ALBA Berlin’s reserves scored 62 points in a 97-90 victory over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in which the starting five tallied 35 points in Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Production from bench helped ALBA play hard for 40 minutes 

The old basketball adage goes: a team has to play a full 40 minutes to win the game. One of the big reasons [ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/roster/ber/?season=2024-25) was able to beat [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/roster/bas/?season=2024-25) and snap a four-month home losing streak was because the bench provided a massive spark.

ALBA’s reserves scored 62 points in [a 97-90 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/alba-snaps-4-month-home-losing-streak-in-first-game-under-coach-calles/) over Baskonia in which the starting five tallied 35 points.

“Most important was playing a complete 40 minutes. We really haven’t done that much this season. To win in the EuroLeague, you have to play a complete 40 minutes and I think for the most part we did that tonight,” said [Matt Thomas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matt-thomas/008967/), who came off the ALBA bench to score a game-high 21 points. “We competed really well on the defensive end. Ninety points is still too much but Baskonia is a great offensive team. Things were clicking for us offensively, scoring 97 points.”

Game Videos

[Gabriele Procida](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/gabriele-procida/008384/) added 13 points as a reserve while [Yanni Wetzell](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/yanni-wetzell/011934/) chipped in 11 points as back-up big man.

“The difference was how we were playing defense. On offense we were a little bit freer in our heads because we knew we did the job on defense,” said Procida.

ALBA was playing its first game under new head coach Pedro Calles, who took over the team just one day earlier.

“The guys were focused on the point of emphasis that we made in one practice. We couldn’t do a lot. This is what I asked of them: just execute the game plan on a consistent basis. The game plan maybe was not the best but the most important thing was the level of execution. And they did a great job,” said Calles, who replaced Israel Gonzalez as ALBA’s playcaller on the sidelines.

ALBA picked up its first win at home since November 12 - a stretch of eight consecutive losses.

“It feels good. We needed this win for the ambience and all the fans. I think we can start a great culture from this one. We need to keep building with this mentality, with this talking,” added Procida.

Game News

ALBA's reserves outscored the team's starters 62-35 in snapping a losing skid

ALBA Berlin v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025-03-13T19:00:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan leaned on several usual suspects to edge  Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 80-82 in Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season thanks to a strong effort from Shavon Shields

Milan showed nerves of steel in a tight finish against Zvezda 

[EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/) leaned on several usual suspects as it captured [an 80-82 victory at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/milan-claws-out-huge-win-over-crvena-zvezda-80-82/) in Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season thanks to a strong effort from [Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/).

With the game tied 78-78 in a nail-biting finish, Shields broke a 3-and-a-half minute deadlock and netted a tough layup to give Milan the lead for good, ultimately playing a key role in his team’s victory.

With both teams struggling offensively late in the game, Milan’s defense was airtight as the visitors prevailed on the back of 14 points from Shields and 19 by [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/), who also racked up 7 rebounds.

“It was a super tough road game, but it’s a tough environment,” Shields said in his postgame comments. “A good team with lots of talented players, but guys came off our bench to contribute, so hats off to everybody in the locker room.

“We’ve now got five tough games left and hopefully we can put together a good run to finish the season. In the end, we took it one possession at a time and ultimately we made enough plays to win the game.”

Mirotic hit several deep three-pointers at various stages of the game, one of them in the fourth quarter when the game hung in the balance, while he also provided the necessary presence in the paint.  

“It’s always a big pleasure to play here and tonight it was a very important game for both teams,” said Mitrovic. “We stepped up, especially defensively as it was a game with lots of ups and downs. We just wanted to be in a position to win the game in the closing stages and with a bit of luck, we did.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BIG WIN!!! LET’S GO GUYS🤍❤️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a> <a href="https://t.co/3ozQHQOZo4">pic.twitter.com/3ozQHQOZo4</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1900280851994132647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Coach Ettore Messina acknowledged it was a huge win for Milan ahead of the home straight of the regular season, with the Italian side needing to keep up the good work in order to reach the postseason.

