Name: Top 10 Plays | Round 18 | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Round 18 of the BKT EuroCup had something for everyone. Check out round's best plays and see who had the best of them!

Top 10 Plays | Round 18 | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

 Round 18 of the BKT EuroCup had something for everyone. Check out round's best plays and see who had the best of them!

The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season makes its next stop this weekend in Ulm, so here are some of the names to look out for.

NextGen EuroLeague Ulm: Players to watch

The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season makes its next stop this weekend in Ulm with the German city hosting the event for the first time. The tournament features past continental champions [U18 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-fc-barcelona/jba/) and [U18 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-zalgiris-kaunas/jza/) as well as host club [U18 ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-ratiopharm-ulm/jru/), [U18 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-alba-berlin/jbe/), [U18 Dubai Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-dubai-basketball/jdu/), [U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/jas/), [U18 Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-olympiacos-piraeus/jol/) and [U18 Next Gen Team Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-next-gen-team-ulm/ngu/). 

The teams will compete over three days at the Orange Campus in Ulm from February 7 to 9 with the goal of reaching the NextGen EuroLeague Finals, which will be played at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in May.

Here are some of the names to look out for from the teams in Ulm.

### Lukas Klein – U18 ALBA Berlin

[Lukas Klein](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/lukas-klein/013613/) will be making his debut in the NextGen EuroLeague after moving to ALBA from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. The 2008-born big man won the German U16 JBBL league Defensive Player of the Year last season, after which he averaged 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024. This season the center is collecting 7.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in the U19 NBBL league and had two appearances in the ProB third division with Lot Bernau – eight months after playing in the U16 league. Klein still needs to add weight to his body but he is getting better every day due to his knowledge of the game, IQ and good hands.

### Tomislav Vuckovic – U18 Dubai Basketball 

[Tomislav Vuckovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/tomislav-vuckovic/013676/) will be competing for the first time in the NextGen EuroLeague. He collected 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 blocks for Croatia at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024. The 2008-born Croatian moved to Dubai from KA Mrav Zagreb and had been averaging 25.4 points in the Croatian U17 league. This season he tallied 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.3 steals in the U19 ABA League. He is a sharpshooter who understands the game and has good anticipation and athleticism. 

### Mathieu Grujicic – U18 FC Barcelona 

[Mathieu Grujicic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/mathieu-grujicic/012103/) will be playing in his third NextGen season after the 2022-23 campaign with his first big club, ALBA Berlin. The point guard, who moved to Barcelona in 2023, averaged 15.2 points and 3.0 rebounds at the Belgrade qualifier last season. He helped ALBA to the German U16 JBBL title and was the Final Four MVP. Grujicic averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals in helping Germany finish fifth at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 to help the country qualify for the FIBA U17 World Cup for the first time. This season Grujicic is one of the main leaders of the second team with 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists - including twice in the last five games hitting 4 three-pointers. Grujicic is great at creating scoring situations on 1on1 and off screens. He has good touch near the rim and wide range in the catch-and-shoot and pull-ups. He loves to play through contact. He’s improving his ball handling to add the pick-and-roll. He also gained a lot of activity on his defense on the ball and understands off-ball positioning. Grujicic should focus on his shot selection and be regular with the basics to be the best version of himself.

### Davi Remagen – U18 Next Gen Team Ulm 

[Davi Remagen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/davi-remagen/013648/) will be making his NextGen debut. He starred for Germany at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals. Remagen has struggled with injuries, missing the entire 2023-24 season and most of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns for the RheinStars Köln. When he was healthy, the point guard shined and won the U16 JBBL 2022-23 league MVP after averaging 31.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.7 steals in the season and guiding his club to the JBBL Final Four for the first time. Back healthy for this season, he is collecting 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in the ProB third division this season while dominating the U19 league with 28.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.6 steals. Remagen has elite scoring ability with his speed and offensive skillset. The dynamic guard has a strong explosive frame and good ball-handling, allowing him to finish through contact. He is a relentless attacker of the rim with a great motor. Remagen also has a great impact at the defensive end. 

### Georgios Bourneles – U18 Olympiacos Piraeus

[Georgios Bourneles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/georgios-bourneles/013141/) is one of the few Olympiacos players with past NextGen experience as he had 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in Paris last season. The guard has yet to play for the Greek national team, but he already made his senior team debut for Olympiacos in November against PAOK Thessaloniki. Bourneles has averaged 19.0 points with 35 percent on three-pointers, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the Greek U18 league. Bourneles is a point guard with a very good pull up shot, reads the game very well, and is strong on defense with leadership characteristics.

