Name: Sasha Vezenkov: 'This team has a very high ceiling'
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Four Round 18 games take place on Thursday, and five more on Friday, December 27.

Game center: Final round of 2024 tips off Thursday

## Friday, December 27

### [Virtus Segafredo Bologna 83-69 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/virtus-flexes-its-muscles-in-dominant-win-over-asvel-83-69/)

Virtus improved to 3-1 under coach Dusko Ivanovic and 5-13 overall after thrashing ASVEL 83-69, with the visitors putting some gloss on the final scoreline after trailing by 21 points midway through the final frame. With this defeat, ASVEL drops to an 8-10 record. Achille Polonara was Virtus's star man on the night after posting 17 points and 9 rebounds. Will Clyburn added 13 points for the hosts, while Matt Morgan and Momo Diouf both chipping in with 10 points apiece. Theo Maledon netted 20 points for ASVEL, with 11 coming from the free-throw line. Neal Sako was the only other visiting player to get into double figures, scoring 12.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">VITTORIA, ANCORA IN CASA NOSTRA 🤍🔥🖤 <a href="https://t.co/Ng4TJZVgQ6">pic.twitter.com/Ng4TJZVgQ6</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1872759380527259677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [FC Bayern Munich 69-80 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-hands-bayern-first-ever-euroleague-loss-at-sap-garden-69-80/)

Panathinaikos became the first team to beat Bayern at home as the reigning champion won a back-and-forth slugfest 69-80 in both teams' final game of 2024. Panathinaikos survived a game with 21 lead changes, deciding the contest with a 0-12 spurt in the final 4 minutes to improve to 11-7 and snap a three-game losing streak. Bayern dropped to 11-7 and now 8-1 at SAP Garden, its new home, as its offense struggled after having averaged 101.8 points in the last four home games. Kendrick Nunn shined throughout for a game-high 27 points while Konstantinos Mitoglou had 15 points, Jerian Grant 14, Kostas Sloukas added 11 points and 8 assists, and new acquisition Wenyen Gabriel chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Andreas Obst made 6 three-points for 19 points, Johannes Voigtmann collected 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Devin Booker scored 14 points. The league’s leading scorer Carsen Edwards was held to 11 points – 9.7 points below his average.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final Score ☘️<a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBBasketball</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> 69-80 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LiveTheGreenMagic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LiveTheGreenMagic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Club1908?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Club1908</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneClubOneApp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneClubOneApp</a> <a href="https://t.co/a4zo0qJowa">pic.twitter.com/a4zo0qJowa</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1872755709257105608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 94-81 Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonia-comes-from-behind-to-beat-paris-94-81/)

Baskonia returned to winning ways by downing Paris 94-81 at Buesa Arena in Round 18 on Thursday. Baskonia improved to 8-10 in the standings while Paris dropped to 11-6. Chima Moneke led the winners with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Markus Howard added 28 points, while Nikos Rogkavopoulos netted 10. Nadir Hifi led Paris with 16 points. TJ Shorts added 14 and Maodo Lo had 12, while Collin Malcolm got 10.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">WHAT A WWWWIIIIIIINNNNN ✨✨✨<br><br>Nos llevamos el último enfrentamiento de <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> del 2⃣0⃣2⃣4⃣ 💪💪<br><br>THIS IS BASKONIA 🔵🔴 <a href="https://t.co/iMB2zqnbqW">pic.twitter.com/iMB2zqnbqW</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1872756593764565480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 90-81 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/partizan-gets-back-to-winning-ways-after-beating-fenerbahce-90-81/)

Partizan snapped a two-game skid in the EuroLeague and improved to 8-10 after a high-octane 90-81 home win over Fenerbahce, as Duane Washington poured in a career-high 27 points for the hosts. The result also means that Fenerbahce dropped to 10-7 after suffering its fifth loss in the last six in Europe’s premier club competition, as the visitors were on the back foot from start to finish. Carlik Jones racked up 14 points, 5 boards and as many assists while Tyrique Jones chipped in with 13 points for Partizan, which won the battle of the boards 34-27 and shot 29 of 44 from inside, where the hosts totally subdued the Turkish giant. At the other end, Nigel Hayes-Davis paced Fenerbahce with 19 points, Marko Guduric netted 14 and Sertac Sanli added 12.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Bravo crno-beli!🖤🤍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/z23BLYzLhL">pic.twitter.com/z23BLYzLhL</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1872758797950959794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [FC Barcelona 74-78 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-pulls-off-a-dramatic-win-in-barcelona-74-78/)