“The win is obviously extremely important for our confidence and the position in the standings,” Messina said. “Both teams missed shots in the fourth quarter, but we were able to get two or three stops in a row and that was the key. We rebounded well and we have to continue to do well on the road as we have a tough schedule.”

In Round 30, Milan visits Paris Basketball while Zvezda is away to runaway EuroLeague leader Olympiacos Piraeus.

The visiting team closed shop when the chips were down and eked out a precious road win

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2025-03-13T18:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid won on the road for the first time in over a month as it defeated Virtus Bologna 67-80 in Round 29, with Los Blancos’ postseason hopes boosted as they improved to a 15-14 record.

Real Madrid holds off Virtus to grab important win, 67-80

Real Madrid won on the road for the first time in over a month as it defeated Virtus Segafredo Bologna 67-80 in Round 29. With this result, *Los Blancos*’ postseason hopes were boosted as they improved to a 15-14 record, while the hosts fell to 7-22.

Dzanan Musa and Walter Tavares led the way with 13 points apiece for Real Madrid, with Mario Hezonja and Usman Garuba both scoring 10 points each, too. Virtus’s leading scorer was Matt Morgan with 11 points, followed by Rayjon Tucker with 10.

After a back-and-forth start to the contest, with the score 8-8 four and a half minutes in, a 9-0 Real Madrid run capped by back-to-back scores by Usman Garuba allowed the visitors to take an 8-17 lead. Garuba had 7 of his team’s 17 points, and Dzanan Musa joined him on 7 points as the lead extended to 10-19. Real Madrid took its first double-digit lead following a score inside by Bruno Fernando and a triple by Facundo Campazzo, 12-14. That double-digit advantage was maintained in the remainder of the period, with Sergio Llull scoring his first points of the game to put Real Madrid 17-30 ahead with 15 seconds to go in the quarter.

Andres Feliz kept Real Madrid charging with two consecutive scores to start the second quarter, 17-34. Despite Virtus getting contributions from Toko Shengelia, Isaia Cordinier and Justin Holiday, a triple by Hezonja and another score by Feliz opened an 18-point lead at 23-41. Serge Ibaka entered the period scoreless, but he moved to 7 points with 1:42 remaining before halftime, then Hezonja netted inside to set a lead of 19 points, 29-48. After a pair of Cordinier free throws, it was 33-50 at the break.

It looked like things were only going to get worse for Virtus in the third quarter as a pair of free throws by Campazzo followed by a score inside by Tavares and a three by Garuba swelled the lead to 22 points, 35-57. Tavares responded to Shengelia’s free throws to maintain that 22-point advantage, 37-59, but Virtus punched back thanks to back-to-back threes by Morgan and Andrejs Grazulis, 43-59. Morgan, who was scoreless in the opening 20 minutes, really came to the fore and made it a 13-point gap at 49-62. He then replied to Hezonja’s reverse layup with a coast-to-coast layup and the free throw that followed, 52-66, before Grazulis’s layup set a 54-68 score after 30 minutes.

Hezonja netted Real Madrid’s first 3 points of the final frame, but Morgan and Shengelia combined to make things interesting at 59-71. Grazulis’s jump hook got the deficit down to 11 points, 61-72, but Virtus could not trim the gap any further. Tavares’s layup and Musa’s two free throws gave the visitors breathing room at 61-76, and Tavares added 4 more points to his tally as Real Madrid ended up securing a 67-80 victory.

Chus Mateo's side is now on the edge of the play-in places

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Real Madrid (2025-03-13T19:45:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv extended its winning streak to three games by defeating AS Monaco 91-88 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Thursday 

Maccabi stuns Monaco, 91-88, for third straight win

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv extended its winning streak to three games by defeating AS Monaco 91-88 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Thursday night. In an entertaining back-and-forth clash featuring several lead changes, the hosts closed the game with a 7-0 run to record three wins in a row for the first time this season. Maccabi may have missed out on the postseason, but this victory improves its record to 9-20. Meanwhile, Monaco is still pushing for a top-four spot despite dropping to 17-12.