### Adam Atamna – U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

[Adam Atamna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/adam-atamna/012268/) will be playing at his third NextGen tournament after he picked up 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games in Dubai, having been unable to show his full potential due to a broken hand. The guard played for France at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 and won bronze as he averaged 6.3 points and 1.7 assists. After dominating the French U21 league last season at age 16, Atamna was sent to play with LyonSO in the third division NM1 and is averaging 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Atamna has great maturity in his game and a strong understanding of it. His main offensive weapon today is his shooting, making him a formidable attacker. He also has the ability to organize and structure the game.

### Teo Milicic – U18 ratiopharm Ulm

[Teo Milicic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/teo-milicic/013624/) will be making his NextGen debut. He comes from a strong basketball family as his father Igor Milicic is the Polish national team head coach while his older brother Igor Milicic Jr. plays for Tennessee in the NCAA and with the Polish senior national team, and 2006-born brother Zoran Milicic plays for Ulm and was in the NextGen tournament last year. Teo helped Ulm reach the U16 JBBL league Semi-Finals last season. Milicic this season is averaging 18.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals in the NBBL and 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in the Regionalliga fourth division. He can score in multiple ways, is extremely competitive, has a great work ethic and is a leader on the court – an extension of the coach and extremely vocal. He has a great motor at both ends and his high IQ allows him to read the game at a high level. Milicic still needs to improve his three-point shot and become more patient.

### Dominykas Daubaris – U18 Zalgiris Kaunas  

[Dominykas Daubaris](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/dominykas-daubaris/012185/) did not play in the NextGen EuroLeague last season after getting into two games in 2022-23 in Munich. The forward big man had averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 but then missed all of last season with a knee injury. He has returned this season and is averaging 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in the NKL second division. The 2.08 meter Daubaris is a versatile stretch big with a lot of upside. His low-post presence combined with floor stretching abilities makes him a true opponent’s headache. He also has intangibles such as calmness, natural basketball IQ and solid work ethic.

Here are eight top talents to keep an eye on at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Ulm 

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade kept its postseason bid on track with an industrious 71-81 win at Virtus Segafredo Bologna, as an unlikely hero turned up to join the usual suspects in a concerted team effort 

Downtown firepower and defensive steel carried Partizan at Virtus 

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-nis-belgrade/roster/par/?season=2024-25) kept its postseason bid on track with [an industrious 71-81 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/plucky-partizan-bounces-back-to-beat-virtus-71-81/) at [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/roster/vir/?season=2024-25), as an unlikely hero turned up to join the usual suspects in a concerted team effort that forced the home team into submission on Wednesday.

Small forward [Arijan Lakic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arijan-lakic/007736/) racked up 6 rebounds and 2 steals to go with a mere 2 points against the Italian team, but the 25-year-old did so much more than meets the eye and the stats sheet to propel the Serbian team in a rugged and physical contest.

Lakic’s tireless hustle at both ends forced Virtus turnovers at key moments whenever the home team threatened to turn the game around, as he made life uncomfortable for the Italian side’s top performers all night in a cracking atmosphere.

Expectably, sharpshooter [Sterling Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sterling-brown/012720/) provided the spark on offense with a game-high 20 points to go with 5 boards, sinking 4 of 5 from deep while [Carlik Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carlik-jones/013369/) added 19 points as he once again pulled the strings in the opposition half of the court.

Having struggled early on, [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) quickly found another gear to rack up 12 points and as many boards, delivering at both ends as he personified a defensive wall while doing so much damage on offense in the fourth quarter when Brown was kept scoreless.

Last but not least, there was [Brandon Davies](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/brandon-davies/007870/) who chipped in with 11 points, including a clutch three-pointer which turned out to be a dagger into Virtus hearts after the Italian side had slashed the deficit to 65-69 in the closing stages of a pulsating matchup.

Brown, who’s been Partizan’s go-to man along with Carlik Jones throughout the season, heaped praise on the home team’s fighting spirit as well as on his own teammates.  

“It was a fight and we needed this one,” Brown said in his postgame comments. “Tip my hat off to Virtus, they stayed in the game but we had some guys who came up with some big plays, especially on the defensive end.

“It was a full team effort as Lakic’s contribution was huge on defense and then Carlik finished the game off for us. We’ve got to keep building on this as we’ve got another big one \[against AS Monaco\] on Friday.”

