Name: EuroLeague & Friends, ep. 8: Maledon's performances, LeDay insight, and more
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Aris BC was on a five-game losing run and had not won at home all season, but Trey Woodbury's career night saw him finish with 25 points and 8 rebounds as his team won 81-66 against Lietkabelis Panevezys.

Trey Woodbury came to the fore on an important night for Aris

With [Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-midea-thessaloniki/ari/) still missing star guard [Vassilis Toliopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/vassilis-toliopoulos/004292/) due to injury, it needed somebody to step up and address its slide in the BKT EuroCup. Coming into Tuesday night’s Round 12 clash against [7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys/lkb/), Aris had lost five straight and failed to win at home all season long. Fortunately for coach Ioannis Kastritis, he could count on first-year guard [Trey Woodbury](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/trey-woodbury/013251/).

The 25-year-old set the tone early by scoring Aris’s first 5 points to give the hosts a 5-4 lead, before adding another 6 points in the final 4:11 minutes of the first quarter to move to 11 points personal. Lietkabelis, however, finished the first quarter with a slender 18-19 advantage.

While he netted just 2 points in the second quarter, with the score 32-34 at the break, Woodbury scored the opening basket of the second half and sparked a 7-0 run that put the wind back in Aris’s sails. He was also very active on the glass, grabbing 6 first-half rebounds, and he entered the fourth period with a stat line of 17 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist.

In the end, it was Woodbury who helped put the game to bed in the final frame. After making it 67-70 to Aris with a layup halfway through the quarter, he appeared again shortly after by knocking down back-to-back threes to move the score to 75-62 and provide a gut punch to Lietkabelis. Once he saw his second three-pointer fall in quick succession, Woodbury celebrated by imitating Steph Curry’s night-night celebration and [Aris went on to win 81-66](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/aris-downs-lietkabelis-81-66-to-record-first-home-win-this-season/).

<center>
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Aris has certainly given itself a lot to do in its bid to make the EuroCup Playoffs, as the team is now 3-9 and in ninth place in Group B, but with Woodbury scoring a career-best 25 points and tying his personal best with 8 boards, he has shown that he is up for the task. 

Several players on Aris’s roster have displayed their quality in recent weeks, namely [Landers Nolley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/landers-nolley/013249/) and new recruits [Sharife Cooper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sharife-cooper/013500/) and [Darral Willis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/darral-willis/010397/), but it has resulted in losses. Now that it has the monkey off its back, let’s see if Aris can make a late run towards the postseason, starting on the road at [Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-bank-yahav-jerusalem/jer/) on January 2.

Game News

In beating Lietkabelis, the American’s team stayed alive in the playoff race

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2024-12-17T18:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv announced early on Wednesday that point guard Noam Yaacov has suffered a small tear in his quadriceps muscle

Hapoel guard Noam Yaacov to miss time with muscle tear

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv announced early on Wednesday that point guard [Noam Yaacov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/noam-yaacov/011386/) has suffered a small tear in his quadriceps muscle. He will be sideline for a minimum of one week at which point he will be reevaluated. Yaacov, 20, is on loan to Hapoel this season from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague side LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. He has averaged 3.2 points and 2.0 assists in 12:33 minutes in five EuroCup appearances this season.  

More Hapoel Tel Aviv news

The eighth episode of EuroLeague & Friends, featuring Milena Martin, Lona Jackson, Giulia Cicchine, and Aleksandra Radivojevic, reflects on the amazing performances of Theo Maledon and Zach LeDay, plus many other topics.

EuroLeague & Friends, ep. 8: Maledon's performances, LeDay insight, and more

The Hamburg Towers beat Hapoel Jerusalem 82-80 in Round 12 to improve to 3-9, while the visitors dropped to 7-5.

Hamburg secures hard-fought win over Jerusalem, 82-80

Veolia Towers Hamburg improved to a 3-9 record in the BKT EuroCup by beating Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 82-80 in Round 12 on Tuesday night, with the hosts still bottom of the Group B standings but now 3-3 on their home floor. Jerusalem, in third place in Group B, dropped to 7-5.

