Panathinaikos AKTOR announced on Tuesday that it has terminated Kostas Antetokounmpo’s contrast

Panathinaikos parts ways with Kostas Antetokounmpo

Panathinaikos AKTOR announced on Tuesday that it has terminated [Kostas Antetokounmpo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-antetokounmpo/011221/)’s contrast. The center played a key role off the bench last season when he appeared in 31 games, including both games at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four as the Greens won the championship. However this season, injuries have limited Antetokounmpo - the younger brother of global superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo - to just four EuroLeague games during which he has averaged 2.5 points and 0.8 rebounds in 7:55 minutes.

<center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">Η ΚΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός AKTOR ανακοινώνει τη λύση της συνεργασίας της με τον Κώστα Αντετοκούνμπο. <br><br>Ο Κώστας αποτέλεσε μέρος της ιστορικής περσινής χρονιάς της ομάδας μας συνεισφέροντας στην επιστροφή της στην κορυφή της Ευρώπης. <br><br>Τον ευχαριστούμε για την προσφορά του και του… <a href="https://t.co/ZL0tdnJShx">pic.twitter.com/ZL0tdnJShx</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1889369301863350756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In a statement released by the club, Panathinaikos said: "Kostas was part of our team's historic year last year, contributing to its return to the top of Europe. We thank him for his contribution and wish him all the best in the rest of his life and career."

Antetokounmpo previously played a season each in the EuroLeague for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. After playing college basketball at the University of Dayton, Antetokounmpo began his professional career in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and also played two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, with which he won the NBA championship in 2020.

With his big brother Giannis seated court-side, Kostas Antetokounmpo entered his first Final Four game ever on Friday and immediately registered a sky-walking block for a Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens team that was on its way to victory. "I didn't get to see my brothers action, because I was yelling at the crowd, but they told me it was pretty crazy," Kostas says. "There are a lot of nerves in the Final Four, but once the clock starts, everything goes away for me. Once I go on the court, I'm ready to give everything I've got."

All angles of Kostas Antetokounmpo's walk-on block

The big man helped the Greens win their sixth EuroLeague crown last season 

Panathinaikos BC won its seventh EuroLeague title by going all the way at the 2024 Final Four in Berlin, Germany.

Final Four 2024 Berlin

### Panathinaikos, Real Madrid got the job done in the semis

Back at its first Final Four in 12 years, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens rose to the occasion in its semifinal against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. The Greens held Fenerbahce scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest, during which time it went 12-0 ahead, and they ended up leading the rest of the way – despite a Fenerbahce fightback – en route to a 73-57 victory in the first semifinal at the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin. All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, while All-EuroLeague guard Kendrick Nunn had 14 points. Jerian Grant also chipped in with 13 points for the winners.

The second semifinal saw Real Madrid prevent a potential all-Greek final by downing Olympiacos Piraeus 87-76, the second time in a row that the Spanish side eliminated the Reds at the Final Four after previously coming out on top in the 2023 championship game. Real Madrid blitzed Olympiacos early to take a 28-10 lead and was up 56-37 at the break. Even though the Reds outscored *Los Blancos* in the second half, 31-39, it wasn’t enough. Dzanan Musa led Real Madrid in scoring with 20 points, followed by Mario Hezonja with 12, and Guerschon Yabusele and Vincent Poirier with 11 apiece. Facundo Campazzo dished 9 assists.

### The return of the king!

Panathinaikos trumped Real Madrid 80-95 to make Ergin Ataman’s prophecy come true, as the Greens secured their seventh star and first EuroLeague championship since 2011. Despite a 36-25 first quarter in Real Madrid’s favor, Panathinaikos responded in the second frame to trim it to 54-49 at the interval. After the break, the Greens held *Los Blancos* to just 7 third-quarter points while scoring 15 to take a 61-64 lead into the last quarter. Panathinaikos then made sure of the victory by putting the game to bed in style by outscoring the defending champs 19-31. Kostas Sloukas paced Panathinaikos with 24 points, with Kendrick Nunn adding 21, Mathias Lessort netting 17 and Jerian Grant scoring 11.

