LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne completed a perfect double-round week by fighting off Zalgiris Kaunas 88-79 at home in Round 32 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season

ASVEL beats Zalgiris, 88-79, to finish week with two home wins

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne completed a perfect double-round week by fighting off Zalgiris Kaunas 88-79 at home. After beating Olympiacos Piraeus at home on Tuesday, ASVEL shot 44.4 percent on three-pointers and forced 20 Zalgiris turnovers as it improved to 13-19 on the season.

Theo Maledon led the way with 19 points and 6 assists while Nando De Colo had 16 points and Paris Lee chipped in 12 points on 4 triples.

Zalgiris came into the game having lost at AS Monaco earlier in the week in overtime and now has dropped three straight games and four of the last five for a 14-18 record. Sylvain Francisco collected 19 points and 8 assists and Laurynas Birutis tied his career high with 18 points and had 8 rebounds. 

Game Videos

ASVEL jumped ahead right away with a 10-2 lead with Maledon hitting a three-pointer for 5 points while Zalgiris connected on just 1 of its first 10 shots. The visitors finally started to make shots, but the cushion grew to double figures at 23-13 after a Maledon three-point play and Lee triple. Zalgiris got the gap to 23-18 after 10 minutes.

Birutis had two alley-oops for 10 points in getting Zalgiris within 23-22. ASVEL needed nearly 3 minutes to score with Edwin Jackson hitting a three-pointer. Maledon continued his strong game with 8 points and an assist as the lead was 36-26. Zalgiris trimmed the deficit to 4 points and the score was 40-34 at the break.

Game News

While Andre Roberson had 5 points for the hosts, Francisco tried to keep Zalgiris close, twice making it a 4-point game. ASVEL extended the cushion to 8 points again, but Zalgiris would not go away. Alen Smailagic, Francisco and Deividas Sirvydis all made triples in a 4-15 surge for Zalgiris’s first lead of the game, 55-58. Lee and De Colo both knocked down long balls and the home side led 63-61 after 30 minutes.

Lee and De Colo went back-to-back from long range early in the final frame and the advantage was 69-61. Two Birutis scores were answered by a David Lighty three-pointer to make it 74-65. It was 78-70 after Lee’s fourth triple. Zalgiris answered with the next 5 points for a three-point margin only to see Lighty drain another big three-pointer, De Colo converted 3 free throws for an 88-79 margin with 40 seconds left.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne wins back-to-back games for the first time since Rounds 22 and 23 

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-03-27T19:00:00.000Z)

The sixth installment of the EuroLeague's Belgrade derby between KK Partizan and KK Crvena zvezda was certainly one to remember. You can step inside the derby and get a taste of the incredible atmosphere thanks to Iffe Lundberg, who was mic'd up.

Belgrade derby mic'd up: Experience the passion of 20,000 basketball fans

The sixth installment of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's Belgrade derby between [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/) and [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/) was certainly one to remember. You can step inside the derby and get a taste of the incredible atmosphere thanks to [Iffe Lundberg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/iffe-lundberg/010781/), who was mic'd up.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-01-31T19:30:00.000Z)

A dominant performance in a winning effort has seen Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens superstar Kendrick Nunn secure Round 31 MVP honors with a PIR of 34.

Round 31 MVP: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

A dominant performance in a winning effort has seen [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) superstar [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) secure Round 31 MVP honors with a PIR of 34.

Nunn played a season-high 38:14 minutes as Panathinaikos beat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 92-99, with the February MVP of the Month posting 26 points on 2-of-2 two-pointers, 5-of-10 three-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws, as well as 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 5 fouls drawn. Having previously been the MVP of the Round in Game 5 of the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs and Round 26 of this current campaign, this is the third time that Nunn has achieved this feat.

Olympiacos Piraeus forward [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) recorded the highest index rating in Round 31 with a 36 PIR, but it came in a losing effort as the Reds fell 81-70 at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Vezenkov poured in 25 points on 5-of-6 twos, 3-of-6 threes and 6-of-6 free throws, while he also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished 1 assist, made 1 steal and drew 3 fouls.