Jaizec Lottie netted 18 points, Kur Kuath had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, Brae Ivey and Niklas Wimberg scored 12 points apiece, and Johnathan Stove finished with 10 points. Jerusalem, which had just eight minutes play more than one minute, had Jared Harper net 26 points, Tarik Phillip score 13, Khadeen Carrington add 11, and Derek Ogbeide contribute 10.

Game Videos

Kuath got Hamburg going early by scoring 6 points to make it 10-4, with the hosts starting the game hot. Jerusalem showed glimpses of its talent, with an Ogbeide dunk and a Harper three-pointer quickly making it a one-point ballgame (10-9), but Wimberg’s 5 straight points gave Hamburg some breathing room once again at 15-9. However, the Harper-led Jerusalem outscored Hamburg 4-11 over the next four and a half minutes to lead 19-22 in the final seconds of the quarter, only for Wimberg to score off a smart out-of-bounds play by Lottie which made it 21-22 after 10 minutes.

Back-to-back threes by Lottie helped Hamburg regain momentum, and the hosts ended up staying in front until the final 2:30 minutes of the quarter. A big Ogbeide dunk saw Jerusalem take the lead for the first time in the period at 39-40, but Hamburg scored 4 straight before Harper tied it up at 43-43 entering the halftime break.

The lead kept changing hands in the third quarter, but Hamburg was finding ways to stay in front with Kuath, Stove and Lottie all heavily involved. When Lottie and Kuath combined for an alley-oop to make it 58-53 with 2:45 minutes to go, that was the biggest lead either team had in the quarter, and Jared Grey maintained that five-point lead with a backdoor cut and layup to push the score to 60-55. At the end of the quarter, five points by Phillip allowed Jerusalem to get within 62-60.

Hamburg stayed in front for almost the first nine minutes of the fourth, even if the lead never extended beyond four points, but Chris Johnson’s corner three with 1:12 minutes remaining to make it 78-79 almost took the air out of the arena. Jeremy Morgan went 1 for 2 from the line, 78-80, but Lottie scored an amazing layup while being fouled and then converted the and-one free throw to nudge Hamburg ahead once more, 81-80. Even if Kuath went 0 for 2 with seven seconds left, the ball ended up in the hands of Wimberg, who had a 1-for-2 trip to the line and put the 82-80 win on ice.

In a very tight game, it was the German side which managed to come out on top

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2024-12-17T18:30:00.000Z)

Terry Tarpey has seen his role increase since the arrival of AS Monaco Basket coach Vassilis Spanoulis, with the Frenchman impressing in a 93-74 win over FC Bayern Basketball.

Terry Tarpey, big men set the winning tone for Monaco against Bayern

What was setting up to be a showdown of two 10-win teams, [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) easily handled [the visiting FC Bayern Munich by winning 93-74](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-eases-past-bayern-93-74/) on Tuesday night.

It was Monaco's third straight win, following wins by 20 and 30 points against ALBA Berlin and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, respectively. It was also the team's sixth victory in the last seven games, with Monaco improving to a joint league-best 11-5 record.

Bayern entered the game with EuroLeague's best scoring offense, one posting 89.7 points per game, but Monaco held it to a season-low 74. And the facilitator of that effort was an unlikely figure in Monaco's deep roster: [Terry Tarpey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/terry-tarpey/012515/).

It was Tarpey's fifth appearance of the season and just his 11th since he joined the team ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. Tarpey played a total of 46 seconds through the first 13 rounds, but he has entered rotation under coach Vassilis Spanoulis, especially now that [Alpha Diallo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alpha-diallo/011226/) is sidelined.

And Tarpey was all over against Bayern. In 25 minutes on the floor, he finished with 8 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 2 rebounds.

He set the tone on defense, harassing [Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) and [Andreas Obst](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/andreas-obst/004508/). Edwards did get to 17 points, but on 5-of-13 field-goal shooting, while Obst had just 5 points and was 1 of 5 from downtown.