[Game info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/real-madrid-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/333/#boxscore).

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-24T16:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-05-24T19:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-05-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-26T15:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv erased a double-digit second-half deficit to edge crosstown rival Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 95-93 on Monday at Pais Arena in the Israeli capital in the Israeli State Cup semifinals

Maccabi wins Tel Aviv derby in Israeli Cup semifinals 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv erased a double-digit second-half deficit to edge crosstown rival Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 95-93 on Monday at Pais Arena in the Israeli capital in the Israeli State Cup semifinals. The win sets up a matchup with Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem in the final on Thursday. 

Rokas Jokubaitis led Maccabi with 27 points and 8 assists, Roman Sorkin posted 22 points and 8 rebounds and Levi Randolph tallied 21 points and 8 boards – including the go-ahead basket in overtime. Yam Madar led Hapoel with 23 points and 8 assists, Tomer Ginat scored 19, Johnathan Motley 15 and Marcus Foster 11.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">אחרי אחד ממשחקי הדרבים הגדולים אי פעם, במעמד חצי גמר גביע המדינה ישראל קנדה, ניצחה מכבי ת&quot;א את הפועל ת&quot;א 93-95 לאחר הארכה. יוקובאיטיס בלט עם 27 נקודות, משחק נהדר למדר בצד שני. הגמר יפגיש שוב, בפעם השלישית ברציפות בין מכבי ת&quot;א להפועל ירושלים ביום חמישי הקרוב.<br><br>סיקור, קלעים וגלריה… <a href="https://t.co/HFWhk6EYKz">pic.twitter.com/HFWhk6EYKz</a></p>&mdash; איגוד הכדורסל הישראלי (@TherealIBBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TherealIBBA/status/1889068145316446273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Maccabi jumped out to a 19-13 start with Sorkin pouring in 7 points. Hapoel came back to tie it at 23-23 on a Bar Timor triple and it was 27-2 after 10 minutes. Hapoel went ahead 31-32 on a Guy Palatin three-pointer. Motley took charge with a flurry of points before dishing a pretty assist to Bruno Caboclo for a three in the corner that made it 35-43. Maccabi pushed back through Sorkin and Will Rayman to get within 44-46 at halftime. Hapoel surged ahead in the third quarter behind Madar and Foster. Maccabi trimmed the gap to 1 only to see Ginat drill a three and a fastbreak layup. Madar's circus shot gave Hapoel the game’s first double-digit lead, 56-66. Sorkin revived Maccabi with a three and John DiBartolomeo finished a 9-0 Maccabi run with a triple to end the third quarter at 65-66.

Maccabi tied it on Rivero free throws to start the fourth quarter and it was tied again at 68-68 and 71-71, but Maccabi was not able to pull in front. Threes by Madar and Foster made it 72-79 with less than 5 minutes to play. Maccabi answered with a triple by Jokubaitis and an alley-oop from Trevion Williams before Jokubaitis’s fastbreak layup tied it at 81-81 with 2 minutes to play. Sorkin gave Maccabi its first lead of the second half and. Foster tied things and the game came down to the closing seconds. Randolph's put-back of Jokubaitis's miss with 6.7 seconds left gave Maccabi the lead, but left enough time for Madar to feed Motley for a dunk that tied it at 87-87. Maccabi turned the ball over and Madar's potential buzzer-beater came after time expired, sending the game to overtime. Free throws by Madar and a layup by Joe Ragland gave Hapoel a 4-point lead with 2 minutes left in the extra session. Sorkin responded with a long jumper and Randolph banked in a go-ahead three. Madar came up empty on Hapoel's last possession and Maccabi celebrated a thrilling victory.

