Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 21st winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Ignas Stancikas beat everyone else in Round 21 with their team 'Muchachas', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 242.70.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 21 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 21st winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Ignas Stancikas beat everyone else in Round 21 with their team 'Muchachas', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 242.70.

Ignas had the following starting lineup: Facundo Campazzo of Real Madrid as team captain, Olympiacos Piraeus's Shaquielle McKissic, then Zach LeDay of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Filip Petrusev of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Vincent Poirier of Anadolu Efes Istanbul. His sixth man was Isaia Cordinier of Virtus Segafredo Bologna. On the bench, Ignas had David McCormack of ALBA Berlin, Marko Guduric of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Andrejs Grazulis of Virtus and Giampaolo Ricci of Milan. His team's head coach was Milan play-caller Ettore Messina.

The prize for finishing first in Round 21 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Ignas!

Marko Dukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 3,635.24 points.

Trades are now open for Round 22. 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 22 tips off on Thursday, January 16, as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne hosts ALBA Berlin 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. 

Shabazz Napier's game-winning three rightfully earned many plaudits, but FC Bayern Basketball would not have got its win against AS Monaco Basket were it not for the play of Nick Weiler-Babb.

Nick Weiler-Babb returned in style as Bayern downed Monaco for very first time

[Shabazz Napier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) may have earned plenty of plaudits for his game-winning three-pointer in [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/)’s [95-94 win over AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-holds-off-monaco-to-win-thriller-95-94/) on Tuesday night, but had it not been for [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/)’s defense on [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) on the last possession, the visitors could easily have escaped with an epic comeback victory.

A thumb injury sidelined Weiler-Babb for Bayern’s previous two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague contests at Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus – both defeats – yet the 29-year-old guard returned in style to help his team snap a three-game losing streak. It was the club's first-ever win over Monaco, too, having gone 0-7 against the Monegasques since their introduction to the EuroLeague in 2021.

Bayern led by as many as 23 points midway through the second quarter, but Monaco turned the game around and took its first lead (88-90) with 1:25 to go. James took on Weiler-Babb in an iso situation and nailed a mid-range jumper in front of the Germany international to make it 92-94 with just 18 seconds left on the clock. Napier came to the fore on the other end of the floor by drilling a step-back three with 8 seconds remaining, meaning that Monaco would have the last possession of the game.

Enter a locked-in Weiler-Babb, who didn’t allow James to get an open look and forced the EuroLeague all-time top scorer into an airball on a three-point shot.

“It was a tough situation,” Weiler-Babb told EuroLeague TV after the game. “Shabazz hit a big-time shot and on the play right before that, Mike hit a tough one on me. So I took a little pride in getting the stop for the game. Mike is known for making tough shots, so I just had to lock in and do the best I could.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Easy choice today 😉 <a href="https://twitter.com/nickbabb12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nickbabb12</a> <a href="https://t.co/CSf7O9vNxL">pic.twitter.com/CSf7O9vNxL</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1879656284552888639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Weiler-Babb’s contribution was extraordinary on both ends. He finished the game with a season-high 18 points, having gone 4 for 7 from beyond the arc. He also registered 6 assists and 3 steals, earning plaudits by Bayern head coach Gordon Herbert for what was a complete performance at SAP Garden on Wednesday night.

“I’ve said this before: my opinion is that he is the best all-around player in Germany,” Herbert said in the postgame press conference. “I could say that he proved me right today. He’s been out for three weeks. To come back from three weeks out and play like this is pretty amazing. 

"He runs the team well. He can organize the game, and I think the biggest thing is that he’s got a purpose on offense and he’s got a presence on defense. He is our best defender. He played tonight with confidence. It’s something you can’t buy at the store – you’ve got to develop it. He shot the ball extremely well.”

Bayern has its glue guy back and it will now be looking to build a winning streak. To do so, the Germans will need to down Virtus Segafredo Bologna at home on Friday night. Already sitting in the playoff spots, a second straight victory could see Bayern climb up the standings again – and Weiler-Babb will make sure to do what it takes for his team to achieve that goal.

