A battle of last season’s champions saw EuroCup king Paris Basketball triumph 98-101 on the road at EuroLeague titleholder Panathinaikos BC in a memorable thriller. 

Paris stuns Panathinaikos in thriller, 98-101

A battle of last season’s champions saw BKT EuroCup king Paris Basketball triumph 98-101 on the road at Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titleholder Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in a memorable thriller. The French team improved to 18-14 for a share of sixth place, while the Greens are joint third at 20-12.

Paris dominated the first half with outstanding three-point shooting and led 48-56 at halftime. The advantage grew to 17 points by the end of the third, and although Panathinaikos tried to fight back it wasn’t enough as Juancho Hernangomez couldn’t make a triple to force overtime at the final buzzer.

TJ Shorts inspired Paris with 20 points, 14 assists and 9 rebounds, while Tyson Ward scored 17, Mikael Jantunen added 14 and Nadir Hifi netted 13. Leo Cavaliere (11) and Sebastian Herrera (10) also scored in double digits. Kendrick Nunn powered Panathinaikos with 22 points, 9 assists and 8 boards, while Kostas Sloukas had 20 points and 7 assists, and Hernangomez posted 10 points with 8 assists.

Game Videos

Ward, Hernagomez and Jantunen all hit early triples, and Wenyen Gabriel’s dunk made it 5-6. Panagiotis Kalaitzakis gave the hosts their first lead with a three-point play, but Bandja Sy struck from deep before Cavaliere, Yakuba Ouattara and Hifi all netted at the rim to send Paris ahead, 11-17. Lorenzo Brown responded with five fast points, but Hifi, Collin Malcolm and Shorts kept Paris in front before Ward hit a triple for an 18-28 lead. Herrera added another three-ball, and it was 23-33 after 10 minutes.

Sloukas and Cavaliere traded inside baskets before Herrera’s triple made it 25-38. Nunn scored two quick baskets but Paris kept on firing from deep through Jantunen and Hifi. Sloukas scored 7 points in a row to pull Panathinaikos back to 42-44, but Hifi and Ward were again accurate from long range. Grant and Shorts traded inside scores before Sloukas and Ward exchanged three-pointers and free throws made it 48-56 at the interval.

Game News

Paris’s long-range barrage continued early in the third through Herrera, then a long two from Shorts made it 50-63. Ward netted inside, Grant and Shorts traded triples, and the unstoppable Shorts added a three-point play for a 55-71 advantage. Nunn followed a three-ball with a layup before Cavaliere and Sloukas exchanged three-pointers. Nunn’s floater briefly reduced the deficit to single digits, but Ward and Shorts appeared again, and Cavaliere made it 69-86 with ten minutes left.

Triples from Nunn and Cedi Osman to start the final period gave Panathinaikos hope, and Nunn added a floater to force a Paris timeout at 77-86. Osman’s free throws completed a 10-0 run, which Shorts snapped with a driving layup. Sloukas’s three-ball was answered by Jantunen before Nunn, Hernangomez and Grant kept the home team’s momentum. It was 88-93 with 4 minutes left and Hifi added a three-pointer before free throws made it 90-98. Three-pointers from Osman and Hernangomez kept the hosts alive, but Jantunen scored free throws and Hernangomez’s prayer couldn’t force overtime at the final buzzer.

The reigning champ saw a 10-game home winning streak ended by an electric Paris performance

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Paris Basketball (2025-03-28T19:15:00.000Z)

Real Madrid edged closer to a postseason berth in the EuroLeague after improving to 18-14 on the back of a 72-78 win at KK Crvena zvezda, courtesy of a workmanlike performance by last season’s runner-up.

Real Madrid edges closer to postseason with win at Crvena Zvezda, 72-78

Real Madrid edged closer to a postseason berth in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after improving to 18-14 on the back of a 72-78 win at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, courtesy of a workmanlike performance by last season’s runner-up.

Zvezda dropped to 18-14 and the result left both teams needing one win in their last two regular-season games to be mathematically sure of reaching the business end of Europe’s premier club competition.

Walter Tavares paced Real with a team-high 14 points while Sergio Llull and Facundo Campazzo chipped in with 11 each. At the other end, Codi Miller-McIntyre led Zvezda on a game-high 24 points, but the livewire guard lacked support and finished as the solitary home player in double digits.

Real raced into a 0-14 lead as the visitors blitzed Zvezda with a fast and furious start, while the home team missed their opening 12 shots from the floor in the opening six minutes of the contest.

Tavares reigned supreme in the paint for Real and Usman Garuba followed in the towering center’s footsteps early on, while misfiring Zvezda squandered a barrage of open shots from all over in the first quarter, making just 1 of 15 from deep and 2 of 8 from inside.

The visitors grabbed a 9-22 lead after the opening 10 minutes and although Zvezda regained some of its composure in the second quarter, Real stayed in the driving seat and led 27-42 at halftime as the home team’s offensive woes continued.