In a tight contest that went down to the wire, Crvena Zvezda pulled out a 74-78 win over Barcelona on Friday night at Palau Blaugrana. Zvezda, which lost the first game between these two teams in overtime and therefore holds the head-to-head tiebreaker improved to 10-8 on the season, while Barcelona dropped to a 9-9 record. Neither team had a lead bigger than 7 points in the second half, as Zvezda and Barcelona exchanged leads throughout the night. Kevin Punter's triple in the penultimate minute tied the game at 74-74, but Dejan Davidovac nailed a corner three, his only field goal of the game, with 21 seconds to go, which proved to be the game-winning basket. Filip Petrusev scored 17 points, Nikola Kalinic had 12, and Mike Daum netted 11 for Zvezda. Chimezie Metu netted 16 points, while Punter poured in 13 in a losing effort.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ru" dir="ltr">НАПРЕД ЗВЕЗДО! 🔴⚪️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/sportmts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sportmts</a> <a href="https://t.co/QFyoTYRBgL">pic.twitter.com/QFyoTYRBgL</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1872758780620095968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

## Thursday, December 26

### [AS Monaco 94-75 Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/as-monaco-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2024/154/)

Monaco stayed strong at home to comfortably down Efes on Thursday. The Roca Team improved to 12-6 to establish a two-game margin over Efes at 10-8. Monaco raced into an early double-digit lead, which was extended to 49-34 at halftime. The advantage reached 19 points early in the second half, and that was too big a gap for Efes to ever threaten. Monaco’s team effort was paced by 14 points apiece for Mike James and Jordan Loyd. Dan Oturu led Efes with 14 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🎉 Une victoire ➕️1⃣9⃣ à la maison pour la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a>, parfait pour finir l&#39;année ! 🎇🤩<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/t0gaEBNPg8">pic.twitter.com/t0gaEBNPg8</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1872369147482624460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [ALBA Berlin 69-80 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/alba-berlin-real-madrid/E2024/155/)

Real Madrid defeated ALBA for its third straight win and 18th in as many games against ALBA, to improve to 9-9 on the season, while ALBA dropped to a league-worst 3-15. Sergio Llull, who made his 425th EuroLeague appearance to tie Kyle Hines for the most all-time, scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the first half to help Real pull away to a 17-point lead, and the hosts never came closer than 6 points the rest of the way. Mario Hezonja added 18 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. David McCormack had 15 points and 8 rebounds for ALBA.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big road W for <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> in Berlin! ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wybzn069pC">pic.twitter.com/Wybzn069pC</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1872368738139570255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 95-78 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-zalgiris-kaunas/E2024/157/)

Maccabi romped past Zalgiris and improved to 5-13 after Jaylen Hoard led the way on a game-high 23 points, while Rokas Jokubaitis added 16 against his former club. Maccabi dished out 24 assists and won the battle of the boards 36-26 against a flat-looking Zalgiris which dropped to 10-8. Deividas Syrvidis and Sylvain Francisco amassed 15 points each for the Lithuanian team.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">זאת מכבי!<br>לסיקור וסטטיסטיקה &gt; <a href="https://t.co/DYcJke4DMl">https://t.co/DYcJke4DMl</a> <a href="https://t.co/4YZcGj0u7W">pic.twitter.com/4YZcGj0u7W</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1872386982959321397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 83-84 Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/ea7-emporio-armani-milan-olympiacos-piraeus/E2024/156/)

Olympiacos extended its winning streak to three games by grabbing a hard-fought victory at Milan's Unipol Forum. Neither team managed to secure a lead that was larger than 7 points, with the two sides trading blows throughout the 40 minutes. With the win, Olympiacos improved its record to 12-6. Meanwhile, Milan registered its third straight loss to drop to 9-9. Sasha Vezenkov led all scorers with 21 points and Evan Fournier netted 18. Nikola Mirotic paced Milan with 16 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">FINAL 🏀 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> 83-84 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EA7OLY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EA7OLY</a> <a href="https://t.co/WR0tjGjwVp">pic.twitter.com/WR0tjGjwVp</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1872393050288480287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Real Madrid, Monaco, Maccabi and Olympiacos were all victorious on Thursday night