Tarpey ran in transition, too, scoring 6 of his points on fast breaks and killing any momentum Bayern tried to gain.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🚀 Avec le talent et la force du collectif, la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> remporte un 4e succès en 5 matchs sur la scène de l&#39;<a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> 💥<br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DagheMunegu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DagheMunegu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/31D2kfZDgd">pic.twitter.com/31D2kfZDgd</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1869120075061674152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Also playing a big part in this win were Monaco's trio of centers, which consists of [Donatas Motiejunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/donatas-motiejunas/lcz/), [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) and [Mam Jaiteh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mam-jaiteh/002581/). Motiejunas scored 6 of Monaco's first 9 points to get the team going, but when Monaco fell behind by double digits in the second quarter, Papagiannis stepped up by scoring 12 points before halftime.

Jaiteh was also a big factor under the rims, and the trio combined for 25 points on 12-of-14 two-point shooting.

All of that helped Monaco cruise to a 19-point win against a dangerous opponent. Winning the last three games by a combined margin of 69 points, Monaco is flying high under Coach Spanoulis and has quietly become one of the teams to beat in the EuroLeague.

The Frenchman has seen his role increase since the arrival of coach Vassilis Spanoulis

AS Monaco v FC Bayern Munich (2024-12-17T18:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid leaned on its rebounding to beat Paris Basketball in Round 16, which saw Los Blancos' three-game losing streak come to an end.

Real Madrid beat Paris at its own game to snap out of its funk

Coming into Tuesday’s game against [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/), [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/) was aware that its players will be assigned with the tough task of competing against one of the best rebounding sides in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Paris ranked second both in offensive (13.0rpg) and total (36.5 rpg) rebounds, both of which help them dictate the tempo and retain control of their games so far this season.

Yet, this time it was *Los Blancos* who dominated the boards by outrebounding a helpless Paris 31-49. Those 49 rebounds grabbed by the visitors was their highest mark this season and the second-best tally in the league in 2024-25 after ALBA Berlin’s 54 total boards in its 88-90 overtime win at Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 13.

Eight of the 11 players who stepped onto the court had at least 1 rebound each, with [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) finishing the contest with a game-high 14 boards – 6 of which came on the offensive end.

“We were patient,” head coach Chus Mateo said in the post-game press conference. “We believed until the end that we can win the game. But we were especially very solid on rebounds. We won the battle of the rebounds, which is one of the battles you need to win to beat Paris on their court. We were very serious with a great Tavares, a great [\[Gaby\] Deck](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/gabriel-deck/009005/), [Mario Hezonja](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mario-hezonja/003108/) and the outside players.”

Real Madrid shot well from both inside the arc (21 for 33, 63.6% 2FG) and three-point land (12 for 34, 35.3% 3FG), meaning that these extra possessions were crucial to manage the pace of the game.

“It’s not so easy to win the rebounds by this difference,” Mateo added. “We dominated the rebounds today on the offense and defense. We shot very well on offense, but we got some offensive rebounds too, which meant extra balls for us and it’s very important to get more possessions.”

Six Real Madrid players finished the game in double digits in scoring, with [Facundo Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) netting 19, Hezonja 17, [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/) 12 and Deck 11, while [Alberto Abalde](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alberto-abalde/003733/) and Tavares scored 10 each. More importantly, Real Madrid grabbed [a statement 85-96 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/real-madrid-defeats-shorts-less-paris-85-96/) against the team topping the EuroLeague standings.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🔝 <a href="https://twitter.com/facucampazzo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@facucampazzo</a> <br>👏 ¡Nuestro MVP del partido vs <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParisBasketball</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HalaMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HalaMadrid</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/autoheroespana?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@autoheroespana</a> <a href="https://t.co/CKO50fbmJq">pic.twitter.com/CKO50fbmJq</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1869138326227452058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“We got to take this \[win\] as motivation to keep going,” Tavares told EuroLeague TV. “We know that we can beat a very good team like this, so we’ve got to stay focused, play with patience and make the best shot possible on offense to help us win the game.”

