FC Barcelona got its EuroLeague campaign back on track with a resounding 90-63 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, which piled more misery on the Turkish side after its 69-99 home rout at the hands of AS Monaco in the previous round.

Barcelona bounced back in style as Fenerbahce crisis continued 

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) got its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign back on track with [a resounding 90-63 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kevin-punter-shines-as-barcelona-steamrolls-fenerbahce-90-63/), which piled more misery on the Turkish side after its [69-99 home rout at the hands of AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-cruises-past-fenerbahce-69-99/) in the previous round.

As a result of its fourth defeat in the last six games, Fenerbahce’s slide continued as the competition’s 2017 champion slipped from first to fifth in the standings with a 10-6 record, while Barcelona improved to 9-7 after winning just its second game in the last six.

The home team’s head coach Joan Penarroya, who took over this past summer, was able to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing his team whitewash Fenerbahce led by Barcelona’s former player and coach Sarunas Jasikevicius.

With guard [Scottie Wilbekin out for the season](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-confirms-the-worst-scottie-wilbekin-has-torn-his-acl/) with a torn ACL, Fenerbahce was dealt a further backcourt blow as [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) trudged off in the second quarter with what looks like a recurring hamstring injury, paving the way for Barcelona’s hitman [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) to have a field day.

Punter tormented his markers all night and sank a game-high 25 points to claim the player of the game accolade, while [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/) also enjoyed a stellar night as he was perfect from all over, finishing on 18 points including a pair of spectacular slams.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">GRAN VICTÒRIA, BARÇA 💙❤ <a href="https://t.co/B0NeBcP4XO">pic.twitter.com/B0NeBcP4XO</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1869137495096713539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Punter pointed out that Barca now needed to steady the ships and avoid rocky waters if the Spanish giant is to stay firmly on course for a playoff berth. “One of the areas we want to grow in is being consistent for 40 minutes,” Punter said in a courtside interview.

“\[Fenerbahce\] was able to get a small run but we managed to get some stops, make some plays and finish the game. We’ve got to keep playing like we’ve got something to prove,” added the 31-year-old from Bronx.

Anderson acknowledged that Barca was hard-pressed to make amends for the previous round’s [81-94 home loss to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/milan-surprises-barcelona-at-palau-blaugrana-81-94/), when the hosts suffered a 5-28 third quarter collapse.

“We were focused, we were prepared and we knew that we had to put on a show for our fans tonight,” he said, while Penarroya added: “It was a complete performance on offense and defense. It was important to have a good game in front of our fans at Palau \[Blaugrana\].”

Jasikevicius tried to put on a brave face, but it was obvious that Fenerbahce’s current form and mounting injury problems do not make happy reading for the rest of the season.

“It was a tough one,” said the Lithuanian legend, who won the 2003 EuroLeague title with Barcelona as a player. “We came out without understanding how Barcelona will play and couldn’t handle the pressure. We didn’t respond to physicality in a lot of situations.” 

In Round 17, Barcelona visits struggling Virtus Segafredo Bologna while Fenerbahce faces a road game at high-flying EuroLeague debutant Paris Basketball.

Game News

The Spanish giant recovered from the previous round’s home defeat by Milan while the visitors suffered yet another debacle

FC Barcelona v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas entered the game with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s worst offense and best defense, and in the end, they combined for a 66-86 road victory over ALBA Berlin - the team with the worst defense in the league. 

Zalgiris’s 'disciplined' game was too much for ALBA

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2024-25)’s game is a story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but the Lithuanian team’s good side was helped by its bad side in beating [ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/roster/ber/?season=2024-25). 

Zalgiris entered the game with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s [worst offense](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-teams/?size=1000&misc=&seasonCode=E2024&category=Score&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame) and best defense, and in the end, they combined for [a 66-86 road victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/zalgiris-brushes-past-alba-66-86-for-third-straight-win/) over ALBA - the team with the worst defense in the league. 

“We controlled the game from the jump ball. We had some so-so moments, but overall I would say we executed, we were disciplined, we moved the ball and we played very good defense,” said Zalgiris head coach [Andrea Trinchieri](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/trinchieri-andrea/?season=E2024). 

Game Videos

Zalgiris had held opponents to under 70 points four times this season - but all of them came in the first seven rounds of the season. Trinchieri’s team made it a fifth time against ALBA.