<center>
<i>Photo credit: Seffi Magriso/Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv <i>

Maccabi will face Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem in the final on Thursday

Tickets for the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four in Abu Dhabi officially go on sale on February 26 at 09:00 CET (12:00 ADT), giving fans the chance to experience the unique atmosphere of Europe’s premier club basketball showdown.

Tickets for the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four in Abu Dhabi go on sale February 26!

For the first time ever, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four [will be held in Abu Dhabi at the state-of-the-art Etihad Arena](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/abu-dhabi-to-host-2025-turkish-airlines-euroleague-final-four/) from May 23 to May 25, 2025. Basketball fans will have the opportunity to witness the thrilling conclusion of Europe’s top club competition.

Tickets officially go on sale on February 26 at 09:00 CET (12:00 ADT), giving fans the chance to experience the unique atmosphere of Europe’s premier club basketball showdown in Abu Dhabi. All ticket information and sales will be available exclusively online at [www.f4tickets.com](http://www.f4tickets.com) and Abu Dhabi Event Tickets in Etihad Arena.

As in previous seasons, a pre-sale window will open on Tuesday, February 25, for season ticket holders of EuroLeague clubs who participate in this initiative, EuroLeague TV subscribers, and previous Final Four ticket purchasers.

### World-class basketball in a premier destination

The 2025 EuroLeague Final Four will bring its signature excitement to Abu Dhabi, a global hub for world-class sporting events known for its passionate basketball fans, cutting-edge infrastructure, vibrant culture, and unique attractions. The Etihad Arena, located on the city’s entertainment hub of Yas Island, will provide the perfect stage for the competition.

The Final Four will start on Friday, May 23, with semifinal showdowns taking place at 19:00 and 22:00 local time, while the EuroLeague Third-Place Game will tip off on Sunday at 18:00 local time, before the EuroLeague Championship Game takes center stage at 21:00 local time, with one team set to become the 2024-25 EuroLeague champion.

### Ticketing options

General public tickets provide access to all four games (two on Friday and two on Sunday) and are available in the following price categories, ranging from €74.75 per game (€299 total) to €187.25 per game (€749 total).

Also, VIP hospitality packages and ticket + hotel bundles will be available starting February 26, offering fans and businesses exclusive benefits to enhance their Final Four experience. Full details are available at [www.f4tickets.com](http://www.f4tickets.com). For further inquiries, please contact [f4tickets@euroleague.net](mailto:f4tickets@euroleague.net).

Don’t miss your chance to witness one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Abu Dhabi, the home of basketball in the Middle East!

The semifinals take place on May 23 before the third-place game and championship game on May 25

Tickets for the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four in Abu Dhabi go on sale February 26

Wins like Friday in Round 26 on the road at FC Barcelona make it clear that this year could be different and Olympiacos Piraeus BC is ready to go all the way in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Olympiacos sitting pretty after dramatic win in Barcelona

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/roster/bar/?season=2024-25) versus [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2024-25) in the final game before the February break always looked like it would deliver a thrilling Friday night, and the Round 26 Rivalry Series showdown at Palau Blaugrana did not disappoint.

Right from the opening exchanges, there was nothing to choose between these two perennial title contenders. [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) predictably opened the scoring…[Youssoupha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/youssoupha-fall/006568/) hit straight back; [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/) struck a triple… [Joel Parra](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-parra/007464/) did the same; Vezenkov netted from mid-range…so too did [Jabari Parker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jabari-parker/012745/).

Six scores, three ties, and the stage had been appropriately set for an intriguingly close encounter that ended up producing 17 lead changes and a seemingly limitless supply of momentum changes.

With neither team able to establish a double-digit lead at any time, and both showing firm resolve to keep on fighting back and landing strong counter-punches whenever the opponent seemed to be getting on top, the outcome was in the balance right until the final possession.