*Los Blancos* are now scheduled to host the other team currently topping the standings, with AS Monaco visiting the Spanish side to conclude both teams’ double-round week. Real Madrid will look to build on Tuesday’s performance, and dominating the boards could be key to accomplishing its goal on Thursday night.

Los Blancos outrebounded the hosts 31-49 to grab a big road victory

Paris Basketball v Real Madrid (2024-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona got its EuroLeague campaign back on track with a resounding 90-63 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, which piled more misery on the Turkish side after its 69-99 home rout at the hands of AS Monaco in the previous round.

Barcelona bounced back in style as Fenerbahce crisis continued 

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) got its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign back on track with [a resounding 90-63 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kevin-punter-shines-as-barcelona-steamrolls-fenerbahce-90-63/), which piled more misery on the Turkish side after its [69-99 home rout at the hands of AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-cruises-past-fenerbahce-69-99/) in the previous round.

As a result of its fourth defeat in the last six games, Fenerbahce’s slide continued as the competition’s 2017 champion slipped from first to fifth in the standings with a 10-6 record, while Barcelona improved to 9-7 after winning just its second game in the last six.

The home team’s head coach Joan Penarroya, who took over this past summer, was able to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing his team whitewash Fenerbahce led by Barcelona’s former player and coach Sarunas Jasikevicius.

With guard [Scottie Wilbekin out for the season](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-confirms-the-worst-scottie-wilbekin-has-torn-his-acl/) with a torn ACL, Fenerbahce was dealt a further backcourt blow as [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) trudged off in the second quarter with what looks like a recurring hamstring injury, paving the way for Barcelona’s hitman [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) to have a field day.

Punter tormented his markers all night and sank a game-high 25 points to claim the player of the game accolade, while [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/) also enjoyed a stellar night as he was perfect from all over, finishing on 18 points including a pair of spectacular slams.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">GRAN VICTÒRIA, BARÇA 💙❤ <a href="https://t.co/B0NeBcP4XO">pic.twitter.com/B0NeBcP4XO</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1869137495096713539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Punter pointed out that Barca now needed to steady the ships and avoid rocky waters if the Spanish giant is to stay firmly on course for a playoff berth. “One of the areas we want to grow in is being consistent for 40 minutes,” Punter said in a courtside interview.

“\[Fenerbahce\] was able to get a small run but we managed to get some stops, make some plays and finish the game. We’ve got to keep playing like we’ve got something to prove,” added the 31-year-old from Bronx.

Anderson acknowledged that Barca was hard-pressed to make amends for the previous round’s [81-94 home loss to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/milan-surprises-barcelona-at-palau-blaugrana-81-94/), when the hosts suffered a 5-28 third quarter collapse.

“We were focused, we were prepared and we knew that we had to put on a show for our fans tonight,” he said, while Penarroya added: “It was a complete performance on offense and defense. It was important to have a good game in front of our fans at Palau \[Blaugrana\].”

Jasikevicius tried to put on a brave face, but it was obvious that Fenerbahce’s current form and mounting injury problems do not make happy reading for the rest of the season.

“It was a tough one,” said the Lithuanian legend, who won the 2003 EuroLeague title with Barcelona as a player. “We came out without understanding how Barcelona will play and couldn’t handle the pressure. We didn’t respond to physicality in a lot of situations.” 

In Round 17, Barcelona visits struggling Virtus Segafredo Bologna while Fenerbahce faces a road game at high-flying EuroLeague debutant Paris Basketball.

The Spanish giant recovered from the previous round’s home defeat by Milan while the visitors suffered yet another debacle

FC Barcelona v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas entered the game with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s worst offense and best defense, and in the end, they combined for a 66-86 road victory over ALBA Berlin - the team with the worst defense in the league. 

Zalgiris’s 'disciplined' game was too much for ALBA

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2024-25)’s game is a story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but the Lithuanian team’s good side was helped by its bad side in beating [ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/roster/ber/?season=2024-25). 

