No Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team has more regular-season wins over the past five than FC Barcelona, and a new-look team that underwent significant changes over the summer got off to a stellar start on the opening night of the 2023-24 season. With rookie head coach Roger Grimau at the helm, Barcelona opened the season with a win, a 91-74 decision over Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Barcelona bigs, newcomers left good first impression

No Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team has more regular-season wins over the past five seasons than FC Barcelona, and the new-look team that underwent significant changes over the summer got off to a stellar start on the opening night of the 2023-24 season.

New Barcelona head coach Roger Grimau opened his EuroLeague coaching tally with a win, a 91-74 decision over Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

"When you win it is like a fresh air to keep working, practicing and building a team," Grimau said after the game in which his team pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Efes head coach Erdem Can, also in his first EuroLeague game in that role, stated in post-game press conference that "the final result is not a reflection of the game," and he might have been right.

### One-way fourth quarter

The teams traded blows for 30 minutes and Efes was within a single point late in a slugfest of a third quarter in which Efes outscored Barcelona 29-30. The way things went up until that point, it seemed as the game would be going down to the wire. However, it did not. Barcelona stepped up defensively, slowed the game down, and cruised to victory.

Hernangomez gets serves by Satornasky and goes up for a big dunk and a foul.

Magic Moment of the Night: Magic Moment: Willy powers through for a dunk!

"Especially in the last quarter, we defended very good," Grimau said. "Allowing 10 points \[in the fourth quarter\] is a very good thing for us."

What Barcelona also did was dominate inside. The hosts made 8-of-11 two-point shots and had a 14-9 rebounding advantage in the final 10 minutes. Those numbers were just the continuation of Barcelona's night-long dominance around the rims.

Barca shot 32-for-42 on two-pointers in this game, good for 72.6%. That's was Barcelona's fifth-best two-point percentage this century and the best in almost eight years. Also, 32 two-point shots made were just 2 shy of a club record, and the most since the 2013-14 season. Barca also outrebounded Efes 35-25 for the night.

### Newcomers came to play

Such good numbers came behind the performance of the big trio of Willy Hernangomez, Jan Vesely and Jabari Parker.

Hernangomez starred with 18 points on 7-for-8 two-point shooting in just 16 minutes on the floor and exited the game with 2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation.

Willy Hernangomez, Jan Vesely and Jabari Parker dominated in a season opener vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Willy Jan and Jabari dominated Efes

Vesely, a former EuroLeague MVP, collected 16 points and 7 rebounds, while first-year veteran Jabari Parker scored all of his 10 points in the fourth quarter, fueling a Barcelona run to pull away. The trio was a remarkable 19-of-24 on two-pointers (79.2%) as Efes had no answer for them.

In addition to Parker and Hernangomez, another Barcelona summer signing had a significant contribution. Dario Brizuela used his first 14 EuroLeague minutes for 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Those three combined to collect 33 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, with Parker playing 18 minutes, the most out of the three.

Add an all-around performance from Nicolas Laprovittola (13 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds) and it is clear that the mixture of the old and the new worked perfectly on the opening night.

"We have a completely new team, but our expectations are really high," said Hernangomez.

Indeed. Barcelona is always looked at as a perennial EuroLeague contender, and the first impression tells that, despite all the changes, not much will be different in this season that has just started.

It might be a new era at FC Barcelona, but Thursday night revealed that not all things changed at Palau Blaugrana. 

FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-10-05T18:30:00.000Z)

Rebounding dominance decides Germany derby for Bayern

###### FC Bayern Munich tied a club record for offensive rebounds and the club’s utter dominance on the glass carried the team past ALBA Berlin in the season opener.

Bayern used a massive size advantage inside to grab 49 rebounds, including 20 from the offensive side of the floor compared to just 17 total rebounds for ALBA, in an 80-68 home victory.

"We were able to outrebound them and that was one of the keys to the game," said Bayern head coach Pablo Laso.

Highlights from Isaac Bonga's first double-double

Highlights from Isaac Bonga s first double-double

The 20 offensive rebounds tied Bayern’s EuroLeague record - the other two games being on January 9, 2014, against Partizan Belgrade and March 7, 2023, against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Bayern won both of the other games as well - 71-65 in 2014 and 76-72 last season.

ALBA came into the game with a real size problem as the team was missing Khalifa Koumadje as well as fellow big men Yanni Wetzell and Tim Schneider.