In the end, it all came down to a tied game, 88-88, with 18 seconds remaining and Olympiacos possessing the basketball. It could have gone either way, but Fournier had nothing in his mind other than a road victory as he produced one of the [moments of the season](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/evan-fournier-showed-big-shot-mentality-for-olympiacos/), scooping and scoring his team to [a statement-making triumph](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-overcomes-barcelona-in-last-second-thriller-88-90/).

The timing – of both the shot and the victory – could not have been better, coming as it did on the eve of a mid-season break that will pause action in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague until the last week of February.

Olympiacos Piraeus swingman Evan Fournier spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat FC Barcelona in Round 26 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Evan Fournier: 'I'm glad I made the shot!'

With an 18-7 record, it is Olympiacos that can sit pretty and enjoy its status as league leader during that break, and the comments of its head coach and star player after the game made it clear just how highly they valued the victory.

Vezenkov, who led the scoring with 24 points, could not stop smiling as he faced the [EuroLeague.TV](http://EuroLeague.TV) cameras to exclaim: “It was a really tough game, with real energy. Congratulations to Barca for giving us this fight. But congratulations to my team because we fought until the end.

“Barca is a really talented team, a really good team, especially in their homecourt. It’s a really important win because we want to stay first, so we’re really happy about it.”

Olympiacos head coach

"The ‘refuse to lose’ mentality that we have gave us one more win today."

[Coach Georgios Bartzokas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/bartzokas-georgios/) admitted the victory was even sweeter as it came just two days after another hard-earned [road win at Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/vezenkov-fournier-power-olympiacos-past-paris-73-90/), and revealed that his team was forced to overcome physical problems to achieve those successes in the season’s penultimate double round week.

“It was a really tough game for us, but also for Barca. Both teams are fighting for the best possible position in the rankings,” he said.

“And for us, before we started traveling on this specific trip we had a lot of small injuries with Fournier, with [\[Moustapha\] Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/), and with Vezenkov after the game in Paris, and without two point guards, [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) and [Luca Vildoza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/luca-vildoza/007947/).

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After a tough but perfectly successful week on the road, we are back at home!<br><br>Can’t wait to have you again tomorrow on our side!<br><br>🏀 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> – PAOK BC (10/02, 17:15)<br><br>ΒΕ ΤΗΕRE!<br><br>🎟️ <a href="https://t.co/U1KLmfkjIK">https://t.co/U1KLmfkjIK</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</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://t.co/oDofdSbjN3">pic.twitter.com/oDofdSbjN3</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1888637786997014729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“We thought that having one win from those two games would be okay. But obviously the ‘refuse to lose’ mentality that we have gave us one more win today against a team that gave everything.”

Bartzokas’s delight is understandable. Olympiacos has come very close to title glory in recent seasons, reaching three consecutive Final Fours for the first time in club history, but missing out on the ultimate prize by finishing fourth, second and third.

But wins like Friday’s in Barcelona make it clear that this year could be different, and the Reds are ready to go all the way.

Game News

The men from Piraeus will be sitting atop the standings for at least another fortnight

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2025-02-07T19:30:00.000Z)

EuroLeague top photos of the week

Chimezie Metu of Barcelona and Maccabi's Will Rayman battle for a rebound

Bruno Fernando of Real Madrid dunks against Anadolu Efes

Matt Strazel of Monaco tries to strip the ball from Baskonia's Luka Samanic

Iffe Lundberg of Partizan dribbles past Virtus's Toko Shengelia 

Filip Petrusev of Crvena Zvezda dunks against ALBA Berlin

Neal Sako of ASVEL and Crvena Zvezda's Filip Petrusev vie for a rebound

Moustapha Fall of Olympiacos denies Barcelona's Kevin Punter

Elias Harris of Bayern dunks in Round 26 against ASVEL

Elijah Bryant of Efes and Panathinaikos's Ioannis Papapetrou dive for a loose ball

Youssoupha Fall of FC Barcelona dunks against Olympiacos

Look back at all the action from Round 25 and 26 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week!