Game News

The guard has a telling impact on both ends of the floor

FC Bayern Munich v AS Monaco (2025-01-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Jabari Parker had 19 of his 25 points in the second half to lead FC Barcelona to an 82-73 victory over Panathinaikos BC.

Jabari Parker lit the fuse for Barcelona's second-half turnaround against Panathinaikos

Things were not looking good for [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) in its Round 21 showdown against defending champions [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/). At halftime, all the numbers pointed towards a bad result: Barca had missed all 9 of its 9 three-point shots, was outrebounded by Panathinaikos 18-23 and allowed the Greens to grab 8 offensive boards. [Joan Penarroya](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/penarroya-joan/?season=E2024)'s men went into the break trailing 30-38 on the scoreboard.

Barca needed a go-to guy and [Jabari Parker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jabari-parker/012745/) immediately stepped up, making sure his team would collect a third consecutive victory. He was the first player to score in the second half, draining a three-pointer, and soon added a fast-break dunk that gave Barca plenty of hope at 38-41. 

Parker was far from done, hitting three more shots from downtown and finding [Dario Brizuela](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dario-brizuela/009992/) for another one. All that allowed Barca to get a 59-50 lead at the end of the third quarter. Parker outscored the entire Panathinaikos team in the third quarter, 15-12, and had a higher PIR, 16-5.

The 29-year-old forward kept pacing Barca in the fourth quarter, getting help from Brizuela and [Alex Abrines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alex-abrines/003478/). Parker scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, while Brizuela had 11 of his 15 points in the final 12 minutes and Abrines scored his team's last 5 points to help Barca put [the 82-73 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/parker-leads-barcelona-past-the-greens-82-73/) on ice. 

Afterward, Parker highlighted the fact that he played with one of his opponents for four years in the now distant past.

"First and foremost, it's a blessing to share the court with a former teammate of mine \[Kendrick Nunn, Chicago Simeon High School\]. It's only two others that's playing right now from my high-school class, so I don't take that for granted. They had a good team and played well and we gave the fans what they wanted, " Parker said. "All that hard work should make it easier being back in our climate \[Palau Blaugrana\] where we are used to."

FC Barcelona forward Jabari Parker had 19 of his 25 points in the second half to lead his team to an 82-73 victory over Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

Parker's outstanding second half against the Greens

Barca did a better job at both ends and once the three-pointers started to fall, that was the ballgame. The hosts buried 9-of-13 three-pointers (69.2% 3FG) after the break and forced Panathinaikos to pick up 12 turnovers in the second half, having had just 2 in the first half. Nunn amassed a PIR of -7 after the interval, missing 9 of his 10 field-goal attempts and picking up 5 turnovers.

Nunn finished the night with 7 points and a PIR of 1. He had scored 25 points or better in each of the last five games, averaging 28.8 points and a PIR of 28.8.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">GRAN TRIOMF, BARÇA 💙❤ <a href="https://t.co/hrpGROobWT">pic.twitter.com/hrpGROobWT</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1879649020651737313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"We are having a good run and we wanted to make a statement today because they are the defending champs," Brizuela said. "And I think we did it, we played an amazing second half and this is the way for us to keep playing in both leagues, both the EuroLeague and ACB. We are happy about it, but we've got to keep going and keep growing."

After a sub-par first half, the Blaugrana showed their quality after the break

FC Barcelona v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-01-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko scored a season-high 96 points in its 91-96 win at KK Crvena zvezda to rise up to second in the EuroLeague standings, with offense being central to the team's win.

Red-hot offense carried Fenerbahce past Crvena Zvezda

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) took a big step towards securing a postseason berth in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on Wednesday night after sound three-point shooting propelled the competition’s 2017 champion to [a vital 91-96 win at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/rampant-fenerbahce-earns-big-road-win-at-crvena-zvezda-91-96/), which is a season high in points for Saras Jasikevicius's men.