Roman Sorkin and Rokas Jokubaitis paced Maccabi with 18 points each. Levi Randolph netted 17 and Trevion Williams recorded a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. For Monaco, Mike James led all scorers with 25 points, Daniel Theis netted 16, Elie Okobo had 13 and Mam Jaiteh paired his 12 points with 11 boards.

Williams opened the scoring with an alley-oop slam, but 3 points from Alpha Diallo and buckets by Okobo and James gave Monaco a 2-7 lead. Maccabi responded with an 8-2 run, involving triples by Randolph and Sorkin, who put the hosts ahead, 10-9. Jokubaitis took over with 5 straight points to maintain a 15-13 cushion. Jaiteh scored inside, but 6 points from William Rayman off the bench made it 21-18 after 10 minutes.

Jordan Loyd nailed one from deep against his former team and James sank back-to-back buckets to put Monaco back in front, 27-29. Williams and Sorkin scored in the paint for another lead change, 33-31. Petr Cornelie drilled a corner three and Theis added 4 points to his tally, with Okobo netting off the glass for a 39-42 lead at halftime.

Monaco opened the second half with a 0-6 run inspired by James and Jaiteh, who scored a couple of baskets to open a 39-48 lead. But Randolph drained a triple and Sorkin netted a put-back bucket before a three-point play by the former brought Maccabi within 47-48. James and Theis scored 5 and 4 points, respectively, but Williams converted a three-point play of his own, trimming the deficit to 58-59. Monaco was dealt a major blow, as Theis hobbled off with a back injury, but Jaiteh made 2 of 2 from the line for a 59-63 lead heading into the closing quarter.

Jaiteh added 2 points to his tally and Jaron Blossomgame netted a corner triple to make it 61-69. Jokubaitis responded with 5 straight points and Marial Shayok drilled one from deep to bring Maccabi within 69-71. Triples from James and Okobo were followed by another Shayok three-pointer before Randolph made it 75-77 with a layup. Then, the game turned into a free-throw contest, with Monaco maintaining an 84-88 lead with 1:41 left on the clock. But Sorkin nailed a triple, Jokubaitis scored inside and Randolph hit a couple of free throws to put Maccabi in front, 91-88. James missed a triple that would have sent it to overtime and Maccabi celebrated a hard-fought win.

A decisive 9-0 surge in the closing stages gave Maccabi the victory

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v AS Monaco (2025-03-13T19:05:00.000Z)

The wait is finally over for ALBA Berlin as the German side won its first home game in four months by beating Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 97-90 in the first contest under new head coach Pedro Calles

ALBA snaps 4-month home losing streak in first game under Coach Calles

 The wait is finally over for ALBA Berlin as the German side won its first home game in four months by beating Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 97-90 in the first contest under new head coach Pedro Calles. ALBA mounted a 13-4 stretch spanning the two final quarters to snap an eight-game home losing streak dating back to its 105-101 victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on November 12.

Matt Thomas drained 5 three-pointers for 21 points, Gabriele Procida and Martin Hermannsson both had 13 points and Robert Baker added 12 points and 7 rebounds as ALBA snapped a four-game losing streak for a 5-24 record. Calles took over as ALBA head coach on Wednesday, March 12 and already has a EuroLeague victory under his belt.

Nikos Rogkavopoulos scored 17 points to pace five players in double figures for Baskonia, which fell to 12-17 and has now alternated losses and wins in the last nine games to fall almost completely out of the race for the Play-In Showdown.