“We have a very high standard \[on defense\] because we know what our capabilities are. It’s very important - our defense transitions into our offense. We’ve got great offensive role players, players who can do their thing, but when we are locked in on defense I don’t think there is anyone who can beat us,” said [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/), who amassed 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. 

One of the keys to stopping ALBA was not letting [Martin Hermannsson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/martin-hermannsson/008780/) get going - something Trinchieri stressed in a timeout late in the first quarter saying: “Don’t open his game.”

Hermannsson finished with a season-low 3 points in nearly 17 minutes of action - not scoring until hitting a three-pointer with les than 5 minutes left in the game. 

While Zalgiris’s defense has stood strong all season, its offense has struggled - ranking dead last with just 76.7 points, an index rating of 76.6, 13.9 assists and 48.8% shooting on two-pointers. The Greens scored 85 and 92 in the last two games, but they were held below 80 points 10 times coming into the game. 

“All the teams really focus on me and Lonnie, but they forget that all the players can shoot the ball pretty well,” said [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/), who scored a team-high 16 points. 

Fortunately for the visitors, Zalgiris’s offense was facing ALBA’s defense - which had allowed 91.9 points and an average PIR of 109.1 coming into the game, both ranked last in the competition. 

“We were focused enough. It’s a good way to start a double week - a win on the road … It’s always a very good feeling when you win on the road,” added Trinchieri, who is trying to best figure out the two sides of his team.

Zalgiris’s offense is slowly catching up to its defense

ALBA Berlin v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-12-17T19:45:00.000Z)

It took LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne eight games to finally win on the road this season, but it might have been worth the wait as it came in one of the toughest environments to play, at a packed Belgrade Arena to score a 79-82 victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Tuesday night.

ASVEL streak stoppers pulled a big one in Belgrade

It took [LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/roster/asv/?season=2024-25) eight games to finally win on the road this season, but it might have been worth the wait as it came in one of the toughest environments to play, at a packed Belgrade Arena to score [a 79-82 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/asvel-stuns-partizan-for-first-road-win-79-82/) over [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-nis-belgrade/roster/par/?season=2024-25)on Tuesday night.

"We have to realize that we beat Partizan here, in Belgrade," head coach [Pierric Poupet](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/asv/poupet-pierric/?season=E2024) said to EuroLeague TV after the game. "They were rolling before. We are so happy because we respect so much their team and the coaching staff."

Despite losing its previous seven road games, and coming into a place where a majority of these players had never played before, it did not stop ASVEL from rallying from 9 points down in the third quarter, grabbing the lead going into the fourth, and never relinquishing it.

"Many of us never played in this kind of atmosphere, so I think we responded really good," said [Joffrey Lauvergne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joffrey-lauvergne/004194/) who starred with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Unlike his teammates, who were told to just go out there and have fun, Lauvergne did not like the situation. He is not just a former Partizan player and a special figure in club history as the first foreign team captain. So, how did he feel playing against a team he loves so much?

"Not so comfortable, I don't like it so much," he admitted. "But I found a way to play, and play good."

When looking for keys to ASVEL's victory, you will find the team's 7-of-8 three-point shooting in the third quarter and offensive rebounding throughout the night.

ASVEL entered the game averaging 9.7 offensive rebounds, with only two teams worse in that department. But led by [Neal Sako](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/neal-sako/010545/) and Lauvergne, ASVEL already had 10 offensive boards in the first half, then 5 more in the fourth quarter.

ASVEL scored just 16 points in the fourth, but 8 of those came after offensive rebounds, including a game-sealing jumper by [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) with 12.6 seconds to go.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Nando De Colo, froid comme une lame, le tir est parfait, à la Belgrade Arena, pour aller chercher la win. <br><br>COLD 🥶 <a href="https://t.co/RN5pXvcVeB">pic.twitter.com/RN5pXvcVeB</a></p>&mdash; LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL/status/1869141557544415696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

And while ASVEL's offense might have struggled and needed a second effort, its defense held Partizan to 14 points in the fourth quarter.

"We had to make it defensive game, more than offensive, and \[the players\] did perfect. They came back with a great energy, and great mindset", Poupet stressed.

"All the hustle plays at the end, the big rebounds, offensive rebounds, blocks, steals when everybody contributed, that was big-time for us", explained [Theo Maledon](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/theo-maledon/007027/), who led ASVEL's efforts once again with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

With this victory, ASVEL stopped Partizan's five-game winning streak. Last week, ASVEL ended Paris Basketball's 10-game winning run.