The result left Fenerbahce second in the standings (following [AS Monaco’s loss at FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-holds-off-monaco-to-win-thriller-95-94/) a little later on Wednesday) with a 13-7 record while Zvezda slipped to ninth with a 12-9 mark, as a fiercely competitive regular season looks set for a dramatic finale in the battle for postseason spots.

The outcome also produced a third successive victory for Fenerbahce and simultaneously ended Zvezda’s four-game winning streak, with the visitors hitting an impressive 17 of 35 from downtown to silence a fervent home crowd inside Belgrade Arena.

Among a pack of impressive performers, forward [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) stood out with a game-high 27points,s which earned him the player of the game accolade. [Nicolo Melli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolo-melli/002849/) also sank a season-high 16 points to go with 7 boards.

“We took some steps in the right direction and although I sound like a broken record, the goal in a EuroLeague season is to constantly get better,” Hayes-Davis said in his postgame comments, underscoring the importance of consistency.

“Tonight we did a fantastic job moving and sharing the ball, as that’s something we wanted to work on. We need to work on defense as that’s where we are going to hang our hat on if we want to accomplish anything this year.”

Melli pointed out that it is going to be a thin line between success and failure this season, with a bunch of teams breathing down each other’s necks in the battle to advance into the business end of Europe’s premier club competition.

“We knocked down shots and that allowed us to win the game,” the Italian veteran said. “We wanted to win this game after losing the last one \[against Zvezda at home\] as every game is almost like a final at this stage. Two losses and you’re out of the playoffs; two wins and you’re top of the rankings. We’re happy because we won on a very tough court against a very good team.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Bizimkiler! 💛💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ocr6ZAZm6p">pic.twitter.com/Ocr6ZAZm6p</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1879644313858277763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Coach Jasikevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/jasikevicius-saras/) also praised his team’s smooth offense which generated 22 assists and a mere 6 turnovers, as it also produced 8 steals for Fenerbahce.

“We were fantastic offensively pretty much the whole game,” said the Lithuanian tactician. “Defensively we were good in the second and third quarter but in the end it got a little bit dangerous when they started coming back. Overall, it was a great performance by the boys.”

Zvezda head coach [Ioannis Sfairopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/sfairopoulos-ioannis/?season=E2024) conceded that the Serbian side was dismantled by Fenerbahce’s superior offense. “We tried different things in an effort to stop them but they kept finding ways to score,” he said. “Our defense was just not good enough for this type of game.”  

Next up for Fenerbahce is a home game against Zalgiris Kaunas while Zvezda entertains AS Monaco on Friday, with more fascinating basketball in store at the end of the double-round week.

The visiting team thrived from long-range shooting which forced the Serbian side into submission

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2025-01-15T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Basketball recorded its first win over AS Monaco Basket by winning 95-94, with Shabazz Napier draining a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to wrap up the win.

Bayern holds off Monaco to win thriller, 95-94

FC Bayern Munich returned to winning ways by edging AS Monaco 95-94 on Wednesday night at SAP Garden. The hosts led by the majority of the game, with Monaco trailing by as many as 23 points (46-23) midway through the second quarter. The visitors pulled off an epic comeback to take their first lead (88-90) with 1:25 left on the clock, but Shabazz Napier drilled a huge triple to win it for Bayern. The German side improved its record to 12-9, with Monaco dropping to 13-8.

Carsen Edwards led all scorers with 25 points, while Nick Weiler-Babb netted a season-high 18 points. Napier and Booker nailed four triples each to finish the game on 17 points apiece. Mike James paced Monaco with 20 points, Jordan Loyd had 16, Matthew Strazel scored 14, Elie Okobo bagged 12 and Mam Jaiteh added 10.

