Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade celebrated its fifth successive win and improved to 7-8 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after eking out a dramatic 90-91 win at ALBA Berlin

Partizan edges ALBA, 90-91, in dramatic finish 

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade celebrated its fifth successive win and improved to 7-8 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after eking out a dramatic 90-91 win at ALBA Berlin, as Carlik Jones produced another masterclass individual performance.

The playmaker led the visiting team’s charge with a game-high 24 points, 6 assists and 5 boards, including a clutch mid-range jumper with 1.7 seconds left on the clock. Big man Tyrique Jones chipped in with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Sterling Brown added 18 points against his former club. At the other end, David McCormack paced ALBA on 16 points and 6 rebounds, while Matteo Spagnolo and Tim Schneider netted 13 points apiece.

With over 5,000 loud visiting fans thronging the Uber Arena, Partizan felt like the home team throughout and prevailed in a tense finish, as the Serbian side bounced back from an 88-84 deficit in the home straight to force the final twist.

Game Videos

A see-saw first half saw the lead change hands time and again before Partizan took a 46-51 advantage into the locker room at the interval, with Tyrique Joes pouring 16 points through the opening two quarters as he dominated the paint at both ends of the court.

Carlik Jones pulled all the strings on offense and Duane Washington enjoyed a flawless second quarter, nailing 13 points in the opening half as the trio fired on all cylinders for Partizan. At the other end, Matt Thomas scored 11 points and Spagnolo added 7 for ALBA, with both sides shooting in fits and starts from long range.

Game News

Partizan seemed to be coasting after Brown rifled in 13 points in the third quarter and gave Partizan a 61-72 lead late in the period, but ALBA came storming back in the fourth and turned the matchup on its head down the stretch.

With Partizan’s offense coming to a screeching halt in the last few minutes, the home team engineered an 88-84 lead with a 13-2 run before Marinkovic nailed a 3-pointer for Partizan while Carlik Jones sank a pair of free throws followed by the audacious mid-range jumper.

With Partizan 89-91 ahead, McCormack drew a foul but missed the first free throw before inadvertently scoring with the second. Incredibly, Brandon Davies missed both shots from the foul line at the other end with 0.7 seconds left and gave ALBA one last chance to stun Partizan, but the home team’s desperate sideout from one end of the floor to the other fell short.  

The Serbian team stretched its winning streak to five games

ALBA Berlin v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-12-12T18:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco grabbed a big road win at the top of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings by thrashing Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 69-99

Monaco cruises past Fenerbahce, 69-99

AS Monaco grabbed a big road win at the top of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings by thrashing Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 69-99. The two teams are now level at 10-5 in a share of second place, with the Turkish team having lost three of its last four games.

There was little between the teams in the first half, which finished with Monaco holding a 38-43 lead. The visitors raced to an 18-point lead at the end of the third and weren’t troubled after that. Monaco’s backcourt stars all stepped up, with Mike James pairing 21 points with 5 assists, Elie Okobo scoring 19 and Jordan Loyd contributing 12, while big man Donatas Motiejunas provided 9 points and 11 rebounds. Nigel Hayes-Davis paced Fenerbahce with 28 points, Wade Baldwin added 13 and Sertac Sanli scored 10.

Loyd and Motiejunas gave Monaco a fast start inside, but the inevitable Hayes-Davis scored 5 points in a row and Sanli added a triple for an 8-4 lead. Motiejunas stopped the 8-0 run and Terry Tarpey netted from deep, before Hayes-Davis and Georgios Papagiannis traded inside scores for an 11-11 tie. Vitto Brown’s three-pointer was answered by floaters from Baldwin and Hayes-Davis, and close-range finishes from Jaron Blossomgame and Khem Birch ended the first quarter at 19-17. 

Marko Guduric opened the second quarter with a mid-range jumper before Blossomgame answered from deep. Sanli and James netted jumpers, but 4 fast points from Baldwin kept Fenerbahce ahead, 27-22. Brown’s three-point play and Tarpey’s transition bucket tied it up, and Loyd’s triple completed an 0-8 run for a 27-30 lead. Baldwin and James traded layups before free throws sent Monaco up 29-35. Sanli hit another triple, Blossomgame and Okobo netted inside, and Tarik Biberovic struck a triple on the halftime buzzer to make it 38-43.