Chima Moneke started hot for the visitors with 7 points in a 2-9 early lead. A Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot three-pointer made it 6-14. Thomas and Procida nailed back-to-back triples to finish a 10-0 ALBA surge for the hosts’ first lead 16-14. There were six lead changes the rest of the way and ALBA led 26-24 after 10 minutes with the home side’s reserves scoring 18 points.

Yanni Wetzell came off the ALBA bench for 5 points and the cushion was 33-29. Baskonia didn’t let ALBA get away and charged back ahead with a 2-11 run for a 35-40 cushion. The next run followed with recent addition Baker scoring 5 points in a 15-4 spurt to lead 50-44. The home side was up 50-46 at the break.

ALBA had a strong start to the second half and a Hermannsson three-pointer gave the hosts their biggest lead at 59-50. Baskonia punched back with the next 7 points to make it a 2-point game. Thomas answered with a three-pointer and added another triple and two Procida scores made it 75-67. The score was 75-69 after 30 minutes.

Thomas continued his outstanding game with a layup and his fifth three-pointer to put ALBA ahead 80-69 early on in the final frame. Baskonia committed four turnovers in the first 2 minutes and ALBA extended the advantage to 84-71. A Baker triple increased the lead to 16 points - 89-73 - with less than 5 minutes to feel like the dagger. Baskonia was not done with Luwawu-Cabarrot and Howard hitting three-pointers to close within 93-84 with 101 seconds left. With ALBA buckling, 21-year-old Elias Rapieque tipped in a miss with 1:20 minutes remaining for his only score of the game to finish off Baskonia.

ALBA beats Baskonia for first home win since November 12 

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan took a big step towards clinching a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague postseason berth after improving to 16-13 with an industrious 80-82 win at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, which slipped to a third loss in a row. 

Milan claws out huge win over Crvena Zvezda, 80-82

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan took a big step towards clinching a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague postseason berth after improving to 16-13 with an industrious 80-82 win at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, which slipped to a third loss in a row.

Nikola Mirotic paced Milan with a game-high 19 points to go with 7 boards, Zach LeDay chipped in with 15 points and Shavon Shields added 14 for the Italian side, which clawed out the victory in a physical contest devoid of much spectacular action.

Nemanja Nedovic and Nikola Kalinic led Zvezda with 12 points apiece while Isaiah Canaan and Filip Petrusev netted 11 each, but the Serbian side lacked a clutch player able to swing the contest its way in a tense finish as it slipped to 16-13.

Zvezda’s skid has coincided with Petrusev’s stunning loss of form in the last few games, with the power forward going 5 of 11 from the foul line against Milan while he also shot a modest 3 of 9 from the floor.

Nedovic made a bright start as he sank the opening 8 points for Zvezda and the home team carved out a 17-10 lead before Milan responded and closed the gap to 24-23 at the end of the first quarter.

Milan turned the tide in the second on the back of a 0-9 run but Zvezda’s small-ball unit hit back with a 10-0 streak as the game swung back and forth, with the visitors nosing ahead 45-48 at halftime thanks to good work from Mirotic and Shields, while Armoni Brooks also contributed with a pair of threes.

Zvezda struggled with moving the ball and finding open looks in the third quarter but was able to stay in touch thank to ironclad defense, while LeDay stepped up for Milan as the visitors maintained their advantage and led 64-68 ahead of the final 10 minutes.

Points were even more difficult to come by in the fourth as the matchup got increasingly physical, with Mirotic nailing 6 clutch points in a row for Milan enabling the visiting team to keep the upper hand, 76-78. With both sides faltering on offense in the home stretch, Mirotic made one of two free throws to make it 80-82 before Kalinic turned the ball over in Zvezda’s last possession in the dying seconds.

It was not pretty but they all count, especially in the regular season’s home straight, hence Milan will be delighted to have snatched what could turn out to be a priceless road win in the battle to secure a berth in the business end of Europe’s premier club competition.