The third-best index rating was shared between ASVEL’s [Theo Maledon](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/theo-maledon/007027/) and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s [Brandon Davies](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/brandon-davies/007870/), who both had a 28 PIR – a season high in the case of Davies. Maledon recorded 23 points on 4-of-7 twos, 2-of-5 threes and 9-of-9 free throws, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 7 fouls drawn in ASVEL’s win against Olympiacos, while Davies netted a season-best 22 points on 7-of-8 two-pointers, 2-of-2 triples and 2-of-3 free throws in his team’s 85-71 triumph over ALBA Berlin, in addition to recording 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 7 fouls drawn.

Also sharing a 27 PIR in Round 31 were Panathinaikos’s [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) and Real Madrid’s [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/). Hernangomez amassed 18 points on 1-of-3 twos, 4-of-6 threes and 4-of-6 free throws, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 fouls drawn in the Greens’ win, while Tavares finished with 19 points on 8-of-8 twos and 3-of-4 free throws, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 fouls drawn and a PIR as Real Madrid beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 96-89.

### Individual highs: Martin Hermannsson, ALBA, 13 assists

Panathinaikos guard Kendrick Nunn netted 26 points in Round 31, the most of any player. Nunn leads the EuroLeague in scoring with 20.2 points per game, just ahead of Olympiacos’s Sasha Vezenkov (20.17 PPG).

FC Barcelona center [Willy Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/willy-hernangomez/003196/) pulled down a round-high and career-high 14 rebounds. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade’s [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/), who is currently out injured, leads the league in rebounding with 8.3 boards per night.

ALBA Berlin playmaker [Martin Hermannsson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/martin-hermannsson/008780/) dished a career-best 13 assists, which was also the highest total recorded in Round 31. Paris Basketball’s [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) is the league leader in assists with 7.2 dimes per contest.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz’s [Trent Forrest](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trent-forrest/013367/) and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan’s [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/) both made 4 steals in this round, more than anyone else. FC Bayern Munich ball-hawk [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) tops the steals charts with 1.6 per game.

Partizan’s do-it-all forward Isaac Bonga had 3 blocks in Round 31, the most of any player this week. Real Madrid’s Walter Tavares leads the way in blocks with 1.39 per game, slightly ahead of AS Monaco’s [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) (1.36 BPG).

Three players recorded a double-round in Round 31: Paris’s TJ Shorts (19 points, 10 assists), Monaco’s [Jaron Blossomgame](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaron-blossomgame/011231/) (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Barcelona’s Willy Hernangomez (13 points, 14 rebounds).

This is the third time that he has been the MVP of the Round

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-03-26T19:05:00.000Z)

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 31st winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Vanja Acimovic beat everyone else in Round 31 with his team 'Kk Kasapin', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 259.15.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 31 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 31st winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Vanja Acimovic beat everyone else in Round 31 with his team 'Kk Kasapin', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 259.15.

The winning team had the following starting lineup: Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens's Kendrick Nunn as team captain, then Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's Errick McCollum, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade's Filip Petrusev, Olympiacos Piraeus's Sasha Vezenkov, and AS Monaco's Daniel Theis. His sixth man was Fenerbahce's Marko Guduric. The rest of the bench consisted of Crvena Zvezda's Dejan Davidovac, Panathinaikos's Konstantinos Mitoglou, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz's Markus Howard, and FC Bayern Munich's Danko Brankovic. His team's head coach was Crvena Zvezda play-caller Ioannis Sfairopoulos.

The prize for finishing first in Round 31 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Vanja!

Marko Djukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 5,285.24 points.

Trades are now open for Round 32. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season. You can either trade up to four players, or a head coach and three players.

The first game in Round 32 tips off later today, March 27, as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne hosts Zalgiris Kaunas at 20:00 CET. That game marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager. 

Juancho Hernangomez recorded career highs in both points scored (18) and PIR (27) to lead Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens past Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall

Game-changer Juancho Hernangomez fueled Panathinaikos’s impressive comeback

Everything seemed to be going wrong for [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Wednesday night. [Cedi Osman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/) and [Ioannis Papapetrou ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ioannis-papapetrou/005161/)were both sidelined against [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/tel/) - one of the most in-form teams in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with four wins in a row.

[Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) started well and netted 17 points in the first half, but he didn’t have much help on offense in the first three quarters. Meanwhile, the Greens conceded 78 points after 30 minutes, with their defense lacking aggressivity. In the post-game press conference, head coach Ergin Ataman labeled his players’ display in the first 35 minutes as their “worst of the season”.

Enter [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/), whose game-changing display inspired a huge turnaround in the closing quarter. Maccabi started the fourth with back-to-back baskets from [Jimmy Clark](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jimmy-clark-iii/013699/) and [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/), who opened an 82-67 advantage with 8:44 remaining.

Juancho Hernangomez fueled Panathinaikos’s impressive comeback

Juancho Hernangomez fueled Panathinaikos s impressive comeback_32551017.mp4

That’s when Juancho flipped the switch for the reigning champion with a triple which opened an extraordinary 0-18 run that saw Panathinaikos take the lead, 82-85, with 5 minutes left on the clock. A shocked Maccabi bounced back, with [Levi Randolph](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/levi-randolph/013382/) hitting a couple of free throws to bring the hosts within 92-94.

But Hernangomez hadn’t said the last word. The Panathinaikos forward nailed his fourth triple of the night to make it 92-97, practically putting the game to bed.

“We never give up,” he told EuroLeague TV after the game. “That’s the champion’s heart. The great teams do that – they keep fighting until the end. Great fourth quarter, great effort by everybody.”

Juancho recorded career highs in both points scored (18) and PIR (27). Sixteen of his points were netted in the second half, while 11 were scored in the fourth quarter, where he also recorded 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.

Nunn may have chipped in with game-highs of 26 points and 8 assists to go with his 5 rebounds for a PIR of 34, but Hernangomez was the player who brought in the energy that inspired Panathinaikos’s fourth-quarter comeback.

Despite having clinched a top-10 spot, Panathinaikos can’t rest on its laurels, as [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/?season=2024-25) will visit the Greens to end the double-round week. And Juancho made sure to provide his team with a boost in confidence ahead of Friday night’s clash against a side that beat them [84-80 back in Round 3](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2425-rs3-report-prs-pan/).

The Spanish forward brought much-needed energy that led to a 0-18 run in the fourth quarter

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade enjoyed a perfect dress rehearsal for Friday’s blockbuster matchup against Real Madrid after brushing aside Virtus Segafredo Bologna 88-52 for the club’s biggest-ever win in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Crvena Zvezda hit top gear in time for titanic clash with Real 

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/roster/red/?season=2024-25) enjoyed a perfect dress rehearsal for Friday’s blockbuster matchup against Real Madrid after brushing aside [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/roster/vir/?season=2024-25) [88-52 for the club’s biggest-ever win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/rampant-crvena-zvezda-steamrolls-virtus-88-52/) in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

With a postseason berth and possibly an automatic playoff spot looming, Zvezda improved to 18-13 with a second successive win after [beating league leader Olympiacos Piraeus 73-81](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/center-less-crvena-zvezda-stuns-olympiacos-73-81/) on the road, boosting its chances of a best-ever regular season finish.

Following a pair of tough losses to [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-blows-away-crvena-zvezda-100-82-to-stay-in-postseason-picture/) and [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/milan-claws-out-huge-win-over-crvena-zvezda-80-82/), Zvezda bounced back just in time for the mouth-watering home clash with [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2024-25), which is also vying for a playoff berth after winning four of its last five.

[Dejan Davidovac](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dejan-davidovac/007960/) and [Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) ran the show against Virtus as 11 of Zvezda’s 12 players got on the score sheet, with the latter racking up 16 points to go with 6 assists and 4 rebounds.

Petrusev acknowledged that focus was immediately being shifted on to the Real Madrid game, bound to draw another capacity crowd inside the Belgrade Arena.

“You don’t get too many easy games in the EuroLeague and tonight was easy because we made a good start,” Petrusev toild EuroLeague TV. “We had great energy throughout the game and we want to keep it up in two days \[against Real Madrid\].

“We knew we had to win this game, we put it away early and now the real challenge is on Friday. It will be huge and if we take care of business, there will be big celebration.”

Davidovac added: “We had an amazing game at both ends of the court and against Madrid we have to play the same way.”

