25), which lifted the Slovenian side to an 8-5 record in [Group B](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/standings/) of the competition.

The hosts thrived from a fast-paced offense which generated a barrage of assists and high percentages, as Cedevita made 26 of 42 shots from inside and 5 of 10 from long range, while forcing 17 turnovers from Aris at the other end.

Aris held its own early on as the visitors sank their first 5 three-pointers but missed 8 of their next 9, allowing Cedevita to pull away by halftime and stay in cruise control in the second half.

Among a pack of players who made an impact, [Brynton Lemar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/brynton-lemar/013261/) stood out with a game high 18 points as he shot 5 of 8 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the foul line. 

“They are a pretty good team but we fought hard and played together,” Lemar said in his postgame comments. “We knew how important this game was so we just wanted to come out and get the win,” he added.

The home team’s head coach [Zvezdan Mitrovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana/lju/mitrovic-zvezdan?season=U2024) praised his men for a smooth effort.

“The players showed great energy for the full 40 minutes at both ends of the court. It’s a very important win for our bid to reach the playoffs as we controlled the game throughout, except for early in the second half, said Mitrovic. “We were able to pull away by making some shots from deep, while long-range shooting kept Aris in the game early on.

“This was one of our more notable performances of the season and I am really happy for the players. We now face some tough road games and hopefully the physios can keep the team in shape for the upcoming challenges.”

Aris head coach [Ioannis Kastritis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-midea-thessaloniki/ari/kastritis-ioannis?season=U2024) pointed out that his team was undone by a cartload of fouls committed, which made it difficult for the visitors to play stronger defense.

“After the first half, we were in foul trouble so we couldn’t be more aggressive,” he said. “Cedevita was very physical and congratulations to them for the victory. We tried to do a better job but Cedevita is a really good team and very well coached.”

In [Round 15](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/game-center/?round=15&season=U2024), Cedevita [visits Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/game-center/2024-25/hapoel-bank-yahav-jerusalem-cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana/U2024/146/) while Aris, which slipped to 3-11 in what has so far been a poor season for the Greek outfit, is [at home to Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/game-center/2024-25/aris-midea-thessaloniki-cosea-jl-bourg-en-bresse/U2024/147/).

The home side was head and shoulders above its Greek rival at both ends of the court

Cedevita Olimpija trampled all over Aris 

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2025-01-08T17:45:00.000Z)

Block of the season? Tai Odiase stops Keman Kamenjas!

Odiase's huge block! Magic Moment of the Night 

 Block of the season? Tai Odiase stops Keman Kamenjas!

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2025-01-08T16:00:00.000Z)