Next up is Zalgiris in Kaunas, which is a three-game winning streak of its own.

"I know my guys have a lot of pride, and character, and they will want to keep our first winning streak going. But this was our first win on the road, so we have to be more humble than everybody else," Poupet summed up.

ASVEL stopped Partizan's five-game winning streak just days after ending Paris Basketball's 10-game winning run

ASVEL streak stoppers pulled out a big one in Belgrade

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-12-17T19:45:00.000Z)

Markus Howard scored a season-high 28 points for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv

Markus Howard's return-to-form shooting lifted Baskonia

So far, it’s been a down year for the [2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonias-markus-howard-wins-the-2023-24-alphonso-ford-top-scorer-trophy/). Not only is [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/)’s scoring down from the 19.5 points per game he averaged last season for [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/?season=2024-25), but his shooting has suffered too.

Howard entered Tuesday night’s showdown with [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/tel/?season=2024-25) averaging just 11.5 points per game and in a shooting rut, having made just 5 of 26 threes in his last two games. He put all of those struggles to rest in Belgrade against Maccabi with a season-high 28 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting to lead his team to [an 85-95 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/howard-propels-baskonia-to-road-victory-85-95-over-maccabi/).

He set the tone early with 3 three-pointers in the first quarter, including one to cap a 0-10 run to finish the period as Baskonia took the lead for good. By halftime, Howard was up to 16 points with his only missed shot coming from the foul line!

Howard’s fine shooting was one of the reasons that head coach [Pablo Laso](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/laso-pablo/) was able to call the first half "probably our best 20 minutes offensively of the year."   

Markus Howard drilled 6 threes against Maccabi

For Howard, however, the credit goes elsewhere.

"It was a total team effort. We had a lot of guys step up and we played extremely hard," he said. "I thought our defense in the second half was a lot better. Khalifa, Donta, Chima all making plays on the defensive end, getting blocks. Getting rebounds that led to fastbreaks, so we are playing aggressive. We are playing active in the passing lanes. We are very special. We wanted to feel our fastbreak and we were able to do so and that helped us get the win."

When asked about what helped him to have a big game, Howard answered: "Being aggressive, but also just my teammates looking for me and relaying to me the confidence I need to have in myself. It’s been a tough stretch here for myself, but God’s been good through it all and I am fortunate to have the organization that I’m a part of; Baskonia’s been excellent in giving me support from the beginning."

One of those supporting Howard has been Coach Laso, who spoke glowingly of him in the post-game press conference.

"I think he was very good overall. He did a great job on defense. He understood the game from the beginning and for sure he made shots. So when people say about Markus, 'Okay, he’s not hitting shots,' that doesn’t make me worry. Because I know that he will come back," Laso said.

"He’s a shooter. He’s a scorer. He played a very solid game in the first half, but there was always the feeling that he’s a guy to go to in the right moments and the team understood that. I think we played very solid and Markus for sure gave us that push to get a victory tonight."

As they look onward to a difficult road tilt against defending champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Round 17 later this week, Baskonia knows it will be a much more dangerous competitor if Howard continued shooting and scoring the way he did on Tuesday.

He finished with a season-high 28 points in victory over Maccabi 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-12-17T19:05:00.000Z)

Reigning EuroLeague champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens erupted on Tuesday night behind the might of Kendrick Nunn to record a 103-74 thrashing of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at OAKA Altion in Round 16

Kendrick Nunn enjoyed record night at OAKA

Reigning EuroLeague champion [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-bc-athens/roster/pan/?season=2024-25) erupted on Tuesday night behind the might of [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) to record [a 103-74 thrashing](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nunns-39-points-leads-panathinaikos-past-milan-103-74/) of [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/roster/mil/) at OAKA Altion in Round 16.

The Greens set the tone in a historic first quarter with a 38-15 margin in the opening 10 minutes. Nunn provided the fireworks, making 7 three-pointers in that first quarter, which set a new competition record for most three-pointers in a quarter. Six players had shared the previous mark with 6 three-pointers in a quarter: [Thomas Kelati](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/thomas-kelati/000545/), [Marcelinho Huertas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marcelinho-huertas/juj/), [Linas Kleiza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/linas-kleiza/001925/), [Jaycee Carroll](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaycee-carroll/001960/), [Kyle Kuric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kyle-kuric/005789/) and [Mario Hezonja](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mario-hezonja/003108/). Nunn is now ahead of this pack.

Moreover, Nunn's 21 points tied for the highest individual score ever in a quarter. Before him, [Toney Douglas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/toney-douglas/008152/) scored 21 points in the fourth quarter for [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/roster/ist/?season=2017-18) against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on [January 19, 2018](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2017-18/anadolu-efes-istanbul-fenerbahce-dogus-istanbul/E2017/149/#boxscore). Fenerbahce won the game 84-89.

Nunn hit seven three-pointers in the first quarter. An all-time record!

Nunn sets EuroLeague record

Panathinaikos shattered its club record for most points in the first quarter, besting the 33 points it had [against Khimki Moscow Region](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2018-19/panathinaikos-opap-athens-khimki-moscow-region/E2018/183/#boxscore) in the 2018-19 season.

Nunn finished the game with a career-high 39 points, 7 rebounds and a personal-best PIR of 37. It was his first 30+ point game in the competition: his previous scoring best was [29 against FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-wins-thriller-against-barcelona-90-89/) two weeks ago. He missed a chance to set the club record for most points in a game. [Tyrese Rice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrese-rice/003367/) still holds the record with 41 points in a 99-93 home win against Olympiacos Piraeus on [December 6, 2019](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2019-20/panathinaikos-opap-athens-olympiacos-piraeus/E2019/107/#boxscore). It was this season's most points scored in a game, too.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He is… INEVITABLE! 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/nunnbetter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nunnbetter_</a> scored 39 points with EIGHT 3pointers! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LiveTheGreenMagic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LiveTheGreenMagic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Club1908?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Club1908</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneClubOneApp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneClubOneApp</a> <a href="https://t.co/UzDHDz3xkq">pic.twitter.com/UzDHDz3xkq</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1869134924445597929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Milan arrived to OAKA on a six-game winning streak but was overwhelmed, especially in the first and fourth quarters. Panathinaikos outrebounded Milan 40-21, made 17 of 32 three-pointers (53.1%) and had 26 assists, 11 more than its opponent. After the game, Nunn celebrated his great performances, but said that he believes that the best is yet to come.

"We needed that one. We needed that energy, that spark, and we are moving in the right direction. We are in a double week- We are going to take this victory and shelve it, and we got another one on Thursday," Nunn said. "It was a statement night. We started off defensively very well and that's what ignites our offense. So we keep that up, we will be good."

Milan head coach [Ettore Messina](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/messina-ettore/) joked about the fact that Nunn was suspended in Round 15 and had a career-best performances against his team.

"Hopefully, if you pass me the joke, next time we play \[against\] Nunn, we hope that the EuroLeague doesn't make him nervous with suspension or whatever because man, he was all over the place tonight," Messina said. "So congratulations to them, and we move on."

The guard was magnificent in the first quarter to set the tone for Panathinaikos 

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-12-17T19:15:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL rallied in the second half to stun KK Partizan 79-82 at Belgrade Arena on Tuesday night and grab its first road win of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

ASVEL stuns Partizan for first road win, 79-82

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne rallied in the second half to stun Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 79-82 at Belgrade Arena on Tuesday night. This was ASVEL's first road win of the season and it saw the team improve to a 7-9 record, the same as Partizan, which had its five-game winning streak snapped.

Partizan led 51-42 in the third quarter, but ASVEL netted 7 three-pointers on 8 attempts in the third quarter to take a 65-66 lead, and it never trailed the rest of the way. Theo Maledon paced the winners with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Joffrey Lauvergne collected 17 points plus 9 rebounds, Nando De Colo scored 14 and Melvin Ajinca added 10 for ASVEL. Duane Washington had 22 points and 8 assists for Partizan, Tyrique Jones had 16 points and Sterling Brown scored 15 in a losing effort.

Lauvergne and Maledon scored all of ASVEL's points in a game-opening 2-11 run, including Maleon's triple. Koprivica ignited Partizan with a pair of dunks and a block, while a triple apiece from Brown and Isaac Bonga got the hosts within 14-16. The hosts went in front 20-19 on a fast-break dunk from Brown, but Lauvergne continued troubling Partizan in the paint and a three-pointer from Melvin Ajinca got ASVEL a 21-24 lead after 10 minutes.