Head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos was purring with delight after one of Zvezda’s best performances of the season.  “I want to congratulate the players for a great game and they showed how much we wanted this win. We fought for every possession at both ends of the court and on offense we had great movement of the ball,” the Greek tactician said at the postgame press conference.

“I thank the fans for turning up in numbers again and I want to ask them to be even louder in the next game \[against Real\], together we can win it. The win against Olympiacos was decisive for boosting our confidence and it came as a result of some hard work after a pair of losses following the international break.”

The home team followed up on a shock road win over Olympiacos with a clinical display against Virtus 

Crvena Zvezda hit top gear in time for titanic clash with Real Madrid

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-03-26T19:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens rallied from 15 points down to defeat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 92-99 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Round 31 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Panathinaikos produces epic comeback to beat Maccabi, 92-99

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens rallied from 15 points down to defeat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 92-99 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Wednesday night. The Israeli champs led 82-67 with 8 minutes left on the clock, but the Greens went on a 0-18 surge to turn the game around. Panathinaikos improved its record to 20-11 and clinched a top-10 spot, securing its place in the postseason. Maccabi saw its four-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 10-21.

Kendrick Nunn led all scorers with 26 points and Juancho Hernangomez netted 18 – of which 16 were scored in the second half. Lorenzo Brown had 14 points, Wenyen Gabriel recorded 13 and Konstantinos Mitoglou added 12. Levi Randolph paced Maccabi with 21 points, Jake Cohen registered 15 and Roman Sorkin 12 and Trevion Williams and Tamir Blatt scored 11 each.

Gabriel and Brown opened the game with back-to-back buckets against their former team for a 4-6 lead. Mitoglou took over with 5 straight points before a transition layup from Panagiotis Kalaitzakis gave Panathinaikos an 8-15 cushion. Blatt responded with a triple, but Panathinaikos answered with a 0-7 run fueled by Nunn. Triples from Jimmy Clark and Williams cut the difference to 19-24 after 10 minutes.

Maccabi hit the ground running in the second quarter, with DiBartolomeo drilling 2 straight triples to tie it up at 25-25. Cohen drilled one from deep for Maccabi’s first lead of the game, 30-27. Blatt nailed another one, but Nunn responded from downtown and Brown completed a three-point play that brought the visitors within 36-35. Cohen took his tally to 7 points off the bench before a jumper by Randolph made it 42-37. Nunn netted 5 straight points, but Randolph made 3 of 3 from the line for a 47-42 lead at halftime.

A jumper from Brown was followed by 5 points from Hernangomez, who cut the difference to 51-49. Cohen, Williams and Randolph scored inside, with the latter completing a three-point play that opened a 58-49 lead. Triples by Blatt, Clark and DiBartolomeo allowed Maccabi to maintain a 71-61 cushion. Then, Cohen added 4 points to his tally and Randolph drilled one from beyond the arc to make it 78-67 heading into the closing quarter.

Panathinaikos went on a 0-18 run to start the fourth, as 8 points from Hernangomez and triples by Nunn and Brown gave them an 82-83 lead. Sorkin and Rokas Jokubaitis scored inside to put Maccabi ahead, but Mitoglou and Nunn drilled back-to-back triples and Brown scored in transition for a 90-94 lead. Randolph made 2 from the charity stripe, but Hernangomez drilled a dagger from deep to finish the game off.

The visitors went on a 0-18 fourth-quarter run to turn the game around

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade took a step closer to the business end of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as it improved to 18-13 with an impressive 88-52 home win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna, which dropped to 7-24 after a ninth successive defeat. 

Rampant Crvena Zvezda steamrolls Virtus, 88-52

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade took a step closer to the business end of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as it improved to 18-13 with an impressive 88-52 home win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna, which dropped to 7-24 after a ninth successive defeat.

Dejan Davidovac paced Zvezda’s relentless pack with 17 points, Filip Petrusev added 16 and Codi Miller-McIntyre chipped in with 11 as dominant Zvezda racked up 42 boards, 28 assists and 7 steals in a high-octane display.

At the other end, Tornike Shengelia netted 13 points and Will Clyburn scored 12 for a hapless Virtus, with the Italian team going down tamely in a performance devoid of any energy.