The impact was immediately clear as Bayern had a 16-5 rebounding advantage after just 10 minutes. And it kept going all game.

Game Videos

Isaac Bonga led the way with 10 rebounds while Serge Ibaka grabbed 9 rebounds, Devin Booker had 6 and Leandro Bolmaro contributed 5 rebounds. Six of Bonga’s rebounds came on the offensive glass while Ibaka and Booker both had 4 offensive rebounds.

Bayern saw just how good it can be inside as Booker is still on his way to getting into top game shape while Ibaka had not played since January 2023 before the start of this season.

Game News

There is also second-year pro Freddie Gillespie, who had 3 rebounds in less than 8 minutes. The 26-year-old averaged 6.0 rebounds last season in his EuroLeague debut.

Vladimir Lucic is also still waiting in the wings as is Elias Harris as head coach Pablo Laso has a healthy choice of low post presences he can use in games.

Isaac Bonga and Serge Ibaka combined for 19 boards to lead the winners. 

FC Bayern Munich v ALBA Berlin (2023-10-05T18:30:00.000Z)

Brown shined as Maccabi made light of Baldwin's absence

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv cruised to a 96-81 victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague opener, putting behind the disappointment of a tough Game 5 loss to Monaco in last season’s playoffs. Partizan, which also lost its own tiebreaker to eventual champion Real Madrid after taking a 2-0 lead in the series, produced a sub-standard performance as its new-look squad showed it’s still very much a work in progress.

With the influential Wade Baldwin sidelined by a back injury, Maccabi needed its other key players to step up to the plate and they delivered with aplomb. Lorenzo Brown made a flying start and sent the hosts on their way with 13 first-quarter points, having netted all his 22 points in a lop-sided opening half.

Lorenzo Brown (22 points) Highlights vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet, 10/05/2023

Lorenzo Brown romped against Partizan

Brown was also instrumental with 8 assists, as the home team dished out passes like Christmas confetti against a porous Partizan defense. Josh Nebo and Roman Sorkin reigned supreme in the paint against Partizan’s big men, having scored 14 points each while they limited their four opponents to a combined total of 23 points. Maccabi collected 15 offensive rebounds - 8 more than Partizan, whose playmaker Aleksa Avramovic was a lone beacon of light for the visitors with 24 points.

"It’s a great start for us, especially because we didn’t have Wade tonight," Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash told the post-game news conference. "Lorenzo pushed us in the opening few minutes into a good tempo as we had a great first half offensively. We stuck to the game plan and shared the ball. We have a lot of things to improve but I am very happy."

Avramovic scored 16 points in the second quarter but coach Zeljko Obradovic left him on the bench in the opening 7 minutes of the third, when Partizan failed to take advantage of Maccabi slowing down on offense.

Former Denver Nuggets guard PJ Dozier was the only new arrival to make any impact for Partizan with 11 points, but the others just didn’t turn up as Mateusz Ponitka and Ognjen Jaramaz stayed scoreless while center Frank Kaminsky netted a mere 2 points.

The game was beyond Partizan’s reach after Maccabi pulled away into an 84-60 lead midway through the fourth quarter, sending the noisy home fans into raptures. The visitors slashed the deficit in the closing stages but it was too little too late after a tepid opening night performance.

"We allowed Maccabi to run and score easy points while we also failed to take care of their offensive rebounds," Obradovic said after the game. "We can only congratulate them on a very good performance."

Despite the absence of one All-EuroLeague guard, Maccabi was able to lean on another to beat Partizan.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-10-05T18:05:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade tied its EuroLeague club record by making 17 three-pointers on opening night against ASVEL

Zvezda tied club record with 17 threes

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade granted its fans an enjoyable Turkish Airlines EuroLeague opening game when it defeated visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 92-73 on Thursday night. A fully-packed Stark Arena witnessed an awesome long-range shooting display by the locals, who tied the club’s record for three-pointers made with 17 when Dalibor Ilic hit his first-and-only three with 5 minutes remaining in the last period.

Ilic was one of eight different players who contributed to the record, as Nemanja Nedovic, Adam Hanga and Milos Teodosic also provided one apiece. Branko Lazic and Marko Simonovic were perfect from behind the arc (2-of-2), while newcomers Rokas Giedraitis and Shabazz Napier had 4 and 5 respectively.

All of Zvezda's club record 17 threes against ASVEL

The other occasion in which Zvezda reached such an amazing long-range performance was in the 2017-18 season when it defeated Real Madrid on the road, 83-87 while making 17-of-40 from downtown. This time, Zvezda was much more accurate, as it needed just 34 attempts to reach the same amount.

The record was not close to the EuroLeague record set by Anadolu Efes Istanbul on February 24, 2022, when the Turkish powerhouse drilled 22 threes in 34 attempts to beat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 109-77 at Sinan Erden Sports Hall in front of more than 14,000 fans.

Zvezda’s superb shooting accuracy was not only good for the record books, but also for building the foundations for a convincing victory and a comfortable game. The hosts started by hitting their first 5 three-point attempts, amassing a 15-6 lead that only grew. Zvezda ended up making 7 triples in the first period, tying the club record for any quarter.

It added 5 more in the second quarter to go for 12 in the first half, which broke Zvezda's best mark in the first half and tied its record in any half. That turned into a 21-point advantage at intermission, which proved too much for ASVEL for the remainder of the game.

The home team scored 17 triples on opening night with eight different players connecting from behind the arc.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-10-05T17:00:00.000Z)

In a rematch of the 2021 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, FC Barcelona and Anadolu Efes Istanbul come head-to-head in Round 1 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Live Blog: FC Barcelona vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

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Nicolas Laprovittola of FC Barcelona (left) and Will Clyburn of Anadolu Efes Istanbul (right) in action during the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season matchup between the two teams at Palau Blaugrana.

New-look Barcelona takes down Efes, 91-74

Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Zalgiris Kaunas face off in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Live Blog: Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Zalgiris Kaunas

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Daniel Hackett of Virtus Segafredo Bologna (left) and Rolands Smits of Zalgiris Kaunas (right) in action during the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season matchup between the two teams at Virtus Segafredo Arena.

Inspired Zalgiris rallies past Virtus on the road

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-10-05T18:30:00.000Z)

The German derby takes place in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, as FC Bayern Munich and ALBA Berlin face off at BMW Park.

Live Blog: FC Bayern Munich vs. ALBA Berlin

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Johannes Thiemann of ALBA Berlin (right) in action during the 2023-34 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season opener against FC Bayern Munich.

Bayern grabs German bragging rights in Coach Laso's debut

Olimpia Milano guard Billy Baron needs to undergo further elbow surgery, meaning he will miss the start of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Billy Baron to undergo further elbow surgery

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan will be without shooting guard [Billy Baron](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/billy-baron/005775/) at the start of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, as he will undergo more elbow surgery. Baron (1.88 meters, 32 years old) originally had work done on his elbow in June, but the Italian club has released a statement confirming that the American now needs 'additional cleaning surgery'.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">La Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano comunica che, a seguito dei recenti controlli, è emersa la necessità di effettuare un ulteriore intervento chirurgico di pulizia al gomito destro di Billy Baron. <br>➡️ <a href="https://t.co/qkz4uyDs79">https://t.co/qkz4uyDs79</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/olimpiamilano?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#olimpiamilano</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/forzaolimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#forzaolimpia</a> <a href="https://t.co/jioZYNa7Qm">pic.twitter.com/jioZYNa7Qm</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1709949989890175452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"EA7 Emporio Armani Milan announces that, as a result of recent checks, the need for additional cleaning surgery on Billy Baron's right elbow has emerged," Milan confirmed. "The surgery is scheduled for Monday, October 9. It will be followed by a six-week rehabilitation period, at the end of which he will be re-evaluated."

The best plays of Billy Baron in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season during his first season at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

Billy Baron's top plays in 2022-23

### Baron’s numbers in the EuroLeague

Baron is entering his fifth EuroLeague season and his second with Milan. During the 2022-23 campaign, Baron posted 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and an 11.1 PIR across 30 regular-season games.

In his 118-game EuroLeague career to date, his averages stand at: 10.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a 9.7 PIR. He has also suited up for Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2019-20) and Zenit St. Petersburg (2020-22) in the EuroLeague.

More Milan News

Billy Baron in action for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard needs 'additional cleaning surgery'

The 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague begins this evening, with five high-quality games on offer for basketball fans from Europe's premier club basketball competition. 

Live Blogs: Five games to get the new EuroLeague season underway!