Top 10 photos of the week: Rounds 25 and 26

A truly dominant second-half performance by Kendrick Nunn has seen the Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens star earn Round 26 MVP honors with a round-high and career-high 37 PIR.

Round 26 MVP: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

A truly dominant second-half performance by [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) has seen the Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens star earn Round 26 MVP honors with a round-high and career-high 37 PIR.

 

Nunn sat on 6 points at halftime, having scored the final basket of the first half to make it 49-47 against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, then erupted for 30 points after the interval as he finished on 36 – his second-highest tally in 60 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances – in a 104-89 victory. This is just the second time that Nunn has scored 30 points or more in a EuroLeague game, with the other being his 39-point outing in Round 16 earlier this season. He reached 36 points after going 7 for 10 on two-pointers, 5 for 11 on three-pointers and a perfect 7 for 7 from the free-throw line. Nunn also posted 4 rebounds, including 2 on the offensive end, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn. This is Nunn’s MVP of the Round accolade, as he was the Game 5 MVP during last year’s EuroLeague Playoffs.

 

Finishing just behind Nunn was EA7 Emporio Armani Milan’s [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/), who had an equally dominant display in his team’s 87-89 win at Zalgiris Kaunas. LeDay had a 36 PIR having amassed 26 points on 5-of-9 two-pointers, 1-of-2 three-pointers and a perfect 13-of-13 free throws, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 11 fouls drawn. The third-highest PIR in Round 26 belonged to Paris Basketball’s [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/), who had a 33 index rating in his team’s 77-83 victory at Virtus Segafredo Bologna. Shorts finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 two-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 9 fouls drawn. FC Barcelona’s [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) had a 31 PIR, the fourth best in this round, in his team’s 88-90 loss to Olympiacos Piraeus. He posted 20 points on 4-of-7 two-pointers, 1-of-3 three-pointers and 9-of-9 free throws, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 7 fouls drawn. Rounding out the list of top performers is Olympiacos’s [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) with a 30 PIR, having amassed 24 points on 6-of-8 two-pointers, 3-of-6 three-pointers and 3-of-3 free throws, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls drawn and zero turnovers.

 

### Individual highs: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos, 36 points

 

Nunn led all players in Round 26 by scoring 36 points. Vezenkov remains the league’s leading scorer with 20.6 points per game.

 

ALBA Berlin big man [David McCormack](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/david-mccormack/013386/) grabbed 11 rebounds in this round, more than anybody else. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade’s [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) tops the rebounding charts with 8.1 per night.

 

Panathinaikos’s [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz’s [Trent Forrest](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trent-forrest/013367/) both dished the most assists in Round 26 with 9. Paris playmaker Shorts is the new leader in assists this season with 7.3 per game, just ahead of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv’s [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) with 7.25 per contest.

 

Seven players – Paris duo TJ Shorts and [Mikael Jantunen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mikael-jantunen/012613/), FC Bayern Munich pair [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) and [Johannes Voigtmann](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/johannes-voigtmann/007201/), Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s [Sterling Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sterling-brown/012720/), Zalgiris Kaunas’s [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/), and Crvena Zvezda’s [Ognjen Dobric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ognjen-dobric/004007/) – made a round-high 3 steals. Bayern ball hawk Weiler-Babb averages a league-best 1.7 steals per game.

Olympiacos’s [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/), Milan’s [Freddie Gillespie](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/freddie-gillespie/011941/), Bayern’s [Danko Brankovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/danko-brankovic/007639/) all had 3 blocks in this round, the most in Round 26. Real Madrid’s [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/), the all-time leader in blocks, and AS Monaco’s [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) are tied for the best average in blocks with 1.42 per night.

The only player to record a double-double in Round 26 was David McCormack (18 points, 11 rebounds).