Game Center: Three home winners tonight; PAO, Zvezda triumph on the road

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-12-27T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-12-27T19:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Paris Basketball (2024-12-27T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-12-27T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-12-27T19:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-12-26T19:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-12-26T19:05:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin v Real Madrid (2024-12-26T18:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2024-12-26T18:00:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm laid down a marker against Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul in rolling to a 17-point home victory after losing their Round 4 matchup in Turkiye back in October by 33 points. Albeit in a game that Ulm had an entirely different mind frame.

Ulm keeps rolling, showed its real self against Besiktas 

[ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/ulm/) laid down a marker against [Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/besiktas-fibabanka-istanbul/bes/) in rolling to a 17-point home victory after losing their Round 4 matchup in Turkiye back in October by 33 points. Albeit in a game that Ulm had an entirely different mind frame.

On Thursday night, Ulm extended its winning streak to five games by [beating Besiktas 104-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/ulm-overpowers-besiktas-104-87/) in a critical game in the fight for a top-two spot in Group A. Ulm continued to shine with its high-octane offense, having scored at least 100 point for the third straight game and improved to a 9-4 record.

“It’s nice to go out of 2024 with a victory. Also the fact that we lost really badly in Istanbul against what I think is a very good basketball team. I think we played really well today. Maybe one of our best performances,” said Ulm head coach [Ty Harrelson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/ulm/harrelson-ty/?season=U2024), whose team dished out 28 assists and shot 54.5% on three-pointers.

Ulm dropped the Round 4 game in Istanbul 107-74 for its first EuroCup loss of the season. But that was the third game of a six-game road trip for Ulm which the team travel 25,000 kilometers over a 15-day period.

The EuroCup game at Besiktas came on the Monday following Ulm’s heart-breaking buzzer-beater 103-100 loss in the German Cup to Bamberg on Saturday, October 12. The first Besiktas game was also two days before the young Ulm team would play in a high-profile exhibition game against the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers in the United States. So, it wouldn’t be a shock if some of those Ulm players were already thinking about the honor of playing on an NBA court.

Ulm’s first road game in that stretch was at Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius in Round 3 and the remaining road contests came against Oldenburg in the German League and at Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 5, when Ulm gave up a EuroCup-record 125 points. 

Coming back to its home game on Boxing Day, Ulm also had what could be considered a road game as the Besiktas fans were louder than the home supporters for large parts of the contest.

“This atmosphere was amazing. The Besiktas fans put on a great show, but also our fans were ready to come and celebrate basketball today,” said Ulm guard [Thomas Klepeisz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/thomas-klepeisz/010582/), who scored a season-high 15 points. “I fed off that energy and it was a lot of fun to play basketball today.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Capitano showing them how it&#39;s done 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/uuulmer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#uuulmer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/weareone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#weareone</a> | 📷 Harry Langer <a href="https://t.co/m9v1y0LBge">pic.twitter.com/m9v1y0LBge</a></p>&mdash; ratiopharm ulm (@ratiopharmulm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ratiopharmulm/status/1872386909252555084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Besiktas head coach [Dusan Alimpijevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/besiktas-fibabanka-istanbul/bes/alimpijevic-dusan/?season=U2024) tried to warn his players against thinking about the home win back in October.

"I told them forget about this first game and this 33-point win. I told them this is a completely different team. This is a completely different approach. And we didn’t exist today,” Alimpijevic said.

Ulm now holds a two-game lead over Besiktas – 9-4 to 7-6 – in the group, but Harrelson admitted he and the team was thinking about the tiebreaker. 

“I was telling the guys, we want to get the head-to-head. (Laughs). At some point they made a little run and it became apparent that would be really difficult to do without forcing stuff,” Harrelson said. “For most of the game we were very efficient with our offense. A couple of turnovers late led to some fast breaks so we couldn’t push it out to that type of score. Of course, that is what we would have liked to do but it just didn’t happen.”

The victory also meant a lot because Ulm had lost its last two games in the German League.