The Italian side prevailed in a rugged contest to boost its postseason hopes

Zalgiris Kaunas erased a 20-point second-quarter deficit with a dominant second half to defeat Paris Basketball 83-81 on Thursday night at Zalgirio Arena

Zalgiris edges Paris, 83-81, on Francisco’s jumper 

Zalgiris Kaunas erased a 20-point second-quarter deficit with a dominant second half to defeat Paris Basketball 83-81 on Thursday night at Zalgirio Arena. The Lithuanian champs were down 16 at halftime before opening the third quarter with 10 straight points and finally taking their first lead through Bryant Dunston with the first basket of the fourth quarter. 

TJ Shorts tied it for Paris late, but there was enough time left for Sylvain Francisco to win it with a jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining. The victory lifted Zalgiris's record to 14-15 on the season, which Paris slipped to 16-13.

Ignas Brazdeikis led all Zalgiris scorers with 16 points, Francisco finished with 15 points and 8 assists and Edgaras Ulanovas added 12 points. Shorts scored a game-high 21 for Paris and Nadir Hifi and Mikael Jantunen netted 17 apiece.

Zalgiris scored on its first two possessions to get the crowd going, but Paris soon regrouped to and reeled off 7 straight points. Brazdeikis heated up for the hosts as the teams started to trade baskets. Free throws by Hifi made it 9-11 before the TV timeout paused things. Maodo Lo carved through the Zalgiris defense for a three-point play and Bandja Sy buried a triple that silenced Zalgirio Arena. Deividas Sirvydis provided a spark, but a three by Hifi and a jumper by Shorts kept Paris rolling at 14-22 after 10 minutes.

The hosts could not find their range while Tyson Ward and Shorts extended the margin. A three by Ward completed a 0-11 run that made it 14-31. Alen Smailagic revived Zalgiris with a three-pointer, but to no avail. Brazdeikis scored twice only to see Paris match him each time. Shorts connected from deep and Jantunen converted a layup to take the lead to 20. Free throws by Dunston and Isaiah Wong made it 31-47 at the halftime break.

Francisco knocked down a long three for his first points of the game and followed that with a contested layup. The crowd roared with approval as Brazdeikis scored before another three by Francisco made it 10 straight Zalgiris points to open the second half. Paris coach Tiago Splitter called a timeout to slow things down. However, a pair of Arnas Butkevicius blocks triggered 5 more points as Laurynas Birutis got the host within 46-47 with a put-back slam. Hifi ended the Paris drought, but Zalgiris now had its confidence back. Paris managed to stay just ahead through Hifi and Daulton Hommes and it was 60-61 when the third quarter ended.

Dunston gave Zalgiris its first lead since the opening minutes with the first basket of the fourth quarter. The lead changed hands with each of the next four baskets before back-to-back threes by Sirvydis and Ulanovas made it 72-65. Francisco’s layup and – after a Paris timeout – free-throw completed an 11-0 run for a 10-point lead. After baskets by Jantunen and Shorts, Zalgiris head coach Andrea Trinchieri called a timeout. Hifi kept pushing the visitors, but Isaiah Wong came up big on both ends, denying Shorts and sinking a pull-up jumper, to keep Zalgiris in control. Free throws by Shorts and got Paris within 79-76 with 2 minutes remaining. Jantunen tie it with a three from the corner with 1:11 to play. Butkevicius powered Zalgiris back in front, byt Birutis was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul on Shorts with 39.3 seconds left. Shorts missed both of the resulting free throws and a layup on the ensuing possession. He would get another chance and tie it from the line with 9.4 seconds left, but that left enough time for Francisco to win it with a jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining.

The hosts trailed by as many as 20 before their magnificent guard sparked a second-half comeback

Zalgiris Kaunas v Paris Basketball (2025-03-13T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko joins Olympiacos BC as the only teams to have guaranteed a top-10 finish after beating LDLC ASVEL 92-82 in Round 29.