Zalgiris entered the game with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s [worst offense](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-teams/?size=1000&misc=&seasonCode=E2024&category=Score&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame) and best defense, and in the end, they combined for [a 66-86 road victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/zalgiris-brushes-past-alba-66-86-for-third-straight-win/) over ALBA - the team with the worst defense in the league. 

“We controlled the game from the jump ball. We had some so-so moments, but overall I would say we executed, we were disciplined, we moved the ball and we played very good defense,” said Zalgiris head coach [Andrea Trinchieri](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/trinchieri-andrea/?season=E2024). 

Zalgiris had held opponents to under 70 points four times this season - but all of them came in the first seven rounds of the season. Trinchieri’s team made it a fifth time against ALBA.

“We have a very high standard \[on defense\] because we know what our capabilities are. It’s very important - our defense transitions into our offense. We’ve got great offensive role players, players who can do their thing, but when we are locked in on defense I don’t think there is anyone who can beat us,” said [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/), who amassed 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. 

One of the keys to stopping ALBA was not letting [Martin Hermannsson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/martin-hermannsson/008780/) get going - something Trinchieri stressed in a timeout late in the first quarter saying: “Don’t open his game.”

Hermannsson finished with a season-low 3 points in nearly 17 minutes of action - not scoring until hitting a three-pointer with les than 5 minutes left in the game. 

While Zalgiris’s defense has stood strong all season, its offense has struggled - ranking dead last with just 76.7 points, an index rating of 76.6, 13.9 assists and 48.8% shooting on two-pointers. The Greens scored 85 and 92 in the last two games, but they were held below 80 points 10 times coming into the game. 

“All the teams really focus on me and Lonnie, but they forget that all the players can shoot the ball pretty well,” said [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/), who scored a team-high 16 points. 

Fortunately for the visitors, Zalgiris’s offense was facing ALBA’s defense - which had allowed 91.9 points and an average PIR of 109.1 coming into the game, both ranked last in the competition. 

“We were focused enough. It’s a good way to start a double week - a win on the road … It’s always a very good feeling when you win on the road,” added Trinchieri, who is trying to best figure out the two sides of his team.

Zalgiris’s offense is slowly catching up to its defense

ALBA Berlin v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-12-17T19:45:00.000Z)

It took LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne eight games to finally win on the road this season, but it might have been worth the wait as it came in one of the toughest environments to play, at a packed Belgrade Arena to score a 79-82 victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Tuesday night.

ASVEL streak stoppers pulled a big one in Belgrade

It took [LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/roster/asv/?season=2024-25) eight games to finally win on the road this season, but it might have been worth the wait as it came in one of the toughest environments to play, at a packed Belgrade Arena to score [a 79-82 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/asvel-stuns-partizan-for-first-road-win-79-82/) over [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-nis-belgrade/roster/par/?season=2024-25)on Tuesday night.

"We have to realize that we beat Partizan here, in Belgrade," head coach [Pierric Poupet](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/asv/poupet-pierric/?season=E2024) said to EuroLeague TV after the game. "They were rolling before. We are so happy because we respect so much their team and the coaching staff."

Despite losing its previous seven road games, and coming into a place where a majority of these players had never played before, it did not stop ASVEL from rallying from 9 points down in the third quarter, grabbing the lead going into the fourth, and never relinquishing it.

"Many of us never played in this kind of atmosphere, so I think we responded really good," said [Joffrey Lauvergne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joffrey-lauvergne/004194/) who starred with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Unlike his teammates, who were told to just go out there and have fun, Lauvergne did not like the situation. He is not just a former Partizan player and a special figure in club history as the first foreign team captain. So, how did he feel playing against a team he loves so much?

"Not so comfortable, I don't like it so much," he admitted. "But I found a way to play, and play good."

When looking for keys to ASVEL's victory, you will find the team's 7-of-8 three-point shooting in the third quarter and offensive rebounding throughout the night.

ASVEL entered the game averaging 9.7 offensive rebounds, with only two teams worse in that department. But led by [Neal Sako](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/neal-sako/010545/) and Lauvergne, ASVEL already had 10 offensive boards in the first half, then 5 more in the fourth quarter.