“It was an important game for our team today before a little bit of a break and New Year’s. I am just really proud of the group. 28 assists was the key. When we move the basketball, we are dangerous.”

Ulm certainly showed that in its final game of 2024 as the team looks ahead to 2025 with hopes of even further development.

Game News

Ty Harrelson’s men showed just how much they have changed since losing to Istanbul team by 33 points 

ratiopharm Ulm v Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (2024-12-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Thursday night in the German capital was a special occasion for Sergio Llull as the Real Madrid legend, three-time champion and former EuroLeague MVP made his 425th appearance in the competition, tying Kyle Hines for the most all-time.

Sergio Llull marked historic occasion with vintage performance

Thursday night in the German capital was a special occasion for [Sergio Llull](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergio-llull/tgb/). The [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/) legend, a three-time champion and former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP, made his 425th appearance in the competition, tying [Kyle Hines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kyle-hines/002812/) for the [most all-time](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/expanded/?size=200&viewType=traditional&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=All&sortDirection=descending&statistic=gamesPlayed).

But, in his team's [69-80 win over ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/alba-berlin-real-madrid/E2024/155/#boxscore), the 37-year-old Llull was also Real's best player, leading the team to its third straight win. He finished with a game-high 20 points, shooting 5-of-9 from three-point land.

It was Llull's first game in which he scored at least 20 points in more than two years, and the first time he knocked down 5 triples since Round 4 of last season.

"Today I came in the game and I was successful," Llull said after the game. "I was able to help the team in that aspect, but I always try to play at 100% to help in whatever way."

Real Madrid forward Mario Hezonja spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat ALBA Berlin in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Mario Hezonja: 'I am lucky to be in a locker room with Sergio Llull'

All the humbleness aside, there was running away from the fact Llull caught up with Hines for a major EuroLeague milestone, a record that will be his and only his next week when he enters the game at home [against FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/real-madrid-fc-bayern-munich/E2024/171/).

"It is a special record", Llull admitted. "Being up there in games played means that you have been at the highest level in the EuroLeague for many years."

Llull, again, tried to credit other factors that influenced his own personal success.

"The record is a consequence of being in the best club in the world for so many years. In the end, you play a lot of games. It's an honor to equal Kyle Hines, a player who is also a legend of the EuroLeague."

But the big night was definitely made even bigger by Llull's performance. He had a vintage performance, netting 4 three-pointers late in the first and early in the second quarter, including one four-point play and scoring 13 points in a span of less than 5 minutes, as he led Real in building a 17-point lead.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LULL hits a LOOK AWAY THREE! 🤯🤯🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/23Llull?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@23Llull</a> is feeling himself tonight with FOUR made threes so far! 🎯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/9qii4j4RVQ">pic.twitter.com/9qii4j4RVQ</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1872351838462529982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The rest of Llull's points came in the second half. With ALBA closing within 49-57, he drove for an important layup. In the fourth, when ALBA came within 6 points, Llull knocked down his fifth triple to make it 55-64 and then had another driving layup to open a 57-66 lead.

After that, [Mario Hezonja](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mario-hezonja/003108/) took over, scoring 8 straight points as *Los Blancos* pulled away for good and registered their third straight win to get their record to 9-9.

"We are taking \[steps forward\]. I think we have to be a little patient also in the sense that we have given away many games in that last quarter. We have lost games by 1 point, several of them, quite cruel. Seeing the ones we have won, we would be talking about being in the playoffs, even among the top four teams in such an even EuroLeague. But, I think the team is doing well and it is important to continue along this path", Llull concluded after his historic night.

The veteran Spaniard had a big night in Berlin, both in terms of EuroLeague history and in helping Los Blancos beat ALBA

Maccabi leaned on Jaylen Hoard and Roman Sorkin to thump Zalgiris

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/roster/tel/?season=2024-25) celebrated its most emphatic win of the season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after the Israeli champs vanquished [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2024-25) [95-78 in Round 18](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/impressive-maccabi-brushes-aside-zalgiris-95-78/) with several players excelling in a majestic all-around performance.

First and foremost [Jaylen Hoard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaylen-hoard/006835/), as the versatile forward sank a game-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and a perfect 8 of 8 from the foul line. Hoard also racked up 5 boards and 4 assists to underline a flowing individual effort.  