Game Videos

Coach Zeljko Obradovic was his usual temperamental self in demanding perfection from his team, having said that his outbursts during timeouts were necessary in order to root out any notion of complacency when Virtus came close to turning the game around.

“I am the coach and it’s my job to react,” said Obradovic. “We were up by 14 but then we committed some turnovers and Virtus is a good team that fights until the end so it was very tough just as we expected.

“They have a lot of quality inside and at the end of the day it’s a very important victory for us.”

The rock-solid support cast included [Iffe Lundberg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/iffe-lundberg/010781/), who had 9 points and 6 assists, as well as [Isaac Bonga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaac-bonga/006760/) who amassed 8 points and 5 rebounds as Partizan’s role players passed a stern test of their credentials with flying colors.

Game News

The visiting team came up with clutch plays at both ends to grind out a precious road win

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-02-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos BC shined on offense on the road at Paris Basketball, in large part thanks to the performance of guard Nigel Williams-Goss.

Nigel Williams-Goss helped Olympiacos hit the right notes in Paris

Both Thomas Walkup and Luca Vildoza have stayed back in Greece during this double-round week, yet their absence didn’t have much of an impact on [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) against [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/), in large part thanks to [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/).

The 30-year-old floor manager stepped up big time on both ends, leading his team to [an important 73-90 road win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/vezenkov-fournier-power-olympiacos-past-paris-73-90/) that also saw the Reds secure the tiebreaker advantage over Paris. Williams-Goss pulled off a complete outing, finishing the game with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and not a single turnover, despite running the team for as many as 35.53 minutes – the longest he has spent on the court in a game so far this season.

More importantly, 7 of his points came in the last six and a half minutes, with Williams-Goss coming to the fore when it mattered most. Olympiacos led by as many as 20 points in the first half, but Paris was anything but willing to give up.

The hosts outscored the Reds 27-19 in the third quarter, with TJ Shorts scoring a layup in transition to bring his team within 65-71 with 6:49 minutes left on the clock. Enter Williams-Goss, who responded with a smooth floater on the other end to begin a 2-11 run that saw him drain a triple and go 2 for 2 from the line to give Olympiacos a 67-82 cushion with 3:10 remaining.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I fucking love yall man. Thank you<br>❤️🤍❤️🤍 <a href="https://t.co/JA9ny2bnhz">pic.twitter.com/JA9ny2bnhz</a></p>&mdash; Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanFourmizz/status/1887264960373227972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Greek side took their revenge after losing 90-96 at home back in December, with [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) and [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/) shining in yet another game. The former went 7 for 10 on field goals to record 23 points and a PIR of 30, with the Frenchman adding 18 points. Vezenkov has now scored in double digits in each of the 23 times he’s stepped on the floor this season and Fournier had done so in 18 of his last 19 games.

“They kicked our a\*\* in the first game,” Fournier told EuroLeague TV after Wednesday’s clash. “They surprised us a little bit. It ended up being a close game, but they were up 20 in the fourth quarter and there was no way we were going to let them do that again. We matched their intensity. We matched their physicality. Rebounded the ball pretty well. They still got too many second chances, but overall it was a good job.”

The Reds opened the last double-round week of the season with a hard-fought victory in France, two days before their upcoming clash away at FC Barcelona. With both Walkup and Vildoza out injured, Olympiacos will lean again on Williams-Goss to run the team from the point guard position – something that he demonstrated he can do pretty well as a starter, too.

The experienced guard stepped up in the absences of Walkup and Vildoza

Paris Basketball v Olympiacos Piraeus (2025-02-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket came back from a 14-point deficit to pull out a 100-98 win over the visiting Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse in the last game of the BKT EuroCup regular season. Valencia finished the regular season with a 16-2 record, and will have home-court advantage in all playoff rounds, while this loss eliminated Bourg, which finished with a 9-9 record in Group B.

Valencia rallies to clinch 1st place, eliminate Bourg

Valencia Basket came back from a 14-point deficit to pull out a 100-98 win over visiting Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse in the last game of the BKT EuroCup Regular Season. Valencia finished with a 16-2 record and will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, while this loss eliminated Bourg, which finished with a 9-9 record in Group B.

When the game tipped off, Bourg knew it needed to win to make the playoffs, and was firing on all cylinders in the first half. Valencia caught up in the third quarter, but Bourg spent most of the second half with a slim lead before Valencia pulled out a victory that ended Bourg’s season. 