Neal Sako dominated inside in the opening moments of the second quarter, stringing together 7 points to open a 22-31 lead. But Tyrique Jones and Washington had back-to-back three-point plays, and Washington remained hot, scoring four times taking the ball to the rim. His basket put Partizan up 38-37, then his floater and a triple to finish the half made it 45-39 at the break.

Tyrique Jones and Washington extended the margin to 51-42, but back-to-back threes from Maledon and Paris Lee started ASVEL's rally. Another triple from Maledon cut the deficit to 53-51. Bonga nailed a triple for the hosts, but Maledon had a layup high off the glass and De Colo netted a three to tie the game at 58-58. Brown answered with a three-pointer, but ASVEL ended the quarter with back-to-back threes from De Colo and Ajinca, the latter being a buzzer-beater to give the visitors a 65-66 lead after 30 minutes.

De Colo with a jumper and Lauvergne with a tip-in opened 65-70. Brown hit a triple to make it a single-point game, but Lauvegne had another tip-in and Maledon beat the shot clock with a corner triple to give the visitor 69-75 margin. Washington took it to the rim, but Sako scored after another offensive rebound. Tyrique Jones's dunk made it 73-77 with 4:35 to go, but teams did not make another field goal until Carlik Jones made a jumper with 1:43 left and 76-78. Partizan had a possession to tie, but Carlik Jones missed a jumper, only for De Colo to hit a second-chance step-back with 12.6 seconds left, as ASVEL pulled out a win.

Zalgiris Kaunas extended its winning streak to three games as it defeated ALBA Berlin 66-86 on the road

Zalgiris brushes past ALBA, 66-86, for third straight win

Zalgiris Kaunas extended its winning streak to three games as it defeated ALBA Berlin 66-86 on the road. Zalgiris took control of the game with a 2-22 run spanning the first two quarters to improve to 10-6 including 4-4 away from home.

Sylvain Francisco paced the Lithuanian side with 16 points while Lonnie Walker tallied 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for Zalgiris, which has won two straight road games after a previous three-game road losing skid. ALBA has now lost three in a row and six of its last seven for a 3-13 record. David McCormack scored a career-high 19 points and Yanni Wetzell added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss.

Zalgiris got on the board first and twice was evened by ALBA before Francisco converted a three-point play and three-pointer for a 7-12 early cushion. Deividas Sirvydis and Brady Manek sandwiched triples around 4 Ignas Brazdeikis points in a 0-12 run over the final 4:17 minutes of the first quarter for a 10-24 Zalgiris lead.

Zalgiris scored the first 4 points of the second quarter to increase the run to 0-16 to go up 10-28. After Trevion Williams ended ALBA’s 6-minute scoreless drought, Manek and Walker went back-to-back from deep and the advantage swelled to 12-34. Dovydas Giedraitis’s three-point play had Zalgiris still up 20-41 before ALBA scored 8 straight points for a 28-41 gap. Zalgiris led 30-45 at the break.

ALBA started the second half in good fashion with the first 6 points to make it a single-digit deficit at 36-45. Zalgiris needed more than 2 minutes to score but had the next 6 points to re-establish a 15-point gap. The Zalgiris defense was back up to speed and triples by Sirvydis and Francisco made it 42-63. Manek added a third three-pointer and the score was 46-69 after 30 minutes.

Zalgiris did not let ALBA really cut into the margin in the final frame, leading 49-75. Not even a quick 5 points to make it 54-72 with 5 minutes left helped. The hosts did not get closer than 17 points the rest of the way.

Zalgiris's offense is slowly waking up with three straight 85-plus point showings in victories 

FC Barcelona defeated Fenerbahce Beko 90-63 in Round 16's Rivalry Series game, spoiling Saras Jasikevicius's first return to Palau Blaugrana in the process.

Kevin Punter shines as Barcelona steamrolls Fenerbahce, 90-63

FC Barcelona gave its under-pressure head coach Joan Penarroya some breathing space and improved to 9-7 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with a 90-63 home drubbing of Saras Jasikevicius’s Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (10-6) on the back of a game-high 25 points from Kevin Punter.

Justin Anderson was perfect from the floor and the foul line as he added 18 points for the home team while Jabari Parker chipped in with 15 points and 7 boards, as Barcelona hit top gear in the second half after carving out a 44-37 lead in the first.

Barca gained the upper hand in the first quarter, 20-12, thanks to ironclad defense which saw Fenerbahce struggle from all over, shooting 3 of 10 from inside and 2 of 7 from deep in the wake of the home side’s aggressive half-court pressure.