The Serbian outfit was 9 of 41 from the floor in the first half and a miserable 3 of 23 from downtown, having also committed 7 turnovers against a mere 6 assists. That cancelled out 16 offensive boards racked up by Zvezda, as Real thrived close to the basket with the visitors hitting 15 of 22 from inside.

Miller-McIntyre scored the opening basket of the third quarter with a coast-to-coast drive through traffic and that signaled a magnificent second half for Zvezda’s playmaker, who almost single-handedly dragged his team back into the contest. 

Zvezda was able to slash the deficit to 45-55 ahead of the final 10 minutes, but late drama looked unlikely as Real maintained cruise control and led 59-70 heading into the home stretch.

Unrelenting Zvezda then produced a 13-4 run to close the gap to 72-74 on the back of Miller-McIntyre’s deep three, with the atmosphere reaching fever pitch inside a jam-packed Belgrade Arena.

There was to be no final twist, however, as the visitors kept their cool from the foul line in the final 45 seconds to grind out what will likely turn out to be a priceless road win in the bid to keep the season alive.  

The Spanish giant never looked back after romping away to a big early lead

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Real Madrid (2025-03-28T19:00:00.000Z)

Virtus Bologna bounced back from its biggest loss of the season with a resounding performance on Friday night as it thrashed ALBA Berlin 64-108 in the German capital. 

Virtus thrashes ALBA, 64-108

Virtus Segafredo Bologna bounced back from its biggest loss of the season with a resounding performance on Friday night as it thrashed ALBA Berlin 64-108 in the German capital. Virtus, which never trailed in this game, improved to 8-24, while ALBA dropped to a 5-26 record.

Virtus had six double-digit scorers, with Achille Polonara scoring 16 points, Toko Shengelia 15 and Will Clyburn 14. Ante Zizic had 13 points, Alessandro Pajola paired 11 points with 8 assists, and Marco Belinelli netted 10 points in the win. Matt Thomas was the only ALBA scorer in double digits with 11 points.

The two teams were trading blows early, with Clyburn hitting a triple for the visitors and Thomas one for the hosts that kept ALBA within 12-13. But Cordinier and Zizic each had a dunk, and Matt Morgan struck a transition triple that helped Virtus hold a 15-26 edge after 10 minutes.

Clyburn opened the second quarter with a three-pointer before Shengelia had a three-point play. Thomas netted a three for ALBA, but Polonara strung together 10 points, then Belinelli and Shengelia extended it to 41-52. The margin kept growing with Shengelia scoring five more points, and Cordinier a three-point play made it 31-62 before the teams went into the break with the score 33-62.

Virtus was the team with more energy after the break, too. The visitors scored the first eight points of the second half, making it a 33-71 game. ALBA needed more than four and a half minutes to score a field goal in the second half, but Polonara’s back-to-back triples helped extend it to 39-83 late in the third quarter.

Virtus had no intention of slowing down, keeping the energy levels high. Subsequently, the margin kept growing. A triple from Justin Holiday saw the lead balloon to 44-91 early in the fourth, and Marco Belinelli’s layup opened a 51-point advantage, 46-97, before ALBA avoided the biggest home loss in EuroLeague history with six points in the final minute.

It's the fourth-largest win by a road team in modern EuroLeague history

ALBA Berlin v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-03-28T19:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes rallied from a double-digit third-quarter deficit to pull out a dramatic 90-88 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv BC in Riga, Latvia. 

Efes rallies to edge past Maccabi in dramatic finale, 90-88

Anadolu Efes Istanbul rallied from a double-digit third-quarter deficit to pull out a dramatic 90-88 win over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Riga, Latvia. It’s the sixth straight win for Efes, which improved to 18-14 and is sure of playing postseason basketball once again this season. Maccabi, meanwhile, dropped to a 10-22 record.

Maccabi used a 0-12 run to open a 53-63 lead in the third quarter, but Elijah Bryant scored 16 points bridging the third and fourth quarters to restore Efes’s lead. The two teams kept trading blows as the game went down to the wire, all the way to Bryant becoming the difference-maker on the defensive end, knocking out the ball from the hands of Rokas Jokubaitis in the waning seconds to secure the win. 

Bryant finished with 25 points, Dan Oturu had 15 points and Shane Larkin poured in 11, while Vincent Poirier scored all of his 10 points in the first quarter. Roman Sorkin paced Maccabi with 22 points, Jokubaitis had 19, and Jake Cohen and Levi Randolph scored 10 apiece in the loss.

Poirier dominated inside in the early going, scoring eight of Efes’s first 12 points. Sorkin got himself going early and Jokubaitis banked a pair of tough runners before nailing a triple to make it 16-17. But Rolands Smits answered with a corner triple, then five points from Bryant, including a three-point play, opened a 26-17 lead. Rafi Menco ended a 10-0 drought with a corner three, and Cohen’s layup made it 26-22 after 10 minutes.

Efes kept using its size and muscle, now with Oturu scoring inside, but Sorkin continued to torch Efes, tying the game at 28-28. Larkin hit his first triple, then Darius Thompson nailed one to open a 38-32 advantage, but Sorkin scored five more points – a triple and a monster dunk – to get Maccabi within a single point. Back-to-back threes from Larkin and PJ Dozier helped Efes restore a 46-39 edge. Jake Cohen made one from long range and Levi Randolph from close range, but Larkin and Osmani ensured that Efes took a 50-46 lead into halftime.

Jokubaitis opened the second half with a three-pointer, and after Smits and Tamir Blatt traded triples, Jokubaitis took it to the rim to make it 53-56. After a timeout, back-to-back fast-break layups from Randolph and Jokubaitis, followed by a triple from Sorkin, extended the margin to 53-63, forcing another Efes timeout. Bryant’s three-pointer snapped a 0-12 run, then he added a tough jumper before Oturu fought inside for a three-point play and a layup cut it to 63-65. Bryant finished the quarter in style, sinking a last-second three-pointer to send Efes into the fourth quarter with a 66-65 lead.

Bryant hit two more threes to start the fourth, but each was answered by Maccabi, first Menco, then Cohen and John DiBartolomeo nailed one, too. Maccabi went ahead 74-76, only for back-to-back threes from Ercan Osmani and Thompson to put Efes in front, 82-78. DiBartolomeo hit another triple, but Oturu had a pair of dunks, followed by a jumper from Thompson to make it 88-84. However, Sorkin and Jokubaitis made all four free throws to tie at 88-88. Beaubois split his foul shots, making it 89-88 and giving Maccabi 10 seconds to win it. The ball went into the hands of Jokubaitis, but Bryant made the game-altering defensive play as Efes celebrated another win.

The Turkish side secured a postseason berth with this victory

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2025-03-28T17:30:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko climbed to the top of the standings and clinched home-court advantage in the EuroLeague Playoffs by defeating Baskonia 82-77 at Ulker Sports And Event Hall on Friday evening. 

Fenerbahce downs Baskonia to move top of the standings, 82-77

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul climbed to the top of the standings and clinched home-court advantage in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by defeating Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 82-77 at Ulker Sports And Event Hall on Friday evening. The visitors started strong, but it was the hosts who led for the majority of the game to celebrate their eighth straight home victory, despite scoring just two field goals in the fourth quarter. 

Fenerbahce improved its record to 22-10, overtaking Olympiacos Piraeus in the table due to its superior head-to-head advantage. Meanwhile, Baskonia suffered its second straight loss in Türkiye this week as it dropped to 13-19.

Nigel Hayes-Davis led all scorers with 17 points and Wade Baldwin netted 11, while Devon Hall and Marko Guduric scored 10 each. Nikos Rogkavopoulos paced Baskonia with 14 points and Chima Moneke bagged 12, with Trent Forrest recording a double-double of 12 points and 12 assists.

Luka Samanic opened the scoring with a tip-in before a layup from Trent Forrest and a corner triple by Rogkavopoulos gave Baskonia a 2-7 lead. Yet, Fenerbahce responded with a 15-2 run fueled by Baldwin and Nicolo Melli. Donta Hall netted four straight points at the other end, but Hayes-Davis opened his account from the charity stripe for a 19-13 cushion after 10 minutes.

With Fenerbahce's two available bigs, Melli and Sertac Sanli, both in foul trouble, Metecan Birsen stepped up with his first four points of the season for a 26-17 advantage. Five straight points from Dyshawn Pierre were followed by another four from Hall, who opened a 35-21 lead. Khalifa Diop made the most of Fenerbahce’s frontcourt issues by netting eight points inside, but Hayes-Davis drilled one from deep as the hosts maintained a 46-32 lead at halftime.

Bonzie Colson got Fenerbahce going in the second half with five straight points before back-to-back baskets by Guduric made it 57-41. Tadas Sedekerskis and Rogkavopoulos responded with two consecutive triples before a bucket from the former trimmed the deficit to 59-49, forcing a Fenerbahce timeout. Forrest and Rogkavopoulos netted from deep, with Moneke scoring in transition to bring Baskonia within 64-57. But Baldwin completed a three-point play and Arturs Zagars hit a three to restore a 72-59 lead heading into the final quarter.

Baskonia started strong in the fourth as Markus Howard opened his account from downtown before buckets by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Ognjen Jaramaz saw the visitors get within five points, 74-69. Fenerbahce’s first field goal of the last quarter came with 1:33 left on the clock, when Melli's put-back basket restored a 78-71 lead. Baskonia made a last push for a comeback, but Guduric scored in transition to put the game to bed.

The hosts led for most of the game to clinch home-court advantage

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025-03-28T17:45:00.000Z)

All the latest injury news surrounding all registered players ahead of Round 32 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

EuroLeague injury report: Round 32

Follow all the latest injury information for registered players in the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, as reported by the clubs, and get your [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home?_ga=2.101462721.1199459303.1696273873-903329349.1669636775) teams up to date!

### ALBA Berlin

All of ALBA's players are available for its game against Virtus on Friday, the club has confirmed.

- ALBA had its entire roster available in Round 31.
- Louis Olinde and Will McDowell-White did not play in Round 31 as they were rested.

### Anadolu Efes Istanbul

All of Efes's players are available for its game against Maccabi on Friday, the club has confirmed.

- Ridvan Oncel last played in Round 14.
- Dogus Ozdemiroglu last played in Round 25.

### AS Monaco

Monaco has not yet sent an injury report for its game at Olympiacos on Thursday.

- Vitto Brown has last played in Round 22.

### Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

Baskonia has not yet sent an injury report for its game at Fenerbahce on Friday.

- Kamar Baldwin suffered a hand fracture and will undergo surgery, [the club announced on March 17](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kamar-baldwin-to-undergo-surgery-for-hand-fracture/).
- Ousmane Ndiaye has been loaned out to Granada, [the club announced on February 27](https://x.com/Baskonia/status/1895050149593764178).

### Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade

Crvena Zvezda has not yet sent an injury report for its game against Real Madrid on Friday.

- Joel Bolomboy is out for 3-6 weeks after spraining his ankle, [the club announced on March 14](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/joel-bolomboy-out-3-6-weeks-with-ankle-sprain/).
- Luka Mitrovic, who last played in Round 26 due to a knee problem, and underwent an arthroscopic knee surgery on March 19 and is expected to return to practicing in two weeks' time.
- Mike Daum, who last played in Round 18, has undergone knee surgery, the club announced on January 9.

### EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

Milan has not yet sent an injury report for its game against Barcelona on Thursday.

- [Josh Nebo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/josh-nebo-to-be-reevaluated-in-3-4-weeks/) suffered another injury in Round 17 and is expected to miss extended time, according to coach Ettore Messina.

### FC Barcelona

Chimezie Metu, Juan Nunez, Jan Vesely and Nico Laprovittola are all ruled out for Barcelona's game against Milan on Thursday, the club has confirmed.

- [Chimezie Metu suffered an Achilles tendon rupture](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-loses-metu-to-achilles-tendon-rupture/) in Round 31.
- Juan Nunez is out for the rest of the season [after undergoing knee surgery](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-juan-nunez-done-for-season-after-knee-surgery/).
- [Jan Vesely is expected to be sidelined for 8-10 weeks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-jan-vesely-out-8-10-weeks/) due to a knee injury, the club announced in early February.
- [Nico Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/nico-laprovittola-to-undergo-knee-surgery/) was ruled out for the season due to an ACL and meniscus injury.

### FC Bayern Munich

Devin Booker is a game-time decision while Oscar da Silva is ruled out for Bayern's game against Partizan on Thursday, the club has confirmed.

- Devin Booker last played in Round 24 as he has been out with a minor knee injury, but he has rejoined team practices and is potentially available in Round 31.
- Oscar da Silva, who last played in Round 27, is out for 'the coming weeks', the club announced on March 6.

### Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Jilson Bango, Khem Birch and Scottie Wilbekin are ruled out but Devon Hall is available for Fenerbahce's game against Baskonia on Friday, the club has confirmed.

- Khem Birch missed Round 30 due to injury.
- [Scottie Wilbekin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-confirms-the-worst-scottie-wilbekin-has-torn-his-acl/) tore his ACL in Round 1 and is out long term.

### LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

ASVEL has not yet sent an injury report for its game against Zalgiris on Thursday.

- Charles Kahudi last played in Round 27.
- [Mbaye Ndiaye ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/mbaye-ndiaye-ldlc-asvel-out-for-several-months-with-knee-injury/)has ruptured the cruciate ligaments in his right knee and is likely out for the season.

### Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

Maccabi has not yet sent an injury report for its game at Efes on Friday.

- Marial Shayok will be out until mid-April with a shoulder injury, [the club announced on March 25](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/maccabi-loses-marial-shayok-to-shoulder-injury/).
- Jasiel Rivero has suffered a broken ankle, [Maccabi announced on March 11](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/maccabi-loses-jasiel-rivero-to-broken-ankle/).
- Jaylen Hoard has been out with a hamstring injury since [the club announced it on January 29](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/maccabis-jaylen-hoard-suffers-another-torn-hamstring/).

### Olympiacos Piraeus

Nikola Milutinov, Luca Vildoza, Thomas Walkup and Keenan Evans are ruled out for Olympiacos's game against Monaco on Thursday, the club has confirmed.

- Moses Wright returned to action in Round 31, as did Nigel Williams-Goss.
- Giannoulis Larentzakis missed Round 31 due to the flu.
- Luca Vildoza and Nikola Milutinov are out for the next two weeks, [according to the club's website](https://www.olympiacosbc.gr/en/news-en/game-news-en/11144-a-thundering-olympiacos-despite-the-absences.html).
- Keenan Evans has been registered. He has not played this season after undergoing knee surgery last May.
- Thomas Walkup (back) last played in Round 20.
- Nathan Mensah has been deregistered.

### Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

Panathinaikos has not yet sent an injury report for its game against Paris on Friday.

- [Omer Yurtseven](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-loses-center-yurtseven/) suffered a leg injury on January 20, which will sideline him for six to eight weeks.
- [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/all-euroleague-center-mathias-lessort-leaves-game-with-leg-injury/) suffered a broken fibula in Round 17 and will miss several months.
- Marius Grigonis (lower back surgery) has not played since Round 4.

### Paris Basketball

Paris has not yet sent an injury report for its game at Panathinaikos on Friday.

- Collin Malcolm is out for 'several weeks' with a hamstring injury, [according to the club's website](https://parisbasketball.com/en/2025/03/medical-statement-from-paris-basketball/).
- Maodo Lo is out for 'several weeks' with a hamstring injury, [according to the club's website](https://parisbasketball.com/en/2025/03/medical-statement-from-paris-basketball/).
- Daulton Hommes is out for 'several months' with a hand injury, [according to the club's website](https://parisbasketball.com/en/2025/03/medical-statement-from-paris-basketball/).
- Leon Kratzer is out for an 'indefinite period' due to personal reasons, [according to the club's website](https://parisbasketball.com/en/2025/03/medical-statement-from-paris-basketball/).
- Enzo Shahrvin has been deregistered.

### Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade

Zeljko Obradovic can call upon his entire roster for Partizan's game at Bayern on Thursday, the club has confirmed.

- All of Partizan's players were available in Round 31.
- Mitar Bosnjakovic last appeared in Round 16.

### Real Madrid

Real Madrid has not yet sent an injury report for its game at Crvena Zvezda on Friday.

- Xavier Rathan-Mayes last played in Round 27.

### Virtus Segafredo Bologna

Momo Diouf remains out and will miss Virtus's game at ALBA on Friday, the club has confirmed.

- Momo Diouf last played in Round 29.
- Virtus parted ways with Riccardo Visconti.

### Zalgiris Kaunas

Zalgiris has not yet sent an injury report for its game at ASVEL on Thursday.

- Lukas Lekavicius (groin) last played in Round 26.

Stay up to date with the latest information provided by the EuroLeague clubs

Injury report, Round 32: Bango, Birch both ruled out, Hall available; Diouf still out

FC Bayern Munich v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-03-27T19:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v FC Barcelona (2025-03-27T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v AS Monaco (2025-03-27T19:15:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-03-27T19:00:00.000Z)

Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 32 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Pregame quotes hub: Round 32

## Friday, March 28

### Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (18:30 CET)

**Luca Banchi, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach**

"The results are proving that Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is one of the team in best shape. They collected four wins in a row before their last game with Panathinaikos. Despite they were leading by 15 points few minutes before the end, as a statement of their actual shape and the quality of their basketball, a team that has an identity that no matter of the position in the standings. They are producing a very high level basketball with great flow and a productive defense who allowed them to win recently against top teams like Fenerbahçe Beko and Monaco. So it's enough to believe that will be a very tough game for us arriving a few hours after our important win against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Unfortunately without the possibility to play at our arena, but adding some stress because of the travel. I really wish that the team will be capable to recover fast because the game will be very challenging. The opponent has all the qualities to play till the end of the regular season competing against every type of opponent. We have to be ready to play one more time our best basketball. I really wish that for the fans who will come to the arena in Riga will be a great chance to see a spectacular EuroLeague game."

**Rolands Smits, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward**

"We're going to play against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Riga, my hometown, so it will be a very special game for me and a very important game for us. It will be difficult game like all the games in EuroLeague. So we need to play our own game. It's like we played last games together like a team and be very physical to win this game. We have a few games left, so we need to go the same way."

**Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach**

"In our current situation, playing again at this level within two days is extremely challenging. We will need to recover quickly and manage the playing time. We're facing a team in incredible form, with a top 2-3 roster in the EuroLeague. They are on the rise and in excellent shape. The matchup against Anadolu Efes will be different from the one against Panathinaikos."

### Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (18:45 CET)

**Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach**

"Baskonia is one of the best teams in transition and this is what we need to stop first. Markus Howard has been playing with incredible rhythm, he's in great shape and always surrounded by the great ability to get offensive rebounds."

**Dyshawn Pierre, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward**

"It’s the double week. Three more games left in this season and we just got to stay focused. We lost to them in the previous one, so it's important for us to win this one. We had a great crowd on Tuesday so again, tomorrow just come and support us. We will be waiting for you."

### Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Real Madrid (20:00 CET)

**Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach**

"Crvena Zvezda has played their last two games with a lot of drive and in a very smart way. They were able to win on Olympiacos's home court and yesterday they overwhelmed Virtus Bologna. It is a team with many capabilities and players of very high quality in many positions. They are very well-balanced, although it is true that they have lost \[Joel\] Bolomboy, who was giving them a lot. In any case, they have a great \[Filip\] Petrusev, a great \[Nemanja\] Nedovic, Codi Miller-McIntyre, Yago dos Santos, \[Milos\] Teodosic, who every time he steps on the court always influences the game. It has shooters like \[Nikola\] Kalinic and \[Isaiah\] Canaan, both with tonnes of experience. Also, John Brown is an excellent defender... Crvena Zvezda is full of good players, but they are playing as a team, which is what really gives them the value of being in fifth place in the standings right now."

**Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid guard**

"We have a tough trip to Belgrade ahead of us. We play on a court where it's difficult to win, it's difficult to play well, but that's our goal and our mindset. We will try to set the pace of the game and keep emotions as low as possible. Tomorrow's game is a very big challenge. We have to play good basketball because Crvena Zvezda plays well at home, with a lot of confidence, runs the court well and has great fans, which is always a plus. We have to continue in the line of the last games: play good basketball, run the court well and defend hard. I think that if we control all this, we will have more chances to win."

### ALBA Berlin vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:00 CET)

**Pedro Calles, ALBA Berlin head coach**

"Regardless of the situation in the standings, we want to approach the game against Virtus Bologna like any other game and get the maximum out of ourselves. It sounds strange to say this in March, but we're in a building phase right now. We need to work on our crunch-time performance. Of course, the tight schedule doesn't make it easy for me as a new head coach, but I'm very pleased with how the players are responding to the changes."

**Tim Schneider, ALBA Berlin forward**

"EuroLeague double weeks are always tough. But the first game this season against Virtus Bologna was also part of a double week. To get the win, we have to keep our confidence and focus for the full 40 minutes. Then is anything possible, especially at home with our fans behind us."

**Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach**

"After yesterday's bad performance we have to demonstrate that we are a good team, we have to do it because we are Virtus, a great club also in Europe and we will have to prove it tomorrow."

**Alessandro Pajola, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard**

"We have a chance to get back on the court again to forget yesterday's night. We absolutely want to react and face tomorrow's game with the will and determination to interrupt this difficult period, for us and for our fans."

### Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Paris Basketball (20:15 CET)

**Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach**

"Paris Basketball plays their basketball. Now everyone knows how they play. They run the floor, look for transition, and they don’t mind shooting after the first pass. Often, in 90% of their possessions, they shoot after the first pass. Therefore, we need to stay focused and fight for the win. It’s a very important game for us. We know Paris also comes from a tough loss against Fenerbahce at the buzzer. Our opponents had one extra day of rest, but we have no excuses. Tomorrow we want a very hot atmosphere, we want to win, and we want to take the home-court advantage for the playoffs. Mathias \[Lessort\] is a huge absence for us, we miss him in every game. But we’ve understood how to manage his absence so far with \[Wenyen\] Gabriel and \[Konstantinos\] Mitoglou at the '5'. We survived. We survived without our best center, the best center in Europe. I hope he will be ready, maybe for the playoffs. Our goal is to see him ready for the playoffs. We’ll see what happens. Right now, we’re trying to find other ways in our system without Matias."

**Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard**

"The season is coming to an end in just two or three games. Throughout the year, we have played with fire multiple times, and while that has led to some positive results – like yesterday’s game – it has also cost us in certain matches. We secured a huge victory, coming back from a 15-point deficit in the last five or six minutes. We have also won some crucial home games by turning the match around in the final moments, particularly in the fourth quarter. However, there were games we wanted to win but didn’t, such as against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. The situation is different with Olympiacos. We want to win every game, and there are certain away matches where we definitely wanted the win. Still, we have earned some significant road victories in tough arenas and have managed to keep our home court undefeated for the past several months. That is exactly what we aim to do again tomorrow—secure a major victory. For us, this is a final. It will be a very difficult game."

## Thursday, March 27

### LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:00 CET)

**Bryant Dunston, Zalgiris Kaunas center**

"We've got to play with energy. I know it's a double week and we played an overtime game, a very emotional game, but we've got to lock in and continue to play our type of game: defensive, aggressive. In general, play with a bit more anger. I think the first game we played against them, they were really physical – they're long and athletic, they like to get up and down, so we have to try to take that away a little bit with our physicality. Also, teams that like to run don't like to get run on, so we'll have to control the tempo too, even though we're on the road."

### Olympiacos Piraeus vs. AS Monaco (20:15 CET)

**Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach**

"The available players will be the same as yesterday, with the addition of Giannoulis Larentzakis. Vassilis \[Spanoulis\] has returned here before, as an opponent with Peristeri, and now he is with a very strong, competitive EuroLeague team, and he’s doing excellently, in my opinion. Everyone will be happy to see him here, but you understand that my job ends there. For better or worse, he is our opponent now, and we need to win. Maybe we can compare the two teams, but ASVEL beat Monaco two days ago on the road. Right now, everything is about approach, the day, and how you shoot the ball. Yesterday, we missed nine layups, had our lowest two-point shooting percentage of the season, and went 9 for 30 from three, with 10 to 12 being completely open shots from good shooters. All these things matter. In my opinion, how you shoot the ball at this level, where defenses protect the paint well, is always important."

**Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus forward**

"I think Monaco has a ton of talent. They are a very good team, fighting for home-court advantage, with an excellent coach. We had a long time without two consecutive losses, if I’m not mistaken, so we need to bounce back, play the basketball that got us here, and not lose another game at home. We know what went wrong, what we didn’t do well, and the good thing is that we play right away, so we’ll go and try to win this game."

**Elie Okobo, AS Monaco guard**

"The next three games are extremely important. And that starts tomorrow. Olympiacos have already qualified, and we still have a lot to prove and achieve to qualify, while making sure we benefit from home advantage. It's going to be a war, and that's what we're preparing for: a big fight. They're a team that plays well collectively, and they're very good defensively, with their inside men causing a lot of trouble. It's up to all of us to come together and fight back. We need to stop talking and do everything we can on the pitch to put in a string of good performances."

### FC Bayern Munich vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:30 CET)

**Gordie Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach**

"If we are still thinking about Barcelona when facing a strong team like Partizan, we have a problem. That kind of mistake often happens in sports, and we need to keep that in mind when playing in front of our fans."

**Elias Harris, FC Bayern Munich center**

"But a win like the one at Barça is only possible with a strong team effort. We have to stay focused on the next game – it doesn’t help to start looking at the standings and doing the math now."

**Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach**

"Bayern is a team that plays exceptionally well at home, but they also play well away from home. Last night they beat Barcelona away. The key will be defense, first of all, on their three-point shooters. They have a lot of players who are able to shoot from distance and do it in transition, and when they get a rebound in the attack, they immediately go for the three-point shot. A difficult game awaits us, but we will try to prepare and be at the same energy level as we were against ALBA."

**Carlik Jones, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard**

"I expect a tough game. We beat them easily here, so I expect them to play hard and try to get some revenge on us."

### EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. FC Barcelona (20:30 CET)

**Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach**

"We face an offensively gifted team, because of their guards and also other efficient players such as Jabari Parker, for example. Against this kind of team showing a defene consistent with the level of the competition and the all-important game we are about to play will be mandatory to increase our chances."

**Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach**

"We have this day to get together again, talk about everything and know that the competition continues. It was very hard, obviously. \[Chimezie Metu\]'s injury and losing a game we had under control, but we still have all the options. \[Milan is a\] direct rival. We have the opportunity to remain in contention to reach the playoffs. We have to rely on the strength that the team has shown throughout the season. Tomorrow is a day to be more united than ever and bring out all our ambition and fight."

**Justin Anderson, FC Barcelona forward**

"Unfortunately this \[latest injury, this time for Chimezie Metu\] is something that's not new for us. We've had to deal with it with Lapro, with Vesely currently, with Nunez, so we've kind of become immune to it. Whoever is available, play hard, play together, and play for each other. This is something that we've kind of got used to this season. Hopefully we're done with this. It's going to be difficult, but we've got a job to do and we want to make those guys happy through their recovery process. Our job is to make sure we put ourselves in a position to go out and represent the name on our chest."

Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 32 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Pregame quotes hub: 'We're playing in Riga, my hometown, so it will be a special game for me'

AS Monaco’s main man in Thursday’s thrilling win at Olympiacos Piraeus was Jaron Blossomgame.

Jaron Blossomgame hungry for more after leading Monaco past Olympiacos

[AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) boasts an enviable roll call of superstars, starting on the bench where head coach [Vassilis Spanoulis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vassilis-spanoulis/juo/) ranks as arguably the greatest legend of 21st century European basketball.

Then there’s [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/), who last year succeeded Spanoulis as the competition’s all-time leading scorer; his backcourt teammate [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/), the man sitting atop both the all-time assists and steals charts; and recent signing [Daniel Theis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/daniel-theis/004132/), who is making waves back in his home continent after a long career in the NBA.

However, Monaco’s main man in [Thursday’s thrilling win at Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/spanouliss-monaco-downs-olympiacos-77-80/) – which confirmed a top-10 finish and left the Roca Team in control of its own top-four destiny – was none of those illustrious names, but instead one of the roster’s lesser celebrated members: [Jaron Blossomgame](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaron-blossomgame/011231/).

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚀 Career-high pour Jaron Blossomgame en Euroleague ! 🌟<br><br>🏹 18 points (record)<br>💢 5 rebonds<br>📊 21 PIR<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JaronBgame?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaronBgame</a> <a href="https://t.co/ViSZeq51b9">pic.twitter.com/ViSZeq51b9</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1905373653920817560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The veteran forward, who is in his third season with Monaco, netted 18 points to lead his team and set a new personal EuroLeague best, also showing his toughness by grabbing 5 rebounds and spending a team-high 34 minutes on the floor – just two days after he played for nearly 38 minutes in [Tuesday’s overtime win over Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-survives-overtime-thriller-against-zalgiris-96-86/).

