EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 2 winner

Congratulations to Shin Chan the Round 3 winner in [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home)! Shin's team Loa posted a score of 235.5..

The team featured the following lineup: team captain Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm, Tomer Ginat and Jaylen Hoard of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball and DJ Seeley of U-BT Cluj-Napoca; Ondrej Balvin of Prometey Sloboshanske as sixth man; Berkan Durmaz of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, Pep Busquets of Joventut Badalona; Maxime Courby of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and Jalen Adams of Turk Telekom Ankara as bench players; and Petar Mijovic of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica as head coach.

His prize for finishing first in Round 3 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

The overall leader after three rounds is Gokhan Turan, whose Primavera team is ahead of everyone with 654.30 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 4. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 3 winner

The London Lions improved to 3-0 in the EuroCup standings with an impressive 87-99 win at Prometey Slobozhanske, which is the perfect warm-up for its clash with Paris Basketball next week.

London Lions made a statement by triumphing at Prometey

The London Lions are roaring loud in this season’s BKT EuroCup Regular Season. Now in its second year in the competition, London has got off to a 3-0 start, with its most recent win being [an 87-99 triumph against Prometey Slobozhanske at Arena Riga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/london-lions-flex-their-muscles-to-beat-prometey-87-99/) on Wednesday night.

It was a night full of celebrations for the English team, as [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/sam-dekker/009672/) returned to action for the first time this season and head coach Petar Bozic was able to rejoin his players after missing Round 2 – a 94-100 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg – with an illness. In London’s 22nd-ever game in the EuroCup, its win against Prometey might be the most impressive of all.

Prometey Slobozhanske-London Lions | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### Recovering from a tough start

When Prometey raced into a 30-19 lead after the first 10 minutes, it would have been easy for London to feel down in the dumps. After all, Prometey went 7-0 at Arena Riga in last year’s regular season, with its only home defeat coming on the floor of Zalgiris Kaunas, Zalgirio Arena, where it was 1-1. Prior to Wednesday night, the Ukrainian side defeated Hamburg 97-77 in its 2023-24 home opener at Arena Riga in Round 1.

Yet, London quickly flipped the script with an offense-laden second quarter in which it outscored the hosts 15-29, making it a 45-48 ballgame at halftime. Wednesday night’s visitors went on to outscore Prometey 20-25 and 22-26 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, leading to the hosts’ first-ever regular-season defeat on its home floor.

The unity that the London squad, led by team captain Dekker, showed after the game is something that Coach Bozic has brought to the club since his appointment over the summer. The terrific work done by the front office also deserves praise, as new additions [Matt Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/matthew-morgan/012585/), [Donte Grantham](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/donte-grantham/012586/), [Conor Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/conor-morgan/009680/) and [Gabe Olaseni](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/gabe-olaseni/006600/) are all flourishing in London’s colors.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Winning mentality 🗣️ <a href="https://twitter.com/dekker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dekker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/WVS9O81nMg">pic.twitter.com/WVS9O81nMg</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1714720451669246193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Matt Morgan impresses again

In particular, Matt Morgan followed up a Round 2 MVP performance by once again leading the charge on offense, scoring a game-high 21 points. Despite being a EuroCup rookie, the 25-year-old has taken to the competition like a duck to water, averaging 17.0 points through his first three games. For a London team that was overly reliant on Dekker’s scoring last season, the emergence of Morgan has come as a sigh of relief.

“This was a big win for us,” Morgan stated in his post-game flash interview. “They made a run towards the end, but I think we all love each other and we all play for each other, so I think that’s what got us through. We made big shots at the end – Conor, Sam, Gabe, Donte, everybody, Tarik \[Phillip\]. We all got this win.”

As noted above, Morgan is not the only signing making an impact. Grantham finished the night with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, Conor Morgan – the only new addition with EuroCup experience – posted 15 points, while Olaseni added 10 points. Then, Dekker marked his return to action with 17 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the final buzzer to put the icing on top of the cake.

“I think, for us, it’s a hard-working team victory,” Coach Bozic commented afterward. “Whoever stepped onto the floor brought something tonight, something good. The energy was great on the bench and the floor was great.

“They were a little bit more physical \[in the first quarter\] and we needed that adjustment time. After that, I think we took over.”

Matt Morgan scored a game-high 21 points as the London Lions defeated Prometey Slobozhanske 87-99 in Round 3 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Matt Morgan's highlights vs. Prometey

### Another big test on the way

And take over London did. Next up for the Lions is [the visit of Paris Basketball to Copper Box Arena](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/london-lions-paris-basketball/U2023/35/) next Tuesday night.