“It was a really great game and I was happy about the way we played defense today,” Hoard said in a post-game interview. “I feel I’ve played well in most of the last few outings but I always try to play better, each and every game,” he added.

Game Videos

The outcome also provided some relief to head coach [Oded Kattash](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/tel/kattash-oded/?season=E2024) after five successive defeats in Europe’s premier club competition, compounded by the weekend’s 101-84 drubbing at the hands of [Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-jerusalem/roster/jer/?season=2024-25) in the Israeli league.   

“I liked the reaction from my team because we had some tough losses last week, so I really liked the body language and the energy,” he said. “It’s really hard to get any momentum given our circumstances, but that’s our challenge.”

[Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/) and [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/) posted 18 points each for Maccabi and the latter stressed just how important it was for the team to bounce back from a series of setbacks. 

“We wanted to respond after the loss we had in the domestic league and it was a good game for us,” said Sorkin. “We don’t want to celebrate too much, as we aim to improve defensively and get more wins. “

Zalgiris head coach [Andrea Trinchieri](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/trinchieri-andrea/?season=E2024) made no excuses for a poor performance from his team. “It was our worst performance of the season as we weren’t ready to compete,” the Italian tactician said. "Congratulations to Maccabi as we gave up very early in the game and we had a very bad night.”

In Round 19, Zalgiris is at [home to Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/zalgiris-kaunas-olympiacos-piraeus/E2024/163/) while Maccabi makes a very short trip across the Serbian capital to [visit Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2024/170/).    

The duo, coupled with a good performance from Rokas Jokubaitis, had too much firepower for the visitors 

Alec Peters delivered big time in the fourth quarter, leading Olympiacos Piraeus to an 83-84 road win at Olimpia Milano.

Alec Peters stepped up to cover for Milutinov in Bartzokas’s small ball

Missing [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) through gastroenteritis, [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2024-25) took to Unipol Forum with just one available center in [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/). New signing [Nathan Mensah](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nathan-mensah/013514/) may have traveled with the team to Italy, but throwing the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague rookie in at the deep end at a strong side like [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/roster/mil/?season=2024-25) was not an option. Head coach [Georgios Bartzokas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/bartzokas-georgios/?season=E2024) had already tried playing small ball due to injuries of his bigs in previous games, but his experiment didn’t always work out well.

Yet, on Thursday night everything clicked and it was [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) who delivered big time in the fourth quarter, leading Olympiacos to an [83-84 road win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-edges-milan-in-thriller-83-84/). The Olympiacos forward started the closing quarter at the ‘4’ before moving to the center position when Fall was replaced with 3 fouls with 8 minutes to go.

"We had to play with a short lineup because we had only Moustapha Fall \[at center\] and it wasn’t easy for him to play 40 minutes and he had 3 fouls," Bartzokas told EuroLeague TV after the game. “And then we had a lineup with forwards and guards. So, protecting the paint and grabbing defensive rebounds was the key."

Peters stepped up for the Reds in Milan

Peters scored 12 of Olympiacos’s 20 points in the fourth quarter, including a huge triple to open a 74-80 lead with 2:22 left on the clock. In fact, he netted his team’s last 7 points of the game, allowing the Reds to maintain an edge until the final whistle. Peters ended the game with a season-high 14 points, going 3-for-3 from inside, 1-for-3 from deep and 5-for-5 from the line in 15:43 minutes on the floor.

Before coming to the fore in the fourth quarter, Peters saw his teammate, [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/), set the tone with an extraordinary third-quarter display. The Olympiacos forward scored 14 of his team’s 23 points in the third, allowing the visitors to establish a narrow lead. His complete outing on both sides of the floor saw Fournier finish the game with 18 points, 7 assists and as many as 5 steals.

“We’ve been struggling with injuries,” the Olympiacos forward told EuroLeague TV. “Guys in and out the lineup. We didn’t have Milu\[tinov\]. We just have to find some consistency regardless of who is in and who is out and play Olympiacos basketball, which is \[being\] tough, together and hard.”

Having previously gotten back to winning ways with two victories in the double-round week, Olympiacos has now extended its streak to three wins. At Milan it was Peters who stepped up and, should the Reds manage to consistently demonstrate this next-man-up mentality, they will be sending a strong message to the rest of the top-four spot contenders.