Loyd’s triple opened the second half scoring, and James’s free throws briefly made it a double-digit game, 38-48. Nicolo Melli’s mid-range strike and Birch’s putback boosted Fenerbahce, but soon James hit a triple and Papagiannis produced two dunks to make it 46-61. Brown added a mid-range strike to complete a 0-9 run, which was snapped by Hayes-Davis and Sanli. But Okobo kept pushing Monaco, netting a triple on the third quarter buzzer to make it 54-72.

Okobo stayed hot with an inside score to start the final period, before Hayes-Davis gave Fenerbahce hope with 5 fast points. Matthew Strazel answered with a three-point play, before Biberovic and Hayes-Davis pulled it back to 63-79 with 7 minutes left. James hit a triple and Blossomgame added a tip-in to make it 63-84, removing any doubt over the outcome long before the final buzzer. James hit another deep strike, Blossomgame exploded a putback slam and Monaco completed a perfect night as Mam Jaiteh returned from injury to help complete the rout.

Vassilis Spanoulis’s team delivered a solid performance to win easily in Istanbul.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v AS Monaco (2024-12-12T17:45:00.000Z)

In his first game as Virtus Bologna head coach, Dusko Ivanovic returns to Baskonia, where he coached 273 EuroLeague games across four spells. This is the first time he will be a visiting head coach at Buesa Arena.

A special night awaits for Dusko Ivanovic at Buesa Arena

Some things go together perfectly in life. There’s fish and chips, bread and butter, and also [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) and [Dusko Ivanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/ivanovic-dusko/?season=E2024).

All Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans know the history that Dusko has with the Spanish side, but Thursday night (20:00 CET) will see the legendary head coach take on his former team at Buesa Arena for the first time as Virtus Segafredo Bologna comes to town.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 🤝<br><br>Tomorrow Dusko returns to Buesa, this time as coach of <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VirtusSegafredo</a> 🧢<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/aO3zAv7EN8">pic.twitter.com/aO3zAv7EN8</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1866815196502884616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ivanovic was appointed as Virtus’s replacement for [Luca Banchi ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/luca-banchi-resigns-as-virtus-bologna-head-coach/)last Thursday, but he had to watch on from a courtside seat as interim head coach Nenad Jakovljevic took charge for [the team’s home loss to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-downs-virtus-on-the-road-87-94/), which saw the Bologna-based outfit drop to a 2-12 record. With this mark, Virtus matched its worst-ever start to a EuroLeague campaign, having gone 2-14 in 2008-09… when it played just 14 games that season.

There are some familiar faces on the Virtus roster for Dusko, who had [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) and [Achille Polonara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/achille-polonara/002084/) with him at Baskonia as they won the Spanish League title in 2019-20. Just last season, the Montenegrin was on the Baskonia sideline when it eliminated Shengelia and Polonara’s Virtus from the postseason in the Play-In Showdown. Conversely, going all the way back to 2001, Ivanovic was the Baskonia head coach as it lost 3-2 to the Manu Ginobili-led Virtus 3-2 in the EuroLeague Finals.

Curiously enough, Ivanovic has been Baskonia coach in 273 EuroLeague games across four spells, achieving a 151-122 record with the team, but in his other 127 games in the competition, he has never faced them at Buesa Arena. In Europe’s premier club competition, Dusko spent three years with [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/), one season with [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/), four games with [Khimki Moscow Region](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/khimki-moscow-region/khi/), just over a season with [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/), yet he has never had to come up against *his* people in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">B/W jersey (𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒑) ready to fight together 🧢🏀 <a href="https://t.co/nmosurSldz">pic.twitter.com/nmosurSldz</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1867200460966302200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The only two times that he has faced Baskonia as a head coach in the EuroLeague came in the 2006 third-place game in Prague, Czech Republic, when his Barcelona side lost to their domestic rival, and in Round 30 of the 2022-23 season with Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, a game his squad won.

"I am very happy to be in Bologna, it is a great team with great players,” said Ivanovic in his first comments as Virtus boss. “I believe in this team and I believe in these players, I think they have the right character and we are ready to fight. As fate would have it, my first game is against Baskonia and my last game last year was against Virtus – it is a special game for me.