The icing on the cake was that the result was Zvezda’s biggest EuroLeague win while it also marked the lowest scoring tally for Virtus, which shot a miserable 2 of 22 from downtown.

Roared on by 20,000 raucous fans at Belgrade Arena, Zvezda got off to a flying start and never looked back after racing into an 11-1 lead in the opening exchanges. The home team thrived inside on selfless teamwork, sharing the ball superbly and scoring a barrage of fastbreak points.

Having shot 10 of 13 from inside as it dished out 8 assists against a solitary turnover in the opening 10 minutes, Zvezda engineered a 28-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and then carried on at full throttle in the second. 

The advantage soared to 45-17 as Zvezda poured in the shots from all angles, with Petrusev and Davidovac leading the charge to give the hosts a thoroughly deserved 51-27 lead at halftime. Zvezda racked up a total of 19 rebounds in the first half, 6 of them on offense, having also produced 17 assists.

Petrusev gave the relentless home fans a taste of what was coming when he sank a corner three in the third quarter’s opening play, with ironclad defense allowing Zvezda to romp away into a 69-37 lead ahead of the final 10 minutes of a lop-sided contest.

With one eye on Friday’s Rivalry Series home matchup against Real Madrid, Zvezda coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos managed the minutes in the fourth quarter but Zvezda kept its foot on the gas. The home team’s advantage rocketed to a whopping 86-48 with under 2 minutes left on the clock, sparking loud celebrations among the jubilant home crowd.

The Serbian champs edged closer to a postseason berth with an emphatic victory  

Shane Larkin took another step up the all-time charts in win over Baskonia

This game won’t go down in the history books as one of the greatest games [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) ever played. But the [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) star’s place in history only went up during Wednesday night’s [92-76 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-sinks-baskonia-92-76-for-fifth-straight-win/) over [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/?season=2024-25).

Larkin scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help Efes capture its fifth straight win and not only strengthen its chances to qualify for the Play-In Showdown, but to climb into the thick of the fight for a top-six finish and automatic playoff berth. His final stat line saw him make half of his shots, including 4 of 8 from deep, and dish 4 assists for a PIR of 16. He also had a highlight with a crossover dribble that sent his defender to the floor and allowed Larkin to sink an uncontested jumper.

The numbers Larkin posted in the night had extra meaning. He overtook former Olympiacos Piraeus legend [Vassilis Spanoulis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vassilis-spanoulis/juo/), the current head coach of AS Monaco, for ninth place on the all-time PIR charts with 4,186. He also moved past his former Efes backcourt mate, [Vasa Micic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vasilije-micic/002580/), for 11th place in EuroLeague history with 1,098 career assists.

Shane Larkin came up big for Efes against Baskonia

Naturally, Larkin's historic feats were not a topic after the game, though the dynamic guard attested to his confidence in his shot.

"We started the season up and down, I don't think we’ve been on a winning streak  like this all year. So to be catching our rhythm, chemistry and all that at the right time is perfect and feels good at the moment," Larkin told EuroLeague TV. "My shot's been feeling great of late. In the first half, I felt like I had some good looks that just rimmed out. But my teammates stayed confident in me and kept giving me opportunities and I trust my work and just started knocking them down."

When Larkin is knocking those shots down, Efes is infinitely better. In the 24:10 that he was on the floor on Wednesday, his team outscored Baskonia by 14. In the remaining 15:50 of game time, the difference between the two sides was a mere 2 points.

It may take some time before Larkin cracks the top 10 in assists as the 10th place belongs to former EuroLeague MVP and LDLC ASVEL guard Nando De Colo who has 1,195 dimes and counting. However, he enters Round 32 trailing Real Madrid center Walter Tavares by 3 for eight place in career PIR. Kyle Hines and injured Monaco guard Nick Calathes share sixth place with PIRs of 4,299.

With 3,538 points, Larkin needs 61 more to reach the all-time top 10 in scoring. Tenth place is occupied by Georgios Printezis. Larkin is also eighth with 546 three-pointers in his career.

The dynamic guard moved into ninth place in career PIR and 11th in assists 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025-03-26T17:30:00.000Z)