Name: Diouf dunks after classy Cordinier pass! Motorola Magic Moment
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Virtus Bologna finished the first half of the regular season on a high note by winning a back-and-forth battle 86-81 over FC Barcelona in the first home game under new coach Dusko Ivanovic. 

Virtus battles past Barcelona, 86-81, in first home game under Ivanovic 

Virtus Segafredo Bologna finished the first half of the regular season on a high note by winning a back-and-forth battle 86-81 over FC Barcelona in the first home game under new coach Dusko Ivanovic. The fourth quarter featured 12 lead changes and four ties, with Virtus scoring the final six points for its second victory in three games under its new play-caller for a 4-13 record, including 2-7 at home. 

Isaia Cordinier had a night to remember with a career-high 24 points to go with 6 rebounds and 7 assists for a career-high 38 PIR. With Toko Shengelia missing for a second straight game, Ante Zizic stepped up inside and added 12 points and 11 rebounds, Matt Morgan scored 10 points and Alessandro Pajola tallied 9 points and 7 assists. Barcelona has now dropped six of the last eight games for a 9-8 record. Jabari Parker led the way with 21 points while Kevin Punter collected 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and Willy Hernangomez chipped in 14 points.

Game Videos

Barcelona struggled early from the field, going nearly 3 minutes without a score as Virtus went up 6-2, and it was 10-4 for the home side around the midway point of the opening quarter. After a timeout, Barcelona was able to score more consistently and cut the gap to 10-9. Cordinier had a great start and Barcelona could not get defensive stops, with Virtus leading 19-13. The surge continued and the hosts led 23-15 after 10 minutes. 

Barcelona held Virtus to just one basket in the first 4 minutes and a Parker triple made it 26-22. The hosts dominated the offensive glass with 11 offensive rebounds, 6 of them coming from Zizic, who had two put-back scores to keep Virtus up 32-24. A Hernangomez three-point play trimmed the deficit to 32-29 before Pajola finally hit Virtus’s first three-pointer after the team missed its first 13 shots from long range. A Punter triple had Barcelona down just 35-34 at the break.

Game News

Alex Abrines opened the second half with a triple to put Barcelona ahead, only to have Andrejs Grazulis and Cordinier hit threes and Will Clyburn to dunk to make it 43-37. Two more Virtus baskets made it 47-40. Parker and Punter combined for nine points as Barcelona would not let Virtus get away, pulling within 49-48. Virtus’s hot shooting continued with two three-pointers, but the guests evened the game, 60-60. And the score was tied 65-65 after 30 minutes.

The game remained close and went back and forth early in the final frame with seven lead changes in the first 5 minutes, with Barcelona going ahead 72-75. Cordinier continued his fantastic night with an assist and two free throws to put Virtus up 78-77. Four more lead changes followed, with Cordinier making three of four free throws as Virtus lead 83-81 with 27 seconds to go. Cordinier then forced Dario Brizuela into a traveling turnover with 13 seconds left, with Pajola making one free throw at the other end. The game was decided when Parker missed a jumper and Punter committed an unsportsmanlike foul on Clyburn in the waning seconds.

The Italian side moves to 2-1 under the Montenegrin head coach

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v FC Barcelona (2024-12-20T19:00:00.000Z)

What a bounce pass by Isaia Cordinier with Mouhamet Diouf finishing with a dunk.

Diouf dunks after classy Cordinier pass! Motorola Magic Moment

What a bounce pass by Isaia Cordinier with Mouhamet Diouf finishing with a dunk. 

LDLC ASVEL continued its charge up the standings with another road win as it held off Zalgiris Kaunas 72-78 at Zalgirio Arena on Friday night. This win, which was ASVEL's third straight and fifth in the last six games, improved the team to 8-9, while Zalgiris dropped to 10-7, a win behind the league leaders.

ASVEL holds off Zalgiris, 72-78, continues its winning streak

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne continued its charge up the standings with another road win as it held off Zalgiris Kaunas 72-78 at Zalgirio Arena on Friday night. This win, which was ASVEL's third straight and fifth in the last six games, improved the team to 8-9, while Zalgiris dropped to 10-7, a win behind the league leaders.

ASVEL led for the majority of the night and never allowed the hosts to get closer than 4 points in the fourth quarter. Melvin Ajinca and Theo Maledon each scored 17 points, Paris Lee netted 12 and Nando De Colo added 11 points. Sylvain Francisco poured in 22 points for the hosts, while Deividas Sirvydis scored 10.

Laurynas Birutis and Neal Sako traded dunks early in the game, after Maledon had a three-point play and before Francisco struck a three-pointer. Ajinca and Deividas Sirvydis traded three-pointers, then Maledon joined the three-point party and Andre Roberson had a three-point play to open a 10-16 lead. Dunston scored inside and had a jumper before delivering a big block on the defensive end, but Roberson and Nando De Colo made sure the visitors held a 16-21 advantage after 10 minutes.

Dunston, Francisco and Sirvydis put together a 7-0 run to give the hosts their first lead, 23-22, but Ajinca and Paris Lee hit back-to-back triples to restore ASVEL's lead, also sparking a 0-9 run. Alen Smailagic had a monster dunk, but Sako extended the margin to 27-37. De Colo's three-point play made it a 13-point game, but Francisco nailed two threes in succession to make it 36-43 at halftime.

Zalgiris opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run, with Butkevicius hitting a triple and Birutis and Edgaras Ulanovas scoring inside. ASVEL was without a field goal for nearly 6 minutes to open the quarter until Tarik Black scored inside. Butkevicius scored a fast-break layup and Brady Manek drained a triple, but Shaquille Harrison had a pair of layups and Ajinca hit a three-pointer to give ASVEL a 53-56 lead after 30 minutes.

Ajinca had a three-point play and Francisco scored in traffic. De Colo and Francisco traded triples, then De Colo and Manek exchanged long-range shots, 61-65. Maledon and Black got to the free-throw line to keep the hosts at bay, and after another three-pointer by Manek, Maledon's three and Roberson's dunk made it 66-76. Sirvydis hit a second-chance triple in the penultimate minute, but ASVEL made a pair of defensive stands and closed it out.

Pierric Poupet's men escape from Kaunas with their second road triumph this week

Zalgiris Kaunas v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-12-20T18:00:00.000Z)

McKissic cuts inside down the baseline and rocks the rim after a sweet back door pass from Vildoza

Great reverse slam from McKissic! Motorola Magic Moment

 McKissic cuts inside down the baseline and rocks the rim after a sweet back door pass from Vildoza

Olympiacos Piraeus v ALBA Berlin (2024-12-20T19:15:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL guard Theo Maledon spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 17 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Theo Maledon: 'We're getting better as a team, as a collective'

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne guard Theo Maledon spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Zalgiris Kaunas-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Isaia Cordinier shows his hustle, coming out of nowhere to block Alex Abrines’ shot.

Cordinier out of nowhere with the block! Motorola Magic Moment

 Isaia Cordinier shows his hustle, coming out of nowhere to block Alex Abrines’ shot.

Anadolu Efes forward Ercan Osmani spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat KK Partizan in Round 17 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Ercan Osmani: 'Coach Mijatovic believes in me'

Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward Ercan Osmani spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-12-20T17:30:00.000Z)

Fall flushes it down after an inch-perfect pass from Fournier!

Fall with a big two-hander! Motorola Magic Moment

 Fall flushes it down after an inch-perfect pass from Fournier!

Nick Weiler-Babb to Johannes Voigtmann to Devin Booker for a wild alley-oop dunk!

Booker's alley-oop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment

 Nick Weiler-Babb to Johannes Voigtmann to Devin Booker for a wild alley-oop dunk!

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v FC Bayern Munich (2024-12-20T20:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Isaia Cordinier wins the jump ball by tapping it ahead to Will Clyburn for the breakaway dunk.

Jump ball leads to Clyburn dunk! Motorola Magic Moment

Ercan Osmani was integral as Anadolu Efes beat KK Partizan in Round 17 to record its fourth straight home win in the EuroLeague.

Ercan Osmani's hard work paid off against Partizan

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) completed a perfect double-round week with [an 86-77 home victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/ercan-osmani-leads-efes-past-partizan-86-77/), with [Ercan Osmani](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ercan-osmani/012710/) continuing his impressive form by having a career-best performance.

Osmani started strong, getting 10 points in the opening 12 minutes. He stepped up big early in the third quarter with a three-pointer from the right wing and a huge one-handed slam. The 26-year-old, however, was just getting started.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward Ercan Osmani had a career-high 25 points on 6 of 7 two-pointers, 4 of 7 three-pointers and 1 of 2 free throws, adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 assists and 5 fouls drawn for a personal-best PIR of 29.

Osmani's career night against Partizan

He finished the game with a career-high 25 points, 10 more than his previous record against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on March 20, 2024. Osmani hit 6-of-7 two-pointers, 4-of-7 three-pointers and 1-of-2 free throws, adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 assists and 5 fouls drawn for a personal-best PIR of 29.

Partizan led 58-61 at the end of the third quarter behind an unstoppable [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/), playing against Efes in Istanbul for the first time since leaving the club this past summer. Osmani had 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, playing a big role in his team's victory.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">💪 Bu kutlamayı sonuna kadar hak ettin! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/DkQTLwfrf8">pic.twitter.com/DkQTLwfrf8</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1870194916254458303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Rodrigue Beaubois](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rodrigue-beaubois/006590/) was equally outstanding, scoring all 12 of his points in the final 10 minutes on 4 bombs from beyond the arc. Osmani and Beaubois combined for 22 of Efes's 28 fourth-quarter points, and the hosts' defense did the rest down the stretch.

After the game, Osmani felt nothing but thankful to everyone around him. He was the most talked-about player, too.

"I have to thank my teammates because they believe in me," Osmani told EuroLeague TV. "First of all, I have to thank them because if they were not here, I wouldn't do those \[career-high numbers\], so I am felling great because I have really great teammates and I am lucky about that. Of course, it is a double week and I am feeling tired, but I needed to play today. Tomi \[Tomislav Mijatovic\] believes in me, so thank you!"

"Tonight, Ercan Osmani had a career game and carried us in the fourth quarter, making big shot after big shot, rebounds, getting to the basket," Efes star guard Shane Larkin said. "We have that kind of talent in this team, it's not going to be the same guy every night but that's what makes us dangerous."

"We were fully aware of Ercan's potential. We are very fortunate and very lucky that he fits superbly in our team. He is following the lead, playing with the system and his individual potential, which is huge, comes to play," Coach Mijatovic said. "Today, he really carried us in his shoulders in some parts of the game but he was an important piece of the whole puzzle."

He enjoyed a starring role in an Efes win in Round 17


A great move by the home team as Moustapha Fall feeds Shaq McKissic with a no-look pass and the latter slams it down!


McKissic with a huge dunk! Motorola Magic Moment

A great move by the home team as Moustapha Fall feeds Shaq McKissic with a no-look pass and the latter slams it down!

Juan Nunez gets some space but Momo Diouf says not in my house.

Diouf swats Nunez! Motorola Magic Moment

Ercan Osmani had a career-high 25 points to lead Anadolu Efes past KK Partizan 86-77 and notch the Turkish side's 10th win in the EuroLeague this season.

Ercan Osmani leads Efes past Partizan, 86-77

Anadolu Efes Istanbul grabbed its third consecutive victory, and fourth straight at home, by topping Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 86-77 at the Basketball Development Center in Round 17 on Thursday. Efes improved to 10-7 in the standings while Partizan dropped to 7-10. 

Ercan Osmani paced the winners with a career-high 25 points. Rodrigue Beaubois scored 12 while Shane Larkin, Jordan Nwora and Darius Thompson each had 11 for the Efes. Thompson added 10 assists for a double-double. Tyrique Jones led Partizan with 23 points. Sterling Brown netted 15 while Duane Washington had 10 for the guests.

Tyrique Jones got Partizan going with a two-handed slam and Isaac Bonga bettered Vincent Poirier's layup with a three-point play. Tyrique Jones dunked again, banked in a close shot and added a jump hook that boosted Partizan's lead to 2-11. Osmani struck from downtown and Poirier erased Carlik Jones's layup with an alley-oop slam. Brown followed a driving layup with a mid-range jumper, but Osmani banked in a close shot and Thompson's three-pointer kept Efes within 12-17. Carlik Jones scored again and Brown hit a triple. Efes found a go-to guy in Nwora, who struck from beyond the arc and added a two-handed slam for a 20-22 Efes lead. Marko Nakic hit a jump hook and Bonga added a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 20-27 Partizan lead after 10 minutes. 

Tyrique Jones buried a jump hook early in the second quarter. Osmani struck from downtown and added a huge one-handed dunk that got Efes as close as 25-29. Dan Oturu hit a fadeaway jumper in a 9-0 run that Larkin capped with a driving layup. Washington rescued Partizan with a three-pointer, Larkin hit a jumper and Rolands Smits added a layup to complete Efes's comeback, 33-32. Washington scored in penetration and Aleksej Pokusevski dunked to give Partizan fresh air at 33-36. Brandon Davies buried an amazing fadeaway jumper that boosted the guests' lead to 33-38 at halftime.

Washington scored around the basket soon after the break. Nwora insisted from beyond the arc and Thompson added a triple in transition to make Partizan stop the game at 39-40. Brown joined the three-point shootout and Pokusevski took over with a driving layup. Poirier hit a mid-range jumper, Thompson struck from downtown and Osmani's alley-oop layup put Efes back in charge, 46-45. Washington scored twice in penetration, getting help from Tyrique Jones to restore a 46-51 Partizan lead. Larkin and Osmani both nailed triples either side of a Brown three-pointer for a 52-54 score. Tyrique Jones bettered Larkin's jumper with a layup-plus-foul, but Oturu dunked and Elijah Bryant's floater gave Efes a 58-57 lead. Tyrique Jones single-handedly made Partizan regain a 58-61 edge after 30 minutes.

Larkin took over with a wild driving layup early in the fourth quarter and Osmani added a floater for a 62-61 lead. Beaubois capped a 7-0 run with a triple, before Carlik Jones quickly answered with a jumper. Brown silenced the crowd with a coast-to-coast layup, but Beaubois buried another three-pointer for a 68-65 score. Osmani banked in a close shot and improved on Davies's dunk with a bomb from beyond the arc. Beaubois buried his third triple to boost the hosts' lead to 76-70 with 4 minutes left. Osmani scored around the basket and Beaubois struck from downtown. Davies joined the three-point shootout, and Tyrique Jones gave Partizan hope at 81-77. Thompson stepped up with a driving layup and Oturu's jumper sealed the outcome, 85-77, with 1:08 remaining.

He had a career-high 25 points to lead Efes to its 10th win


Tyrique Jones blocks Darius Thompson's shot and gets the ball back from Aleksej Pokusevski to throw it down with authority - and one!

Tyrique Jones shines at both ends! Motorola Magic Moment

Alen Smailagic drives for a monster dunk.


Smailagic with a big two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment

Alen Smailagic drives for a monster dunk.