“I believe in the guys and I think we can improve. The focus of the early days? We have to be a team and play together, believe in it. Virtus has always played well, but lost so many games by a few points. A little bit of bad luck, but this is basketball and that can change and help the players also mentally to win these games. Toko \[Shengelia\] and Achille \[Polonara\]? We won a Spanish championship together; they are good players and good people. They haven't changed, they have good character and they want to win.”

The Baskonia fans will welcome Dusko back with welcome arms, but there is no time for sentiment. Virtus urgently needs a win to kickstart its EuroLeague season, and with 400 EuroLeague games under his belt, Ivanovic is well prepared to guide the Italian side through tricky waters, starting at a place he knows very well.

The Montenegrin play-caller takes on Baskonia in his first game on the Virtus bench

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2024-12-12T19:30:00.000Z)

Following the success of Andrea Trinchieri's "My Five Signature Players", the second episode of the series features Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Saras Jasikevicius.

Saras Jasikevicius: My Five Signature Players

Following the success of [Andrea Trinchieri's "My Five Signature Players"](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/andrea-trinchieri-my-five-signature-euroleague-players/), the second episode of the series features [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) head coach [Saras Jasikevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/jasikevicius-saras/?season=E2024).

Now in his 10th season as a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague play-caller, with Jasikevicius having led [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/) from 2016 to 2020, [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) from 2020-23, and Fenerbahce from 2023 to present day, the 48-year-old has coached some incredible players. In this episode, five players are selected that have had a big impact on Saras's coaching career to date.

Euroleague.net's Javier Gancedo sat down with the Fenerbahce head coach to reflect on some players who have had a big impact on his coaching career

Olympiacos BC has announced the signing of Nathan Mensah on a deal until the end of the 2024-25 season, which includes an option for the 2025-26 campaign.

Olympiacos signs Nathan Mensah

[Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) has announced the signing of Nathan Mensah on a deal until the end of the 2024-25 season, which includes an option for the 2025-26 campaign.

Mensah (2.08 meters, 26 years old) spent the first part of this season playing for the Austin Spurs in the G League, averaging 5.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 12 games. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">✍️🏽 Η ΚΑΕ Ολυμπιακός ανακοινώνει την απόκτηση του Νέιθαν Μενσά.<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/KtOQkzw9Mm">https://t.co/KtOQkzw9Mm</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1866871191689892296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He has one season of NBA experience under his belt, too, having suited up 25 times for the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023-24 season, posting 1.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in just over 12 minutes per night.

Following the news that [Moses Wright will miss the rest of the season due to a health issue](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/moses-wright-out-for-the-season-with-health-issue/), Mensah's arrival gives Olympiacos more depth at center. In his second season as a professional, Mensah is coming to play in Europe for the first time.

More Olympiacos News

The center joins the Reds after the news that Moses Wright is out for the season

Two new additions and a switch on the top two spots highlight the second edition of the 2024-25 EuroLeague MVP Ladder by Eurohoops.

EuroLeague 2024-25 MVP Ladder by Eurohoops Vol. 2

Two new additions and a switch on the top two spots highlight the second edition of the 2024-25 EuroLeague MVP Ladder by Eurohoops.

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) guard [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) and [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) forward [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) had to leave their place for new entrants – [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) forward [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) and [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/) forward [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) – for different reasons each. 

Punter had some ups and downs for Barcelona and didn’t retain the same level of quality in his game that earned him the title of EuroLeague MVP for November. Vezenkov was omitted in the final cut mainly due to missing two games, while all the other candidates played in all of their team's contests.

As is always the case with the MVP Ladder, individual numbers, leadership and impact on wins were the main factors in compiling the ranking.

Read more [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1755415/euroleague-2024-25-mvp-ladder-by-eurohoops-vol-2/).

Which new players have been included in the MVP race?

Fenerbahce Beko has confirmed that Arturs Zagars has suffered a foot injury.

Arturs Zagars suffers foot injury

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) has announced that guard [Arturs Zagars](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arturs-zagars/008104/) suffered an injury to his right foot during a Turkish League game last weekend.