Chris Jones led six Valencia scorers in double figures with 17 points, Xavi Lopez-Arostegui had 15, Nate Sestina netted 14 points. Nate Reuvers and Brancou Badio scored 12 apiece, while Stefan Jovic collected 10 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. For Bourg, Maksim Salash led the way with 18 points, Joel Ayayi and Jordan Usher each scored 15, Jean-Marc Pansa added 12, Xavier Castaneda 11, while Hugo Benitez had 10 points and 8 assists.

Sestina nailed a three-pointer, but the visitors forced 5 turnovers and scored the next 15 points behind Salash, Usher and Ayayi to open a 5-17 lead. Even though Josep Puerto nailed a triple, the visitors kept the lead in double figures. Sestina and Badio revived Valencia with a triple apiece to help make it 18-27 after 10 minutes.

Badio and Lopez-Arostegui got the Valencia offense going in the second quarter, but Brandon Paul hit back-to-back threes to restore a double-digit margin, 25-37. The teams traded baskets and Valencia youngster Jorge Carot scored twice to get the margin into single digits. Salash, Kevin Kokila and Ayayi quickly restored a 37-50 margin. However, before the end of the half, Badio and Sestina each made threes while Lopez-Arostegui had a three-point play to get the deficit within 50-54 at halftime.

Three-pointers from Jones and Jovic gave Valencia a 60-58 lead early in the third, but Bourg replied with a 2-12 run which featured five different scorers, and was sparked by a step-back corner triple from Ayayi. Sestina ended the run, but Bourg kept the margin safe through Benitez and Salash, before jones and Semi Ojeleye scored in the final minute to make it 72-76 going into fourth quarter.

Badio and Jovic scored the first 6 points of the fourth quarter to put Valencia up again. After Brandon Jefferson and Ojeleye traded three-pointers, Jones had a three-point play. Usher and Ayayi each nailed a triple to make it 84-87. Jovic answered right back with a three-pointer, but Pansa and Usher restored Bourg's slim lead twice more. Ayayi’s driving layup made it 92-93, but that was Bourg’s last lead with 1:40 to go. Lopez-Arostegui scored the next 4 points, before Valencia’s defense preserved the lead.

Valencia reached the 100-point mark for the 11th time this season

Valencia Basket v Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (2025-02-05T19:30:00.000Z)

What a poster jam by Woodbury, driving the baseline and dunking over Hankins

Woodbury drives baseline for poster slam! Magic Moment of the Night 

What a poster jam by Woodbury, driving the baseline and dunking over Hankins 

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2025-02-05T18:00:00.000Z)

Twenty teams started the season dreaming of EuroCup glory and now only 12 remain

The 2025 BKT EuroCup Playoffs bracket is official!

The playoff picture was finalized with the last five teams crashing the party on Wednesday, the final night of the regular season. Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius, Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul and U-BT Cluj-Napoca all won to secure their spots while Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, which lost, and Umana Reyer Venice, which won on Tuesday, advanced thanks to other results.

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem both won to secure second place in Groups A and B, respectively, thus joining Bahcesehir College Istanbul and Valencia Basket with eighthfinals byes and home-court advantage in the single-game quarterfinals.

The eighthfinals matchups will feature Dreamlife Gran Canaria against Umana Reyer Venice,

Turk Telekom Ankara against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana against Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul, and Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius against U-BT Cluj-Napoca.

The single-game EuroCup Eighthfinals will be played on Tuesday, March 4, and Wednesday, March 5, and the quarterfinals will take place the following week.

The 2025 BKT EuroCup Playoffs bracket is official

Olympiacos BC swingman Evan Fournier spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's win against Paris Basketball in Round 25 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Evan Fournier: 'The Olympiacos fans killed it tonight'

Olympiacos Piraeus swingman Evan Fournier spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's win against Paris Basketball in Round 25 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Paris Basketball-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 25 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Joventut Badalona-Bahcesehir College Istanbul  | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Joventut Badalona v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2025-02-05T19:30:00.000Z)

KK Partizan delivered a resurgent performance to overpower Virtus Bologna on the road, 71-81, improving its EuroLeague record to 13-12 after last week’s painful 71-73 home loss to archrival KK Crvena zvezda.

Plucky Partizan bounces back to beat Virtus, 71-81

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade delivered a resurgent performance to overpower Virtus Segafredo Bologna on the road, 71-81, improving its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague record to 13-12 after last week’s painful 71-73 home loss to archrival Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.

Virtus dropped to 7-18 as its slim hopes of reaching the business end of the competition took another blow in a bruising matchup, where the road fans roared Partizan to victory as the visitors rallied from a 23-17 first-quarter deficit.