ASVEL scored just 16 points in the fourth, but 8 of those came after offensive rebounds, including a game-sealing jumper by [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) with 12.6 seconds to go.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Nando De Colo, froid comme une lame, le tir est parfait, à la Belgrade Arena, pour aller chercher la win. <br><br>COLD 🥶 <a href="https://t.co/RN5pXvcVeB">pic.twitter.com/RN5pXvcVeB</a></p>&mdash; LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL/status/1869141557544415696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

And while ASVEL's offense might have struggled and needed a second effort, its defense held Partizan to 14 points in the fourth quarter.

"We had to make it defensive game, more than offensive, and \[the players\] did perfect. They came back with a great energy, and great mindset", Poupet stressed.

"All the hustle plays at the end, the big rebounds, offensive rebounds, blocks, steals when everybody contributed, that was big-time for us", explained [Theo Maledon](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/theo-maledon/007027/), who led ASVEL's efforts once again with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

With this victory, ASVEL stopped Partizan's five-game winning streak. Last week, ASVEL ended Paris Basketball's 10-game winning run.

Next up is Zalgiris in Kaunas, which is a three-game winning streak of its own.

"I know my guys have a lot of pride, and character, and they will want to keep our first winning streak going. But this was our first win on the road, so we have to be more humble than everybody else," Poupet summed up.

ASVEL stopped Partizan's five-game winning streak just days after ending Paris Basketball's 10-game winning run

ASVEL streak stoppers pulled out a big one in Belgrade

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-12-17T19:45:00.000Z)

Markus Howard scored a season-high 28 points for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv

Markus Howard's return-to-form shooting lifted Baskonia

So far, it’s been a down year for the [2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonias-markus-howard-wins-the-2023-24-alphonso-ford-top-scorer-trophy/). Not only is [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/)’s scoring down from the 19.5 points per game he averaged last season for [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/?season=2024-25), but his shooting has suffered too.

Howard entered Tuesday night’s showdown with [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/tel/?season=2024-25) averaging just 11.5 points per game and in a shooting rut, having made just 5 of 26 threes in his last two games. He put all of those struggles to rest in Belgrade against Maccabi with a season-high 28 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting to lead his team to [an 85-95 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/howard-propels-baskonia-to-road-victory-85-95-over-maccabi/).

He set the tone early with 3 three-pointers in the first quarter, including one to cap a 0-10 run to finish the period as Baskonia took the lead for good. By halftime, Howard was up to 16 points with his only missed shot coming from the foul line!

Howard’s fine shooting was one of the reasons that head coach [Pablo Laso](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/laso-pablo/) was able to call the first half "probably our best 20 minutes offensively of the year."   

Markus Howard drilled 6 threes against Maccabi

For Howard, however, the credit goes elsewhere.

"It was a total team effort. We had a lot of guys step up and we played extremely hard," he said. "I thought our defense in the second half was a lot better. Khalifa, Donta, Chima all making plays on the defensive end, getting blocks. Getting rebounds that led to fastbreaks, so we are playing aggressive. We are playing active in the passing lanes. We are very special. We wanted to feel our fastbreak and we were able to do so and that helped us get the win."

When asked about what helped him to have a big game, Howard answered: "Being aggressive, but also just my teammates looking for me and relaying to me the confidence I need to have in myself. It’s been a tough stretch here for myself, but God’s been good through it all and I am fortunate to have the organization that I’m a part of; Baskonia’s been excellent in giving me support from the beginning."

One of those supporting Howard has been Coach Laso, who spoke glowingly of him in the post-game press conference.

"I think he was very good overall. He did a great job on defense. He understood the game from the beginning and for sure he made shots. So when people say about Markus, 'Okay, he’s not hitting shots,' that doesn’t make me worry. Because I know that he will come back," Laso said.

"He’s a shooter. He’s a scorer. He played a very solid game in the first half, but there was always the feeling that he’s a guy to go to in the right moments and the team understood that. I think we played very solid and Markus for sure gave us that push to get a victory tonight."

