Some 130 days after Panathinaikos lifted the EuroLeague title in Berlin, the new season got underway on Thursday night
Game Center: Zvezda, Efes win on the road; Fener topples Olympiacos
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Friday, October 4
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 82-71 Olympiacos Piraeus
Fenerbahce earned a hard-fought 82-71 win over Olympiacos in the blockbuster clash of the EuroLeague’s opening round, having fought back from a 32-36 first-half deficit with a stellar performance after the break. The game was marred by what looks like a serious knee injury to Fenerbahce guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was carried off the court by his teammates after landing awkwardly in the latter stages of the first quarter.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna 67-76 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Efes started the new EuroLeague season in the best way possible, going on the road and overcoming Virtus 67-76 on Friday night. In a tight and very physical game, Efes pulled away for good with a 2-15 run early in the fourth quarter, opening a double-digit lead and never allowing Virtus to threaten again. Dan Oturu led Efes with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Elijah Bryant scored 12, and Shane Larkin had 11 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Isaia Cordinier paced Virtus with a game-high 16 points, while Tornike Shengelia scored 12 in a losing effort.
Paris Basketball 77-80 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade
In the first-ever EuroLeague game hosted at Adidas Arena, Crvena Zvezda edged Paris 77-80 in the French capital in Round 1 of the 2024-25 season. Nemanja Nedovic paced the winners with 21 points on 5-of-6 three-pointers. His only miss came late in the game as he helped Zvezda rally from a 13-point second-half deficit. Isaiah Canaan added 14 points for Zvezda. TJ Shorts led Paris with 16 points. Nadir Hifi and Maodo Lo each added 12 while Kevarrius Hayes had 10 for the hosts.
Thursday, October 3
ALBA Berlin 77-87 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
In its first return to the German capital since winning the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title last May, Panathinaikos collected its first win as reigning champion by downing ALBA 77-87 at Uber Arena in Round 1 on Thursday night. Kendrick Nunn paced the winners with 16 points. Mathias Lessort added 14 and 8 rebounds, and Juancho Hernangomez had 11 points, while Kostas Sloukas and Jerian Grant scored 10 points apiece for Panathinaikos. Will McDowell-White netted 13 points in his EuroLeague debut with ALBA. Martin Hermannsson added 12, Trevion Williams had 11 while Khalifa Koumadje pulled down 13 rebounds for the hosts.
Zalgiris Kaunas 74-67 FC Barcelona
Zalgiris kicked off the 2024-45 EuroLeague campaign in style by beating Barcelona 74-67 at a buzzing Zalgirio Arena on Thursday. The hosts dictated the tempo throughout the duel and imposed their style of play on Barcelona by playing tough on defense, forcing the visitors to score fewer than 20 points in each of the four quarters.
AS Monaco 93-80 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Monaco led from start to finish and opened the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season in style, downing the visiting Milan 93-80 on Thursday night. Monaco opened the game with an 18-4 run and held a 21-point lead at halftime behind its 12 offensive rebounds. The visitors halved the lead early in the fourth quarter behind Armoni Brooks, and briefly got within single digits, but Monaco’s lead was never in danger.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 88-82 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Baskonia celebrated an impressive 88-82 home win over Partizan in Round 1 of the EuroLeague after coming from behind in an enthralling contest which lit up a packed Buesa Arena. New arrival Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who joined Baskonia from French rival LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne during the offseason, came up big on his debut for the Spanish outfit as he earned the player of the game award after racking up 15 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and 1 block in a smooth all-round performance.
FC Bayern Munich 97-89 Real Madrid
In a thrilling contest of constant swings in momentum, Bayern eventually overcame Real Madrid, 97-89, to claim a famous victory from the first game at the spectacular new SAP Garden. The first two quarters followed the same pattern, with Bayern starting strong but Real responding to keep it close at halftime. The script was flipped as the Spanish team surged clear with a 0-13 run after the break, but Bayern came back magnificently with its own 13-0 run to grab the win.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 89-82 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Maccabi opened its EuroLeague season in style with an 89-82 victory over ASVEL, coming back from 10 points down in a game that featured 23 lead changes. Tamir Blatt had career highs of 21 points, 12 assists and 37 PIR for Maccabi while Jaylen Hoard and Jordan Loyd both scored 15 points, while Jasiel Rivero added 11 points and 9 rebounds. Joffrey Lauvergne paced ASVEL with 17 points and Paris Lee tallied 12 points and 4 assists.