Round 1 Live Blogs

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 94-73 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-vs-ldlc-asvel-live-blog-game-report-tae2324/)

Crvena Zvezda granted its fans a great EuroLeague opening night when it defeated visiting ASVEL on Thursday. The home team had no mercy from long range, using the three-point to line to amass a double-digit advantage early in the first period and reaching a 25-point lead midway through the third quarter. Zvezda was led by Shabazz Napier, who finished with 21 points, going 5-of-8 from deep, in only 20 minutes. Rokas Giedraitis followed with 17 points and 4 triples. Joffrey Lauvergne posted 18 points and 6 rebounds in a losing effort.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A new DUO that gave light to <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kkcrvenazvezda</a> in Round 1💡<br><br>Shabazz Napier ⚡️ Rojas Giedraitis<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/hVO3EHyLgU">pic.twitter.com/hVO3EHyLgU</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1710029468524232789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 96-81 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/maccabi-tel-aviv-vs-partizan-belgrade-live-blog-game-report-tae2324/)

Maccabi made a perfect start to its EuroLeague campaign with a comprehensive 96-81 win over Partizan with Lorenzo Brown leading the way on 22 points and 8 assists for the hosts. Big men Roman Sorkin and Josh Nebo added 14 points each. Aleksa Avramovic came off the bench to net a game-high 24 points for Partizan, which was undone by 16 turnovers, coupled with Maccabi's staggering 31 assists. The home side also dominated the boards 34-26, having picked up 15 offensive rebounds to Partizan's 7. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That was big time, <a href="https://twitter.com/Zo_Brown?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Zo_Brown</a> 👏 <a href="https://t.co/9uIKi8FkAx">pic.twitter.com/9uIKi8FkAx</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1710029657616081082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Virtus Segafredo Bologna 79-82 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/virtus-bologna-vs-zalgiris-kaunas-live-blog-game-report-tae2324/)

Zalgiris rallied past Virtus in their EuroLeague season opener. The hosts surrendered a 15-point lead twice in the game against an inspired Zalgiris, whose defense put Virtus in trouble in the last quarter, where the guests dominated 24-14. A sublime Keenan Evans was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points, with Edgaras Ulanovas adding 11 and Rolands Smits scoring 10, including some crucial baskets in the closing stages. An impressive Jordan Mickey had 18 points, going 4-for-8 on two-pointers and 3-for-3 from behind the arc, in defeat.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a game!!! 😱 Zalgiris twice erases a 15-point deficit and starts the EuroLeague season with a win! ✅ <a href="https://t.co/RnoyyB8Dju">pic.twitter.com/RnoyyB8Dju</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1710031350995066968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Bayern Munich 80-68 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/fc-bayern-basketball-vs-alba-berlin-live-blog-game-report-tae2324/)

Bayern used stellar second-half defense and rebounding dominance to open the season with a comeback win over ALBA Berlin in the German derby - while also giving new head coach Pablo Laso a victory in his first game. Bayern fought back from 11 points down in the second quarter and conceded just 24 points in the second half. Bayern dominated the glass with a 49-17 advantage including 20 offensive rebounds - which tied a club record. Sylvain Francisco paced Bayern with 17 points while Isaac Bonga had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Johanness Thiemann and Louis Olinde co-led ALBA in scoring with 12 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Great start into <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> season! 👏 <a href="https://t.co/OuAMWa0Gz7">pic.twitter.com/OuAMWa0Gz7</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1710027774272925808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Barcelona 91-74 Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/fc-barcelona-vs-anadolu-efes-live-blog-game-report-tae2324/)

Barcelona opened its EuroLeague season in style, pulling away in the fourth quarter to beat visiting Efes on Thursday night. The new-look Barcelona dominated inside, outrebounding Efes 35-25, while scoring on 72.6% of its two-point attempts. The final 17-point margin was also the largest of the night. After the two teams traded blows for three quarters, Barcelona turned on the engines, and its defense, in the final quarter. Barcelona took the margin to double digits, and ended up cruising to victory.  Willy Hernangomez starred with 18 points, Jan Vesely had 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Jabari Parker scored all of his 10 points in the fourth quarter. Shane Larkin paced Efes with 16 points and 12 assists in a losing effort.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🍍 <a href="https://t.co/sidpIWDVf5">pic.twitter.com/sidpIWDVf5</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1710030951579832510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season gets underway this Thursday night, with five intriguing games taking place.

The 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season began with five games on Thursday and saw Crvena Zvezda, Maccabi, Bayern and Barcelona protect their home floors, while Zalgiris celebrated in Bologna.