As they look onward to a difficult road tilt against defending champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Round 17 later this week, Baskonia knows it will be a much more dangerous competitor if Howard continued shooting and scoring the way he did on Tuesday.

He finished with a season-high 28 points in victory over Maccabi 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-12-17T19:05:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona forward Justin Anderson spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 16 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Justin Anderson: 'We had to put on a show'

FC Barcelona forward Justin Anderson spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 16 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

FC Barcelona-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Aris BC improved to a 3-9 record in the EuroCup by beating Lietkabelis Panevezys 81-66, with Trey Woodbury netting a game-high 25 points.

Aris downs Lietkabelis, 81-66, to record first home win this season

Aris Midea Thessaloniki will be hoping that Tuesday night's 81-66 triumph over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys kickstarts its season, with Ioannis Kastritis's men winning at Nick Galis Hall for the first time this season. The legendary Greek outfit is now 3-9 in Group B, while Lietkabelis – which has a game in hand – is 3-8. 

Trey Woodbury was Aris's star on the offensive end, netting 25 points. The hosts also had Sharife Cooper (12 points), D'Moi Hodge (11), and Landers Nolley (10) finish in double figures. Martynas Varnas was Lietkabelis's leading scorer with 11, while Dovis Bickauskis and Georgios Kalaitzakis had 10 apiece.

There was little to separate the two teams in the early going, but Woodbury scored Aris’s first 5 points to give the hosts an early 5-4 edge. Kalaitzakis, playing back in his native Greece, also had a strong start to the game, and his layup four minutes in saw him move to 6 points and give Lietkabelis a 5-11 lead. Woodbury scored 6 points in the final 4:11 minutes of the quarter to move to 11 overall, but Bickauskis’s tough layup made it 18-19 after 10 minutes.

The largest lead either team had in the second quarter was two points as the chess match continued; one score for Aris would be followed by one for Lietkabelis, and vice versa. It looked like they were going to head into the halftime break with the score tied at 32-32, but Bickauskis’s finger-roll layup on the fast break ensured it was 32-34 after the first two quarters.

Aris had a strong start to the third, with Woodbury moving to 17 points with a layup high off the glass to level it at 34-34 before Sharife Cooper reeled off 5 straight points to give the hosts a 39-34 advantage. Lietkabelis responded with two quick threes by Varnas and Danielius Lavrinovicius to retake the lead, 39-40. The lead kept changing hands the rest of the way, but after D’Moi Hodge gave Aris a four-point advantage, 56-52, in the closing stages, Bickauskis had a perfect trip to the line to make it 56-54 after 30 minutes.

Lietkabelis scored the first 4 points of the final frame, but things quickly went south for the visitors. In response to a Maldunas dunk, Roberts netted 4 straight points, Cooper added a three-point play, Woodbury scored a layup, and Roberts had another big dunk to give Aris a 69-60 lead with 4:48 minutes remaining. Varnas’s mid-range make made things interesting at 69-62, but back-to-back three-pointers by Woodbury all but put the game to bed at 75-62, with the Aris guard doing the Steph Curry sleeping celebration after the second. The hosts then coasted towards an eventual 81-66 victory.

Trey Woodbury scored 8 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Greek side's faint playoff hopes alive

Real Madrid center Walter Tavares spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Paris Basketball in Round 16 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Walter Tavares: 'For me, Paris is the best team in the league right now'

Real Madrid center Walter Tavares spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Paris Basketball in Round 16 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Paris Basketball-Real Madrid | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Zalgiris Kaunas guard Lonnie Walker spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat ALBA Berlin in Round 16 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Lonnie Walker: 'When we're locked in on defense, I don't think there's anyone who can beat us'

Zalgiris Kaunas guard Lonnie Walker spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat ALBA Berlin in Round 16 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

ALBA Berlin-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

LDLC ASVEL head coach Pierric Poupet spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat KK Partizan in Round 16 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Pierric Poupet: 'Whatever you tell yourself, you must have fun'

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne head coach Pierric Poupet spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 16 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.