But the modest Blossomgame was in no mood to accept individual plaudits, instead piling the praise on his teammates, as he told EuroLeague TV: “We knew what the challenge was coming in here to play this \[Olympiacos\] team, and my guys stayed together.

“We fought the whole game, it wasn’t easy but we did play Monaco basketball. Mike \[James\] was incredible with \[12\] assists, everybody did a lot of things for us tonight and that’s the beauty of our team, we have so many guys who can help us and we did it tonight.”

Jaron Blossomgame highlights against Olympiacos

The 32-year-old is far from finished, though, reflecting the unavoidable awareness of all players at the top clubs that the playoffs are just around the corner.

Monaco needs to win at least one of its two remaining games to secure a top-four finish and consequently enjoy home-court advantage in the playoffs, which historically gives roughly a 75% chance of advancing to the Final Four.

With Round 33 delivering a testing visit from reigning champion [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) before a final day French League derby at [LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/asv/), nothing can be taken for granted. And Blossomgame is already looking ahead to what comes next, saying: “We want to finish the season strong and get some momentum going for the playoffs.

“It's one game at a time. It's a huge win tonight, but we have another big one next week with Panathinaikos coming to town. So we'll celebrate this tonight and then refocus for the next game.”

Leading that process, of course, is Spanoulis, who is guiding his team into a serious title challenge in his very first season on the job. And Blossomgame predictably expressed his total confidence in the coach, enthusing: “He’s a very passionate guy, very energetic, he loves the game of basketball and that pours out onto the court among the team.

“He’s our leader, we look at him and we go through him. We’re happy to have him here and he’s done a great job so far.”

A great job so far… but Blossomgame knows it’s far from finished.

The veteran forward is targeting a top-four finish for the Roca Team

FC Bayern Munich trailed for much of the first half but turned the matchup on its head late in the third quarter, as Carsen Edwards netted 10 of his 25 points in the third period to help the home team grab a 65-63 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Carsen Edwards led Bayern’s charge against Partizan 

[FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/) coasted into the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague postseason with two games to spare after an emphatic [89-74 home win against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-beats-partizan-89-74-books-postseason-berth/) lifted the German champs to 19-13 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

The result capped a perfect week for Bayern, which ground out [a shock 101-102 win at FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/bayern-rallies-for-101-102-victory-in-barcelona/) on Tuesday and is now in contention for a top-four finish following yet another mature performance when the chips were down.

Bayern trailed for much of the first half but turned the matchup on its head late in the third quarter, as [Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) netted 10 of his 25 points in the third period to help the home team grab a 65-63 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

The hosts never looked back in the fourth and shot the lights out to force Partizan into submission, sinking 13 of 26 from deep through the contest while containing the visitors to 7-of-29 shooting on the back of steely defense in a frantic home stretch.

Carsen Edwards (25 points) Highlights vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet, 03/27/2025

Carsen Edwards scored 25 points in Round 32 against Partizan

“I am happy we got the win and I just hope we stay healthy and finish the season strong,” a delighted Edwards said in his postgame comments, having initially been unaware that Bayern had booked its postseason ticket.

“Wow, I didn’t know that,” he said. “We struggled with rebounding in the first half so we were looking to get a couple of stops in the second.”

[Shabazz Napier,](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shabazz-napier/011224/) who was also instrumental with some sublime assists, added: “When you play against Partizan, you know you’re going to have a fight on your hands. We showed resilience today, thriving on the big win against Barcelona in the previous round.”

The success was a fitting reward for head coach Gordon Herbert, who transformed Bayern into a force to be reckoned with after taking over during the off-season following a historic feat of winning the 2023 World Cup with Germany.

The 66-year-old tactician seems to have instilled a new level of confidence while bringing a wealth of experience from a lifetime on the sidelines, having started his coaching career in 1994 at Finnish campaigners Korihait.

Herbert acknowledged that a 13-2 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth was decisive as Bayern overturned a 54-61 deficit and took the game by the scruff of the neck in the home straight. 

“We were searching for energy in the opening 27 minutes and fortunately, the group which was on the court late in the third quarter did a great job,” Herbert said.

“We were down by 7 points and after they tied the game, we took off in the fourth. The defense did a great job and then we got connected as a team and brought it home. It was a team effort as everybody chipped in so all the credit to our players.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/00ZLAAy1vf">pic.twitter.com/00ZLAAy1vf</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1905374167400067173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In contrast, Partizan now faces a mountain to climb if the Serbian side is to sneak into the postseason, facing must-win games at [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2024-25) and at home to [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2024-25) while also needing some other results to go its way in the run-in.

Partizan had its fate firmly in its own hands just a few weeks ago when it was in the postseason picture on a 15-12 record, but four defeats in the last five games have derailed its topsy-turvy campaign which got off to a dreadful 2-8 start before a 13-4 streak had put it back on track.

The playmaker was instrumental in dismantling the Serbian team’s challenge