Fenerbahce seals postseason spot by downing ASVEL, 92-82

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has become the second team to book a spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague postseason after beating LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 92-82 in Round 29. Saras Jasikevicius’s men improved to 20-9 having won their fifth straight game at Ulker Sport and Event Hall, while Pierric Poupet’s ASVEL suffered a sixth straight defeat to fall to 11-17.

Wade Baldwin led Fenerbahce in scoring with 15 points, in addition to posting a team-high 6 assists. Bonzie Colson and Errick McCollum both chipped in with 10 points apiece. Impressively, nine of the 11 Fenerbahce players that stepped onto the floor netted at least 8 points. For ASVEL, Joffrey Lauvergne poured in a game-high 20 points and grabbed a game-best 9 rebounds. Nando De Colo recorded a 13-point, 11-assist double-double, with Andre Roberson adding 11 points and Neal Sako contributing 10 points.

Despite being without the injured Theo Maledon, ASVEL could lean on the play of Lauvergne early on as he scored 6 points to put ASVEL 11-8 up. The French big man was involved in all aspects of ASVEL’s play and drained a three-pointer to tie things up at 13-13. Melvin Ajinca and De Colo gave the visitors the lead, but a Baldwin triple restored Fenerbahce’s advantage, 21-19. Baldwin scored again and Jilson Bango dunked inside, while Nicolo Melli’s corner three ensured it was 30-23 after 10 minutes.

De Colo got ASVEL off to a good start in the second quarter with a three-point play, 30-26, but scores by Bango, Tarik Biberovic and Baldwin made it a double-digit ballgame at 36-26. Lauvergne, just as he did in the first quarter, took over by netting 8 points to move to 17 in the game as ASVEL cut the gap to one point, 38-37. McCollum and Bonzie Colson made it comfortable once again for Fenerbahce, 46-37, yet a strong finish to the second period by ASVEL saw the visitors go on a 7-3 run to trail 49-44 at the break, with De Colo having hit a buzzer-beating three to end the half.

McCollum scored 5 points out of the interval to double Fenerbahce’s lead to 54-44. It took more than three and a half minutes for ASVEL to finally put some points on the board, with Lauvergne making a pair of free throws before Roberson scored a layup, 56-48. When Nigel Hayes-Davis scored his first points of the night with a three in transition, Fenerbahce led 61-50. A three-pointer apiece by Roberson and Shaquielle Harrison helped ASVEL trim the gap to six points, 64-58, but Harrison ended up having to go back to the locker room after landing awkwardly as he contested a Baldwin three-point attempt. Then, Sanli’s put-back score and Hall’s triple were enough for Fenerbahce to take a 70-60 lead into the fourth quarter.

The ASVEL fightback was led by Paris Lee and Ben Bentil as they netted 5 points apiece, but Fenerbahce still held a 78-70 advantage. It was then the turn of David Lighty to show what he can do with a mid-range jumper and a three, but Hall and Hayes-Davis’s scores in between prevented ASVEL from getting close, 83-75. Nicolo Melli struck from distance and Hayes-Davis scored a layup to set a game-high 14-point lead, 90-76, and Fenerbahce saw out the final 2:43 minutes before coming away with a 92-82 victory.

The Turkish side joins Olympiacos Piraeus as the only teams to have guaranteed a top-10 finish

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2025-03-13T17:45:00.000Z)

Sasha Vezenkov and Kendrick Nunn, the two leading candidates to become the EuroLeague Regular Season MVP, go head to head when Olympiacos BC and Panathinaikos BC face off on Friday night.

Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos: Will the real MVP please stand up?

Eminem asked “Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?” in his hit song “The Real Slim Shady” in 2000, but looking at the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, a similar question could be posed in the lead-up to Friday’s Greek derby: Will the real MVP please stand up?