Game Videos

Niels Giffey opened the scoring from behind the arc before a layup by Edwards gave Bayern a 5-0 lead. Strazel and Alpha Diallo responded with back-to-back jumpers, but Weiler-Babb and Johannes Voigtmann drained one each from deep to restore an 11-6 cushion. Edwards took over with five straight points that extended Bayern’s run to 8-0 and opened a double-digit lead. The hosts refused to take their feet off the gas, as Edwards, Booker and Weiler-Babb nailed triples that swelled the lead to 25-8. Okobo and Voigtmann exchanged three-pointers before a floater from Elias Harris gave Bayern a 30-13 lead after 10 minutes.

Monaco opened the second quarter with a 2-8 run inspired by Nick Calathes, who produced 3 assists to cut the difference to 32-21. Yet, Andreas Obst netted inside, Napier scored his first five points of the game and Booker nailed back-to-back triples for a 46-23 cushion. James and Voigtmann traded threes before an open layup from Weiler-Babb allowed Bayern to maintain a 51-30 lead. Yet, Monaco responded with a 2-10 surge fueled by James and Jaiteh, who helped cut the deficit to 53-40 at halftime.

Loyd hit a buzzer-beating jumper to start the third quarter before a hook shot from Jaiteh and back-to-back triples from Terry Tarpey slashed the deficit to single digits, 56-50, for the first time since the first quarter. Yet, three points from Edwards and a triple by Weiler-Babb restored a 62-50 lead for the hosts. But James replied with a three-point play and Okobo nailed one from beyond the rainbow to make it 62-56. Then, Edwards added 10 points to his tally and Napier nailed a couple of triples to open a 78-64 lead. But four straight points from Strazel brought Monaco back within 78-68 heading into the fourth quarter.

Strazel and Loyd netted inside before a triple by the former trimmed the deficit to 80-77. Booker answered with five points in a row, but Strazel nailed another three to make it a two-point game, 85-83. Weiler-Babb drilled his fourth triple of the night, yet Loyd netted five consecutive points to tie it, 88-88. Jaiteh scored inside for Monaco’s first lead of the night, before Edwards responded with a jumper at the other end. Then James made a long two-pointer, but Booker tied it again from the line with 0:38 left on the clock. James nailed another jumper, however there was another Bayern response as Napier drained a triple to put the hosts back ahead, 95-94, with 8 seconds remaining. James was off the mark with his shot on the final possession as Bayern clinched the victory.

Monaco came back from 23 points down, but Shabazz Napier sealed it from deep


Sylvain Francisco and Arnas Butkevicius both enjoyed huge roles as Zalgiris Kaunas ended its losing streak with a 77-68 win over Virtus Bologna in Round 21.

The Francisco and Butkevicius show brought joy back to Zalgirio Arena

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/) is renowned for having some of the best fans in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, yet they arrived at Zalgirio Arena on Wednesday night having seen three straight defeats on their home floor and four successive losses overall. [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/) and [Arnas Butkevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arnas-butkevicius/002676/), however, ensured that this time the supporters could go happy after [a 77-68 triumph over Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/sylvain-francisco-scores-20-as-zalgiris-topples-virtus-77-68/).

Butkevicius certainly left his mark in the first quarter, recording 2 early steals, the second of which stopped an almost guaranteed bucket by Achille Polonara, who was alone under Zalgiris’s rim. When his deep three-pointer dropped, the hosts held a 16-4 advantage and the wind was in their sails, thanks in large part to the Lithuanian forward.

Needing a leader after a tough run that had seen Zalgiris lose to LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (72-78), Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (95-78), Olympiacos Piraeus (85-92) and Real Madrid (64-83), Butkevicius was determined to be that man. His hustle on both ends was leading to loud roars from the crowd, no more so than when he chased back to block Alessandro Pajola before then hitting a three-pointer down the other end just eight seconds later. At the break, he had 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, emphasizing his do-it-all nature.

Francisco, meanwhile, had 6 first-quarter points but didn’t add to his tally again until the third, when he started the second half with a bomb from downtown – his third from 4 attempts. He added another triple in the third frame, but – as EuroLeague and Zalgiris fans have become accustomed to – he really showed his quality in the final stages.  