His career night capped a perfect week for himself and the Greens

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 26th winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Alexandros Thomos beat everyone else in Round 26 with his team 'lamiara bc', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 243.30.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 26 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 26th winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Alexandros Thomos beat everyone else in Round 26 with his team 'lamiara bc', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 243.30.

Alexandros had the following starting lineup: Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as team captain, then TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball, Nigel Hayes-Davies of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus and Tyrique Jones of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. His sixth man was Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet's Filip Petrusev. The rest of the bench consisted of Olympiacos duo Giannoulis Larentzakis and Nigel Williams-Goss, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan's Freddie Gillespie and Panathinaikos's Panagiotis Kalaitzakis. His team's head coach was Panathinaikos play-caller Ergin Ataman.

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

Marko Dukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 4,420.84 points.

Trades are now open for Round 27,  and all fantasy players are allowed unlimited trades.

The first game in Round 27 tips off on Thursday, February 27, as Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 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!

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Baskonia star Markus Howard scored a total of 14 points across his last four games, but on Friday night he erupted for 17 in a win against Maccabi Tel Aviv to shake off his shaky form.

Markus Howard broke out of his slump to fire Baskonia past Maccabi

The last month has been tough for [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/).

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans have grown accustomed to seeing the [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) guard put up big numbers on offense, making jaw-dropping three-pointers with relative ease, but that hasn’t been the case of late.

Howard came into [Friday night’s clash against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonia-downs-maccabi-89-82-to-secure-third-straight-home-win/) having scored a total of 14 points across his last four games: 1 point in Round 22, 6 in Round 23, 4 in Round 24, and 3 in Round 25. The last time he netted a double-digit number of points came back on January 2, when he had 10 in a 73-75 loss to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade before missing Rounds 20 and 21 with an injury.

The first quarter of Baskonia’s game with Maccabi looked like it was going to follow a similar pattern for Howard, who sat on zero points after missing his only three-point attempt in 4:41 minutes on the floor. But, in true Markus Howard fashion, all it took was one shot to fall for his confidence to return.

After [Jake Cohen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jake-cohen/005145/) opened the second quarter with a triple to give Maccabi a 22-26 lead, following a [John DiBartolomeo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/john-dibartolomeo/007990/) steal on Howard down the other end, the Baskonia marksman quickly made amends by draining an off-balanced three from the EuroLeague logo, leading to a huge roar from the Buesa Arena crowd. The three-point festival continued, with [David DeJulius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/david-de-julius/profile/013250/) knocking one down for Maccabi and [Nikos Rogkavopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikolaos-rogkavopoulos/011085/) replying in kind for Baskonia, as the hosts trailed by one at 28-29.

Then, Howard did what he does best – make the impossible look possible. He converted another off-balanced three to give Baskonia the lead (31-29) before striking from deep again, this time in more conventional fashion, to open a five-point lead for Baskonia (34-29). In the space of two and a half minutes, the 25-year-old moved to 9 points and all seemed well.

As it turned out, those two baskets turned out to be crucial as Baskonia never trailed again in the final 27 minutes of the contest. Howard sat on 15 points on 5 made threes entering crunch time, but he still had the chance to have one more big play.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="eu" dir="ltr">🙌 Gure mutilak 🔵🔴 <a href="https://t.co/0WEclZF0tt">pic.twitter.com/0WEclZF0tt</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1887974784547410178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Maccabi had reduced Baskonia’s 17-point lead (78-61) to just six (85-79) with 2:48 minutes to play, but Howard got the shooter’s roll on a turnaround jumper to restore an eight-point margin (87-79) with 1:06 minutes left and effectively put the eventual 89-82 win on ice.

Baskonia has now won its last three games at Buesa Arena, and the return to form of Howard should make coach Pablo Laso’s side a serious contender to reach the Play-In Showdown once the EuroLeague returns from its hiatus on February 27.

The game was tight, but the American gave his team the boost it needed in the second quarter

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2025-02-07T19:30:00.000Z)