Sterling Brown paced Partizan on 20 points and livewire playmaker Carlik Jones scored 19. Tyrique Jones posted 12 points and as many rebounds while fellow big man Brandon Davies chipped in with 11, as the twin towers provided power in the paint.

The unsung hero accolade goes to Arijan Lakic, whose relentless hustle at both ends of the court facilitated 4 points off turnovers and 17 second-chance points for Partizan, which fended off a second-half fightback from Virtus.

“We showed character to clear our heads after the derby defeat and win this one,” Lakic told Serbia’s Sport Klub television straight after the final buzzer. “Defense was once again the key as it provided for a barrage of open shots and fast breaks at the other end of the court. A big shout out to our fans too, they carried us like so many times before.”

Tornike Shengelia led Virtus on 16 points and Isaia Cordinier added 13 but the support cast fell short as the home team got overpowered in the paint (27-34), having also been outshot from long range with Partizan sinking 11 of 18 from deep while Virtus made 9 of 24.

Virtus made a brighter start as Shengelia caused Partizan all sorts of problems early on, while Brown soon found his range at the other end. The Italian team was lethal from inside in the first quarter, 8 of 9, but the second was a very different story as the visitors ramped up on defense and turned the contest on its head.

Carlik Jones started pulling the strings on offense and Brown kept rifling in his shots from long range, mixing them with drives to the basket while Virtus failed to make a single shot from inside. The hosts were 0 of 5 from inside the arc in the second quarter and Partizan hit top gear to engineer a 36-44 halftime lead.

Partizan was an impressive 6 of 8 from deep in the first half and the visiting team pressed on relentlessly early in the third quarter as three-pointers from Carlik Jones and Iffe Lundberg allowed the Serbian side to pull away into a 40-54 lead.

The tireless Shengelia kept Virtus alive as the home team slashed the deficit to 57-66 ahead of the final 10 minutes despite Brown doing his thing for Partizan, with the versatile forward adding 5 points to his tally in the third period.

The visitors started to struggle on offense early in the fourth as Brown was starved of service, which allowed Virtus to close in to 65-69 and galvanize a vocal home crowd inside Virtus Segafredo Arena.

With Brown stifled out, Davis and Tyrique Jones came up big to keep the home team at bay in a frantic finish to the game and Carlik Jones finally forced Virtus into submission with a reverse layup to delight several hundred noisy Partizan fans. 

The Serbian team recovered from a tough Belgrade derby loss to jump back into the postseason picture 

Valencia Basket-Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

The final score did not reflect just how tight the game between FC Barcelona and Maccabi Tel Aviv BC was in the opening 23 minutes, despite the Blaugrana's eventual 100-71 victory.

Barcelona went to another level after the break to defeat Maccabi

The final score did not reflect just how tight the game between [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) and [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/tel/) was in the opening 23 minutes. 

Maccabi played a very solid first half, outrebounding Barca 18-23, pulling down 10 offensive boards and limiting the hosts' ball circulation. 

Indeed, Barca had just 6 assists before the break and picked up as many as 5 turnovers. Despite being very effective inside the arc (12 of 18, 66.7% 2FG), Barca only hit 5-of-15 three-pointers (33.3% 3FG).

Once both teams returned to the court, Barcelona had a very different mentality. First, it found new go-to guys. 

[Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) scored 19 of his 28 points after the break to make the difference in the game. [Chimezie Metu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/chimezie-metu/013379/) went scoreless in the opening 28 minutes but finished the game with 11 points, striking three times from beyond the arc. Once Barca found its scoring references, everything was way easier.

Barca had 58 points after the break, the second-best scoring mark in a second half during this EuroLeague season, en route to [an eventual 100-71 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kevin-punter-leads-barcelona-past-maccabi-100-71/); Paris Basketball had 60 points in the second half of a 109-107 road loss against FC Bayern Munich in Round 4. Its is Barca's third-best scoring mark in a second half: it had 61 points in a 65-104 road win against PGE Turow Zgorzelec on December 5, 2014, and reached 59 in a 107-76 home victory over Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir on November 19, 2015. [Alex Abrines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alex-abrines/003478/) and [Tomas Satoransky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tomas-satoransky/002939/) were present in all three games.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">Gràcies culersss!!! Gran, CAT 💙❤️ <a href="https://t.co/GYSaigNZWR">pic.twitter.com/GYSaigNZWR</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1887255043390513311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The hosts dramatically improved under the boards, which was one of the biggest keys to this game. Barca outrebounded Maccabi 20-10 in the second half, allowing Maccabi to get just 2 offensive boards and grabbing 11 on the defensive end. Barca also improved its ball circulation, getting 11 assists and 7 turnovers in the second half. Maccabi had 12 second-half turnovers, twice as many as before the break.