With his fifth three-pointer on the night early in the fourth, Francisco was finding get out of jail free cards for a Zalgiris offense that was starting to look stagnant. He also displayed his playmaking ability, driving to the rim but showing the patience needed to find teammate [Alen Smailagic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alen-smailagic/011051/) for a dunk. Inside the final 2:11 minutes, that is when Francisco really stood up for Zalgiris.

Virtus was looking confident at 70-66 and Zalgiris found itself in the penalty, but Francisco showed great determination to lock in on Matt Morgan and block the guard’s shot, with the ball rebounding off the Virtus player and giving possession back to the hosts. At the other end, Francisco danced with Morgan before draining a mid-range jumper to put Zalgiris 72-66 ahead. But he wasn’t stopping there.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He delivered when it was needed the most. 🫡 <a href="https://t.co/7j7hZ5R97W">pic.twitter.com/7j7hZ5R97W</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1879635615253504057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Butkevicius almost put the win on ice with another deep three-point shot, but the ball bounced in and out, leaving the score 72-68 entering the final minute. Even if nerves could have set in, Francisco stayed ice-cold by driving past Andrejs Grazulis and scoring a layup with 40 seconds remaining to give Zalgiris a 74-68 edge, with Butkevicius and Francisco then converting free throws to secure the 77-68 victory – Zalgiris’s first of 2025 and first since December 17.

“I know we lost a couple of games, especially here. I think we fixed what we’re supposed to do. I think we were more locked in and made right decisions \[compared\] to other games,” Francisco told EuroLeague TV afterward.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A moment to remember! 💭💚 <a href="https://t.co/HUDWLkQaR1">pic.twitter.com/HUDWLkQaR1</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1879623632982540768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Certainly, with Butkevicius and Francisco stepping up at different points, Zalgiris got a taste of the winning feeling once more – something the fans more than deserved for their passionate, continuous support.

Both players were at their best in Round 21

Zalgiris Kaunas v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko beat KK Crvena zvezda 91-96 on the road to record its third successive victory in the EuroLeague, improving to 13-7, while the Serbian team dropped to 12-9 after suffering its first defeat in five games.

Rampant Fenerbahce earns big road win at Crvena Zvezda, 91-96

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul beat Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 91-96 on the road to record its third successive victory in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, improving to 13-7, while the Serbian team dropped to 12-9 after suffering its first defeat in five games.

The lethal Nigel Hayes-Davis paced the visitors with a game-high 27 points, with Tarik Biberovic and veteran Nicolo Melli adding 16 apiece, the latter sinking his opening four shots from downtown as Fenerbahce went on to nail 17 of 35 behind the arc.

Marko Guduric produced an effervescent performance against his former club as he pulled all the strings on offense for Fenerbahce, posting 11 points and 8 assists while committing a single turnover.

At the other end, Codi Miller-McIntyre shined for Zvezda with a team-high 23 points and Isaiah Canaan chipped in with 17, of which 10 came in a third-quarter blitz when he bedazzled his markers with a pair of audacious floaters coupled with two long-range shots.

Filip Petrusev scored 12 points for Zvezda and Ognjen Dobric added 10, but the hosts were undone by poor defense which allowed the Turkish side a barrage of open looks as well as some easy points in the paint.

In addition, Fenerbahce took better care of the ball as it dished out 22 assists and managed 8 steals against only 6 turnovers, too much for while Zvezda’s tally of 16 assists, 11 turnovers and just 2 steals.

The hosts made a bright start and carved out a 24-21 lead at the end of the first quarter as they sank four of their opening five efforts from long range, but Fenerbahce turned the tide in the second as Melli and Biberovic found their range and buried Zvezda’s basket with an avalanche of three-pointers.

The visiting team hit 10-of-20 triples in the first half and took a 43-49 lead into the locker room at the interval. Fenerbahce carried on early in the third quarter right where they left off in the second, as Melli drained another one to give Fenerbahce a 45-55 advantage. Canaan then turned up the decibel level in the gym as he netted 10 points in a row for Zvezda, but Fenerbahce held firm and was still in cruise control, 61-70, ahead of the final 10 minutes of an absorbing contest.

Hayes-Davis, who gave his markers a roasting all night as he kept hitting shots from all over, hit top gear in the fourth to keep Fenerbahce in the driving seat as the Turkish team engineered an 80-92 lead in the home stretch. A late rally gave Zvezda a glimmer of hope as the hosts closed the gap to 91-94 in the final minute, but Guduric was ice cool from the foul line to make sure there was no last-gasp drama.  

The visitors shot the lights out from downtown to silence a raucous home crowd inside Belgrade Arena 

Jabari Parker had 19 of his 25 points in the second half as FC Barcelona beat Panathinaikos BC 82-73 in Round 21.

Jabari Parker leads Barcelona past Panathinaikos, 82-73

FC Barcelona grabbed its third consecutive victory by downing Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 82-73 at Palau Blaugrana in Round 21 on Wednesday. Barca improved to 12-9 in the standings while Panathinaikos dropped to 13-8 and saw its five-game winning streak come to an end. 

Jabari Parker paced the winners with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Dario Brizuela added 15 points while Alex Abrines had 12 for Barca, which also gained the potential head-to-head tie-break advantage against the Greens. Jerian Grant led Panathinaikos with 15 points, Cedi Osman added 14, Juancho Hernangomez tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds and Omer Yurtseven netted 11 points for the visitors.

Grant got Panathinaikos going with a four-meter jumper, igniting a 0-6 run in which Osman had 4 points. Parker scored in penetration and fed Youssoupha Fall for an alley-oop layup. After Grant struck from downtown, Fall responded by scoring twice in the paint. Kendrick Nunn's floater restored a slim Panathinaikos lead. Parker followed a baseline jumper with a driving layup that tied it at 12-12. Nunn beat the buzzer with a step-back triple and Wenyen Gabriel added a driving basket for a 12-17 Panathinaikos lead. Chimezie Metu dunked and Abrines erased Konstantinos Mitoglou's jumper with a tip-in. Kostas Sloukas and Metu exchanged baskets to fix the score at 18-21 after 10 minutes.

Abrines buried a floater early in the second quarter and Metu's turnaround jumper put Barca ahead, 22-21. Brizuela erased Gabriel's layup with a floater and soon gave his team a 26-23 edge. Jan Vesely hit a jump hook before Hernangomez got his team within 28-26. Sloukas struck from beyond the arc and Grant bettered Metu's jumper with a three-pointer that prompted Barca to call a timeout at 30-32. Osman scored off a wild spin move and Yurtseven finished a three-chance Panathinaikos offense with a dunk for a 30-36 lead. Hernangomez took over with a tip-in that made it 30-38 at halftime.

Parker and Hernangomez traded three-pointers right after the break. Abrines joined the three-point shootout and Parker dunked to bring Barca within 38-41. Tomas Satoransky added a fastbreak layup and Punter buried a triple that completed the hosts' comeback, 43-41, after a 10-0 run. Hernangomez scored around the basket and Osman erased Parker's jumper with a driving layup that tied it at 45-45. Parker buried another turnaround jumper and bettered Grant's backdoor layup with a bomb from downtown. Grant scored again, but a red-hot Parker and Brizuela each scored from beyond the arc, which caused Panathinaikos to stop the game at 56-49. Brizuela sank a floater and got help from Juan Nunez to boost Barca's lead to 59-50 after 30 minutes.