Zagars's injury comes at a time when Fenerbahce is also without [Dyshawn Pierre](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahces-dyshawn-pierre-sidelined-by-calf-injury/), [Devon Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/devon-hall-to-undergo-surgery-on-hand-injury/) and [Scottie Wilbekin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-confirms-the-worst-scottie-wilbekin-has-torn-his-acl/), who is out for the season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Arturs Zagars’ın sağlık durumu hakkında bilgilendirme<br><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/oe5kAdRkqt">https://t.co/oe5kAdRkqt</a> <a href="https://t.co/GomPyrckfw">pic.twitter.com/GomPyrckfw</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1866825983912779868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

According to a club statement, 'a first-stage ligament injury was detected and treatment has begun.' It is not stated how long Zagars will be out for.

This season, the 24-year-old point guard has made 11 appearances for Fenerbahce in his rookie Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign, starting five times. He has averaged 6.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 17:19 minutes, with his best scoring night coming in Round 12 when he netted 16 points against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, before dishing a career-best 6 assists in Round 13 against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

More Fenerbahce News

He is the fourth Fenerbahce player currently on the treatment table

AS Monaco Basket has confirmed that small forward Alpha Diallo will miss a minimum of three weeks due to a knee injury.

Monaco loses Alpha Diallo to knee injury

[AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) has suffered a significant injury blow with the news that small forward [Alpha Diallo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alpha-diallo/011226/) will miss a minimum of three weeks. Diallo suffered a cartilage injury in his left knee and is out at least until the end of this year.

The 27-year-old has started in eight of the 14 games he has played this season, averaging 25:55 minutes per game, second only behind Mike James. Diallo is posting 12.1 points on 47.8% three-point shooting, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a league-leading 1.6 steals.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">ℹ️ Maillon essentiel de la Roca Team et très performant ces dernières semaines, Alpha Diallo sera éloigné des parquets pour les trois prochaines semaines minimum. ⛑️<br>Notre ailier souffre d’une fracture du cartilage rétro rotulien interne du genou gauche. <br><br>Toute la Roca Family… <a href="https://t.co/pjZfeoaDEX">pic.twitter.com/pjZfeoaDEX</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1866154598341222883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Monaco and new head coach Vassilis Spanoulis lose Diallo ahead of its trip to face Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Thursday, and he is the fourth player from Monaco's rotation that is currently missing in action. 

The team's two biggest summer acquisitions have combined for two appearances, as [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/) is yet to play and [Furkan Korkmaz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/furkan-korkmaz/005763/) has played a total of 20 minutes across two games. [Mam Jaiteh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mam-jaiteh/002581/), who opened the season as the starting center, is also out.

Monaco currently sits in fourth place in the standings with a 9-5 record going into Round 15.

More Monaco News

The small forward is out until at least the end of 2024

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade bolstered its lineup by signing one of the premier defensive forwards in Europe, John Brown. 

Crvena Zvezda signs defensive ace John Brown

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade bolstered its lineup by signing one of the premier defensive forwards in Europe, [John Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/john-brown/010588/). The deal is for the remainder of this season with an option for the 2025-26 season. Brown (2.03 meters, 32 years old) spent the previous two seasons with AS Monaco, but missed the start of the current campaign as he recovered from an injury.

Brown brings a serious resume as a defensive ace; he led the EuroLeague in steals as a rookie with UNICS Kazan in 2021-22 and has also led the Italian and VTB United Leagues in swipes. His trophy case also includes a pair of French League championships with Monaco. Brown began his professional career in Italy with Virtus Rome in 2016 and has since played for Treviso and Brindisi in Italy, UNICS and Monaco.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sr" dir="ltr">Амерички крилни центар Џон Браун III ново је појачање КК Црвена звезда Меридианбет!<br><br>Welcome to Red&amp;White Family, John! 🔴⚪️<br><br>Детаљније: <a href="https://t.co/BJo4g6LTgi">https://t.co/BJo4g6LTgi</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://t.co/E9d3ACHilx">pic.twitter.com/E9d3ACHilx</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1866185938893729985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

More Crvena Zvezda news

This season will be his fourth in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague