Joel Parra had a career night as FC Barcelona beat Fenerbahçe Beko on the road in Round 33.

Joel Parra powered Barcelona’s crucial comeback in Istanbul

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) headed into Wednesday’s penultimate regular-season meeting with [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) locked in a five-way tie for sixth place, and it ensured it will stay in that position heading into the final week by grabbing [a vital 75-83 road victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-downs-fenerbahce-for-key-road-win-75-83/).

For a long time, that didn’t look likely. Fenerbahce took control of the game in the second quarter and stretched the advantage to 15 points, 69-54, midway through the third.

Defeat would have left Barcelona with very slim hopes of securing a top-six finish, instead probably condemning the *Blaugrana* to the perils of the play-in, so there was no lack of motivation for Joan Penarroya’s men to summon a major comeback.

And that’s exactly what transpired thanks to a 9-21 fourth quarter, sparked by a 0-11 run which kept Fenerbahce scoreless for nearly 5 minutes and allowed the visiting team to take control for good.

The unexpected hero during that key phase of the game was [Joel Parra](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-parra/007464/). The former Joventut Badalona forward’s playing time has significantly increased following injuries to Jan Vesely and Chimezie Metu, and he made the very most of his opportunity by netting 11 points in the final period, finishing with his first-ever EuroLeague double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, also taking a career-high 3 steals to compile a personal-best PIR of 26.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚 ha superat els seus millors registres a l’Eurolliga en rebots (12) i en valoració (26) ✅<br><br>Els anteriors registres van ser 7 rebots, aconseguits aquest any en el duel del passat 27 de març contra l&#39;Armani Milà, i 23 de valoració, aconseguits el passat 27 de… <a href="https://t.co/5IU1YGP7wm">pic.twitter.com/5IU1YGP7wm</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1907537522697318560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Parra, who turns 25 on Friday, stayed modest after the game as he insisted that collective effort and a defense that allowed only 25 second half points, rather than his heroics, were the keys to the victory.

“I only play for the team, thinking of the win that the team needs,” he said. “I bring my energy on defense, take the rebounds, that’s it. It’s a great win, we needed this win, I’m so happy for the team, but the work is not finished.

“I think the key is to play like in the second half. In the first half we didn’t play with energy, we let Fenerbahce play easily. In the second half we brought a lot of energy on defense. We have a good team, offensively we have 90 points per game, but when we don’t have defense it’s more difficult. When we are focused on the game and thinking of the defense, the offense is easy.”

Barcelona knows that not all its direct rivals can win this week, with matchups between Real Madrid-Paris Basketball and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Anadolu Efes Istanbul ensuring that two of them will lose.

That does, of course, also mean that two of them will win so, however those results fall, Barcelona will still hold a share of sixth place when the final round rolls around – on paper, a very winnable home game against lowly Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

And that’s not all: with AS Monaco and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, currently third and fourth, facing each other on Thursday night, there’s still a chance that Barcelona could finish fourth and take home-court advantage for the playoffs, because it holds the head-to-head advantage over both those teams – although that also requires FC Bayern Munich, which has head to head over Barcelona, to lose twice.

So there are plenty of permutations and it’s impossible to state with any confidence exactly where Barcelona will finish the regular season. What can be said, however, is that the Spanish team’s chances of avoiding the play-in and advancing directly into the playoffs have been significantly boosted by Wednesday’s win.

And with more of the will to win shown especially by Parra in the fourth quarter at Fenerbahce, there’s no limit to how the season might end.

Game News

The forward scored 11 fourth-quarter points as his team turned around a 15-point deficit

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v FC Barcelona (2025-04-02T17:45:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona overturned a 15-point deficit to grab a vital road victory, 75-83, at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 33 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Barcelona downs Fenerbahce for key road win, 75-83

FC Barcelona overturned a 15-point deficit to grab a vital road victory, 75-83, at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Wednesday night. Barcelona improved to 19-14 to boost its playoff hopes, while Fenerbahce dropped to 22-11 after ending an eight-game home winning streak.

The opening stages were closely contested before Fenerbahce dominated the second quarter for a solid halftime lead, 50-39. But Barca rallied after the break and flew into the lead with a 0-11 fourth-quarter run which ultimately proved enough. 

Joel Parra was the inspiration with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Jabari Parker top-scored with 24 points. Tomas Satoransky added 15 points and Willy Hernangomez scored 10. Nigel Hayes-Davis paced the hosts with 20 points, and Wade Baldwin netted 14.

Game Videos

Parker’s triple gave Barca a fast start, before Hayes-Davis and Tarik Biberovic provided Fenerbahce’s first lead. Satoransky’s threeball was answered by Marko Guduric’s layup, before Youssoupha Fall and Baldwin traded midrange scores for a 10-10 tie. Arturs Zagars struck from deep and Devon Hall added a layup, but free throws kept Barca close, 17-16. Dario Brizuela and Kevin Punter netted their first field goals, before Khem Birch and Bonzie Colson made it 23-21 after ten minutes.

Three-pointers from Hayes-Davis and Biberovic pushed Fener further ahead, 31-23, but Barca fought back inside through Parra, Hernangomez and Punter. Biberovic and Parra scored at the rim, before Baldwin took over with seven straight points for a double-digit lead, 42-31. Justin Anderson’s driving layup rescued Barca, but Colson added a three-pointer and Hall netted a fadeaway jumper. Parker scored three quick baskets, helping make it 50-39 at the break.

Parker’s layup and Satoransky’s triple narrowed the gap early in the third, but jumpers from Sanli and Hayes-Davis stretched the lead to 59-44. Barca bounced back with two baskets apiece from Hernangomez and Satoransky, making it 61-55. Punter’s midrange strike completed a 2-13 run, but Baldwin reignited Fener from deep. The visitor kept pushing with Parker’s transition layup, but Hayes-Davis netted again for a 66-62 lead to finish the quarter.

Parra’s three-point play plus a technical free throw tied the game early in the fourth, and Parra’s dunk followed by Parker’s triple made it 68-73. Parra stayed hot with a tip-in, before Nicolo Melli ended Fener’s five-minute drought and a 0-11 run. Parra threw down another slam for a 70-77 lead with 3 minutes remaining and added a fastbreak layup to seal the deal despite Hayes-Davis striking from deep.

The Spanish team delivered a big fourth quarter to keep its top-four hopes alive

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas returns with 25th anniversary specials!

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas opens a special season that will focus on the EuroLeague's 25th anniversary. With a one-hour format of exclusive interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is an award-winning podcast that goes beyond what happened on the court and tells behind-the-scenes stories, some of them for the first time! In this first episode, Arlauckas hosts Coach David Blatt and Tyrese Rice, who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown in 2014.

Coach Blatt and Rice join Arlauckas for an insightful, relaxed conversation about how Maccabi became a EuroLeague champion against all odds. The team struggled at first and Rice was close to parting ways with Maccabi. He was ready to join EA7 Emporio Armani Milan when he learned he had to replace lifelong friend MarQuez Haynes. Rice joked about his "irrational confidence".

Inevitably, talk rolled around to Rice's game-winning shot in the semifinals against CSKA Moscow. Coach Blatt laughed about the teams' previous matchup in Moscow, when he was awarded the Russian Federation’s Order of Friendship right before losing by 35 points.

Arlauckas, Rice and Coach Blatt also talked about Game 1 of the playoff series against Milan, in which Maccabi rallied from a 12-point deficit to force overtime and steal the home-court advantage, and, of course, the championship game, which Maccabi won in overtime. Real Madrid was the favorite but Maccabi found a way.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, iTunes, Audioboom, Spotify, Deezer, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, CastBox, iVoox and other platforms.

Joe Arlauckas hosts Maccabi legends David Blatt and Tyrese Rice in this season's first episode

One team has managed to stand out from the rest, thanks to the remarkable form they've shown in recent weeks. That team is none other than Anadolu Efes Istanbul.


Five reasons why Efes is the hottest EuroLeague team right now

We’ve now reached the most critical stretch of the regular season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. With just two games remaining, we are witnessing an exceptionally intense battle for the top four, the Playoffs, and the Play-In Showdown at an unprecedented level.

Naturally, at this point in the season, every team is fighting hard to reach their goals. However, one team specifically has managed to stand out from the rest, thanks to the remarkable form they've shown in recent weeks.

As you might have guessed, that team is none other than Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Read more [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1806087/five-reasons-why-anadolu-efes-is-the-hottest-euroleague-team-right-now/).

No team in the EuroLeague is hotter than Efes. Eurohoops takes a closer look at the key reasons behind the Turkish side’s recent surge

Virtus Segafredo Bologna announced on Wednesday it has extended the contract with head coach Dusko Ivanovic for the next season. 

Virtus renews head coach Dusko Ivanovic

Virtus Segafredo Bologna announced on Wednesday it has extended the contract with head coach [Dusko Ivanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/ivanovic-dusko?season=E2024) for the next season. Ivanovic replaced Luca Banchi in early December, signing the contract until the end of this season, and now is set to lead the club in the 2025-26 campaign, too.

Ivanovic's first game on Virtus bench was in Round 15, having taken over a team with a 2-12 record. Ivanovic won in his debut at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on a [miracle four-point play](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/videos/mm-bas-vir-tae2425-rs15/) from [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/).

Virtus won three of the first four games with Ivanovic on the bench, and five of the first eight, before going on a nine-game losing streak, which ended last week with [a record-breaking win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/virtus-set-all-time-marks-in-44-point-win-at-alba/) at ALBA Berlin. In the Italian League, Virtus is in a share of the first place with a 17-7 record.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊𝐎 𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐈 🧢<br>Coach Dusko Ivanovic rinnova e sarà ancora il nostro allenatore anche per la prossima stagione 🤍🖤 <a href="https://t.co/WaG9lAFDgo">pic.twitter.com/WaG9lAFDgo</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1907359721939435523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Prior to Virtus, Ivanoviccoached Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, a team he led in four different stints. Over the years, Ivanovic helped Baskonia win the Spanish championship in 2002, 2010 and 2020, Spanish Cups in 2002, 2004 and 2009 and reach the EuroLeague Finals in 2001 and the EuroLeague Championship Game in 2005, losing against Virtus and Maccabi Tel Aviv, respectively.