Both teams are 3-0 to start the season, and they ended up developing a bit of a rivalry last season, as shown by the spiciness in their Round 9 encounter in London. Paris ended up winning that game 80-93, but London exacted revenge in Round 18 by downing the French outfit 85-96 at Halle Georges Carpinter.

There are fun matchups everywhere you look, but none more so than at the guard position, where London’s Matt Morgan will come head-to-head with Paris’s [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tj-shorts/012608/). The latter is averaging 17.3 points, 8.0 assists and 2.7 steals in his rookie EuroCup campaign, so keeping him quiet will be London’s main task.

It is therefore key that London doesn’t get off to a slow start, even if it does have the ability to bounce back, something Morgan himself alluded to: “We’ve come out with slow starts before and we’ve ended up waking up and playing harder, so I think we just got back to what we do: play defense, run in transition. We just stayed together, played together and we came out with this win.”

Many basketball fans from across the continent to tune in for London vs. Paris next week. Two of Europe’s next powerhouse teams are ready to battle, and both are flying high. It should be one hell of a game.

More London Lions News

Matt Morgan and Jordan Taylor of the London Lions bump chests after their team's Round 3 win against Prometey Slobozhanske in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Ukrainian side Prometey, which plays its home games in Latvia, lost its first-ever BKT EuroCup regular-season game at Riga Arena on Wednesday night.

Prometey Slobozhanske v London Lions (2023-10-18T16:00:00.000Z)

London Lions v Paris Basketball (2023-10-24T18:30:00.000Z)

Joventut's veterans saved the day

If anything, the game was a perfect example of Joventut's basketball philosophy, as it allowed young players to get opportunities but relied on its most experienced ones to get out of a difficult situation at the end of regulation.

Joventut gave playing time to four players who are eligible for the EuroCup Rising Star award. Two of them started the game: Jordi Rodriguez had 5 points in 8 minutes and Yannick Kraag was one of his team's pillars with 12 points and 7 rebounds for a PIR of 17. Young big men Ruben Prey and Miguel Allen also saw playing time during the game.

Deshaun Thomas, Ante Tomic and Pau Ribas led Joventut Badalona to a 107-98 overtime win against Wolves Vilnius.

Thomas, Ribas, Tomic play decisive role

Joventut struggled early and trailed 17-21 after 10 minutes, 41-46 at halftime and 48-58 late in the third quarter. It used a 9-0 run to get back in the game and it was not until Kraag took over with an alley-oop layup that Joventut took its first lead of the game, 62-61.

The hosts soon extended their lead to 70-64, but Wolves regrouped and a rain of three-pointers put the visitors in charge, 81-85, with over 2 minutes left. That's when the veterans stepped up to save the day. DeShaun Thomas sank a three-pointer, Ante Tomic converted a jump hook and later 2 high-pressure free throws that tied the game at 88-88 with 3.6 seconds left in regulation.

Game News

Pau Ribas opened the overtime period with consecutive shots from downtown and scored 8 of his 17 points in overtime. Thomas also had 4 critical points in the extra session. Vladimir Brodziansky led six Joventut players in double digits. Ribas had 17, Thomas 16 and Tomic 10.

Wolves have been unlucky lately, losing in double overtime against 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys in Lithuanian League action before this game. The team is now looking forward to playing its first-ever EuroCup home game against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul next week. On the other hand, Joventut had a 1-point win, a 1-point loss and an overtime victory until now. Next stop: on the road against Umana Reyer Venice.

Game Videos

Joventut Badalona had to battle hard to beat Wolves Vilnius 107-98 at home in overtime for its second win of the EuroCup season.

Joventut Badalona v Wolves Vilnius (2023-10-18T18:30:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria stepped up late in Trento

It looked like it was going to be a pleasant night for reigning EuroCup champion Gran Canaria. At the end of the first quarter at Il T Quotidiano Arena, the visitors led Dolomiti Energia Trento 20-31 having displayed astonishing shooting accuracy.

Gran Canaria had made 10-of-11 shots from the field in the first 10 minutes, including 6 triples on 7 attempts, with Nicolas Brussino and Sylven Landesberg ruling on the perimeter. The former had scored 12 points, going 4-of-4 from downtown, as the latter had 13 points without having missed a shot.