The Olympiacos forward netted 12 of his team’s 20 points in the fourth quarter

Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Sasha Vezenkov: 'This team has a very high ceiling'

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

AS Monaco celebrated its final piece of action of an eventful 2024 by sweeping aside Anadolu Efes Istanbul 94-75

Monaco enjoyed perfect end to 2024

If you could design the perfect way to end the calendar year, snapping a direct rival’s three-game winning streak with a comprehensive [19-point home victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-takes-first-place-with-win-over-efes-94-75/) would be a pretty good way to go.

And that’s exactly what [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/roster/mco/?season=2024-25) enjoyed on Thursday night, celebrating its final piece of action of an eventful 2024 by sweeping aside [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/roster/ist/?season=2024-25) 94-75, performing with focus and execution at both ends of the floor to lead by double digits for more than 30 minutes.

Roca Team coach [Vassilis Spanoulis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/spanoulis-vassilis/?season=E2024) certainly had no complaints with those efforts, immediately concluding that it was his team’s best performance since he joined the principality club a month ago.

“I’m very happy,” the Greek icon told [EuroLeague.TV](http://EuroLeague.TV). “Maybe we played the most solid game until now for 40 minutes, to keep this \[Efes\] team to 75 points. We shot with great percentages, two-point (65%), three-point (50%) and free throws (85%). And we say it one more time: 23 assists. This is great to play like this. It’s nice to watch this team playing like this.”

It must also be nice to play for a team like this, and [Jordan Loyd](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jordan-loyd/009754/) enjoyed his contribution against Efes by recording a game-high PIR of 18 on 14 points, 4 assists and 6 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes on the floor.

Loyd preferred to focus his attention on his team’s ability to limit Efes’s dangerous offense, saying: “When we play defense like that and we’re physical, we’re a great team.

AS Monaco guard Jordan Loyd spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Jordan Loyd: 'When we play defense like that, we're a great team'

“Everybody did their job tonight and obviously I’m happy with the win. We’ve got to hit at the right time, the right moment, and at the end of the season I think we’ll be there.”

Another strong performance was delivered by big man [Mam Jaiteh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mam-jaiteh/002581/), who hit 12 points without a miss alongside 4 boards and 2 steals, and he underlined the confidence flowing through Monaco as he observed: “We need to enjoy this time.

“Everything is positive to make us even more ambitious. Overall we played the way we would like to play, but we’re conscious of the small mistakes that we need to improve. If we have the good mindset we will do better soon and we have everything to reach our goals.”

And considering the emphatic all-round nature of Monaco’s final performance of 2024, it’s easy to argue that a glorious 2025 lies ahead.

The future looks bright for the Roca Team after a thumping win over Efes

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Jaylen Hoard spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Jaylen Hoard: 'Happy about the way we played defense today'

Olympiacos Piraeus extended its winning streak to three games by grabbing a hard-fought 83-84 victory at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Thursday 

Olympiacos edges Milan in thriller, 83-84

Olympiacos Piraeus extended its winning streak to three games by grabbing a hard-fought 83-84 victory at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Thursday night. In a tight affair at Unipol Forum, neither team managed to secure a lead that was larger than 7 points, with the two sides trading blows throughout the 40 minutes. With the win, Olympiacos improved its record to 12-6. Meanwhile, Milan registered its third straight loss to drop to 9-9.

Sasha Vezenkov led all scorers with 21 points and Evan Fournier netted 18, with Alec Peters and Moustapha Fall scoring 14 and 11, respectively. Nikola Mirotic paced Milan with 16 points, Shavon Shields netted 15 and Leandro Bolmaro scored 14.

Kostas Papanikolaou opened the scoring with a dunk following a backdoor cut, but Leandro Bolmaro netted a midrange jumper and Nico Mannion nailed a triple to put Milan ahead, 5-2. Moustapha Fall and Sasha Vezenkov scored inside, but Zach LeDay drilled one from deep and Bolmaro scored a layup to put Milan back in front, 10-6. Vezenkov and Shavon Shields traded triples before buckets from the Olympiacos forward and Fall tied it at 13-13. After Shaquielle McKissic and Vezenkov scored in the paint to give Olympiacos the lead, Neno Dimitrijevic made 2 from the free-throw line to make it 19-19 after 10 minutes.

