Zalgiris, ASVEL, Valencia and Monaco all won in the final games of 2025
Game Center: Olympiacos, Virtus secure derby bragging rights; wins for Zvezda, Fener, Madrid, Bayern
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Friday, January 2, 2026
Anadolu Efes Istanbul 65-87 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade
Crvena Zvezda grabbed its first-ever away victory at Efes by crushing the Turkish side 65-87 at Turkcell Basketball Development Center on Friday evening. The hosts started strong on defense and held Zvezda to just one field goal in the first 5 and a half minutes. Yet, Zvezda bounced back with a 0-11 run in the first quarter, which was followed by a 2-20 surge in the second to establish a double-digit lead that it maintained until the final buzzer.
Having ended its nine-game losing streak away at Efes, Zvezda improved its record to 11-8. Meanwhile, the hosts suffered their third straight home defeat, dropping to 6-13. Jordan Nwora ended the game against his former team on 24 points and Chima Moneke scored 16, with Semi Ojeleye and Ebuka Izundu netting 11 each. Nick Weiler-Babb paced Efes with 17 points and Cole Swider bagged 13 in a losing effort.
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 93-108 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Fenerbahce downed Baskonia 93-108 with a major second-half comeback on Friday night at Buesa Arena. The result moves Fenerbahce’s record to 12–6, while Baskonia slipped to 6–13 in the standings.
Baskonia set the early pace and held the advantage for much of the opening quarter before Talen Horton-Tucker sparked a turnaround for the visitors, briefly pushing them ahead. The contest remained tight through the first half, with the teams going into the break tied at 53–53. Early in the second half, Horton-Tucker was ejected following an unsportsmanlike foul and a subsequent technical, allowing Baskonia to stretch its lead into double digits with a run of three-pointers. Fenerbahce responded strongly, closing the third quarter on a 13-point swing to take a three-point lead into the final period. The reigning champions then took control in the fourth, widening the margin with three consecutive triples, putting the game out of reach late on. Fenerbahce saw out the game comfortably and bagged the 15-point victory.
Wade Baldwin played a starring role for the road team, adding 7 assists and 4 rebounds to his 24-point scoring display. Nicolo Melli’s 4 threes helped bring his point total to 17, while Tarik Biberovic and Bonzie Colson both finished the game with 16. Horton-Tucker still managed to log 12 points, despite being ejected early in the second half.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 82-87 Olympiacos Piraeus
In yet another thrilling Greek derby, Olympiacos started 2026 with a bang by topping Panathinaikos 82-87 at Telekom Center Athens in the Greek capital in Round 19. Olympiacos improved to 11-7 in the standings while Panathinaikos dropped to 12-7 after registering its 10th consecutive loss against the Reds in the EuroLeague.
Sasha Vezenkov led the winners with 24 points and 9 rebounds. Tyler Dorsey added 21 points while Nikola Milutinov barely missed a double-double with 10 points and 9 boards. Kendrick Nunn led Panathinaikos with 32 points on 8-of-8 two-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Cedi Osman added 13 points while Nikos Rogkavopoulos had 10 for the Greens, who got within 82-84 with a minute to go. Dorsey buried a critical jumper, then Evan Fournier drew an offensive foul on Kenneth Faried which effectively sealed the outcome.
Virtus Bologna 97-85 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Virtus wiped out a 23-38 second-quarter deficit to keep its perfect home court record intact in the Derby d’Italia (4-0), having forced Milan into submission on the back of strong performances from Derrick Alston (20 points) and Matt Morgan (22), who both compensated for the absence of injured top scorer Carsen Edwards en route to a 97-85 victory. Veteran guard Daniel Hackett helped turn the tide as he brought energy and composure to Virtus, which racked up eight steals and shot 12-of-24 from deep, The two teams now have identical 9-10 records after Virtus also overcame the absence of big man Alen Smailagic. The hosts conjured a 16-1 run to level the score shortly before halftime and then ran riot in the third quarter to lead 77-66 ahead of the final 10 minutes.
Apart from Morgan and Alston, Saliou Niang stood out for Virtus with 11 points and 8 boards while Karim Jallow added 12 points as the duo underlined a sound performance in the paint. At the other end, Josh Nebo amassed 15 points and 5 boards while Zach LeDay chipped in with 14. Devin Booker racked up 12 points and 6 boards, with Marko Guduric and Shavon Shields adding 11 apiece.
Real Madrid 107-93 Dubai Basketball
Real Madrid rallied from a 14-point halftime defict to down Dubai 107-93 on Friday night in the Spanish capital. Los Blancos opened the new year with a win and improved to an 11-8 record, while Dubai dropped to 9-10. Dubai dominated the first half and held a 44-58 lead at the break, its biggest of the night. But Real scored the first 11 points of the second half to catch up, then used an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter to build its own double-digit lead and cruise to win.
Real had six double-digit scorers, led by Mario Hezonja's 20 points, while Trey Lyles and Facundo Campazzo had 17 apiece. Dwayne Bacon starred for Dubai with 26 points, while McKinley Wright scored 14 and Aleksa Avramovic had 13 points, 7 assists and 3 steals in defeat.
FC Bayern Munich 95-71 Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
Bayern snapped a nine-game losing run with a commanding 95-71 victory over Maccabi, which saw its five-game win streak ended. The host executed outstanding offense to claim a 31-23 lead by the end of the first quarter, and kept control to lead 50-41 at the break. A 13-0 run in the third quarter saw Bayern race further clear and the lead reached 27 points before the end of the period, giving Maccabi no chance of making a comeback.
Big man David McCormack led the way with a season-high 18 points, while Vladimir Lucic added 17. Andreas Obst scored 15, Justinian Jessup netted 12 and Oscar da Silva paired 10 points with 7 rebounds for the dominant home team. O’Shae Brissett was the only double-digit scorer with 13 points for Maccabi, which lost Lonnie Walker in the second quarter with a serious-looking shoulder injury. The home team improves to 6-13, while Maccabi drops to 9-10.
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv 80-93 Zalgiris Kaunas
Zalgiris ruined Hapoel’s return party by beating the Israeli side 80-93 in their first ever EuroLeague game at Menora Mivtachim Arena on Tuesday night. Boosted by a hyped home crowd, Hapoel hit the ground running and secured a 25-18 lead after 10 minutes. Yet, Zalgiris held the hosts to 15 and 13 points in the second and third quarter respectively, taking a 53-63 cushion into the fourth thanks to a 2-13 run. Hapoel made a last push for a comeback, but Zalgiris outscored the league leader 27-30 to grab a stunning victory. The Lithuanian side got back to winning ways and improved their record to 11-8, while Hapoel dropped to 13-6.
Nigel Williams-Goss paced Zalgiris with 17 points and Moses Wright netted 15, with Sylvain Francisco bagging 13 points and 8 assists and Azuolas Tubelis pairing his 12 points with 8 rebounds. As for Hapoel, Chris Jones led all scorers with 18 points and Elijah Bryant ended the game on 14 points.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 94-89 Paris Basketball
In a French derby that went down to the final seconds, ASVEL recorded its fifth home victory in the last six games by edging Paris 94-89 at LDLC Arena in Round 19 on Tuesday. ASVEL improved to 7-12 in the standings while Paris dropped to 6-13 and is on a six-game road losing streak.
Glynn Watson paced the winners with 28 points, a new career high. Nando De Colo added 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while Shaquille Harrison had 10 points for ASVEL. Nadir Hifi led Paris with 26 points. Sebastian Herrera added 11 while Derek Willis had 10 for the guests, who led 72-74 with over 4 minutes left. With the game on the line, De Colo struck three times from beyond the arc and found Watson for another three-pointer that sealed the outcome, 88-81, in the final minute.
Valencia Basket 86-73 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Valencia never looked back after Darius Thompson hit a deep three at the end of the third quarter to give the hosts a 65-63 lead and Nathan Reuvers scored 7 points in the home stretch amid a 17-5 run to force Partizan into submission. Valencia won the seventh of its last eight to go 13-6 while Partizan lost its fourth in a row after a physical battle, with the visiting team dropping to 6-13 after leading for much of the first half before running out of steam in the fourth quarter.
Crucially, Valencia dominated the offensive boards 14-7 as the hosts prevailed on second-chance points, with Thompson leading the charge on 17 points while Reuvers and Brancou Badio added 14 apiece. At the other end, Isaac Bonga racked up 17 points and 7 rebounds while Sterling Brown added 15. The visitors also committed a costly 14 turnovers as their backcourt struggled against Valencia’s aggressive defense.
FC Barcelona 74-90 AS Monaco
A battle of direct rivals saw Monaco overpower Barcelona with a great team effort, 74-90. The visiting team's defense dominated the first quarter for a 13-22 lead, which Nikola Mirotic extended to 17 points with three straight scores early in the second. A 2-13 run featuring five different scorers kept Monaco moving, and it was 30-47 at the half. The third quarter saw Barca coach Xavi Pascual ejected for two technical fouls as Barca tried to battle back, but Monaco kept its poise and never allowed the lead to sink back to single digits.
Monaco’s chief inspiration in an outstanding collective display was Kevarrius Hayes with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots, while Mike James top scored with 19 points, Mirotic added 13 and Elie Okobo scored 12. Barca’s Dario Brizuela led all scorers with 25 points, with Miles Norris netting 4 triples in his 14 points. The teams are now tied with a 12-7 record, just one win behind first place.