This will be the 23rd time that [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) and [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) have locked horns in the EuroLeague this century, and most of the focus surrounding this clash of titans has surrounded the two teams’ MVP candidates, [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) and [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/).

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Two of front runners for MVP 🏆 👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/SashaVe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SashaVe</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/nunnbetter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nunnbetter_</a> have been on fire this season 🔥 <br><br>But who do the people of the Greek capital think should win the award? <br><br>We hit the streets to find out 🎙️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RivalrySeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RivalrySeries</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/PaniniAmerica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaniniAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/bhvWL2cR0C">pic.twitter.com/bhvWL2cR0C</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1899517115431825428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Vezenkov, the 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP and this season’s MVP of the Month for January, has picked up where he left off when he was last in the EuroLeague, ranking first in PIR (24.5), second in scoring (20.1 PPG) and seventh in rebounds (6.3). His play on the court has been integral in Olympiacos becoming the first team to qualify for the postseason as the Reds boast a league-best 21-7 record.

Nunn, on the other hand, secured his first MVP of the Month award in February and is averaging a league-best 20.6 points per game. Particularly with fellow star [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) having gone down with a fibula fracture in Round 17, Nunn has taken his game to another level to guide Panathinaikos to an 18-10 record and third place in the league.

It would be normal for the two stars of Greece’s two giant clubs to be at each other’s throats, but instead there is a mutual appreciation and respect.

“He’s a great player and, most importantly, he’s a great person,” Nunn said of Vezenkov. “Just the little time of knowing him and just watching him play, what he does is amazing. He’s unique and nobody does it like he does, to be honest. He’s very effective without being ball dominant, which is pretty rare in basketball. Not a lot of guys can do it.”

Likewise, Vezenkov only had kind words to say about Panathinaikos’s electric scorer.

“I said it multiple times, he’s a great player and great person,” the Olympiacos star said of Nunn. “I won the award, too, but in February it was his turn. We have to focus and we know they’re coming for us on Friday. They won the \[Greek\] Cup, so we need this game.”

Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 28 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Sasha Vezenkov: 'Kendrick Nunn is a great player and great person'

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos each come into Friday’s derby on winning streaks, with the Reds having won five straight games while the Greens have chained together four victories, and a big performance by Vezenkov or Nunn in a triumphant effort could go some way towards determining the Regular Season MVP.

There has been a celebratory atmosphere at Olympiacos of late, not only because of the team’s winning performances – coach Georgios Bartzokas’s men have won 12 of their last 13 games – but because of [the club celebrating its 100th anniversary](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/high-flying-olympiacos-celebrates-100th-birthday-with-eyes-set-on-the-prize/). Hopes are sky-high for the Reds this season, with Vezenkov and fellow star signing [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/) determined to bring a fourth EuroLeague championship to Piraeus and end the club’s 12-year wait to wear Europe’s crown.

Nunn and Panathinaikos know what it takes to do just that, as they showed last year, and an eighth star is all that anyone is thinking about in Athens. First, though, the Greens know they can take another big step forward towards securing home-court advantage in the playoffs with a victory at SEF on Friday.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A big week ahead as focus shifts to the Greek Derby 🇬🇷 <br><br>And we brought out some legendary jerseys 🤩<br><br>Check out the thread below for them all ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/C6z40AQP32">pic.twitter.com/C6z40AQP32</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1899145366387282392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

To do that, Panathinaikos will need to put some demons to bed having lost seven straight EuroLeague games against Olympiacos. The last time the Greens downed the Reds was on February 5, 2021, as they came away with a 77-88 win at SEF. Both clubs were in transition at that time, but they enter this latest Greek derby as the two favorite teams to lift the EuroLeague title in May.

Not much separates the two teams, so the play of the two teams’ MVP candidates could go some way towards determining the final outcome. Will the real MVP please stand up?

Sasha Vezenkov and Kendrick Nunn go head to head at SEF

Olympiacos Piraeus v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-03-14T19:15:00.000Z)