Stefano Tonut opened his account from beyond the arc before back-to-back layups from Fabien Causeur opened a 28-21 lead early in the second quarter. Five points from Vezenkov were followed by a reverse layup from Papanikolaou to bring Olympiacos within 32-28. A Causeur three was followed by a basket from Fall, but Bolmano netted off the glass to extend Milan’s lead to 37-30. Fall and Papanikolaou scored inside, trimming the deficit to 38-34. Then, Olympiacos went on a 2-7 run fueled by its defense, with Vildoza scoring from behind the rainbow and Peters netting in transition for a 40-41 edge at the break.

Vezenkov opened the third quarter with a bucket inside before a jumper from Walkup gave Olympiacos a 42-45 lead. Milan responded with back-to-back triples from Bolmaro and Shields, who gave the hosts a 48-45 cushion. Fournier drilled a triple for his first field goal of the night before a Fall put-back bucket put Olympiacos ahead, 49-50. Vezenkov sank a three-pointer to reach the 2,500-point milestone before a Fournier three allowed the visitors to maintain a 54-56 lead. Ousmane Diop and Fournier exchanged buckets before Shields tied it, 58-58. Then, Fournier completed a three-point play before nailing one from downtown, but Neno Dimitrijevic hit a jumper that reduced the difference to 60-64 heading into the closing quarter.

Dimitrijevic opened the fourth with a triple before a three from Giampaolo Ricci put Milan in front, 66-65. Yet, Peters netted inside and Vildoza nailed from the corner to restore a 66-70 lead. The game turned into a free-throw affair, with Olympiacos maintaining a 68-74 cushion. Shields scored one from deep, but Fournier got a tough score inside to make it 71-77. Mirotic completed a three-point play on the other end, but Peters responded with a triple, 74-80. Peters and Shields traded scores inside, before a couple of free throws from the former restored a 78-84 cushion. Bolmaro nailed a corner three before a layup from Mirotic brought Milan within 83-84 with 0:38 remaining. With one possession left for each team, neither side managed to get a score and Olympiacos sealed the road victory.

The Reds outlasted the hosts in a tight affair at Unipol Forum

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv romped to a 95-78 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 18 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and improved to 5-13 after Jaylen Hoard led the way on a game-high 23 points

Impressive Maccabi brushes aside Zalgiris, 95-78

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv romped to a 95-78 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 18 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and improved to 5-13 after Jaylen Hoard led the way on a game-high 23 points, while Rokas Jokubaitis added 16 against his former club. Roman Sorkin also chipped in with 18 points for Maccabi and Levi Randolph netted 10 as Maccabi dished out 24 assists and won the battle of the boards 36-26 against a flat-looking Zalgiris which dropped to 10-8.

Deividas Syrvidis and Sylvain Francisco amassed 15 points each for the Lithuanian team and Lonnie Walker scored 14 after enduring a torrid shooting night, sinking just 1 of 10 from deep after missing his opening nine shots beyond the three-point arc.

Following an even start, as the teams were tied 13-13 midway through the first quarter, Maccabi went on a crucial 9-0 run and never looked back. Jokubaitis and Hoard drained 11 points each in the opening period as Maccabi surged ahead 26-16 and then continued to torment the visitors in the second quarter.

Hoard and Jokubaitis combined for 29 points by halftime, with Maccabi dominating in all departments. The hosts sank 5 of 7 three-pointers in the first half and contained Zalgiris to 6 of 20, dishing out 24 assists while forcing 11 turnovers from the visitors.

Maccabi also nailed 15 of 24 shots from inside and its aggressive defense limited Zalgiris to 6 of 9, as the Lithuanian team was forced out of the paint by aggressive defense from Maccabi.

There seemed to be a glimmer of hope for Zalgiris after a ferocious Alen Smailagic dunk ignited a streak that slashed Maccabi’s lead to 67-55 late in the third quarter.

However, a 13-5 run from Maccabi vanquished any thoughts of a comeback as the Israel champs kept their feet on the gas in the fourth.

Maccabi led by as many as 23 points in the closing stages, 87-64, before a late rally by Zalgiris kept the final score remotely respectable for the visiting team.   

The Israeli champs fired on all cylinders from start to finish

Poirier’s poster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night