The visitors conjured a 0-8 run to slash the deficit to 24-22 early in the second but then suffered a blow as Wade Baldwin limped off the court with what looked like a recurring hamstring injury, leaving Fenerbahce’s already shorthanded unit decimated.

Having led 44-37 at halftime, Barcelona duly took advantage and raced clear in the third quarter as Punter, who finished the first half on 10 points, added another 8 including a pair of early three-pointers from the baseline. The hosts were in cruise control, 65-53, ahead of the final 10 minutes before romping away with some spectacular plays down the stretch.

There was no way back for Fenerbahce in the fourth as Punter nailed the opening 5 points of the quarter for Barca and the writing was on the wall for the visitors after an 8-0 run gave the home team an unassailable 75-57 lead in the closing stages.

There was even time for the jugular in the dying minutes as Punter facilitated a pair of monster dunks for Anderson, putting the icing on the cake for the *Azulgrana*.

The guard led the charge as the Spanish giant ran riot in the second half

Real Madrid ended its three-game losing streak by beating Paris Basketball 85-96 on Tuesday night at Adidas Arena

Real Madrid defeats Shorts-less Paris, 85-96

Real Madrid ended its three-game losing streak by beating Paris Basketball 85-96 on Tuesday night at Adidas Arena. With their top scorer and best assist producer, TJ Shorts, missing out due to illness, the hosts saw Real Madrid lead for the last 32 minutes of the duel despite Maodo Lo stepping up big time in his teammate's absence. With the win, *Los Blancos* improved to 7-9, with Paris dropping to 11-5.

Facundo Campazzo paced Real Madrid with 19 points, Mario Hezonja scored 17, Dzanan Musa had 12 and Gabriel Deck added 11. Alberto Abalde and Walter Tavares netted 10 points each, with the latter completing a double-double by recording 14 rebounds. Lo led all scorers with a season-high 30 points, but it wasn’t enough. Nadir Hifi scored 21 points and Collin Malcolm had 11 in a losing effort.

Lo opened the scoring with a layup before triples from both Tyson Ward and the Paris guard gave the hosts an 8-2 lead. Then, Lo and Eli Ndiaye traded buckets before 4 points by Musa brought Real Madrid within 10-9. Hifi opened his account from inside, but Andres Feliz responded with a basket off the glass before Tavares put the visitors ahead with an alley-oop slam, 12-13. After Hifi nailed one from deep, Abalde scored inside and Campazzo drained a corner triple for a 15-18 cushion. Then, Hezonja and Campazzo netted from deep before the latter nailed a layup to make it 17-26 after 10 minutes.

A Collin Malcolm bucket was followed by another triple from Hezonja for Real Madrid’s first double-digit lead, 19-29. Ward drilled one from downtown before setting up Malcolm for a three-point play that cut the deficit to 25-29. But Hezonja’s long two was followed by Campazzo’s third triple of the night to restore a 25-34 lead. A three-point play from Kevarrius Hayes and a couple of Hifi free throws cut the difference to 30-34. Hezonja nailed another three, but Malcolm scored inside to bring Paris within 36-37. Campazzo responded with a three-point play before back-to-back triples from Sergio Llull restored a 38-46 lead. Triples from Hifi and Lo were followed by an off-balance jumper from the former and a buzzer-beating layup from the latter, who trimmed the deficit to 48-52 at the break.

Lo and Hayes netted inside to tie it, but Abalde hit a corner three to put Real Madrid back in front, 53-55. Four straight layups from Musa allowed the visitors to pull away, 58-65. Paris was held scoreless for 5-and-a-half minutes before Lo converted twice inside to trim the deficit to 62-68. After Leopold Cavaliere netted a triple, a buzzer-beating jumper from Hifi brought Paris within 67-70 heading into the closing quarter.

Lo drilled a triple to take his tally to 26 points and tied it for Paris. Yet, Feliz and Gabriel Deck responded from inside before a triple by Llull and a dunk from Tavares extended Real Madrid’s lead to 73-80. A bucket from Lo was followed by a triple by Hifi. Campazzo replied with a three-point play on the other end to set a 78-83 lead. Then, Hezonja netted 5 unanswered points before 3 free throws from Deck sealed it for the visitors. 

The win snapped Los Blancos’s three-game slide

Paris Basketball v Real Madrid (2024-12-17T19:30:00.000Z)