Despite that uncomfortable scenario, Trento refused to accept a blowout. The hosts locked in on defense and stepped up their rebounding, giving up just 31 points over the next 20 minutes. A 9-0 run led by Mattia Udom granted Trento its first lead of the game, 64-62, entering the last period.

"We had a good start of the game, but after that, we gave life to Trento for coming back. In the second quarter, we allowed too many offensive rebounds and second-chance points," Dream Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic stressed in the press conference. "We took a 10-point difference again, but they came back to the game again and for us, this is not acceptable."

Gran Canaria started the fourth quarter trailing also in PIR, as Trento ruled 79-57 thanks to 11 offensive rebounds and to only 9 turnovers against Gran Canaria’s 16. Even with average shooting from downtown (6 of 18), Trento seemed to have very good options to clinch its first win of the season.

Instead, Gran Canaria took the court with great focus and renewed energy. An 8-0 run in less than 3 minutes to open the period returned a 64-70 lead to the guests, who never looked back. Even though Trento tried to fight back, another 0-10 run in the last 2:30 sealed the outcome for the visitors.

In that last quarter, Gran Canaria managed to lock down its defensive board and didn’t allow any offensive rebounds to its opponent. In addition, it took great care of the ball, with no turnovers against Trento’s 4. Once those problems were fixed, Gran Canaria came back to take full control of the game and the stats could not reveal anything but that. In the last quarter, the guests recorded a PIR of 33, while Trento ranked just 3.

"The team responded well," Lakovic acknowledged. "In the fourth quarter, we played great defense and took defensive rebounds that decided the game in our favor. We are happy but we have to improve."

After Trento rallied to take the lead at the end of the third quarter, Gran Canaria turned the game on its head. 

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2023-10-18T18:00:00.000Z)

Besiktas didn't score easily on its home floor but stayed perfect in its EuroCup return thanks to intangibles.

 Hustle and smarts let Besiktas stay unbeaten 

On a night when it's normally dependable shooting was off, it took something extra for unbeaten Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul to shake off a persistent challenge from winless Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on its own floor.

The magic ingredient in the end, as Besiktas prevailed 73-66, was extra possessions due to hustle and smarts.

Besiktas came into the game ranking among the BKT EuroCup's top eight teams in both three-point (39.0%) and free throw (72.5%) accuracy. Both dropped markedly, however, as the hosts hit just 5 of 20 triples (25.0%) and 12 of 18 free throws (66.7%) against Cedevita. In fact, if you add up the points from the arc and the foul line, the two teams were tied on the night at 30 each. 

The difference came in two-pointers, where their accuracy wasn't too different: Besiktas made 44.2% and Cedevita made 41.9% on twos. But because of solid edges in two other stats, Besiktas shot a lot more, making 23 of 52 two-point tries to Cedevita's 18 of 43.

The most glaring stat was an offensive rebounding discrepancy of 17 to 10 in favor of the hosts. Leyton Hammonds, Berkan Durmaz and Matt Mitchell led that charge with 3 each. But the Besiktas backcourt did its part, too, by harassing Cedevita into 13 turnovers while committing just 8 themselves. The two stats added up to 12 more chances that Besiktas had to run its offense than Cedevita did, which proved enough for the final seven-point difference.

The result was that in its return to the EuroCup after seven seasons away, Besiktas has 3-0 start in regular season Group A, where is shared first place with Paris Basket and London Lions. 

Hustle and smarts let Besiktas stay unbeaten

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2023-10-18T17:00:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria rallies past Trento, 73-87, to remain unbeaten

Visiting Gran Canaria led 20-31 lead after 10 minutes, but Trento turned things around in the second half to enter the last period ahead, 64-62, but an 0-8 opening run and another 0-10 spark in crunch-time granted the win to the reigning champs.

Nicolas Brussino set the tone for Gran Canaria with 24 points on 6-of-8 shooting from downtown in 23 minutes, while Sylven Landesberg followed with 21 points in as many minutes. Andrejs Grazulis led Trento scorers with 13 points, Toto Forray provided 11 and Quinn Ellis and Davide Alviti netted 10 apiece. Gran Canaria improved to 3-0 on the season and Trento remained winless.

Brussino got the visitors going with 4 three-pointers in the first 5 minutes of the game which sent Gran Canaria to a 7-16 lead. Despite that shooting display, Trento didn’t give up and counterattacked from the inside, with Paul Biligha and Grazulius scoring all of Trento's first 12 points to reduce the gap to 12-16. Landesberg took over for the visitors and provided 13 of Gran Canaria’s next 15 points for a 20-31 cushion after 10 minutes.

It was not a breaking g point, though, as the hosts locked in on defense and Alviti and Luca Conti stepped up on offense to combine for 9 points that brought Trento within 32-36 midway through the second quarter. A free throw by Mattia Udom and a fastbreak bucket by Biligha made it even closer, 35-36, prompting a Gran Canaria timeout. Brussino’s fifth triple calmed it down for the visitors and another by John Shurna soon after suffocated Trento’s reaction and set a 38-44 advantage. A triple by Forray after 3 consecutive offensive rebounds brought Trento within 41-44 at halftime.

Brussino remained hot after the break, going for a layup and a triple that extended the difference to 41-49. Ellis took the reins for Trento, connecting once from downtown and feeding Grazulis to make it 48-49. It didn’t go further, though, as Gran Canaria found Ben Lammers inside, who scored 5 points in a row and drew an unsportsmanlike foul from Alviti that restored a double-digit lead, 48-58. The home team had not waived the white flag yet, as Ellis showed up again to start a 16-4 run capped by a buzzer-beating triple by Mattia Udom that turned the tables, 64-62, entering the last period.

The joy didn’t last long for the home crowd, though, as Gran Canaria went on a 0-8 run behind a three by Salvo and a three-point play by Landesberg that put the visitors back in front, 64-70. The hosts kept pushing, preventing Gran Canaria from escaping. Forray provided an impossible layup against Lammers that reduced the gap to 73-77, but that was the last attempt Gran Canaria would allow. Lammers came up big on both ends, closing the boards and contributing a three-point play that Shurna followed with a corner three that set a 73-85 advantage and put the game to bed.

Dreamland Gran Canaria claimed its third win in as many games in Group B by beating Dolomiti Energia Trento 73-87 at Il T Quotidiano Arena on Wednesday. 

Paris Basketball secured a 69-105 win on the road at Hamburg Towers in Round 3 of the 2023-24 EuroCup Regular Season, showing it continues to go from strength to strength.

'Locked in' Paris Basketball was too much for Hamburg Towers

Paris Basketball had four days between its last French League game and its [Round 3 BKT EuroCup contest in Germany against Veolia Towers Hamburg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/paris-marches-to-69-105-victory-in-hamburg/). Usually, that is plenty of time to prepare for a game. It proved to be more than enough time because Paris lost at home to ESSM Le Portel on Saturday and could not wait to get back on the floor and erase the stench of defeat.

"Today we were locked in," said point guard TJ Shorts, who led the way for Paris with 14 points, 9 assists and 4 steals. "We had a tough week; we dropped one in our French league. And we wanted to come out focused today. I think everybody who stepped on the court was super focused and that led to 40 minutes of good basketball."

### Lighting a fuse to take control

After a bumpy first few minutes, Paris pieced together 9 unanswered points to end the first quarter and another 9 to begin the second. After that 0-18 charge, the visitors were able to cruise the rest of the way en route to a 69-105 victory.

When the final buzzer sounded, Paris had tied a club record for scoring in the EuroCup and set a new mark for margin of victory. It also scored 105 on opening night this season against Wolves Vilnius and won that game by 27 points.

"It was definitely a step forward after our lackluster game over the weekend in the French league," Paris head coach Tuomas Iisalo commented. "The guys were very motivated to play here in Hamburg."

That motivated game proved to be more than Hamburg could handle.

"The physicality, the speed, the relentlessness is unbelievable with this team," Hamburg head coach Benka Barloschky said of Paris. "We knew what to expect. There was no element of surprise in their game. Just a level of execution at a high level."

### A real team effort for Paris

The level of execution came at both ends of the floor and partly thanks to Paris's depth. Every player featured for at least 4 minutes and 10 players played at least 15 minutes. Eleven players scored and 10 had at least 1 rebound.

The mix of motivation, skill and talent was not just a winning combination for Paris on Wednesday, but it left no chance for Hamburg.

The Paris Basketball players come together during their Round 3 game against Veolia Towers Hamburg in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Frustrated with how it played in a French League loss on Saturday, Paris came out with a vengeance to blast Hamburg by 36.

'Locked in' Paris was too much for Hamburg

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Paris Basketball (2023-10-18T17:30:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona grabbed its first home win in this BKT EuroCup season by rallying from a double-digit deficit to beat Wolves Vilnius in overtime 107-98 in Group A on Wednesday. 


Joventut beats Wolves in overtime, 107-98! 

Joventut Badalona had a great reaction in the final 15 minutes of regulation to rally to a 107-98 overtime victory over Wolves Vilnius. Joventut trailed 48-58 late in the third quarter but used a 17-3 run to return to the game. Wolves had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, however, Rasheed Sulaimon missed at the buzzer. Pau Ribas and DeShaun Thomas took over in overtime to lift Joventut to a 2-1 record. 

Vladimir Brozdiansky paced the winners with 22 points. Busquets added 18, Ribas 17, Thomas 16, Yannick Kraag 12 and Ante Tomic 10 for Joventut. Suleimon led Wolves with 21 points. Tre'Shawn Thurman added 20, Vaidas Kariniauskas 12, Eigirdas Zukauskas 11 and Kristupas Zemaitis 10 for the visitors, who dropped to 0-2.

Zemaitis got Wolves going with a three-pointer. Sulaimon soon followed a floater with an off-balance basket for a 7-9 score. Arnas Berucka and Kariniauskas soon boosted the visitors' margin to 12-16. Regimantas Miniotas struck from downtown and Egidijus Mockevicius added a layup for a 17-21 Wolves lead after 10 minutes. 

Busquets and Ribas stepped up for Joventut early in the second quarter. Then Kraag added a couple of layups to bring the hosts within 25-27. Sulaimon rescued the visitors, getting help from Zemaitis and Thurman to boost Wolves' lead to 39-46. Busquets hit a triple to fix the halftime score at 41-46.

Brodziansky struck from beyond the arc right after the break and soon added a jump hook to get within 48-51. Zukauskas buried a triple, Suleimon added an acrobatic layup and Zemaitis's dunk made it a double-digit game, 48-58. DeShaun Thomas and Kraag fueled a 9-0 run that Brodziansky capped with a shot from downtown for a 57-58 score. Kraag's alley-oop layup soon gave Joventut its first lead, 62-61. Thurman kept Wolves within 65-64 after 30 minutes. 

Chinanu Onuaku dunked and Brodziansky's fourth three-pointer gave Joventut fresh air at 70-64. Suleimon, Kariniauskas, Zukauskas and Thurman each hit a three-pointer for an 81-85 Wolves lead with over 2 minutes left. Thomas answered from downtown and Tomic banked in a jump hook, giving Joventut an 86-85 edge. Suleimon made free throws, Christian Mekowulu split attempts and Tomic sank 2 foul shots with 3.6 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. Suleimon missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer.

Ribas buried back-to-back three-pointers early in overtime for a 94-92 Joventut lead. Brodaziansky made foul shots and Thomas scored off the baseline, as Joventut boosted its margin to 100-93 and never looked back.

Joventut recorded its first home win of the EuroCup season by rallying from a double-digit deficit to beat Wolves.


Joventut beats Wolves in overtime, 107-98

Aris 'invested their hearts' for first win

Aris Midea Thessaloniki ended a seven-year hiatus by returning to the BKT EuroCup this season and on Wednesday night the club ended another wait and got its first win in more than seven years. Aris battled hard and held on for a 68-66 victory over the visiting Turk Telekom Ankara.

"Our team gave everything, we hustled on defense ," game-hero Vassilis Toliopoulos summed up after the game. He finished with 22 points, making 4 of 11 triples and also collecting 5 rebounds and 4 assists to help Aris celebrate a deserved victory.

"We can simply say our guys invested their hearts tonight and we capitalized that with a great win," Aris head coach Ioannis Kastritis added.

Aris got the job done with its defense. After allowing more than 80 points in each of the first two games of the season, the Greek team not only held Turk Telekom to 66 points, but held the visitors below 40% shooting on both twos and threes. Turk Telekom was 38.9% on two-point shots, and 34.8% behind the arc.

"We know that our defense is a key factor for us," Kastritis said. "This is our standard, this is what we want to base our philosophy on, and our guys did a great job tonight."

What was unique in this effort, however, was that neither team managed to score in the final 3:06 of the game and that Aris allowed only one basket, a triple from Tyrone Wallace, in the final 6 minutes and 58 seconds.

What is even more important for Aris is that the players have obviously bought into the philosophy that defense is this team's forte.

"That's the idea for this team", Toliopoulos explained, saying the goal was to keep Turk Telekom's scoring low. "We kept them below 70 points. That's how we are going to get wins."

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-10-18T17:00:00.000Z)