All that led to a very comfortable win after a difficult first half in which Maccabi competed much better.

"We played more consistent in the second half, more solid in different situations, and we controlled our defensive rebounds," Barca head coach Joan Penarroya said after the game. "We needed to play solid against Maccabi, it is a very good team on offense, but I think we played a good game."

On Friday, Barca hosts league leader Olympiacos Piraeus while Maccabi visits Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in a rematch of the 2005 EuroLeague Championship Game.

After a tight first half, Joan Penarroya's team went on to win by 29 points


FC Barcelona v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2025-02-05T19:30:00.000Z)

KK Partizan guard Sterling Brown spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's win against Virtus Bologna in Round 25 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Sterling Brown: 'Arijan Lakic was huge for us tonight'

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard Sterling Brown spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's win against Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 25 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Partizan Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 25 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius beat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 91-82 to qualify for the BKT EuroCup Playoffs for the first time behind a career game from Matas Jogela

Matas Jogela's career-night put Wolves on the right track

[Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-vilnius/roster/wol/?season=2024-25) captured [a 91-82 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/wolves-beat-buducnost-to-clinch-playoff-berth-91-82/) over [Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/roster/bud/?season=2024-25) to qualify for the BKT EuroCup Playoffs for the first time behind a career game from [Matas Jogela](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/matas-jogela/006853/). It was the game of the season for both teams, as only the winner had a guaranteed ticket into the next round.

Jogela entered this game averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds for a PIR of 7.4, shooting rather poorly from beyond the arc. He had buried 12 of 37 three-point shots (32.4% 3FG). Jogela had shown progress lately, boosting his numbers to 12.5 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting and 5.0 rebounds for a PIR of 16.0 in the last two games.

Matas Jogela hit six three-pointers to lead Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius past Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.

Jogela ties club record in important victory

On Wednesday, Jogela made history for Wolves in a first half for the ages in which he was truly unstoppable. Once [Andrija Slavkovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrija-slavkovic/006566/) scored 5 seconds after the tip-off, Jogela buried his first three-pointer, igniting a 10-0 run that put the Wolves ahead 10-2. Jogela struck twice more from beyond the arc in the first quarter, singlehandedly helping his team get a 26-25 edge after 10 minutes.

He was far from done, however. Jogela remained on fire throughout the first half, making 6 of 7 three-pointers, tying a club record that previously belonged to current teammate [Andrew Andrews](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-andrews/011248/), and [Rasheed Sulaimon](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/rasheed-sulaimon/011150/), currently playing for Buducnost. [Jeffery Taylor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jeffery-taylor/006546/) added 3 shots from downtown to give Wolves a 54-41 lead at halftime.

Jogela cooled off after scoring the second half's opening basket. He was scoreless for the remainder of the game and that was when the Wolves made the difference with outstanding defense. Buducnost went on to score just 3 points in the next 6 minutes, as [Marek Blazevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marek-blazevic/008186/) and [Anthony Cowan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-cowan-jr/012003/) helped the hosts break the game open, 68-44. Buducnost only got within single digits in the final seconds of the game.

Jogela set career highs of 20 points and a PIR of 22. Five other Wolves teammates scored in double digits. Wolves dished 20 assists, twice as many as Buducnost. Despite making just 2 of 10 three-pointers (20%) in the second half, the Wolves still finished the game on 12-of-26 shooting from beyond the arc (46.2%). Buducnost only made 7 of 28 from downtown (25%).

After the game, Jogela highlighted his club's great achievement.

"This is very important for this club because we are going to the playoffs for the first time. It was the most important game of the season. We won this game and are happy," Jogela said. "I just tried to be aggressive and play aggressive with and without the ball. My teammates passed me the ball when I had open shots."

The 27-year-old forward drilled 6 first-half triples to spark his team

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2025-02-05T17:00:00.000Z)

Georgios Papagiannis puts Chima Moneke on a poster!

Papagiannis posterizes Moneke! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night 

 Georgios Papagiannis puts Chima Moneke on a poster!

AS Monaco v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025-02-05T18:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona center Willy Hernangomez spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's win against Maccabi Tel Aviv BC in Round 25 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Willy Hernangomez: 'It was a must-win game for us today'

FC Barcelona center Willy Hernangomez spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's win against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Round 25 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.