Brizuela insisted from downtown to make it a double-digit game, 62-52, early in the fourth quarter. Yurtseven dunked and fed Nunn for a baseline jumper that made Barca call timeout at 62-56. After Nunez buried a jumper, Yurtseven answered with a close basket. Parker gave Barca a 66-58 lead. Brizuela improved on Yurtseven's dunk with a wild off-balance triple. Yurtseven kept pushing the Greens with a reverse layup which Parker matched with another jumper. Osman took over with a wild fastbreak basket and Grant erased Kevin Punter's baseline jumper with an acrobatic layup. Vesely scored around the basket but Hernangomez answered from downtown to give Panathinaikos hope, 75-70, with 46.3 seconds left. Abrines made free throws and added a corner triple to seal the outcome in style.

The Barcelona forward scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half


Zalgiris Kaunas recorded its seventh straight win over Virtus Bologna, ending its four-game EuroLeague losing streak in the process, by winning 77-68 on the back of 20 points by Sylvain Francisco.

Sylvain Francisco scores 20 as Zalgiris topples Virtus, 77-68

Sylvain Francisco’s fourth 20-point game this season proved key for Zalgiris Kaunas as it brought its four-game losing skid to an end against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, winning 77-68. Zalgiris has now won seven straight games against Virtus, with this victory improving Andrea Trinchieri’s men to an 11-10 record, while Dusko Ivanovic’s charges fell to 6-15.

Another key man in the victory was Arnas Butkevicius, who did a bit of everything with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Edgaras Ulanovas had his best scoring night of the season with 16 points, while Dovydas Giedraitis added 10 points. Virtus’s Isaia Cordinier netted 18 points and Toko Shengelia posted 12 points.

Giedraitis and Francisco knocked down three-pointers either side of a Laurynas Birutis bucket as Zalgiris raced out to an 8-0 start. Andrejs Grazulis’s tip-in got Virtus off the mark 2:06 minutes into the quarter, but the visitors looked lost at sea and found themselves 16-4 down when Butkevicius drained a three-pointer from the Zalgiris logo. Nicola Akele and Momo Diouf did offer a boost to Virtus, but Ulanovas went to the line a couple of times and later hit a triple on the turn to give Zalgiris a 25-11 lead, with the score 25-13 after 10 minutes.

When Lonnie Walker hit back-to-back three-pointers to open the second frame – his first and second shots of the game – it looked like there was going to be no way back for Virtus, with Zalgiris up 31-13. With those two makes, Zalgiris was 8 for 10 from downtown. Matt Morgan converted Virtus’s first triple to make it 31-16, and slowly but surely the impact of Alessandro Pajola and Cordinier started to be felt, with the hosts’ lead trimmed to 11 points at 35-24 after a Pajola three. A stunning sequence by Butkevicius saw him race back to block Pajola before converting a three on the other end, 38-24, but Shengelia came to the fore in the closing stages as Virtus reduced the deficit to nine points, 41-32, at halftime.

Despite Francisco’s three to start the second half, Virtus’s momentum continued and Pajola’s triple saw the visitors get within seven at 44-37. Ulanovas, Francisco and Butkevicius stepped up to give Zalgiris breathing room at 52-40. Even though Virtus fought back again to get within eight at 55-47, Ulanovas restored a double-digit lead at 58-47. Alen Smailagic’s corner three gave Zalgiris a 12-point lead, 61-49, but Matt Morgan made a couple of free throws to set a 61-51 score after 30 minutes.

The more the game went on, the more it seemed that things were falling in Virtus’s favor. A 9-3 Virtus run to open the fourth, capped by an off-balanced basket by Cordinier, got the visitors almost within touching distance at 64-60. Francisco’s patience allowed Smailagic to dunk, 66-60, but Zalgiris soon found itself in the penalty with 4 minutes to play. Virtus again got within four points on a couple of occasions, with Grazulis and Cordinier converting (68-64, 70-66), then Francisco took center stage. His block on Morgan was followed by a stop-and-pop mid-range jumper down the other end, 72-66, before driving and scoring a layup with 40 seconds remaining to give Zalgiris a 74-68 edge. Butkevicius and Francisco added the cherry on top from the line, as Zalgiris won 77-68.

Since returning to the EuroLeague in 2022, the Italian side has gone 0-6 in this fixture