Ivanovic started his coaching career with Benetton Fribourg of Switzerland, and also coached Limoges CSP of France, FC Barcelona of Spain, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens of Greece, Khimki Moscow Region of Russia, Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul of Turkiye and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade of Serbia.

In his first three years as a full-time head coach, Ivanovic led Fribourg to back-to-back Swiss League titles in 1998 and 1999 and lifted the French League and the Korac Cup trophies with Limoges in 2000. Ivanovic won another Spanish Cup with Barca in 2007, a Greek Cup with Panathinaikos in 2015, and the Serbian League and Cup double with Zvezda in 2023.

As a player, Ivanovic helped Split win back-to-back EuroLeague championships in 1989 and 1990.

Ivanovic ranks fourth in all-time games coached in the EuroLeague with 398, only trailing Zeljko Obraovic (540), Ettore Messina (483) and Ergin Ataman (440). His coaching record is 220-178 (55.3%).

More Virtus News

Ivanovic will lead Virtus next season, too

The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals will once again bring together the world's top U18 basketball talents as part of the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four celebration, which will be held in Abu Dhabi this May

2024-25 NextGen Finals Teams and Calendar Announced

- Overtime Elite representing the USA and Dubai Basketball representing the Middle East to participate
- NextGen Finals to take place from May 22 to 25 in Abu Dhabi, alongside the EuroLeague Final Four

The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals will once again bring together the world's top U18 basketball talents as part of the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four celebration, which will be held in Abu Dhabi this May. This marks the second time a NextGen Tournament is hosted in the Middle East, following the successful 2023-24 Qualifier in Dubai. The NextGen Finals will be played at Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City, a premier sports complex known for hosting a wide range of sports events and activities.

The NextGen Finals, the world's premier club-based junior basketball event, will feature eight elite teams:

- Dubai Basketball
- EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
- FC Barcelona (Winner of NextGen Ulm)
- Mega SuperBet Belgrade (Winner of NextGen Istanbul)
- Overtime Elite
- Pole France INSEP Paris (Winner of NextGen Belgrade)
- Real Madrid
- Zalgiris Kaunas

This marks the second consecutive year an Overtime Elite representative will compete in the NextGen Finals. Overtime Elite, an elite U16 to U20 league, features many of the top young talents from the United States and beyond. The league, consisting of eight teams, recently completed its fourth season.

Dubai Basketball, a newly established project founded in 2024, has rapidly made its mark by securing participation in the ABA League. Their U18 team will represent the Middle East in its second consecutive NextGen Tournament appearance, following their role as hosts of a qualifier last season.

The eight teams will be divided into two groups:

- Group A: Mega SuperBet Belgrade, FC Barcelona, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Dubai Basketball
- Group B: Pole France INSEP Paris, Real Madrid, Zalgiris Kaunas and Overtime Elite

See the full game schedule below.

A combined total of nine U18 continental trophies have been won by the clubs participating in the NextGen Finals. Real Madrid enters as the reigning champion, having edged out INSEP by a single point (85-84) in last year’s final in Berlin. Real Madrid has claimed the title in 2023, 2015, 2019, and 2021, while INSEP was crowned champion in 2010 and 2017. Barcelona secured the European championship in 2016, and Mega won its first title in 2022.

Fans attending the NextGen Finals in Abu Dhabi or watching via the EuroLeague’s official YouTube channel will enjoy 12 group-stage games over the first three days (Thursday, May 22, to Saturday, May 24) at the Mubadala Arena. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, May 25, with the championship game between the two group winners.

Tickets for the NextGen Finals will be available for purchase during the following weeks.

This season marks the 23rd edition of the NextGen. Some of the biggest names in basketball have passed through the competition, including future stars such as Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Kristaps Porzingis, Domantas Sabonis, Milos Teodosic, Vasilije Micic, Nikola Mirotic, Donatas Motiejunas, Dario Saric, Jonas Valanciunas, Omri Casspi, Luigi Datome and Goga Bitadze, among others.

2024-25 NextGen Finals teams and calendar announced

Trent Forrest, the first-year guard of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, opens up about the life in Europe, and talks about his upbringing, his family, adjustments he needed to make in Europe, on and off the court, the quality of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, and a lot more.

Trent Forrest: 'EuroLeague fans are very into the game'

Trent Forrest, the first-year guard of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, talks about his upbringing, family, adjustments he needed to make in Europe, on and off the court, the quality of the EuroLeague and its fans, and a lot more.

Baskonia playmaker opens up about the life in Europe and his experiences in the EuroLeague so far

This week's EuroLeague & Friends episode, featuring Deniz Aksoy, Milena Martin, Asta Zukaite and Aleksandra Radivojevic, sees the girls reflect on Nigel Hayes-Davis’s heroics, the excellence of TJ Shorts and Kendrick Nunn, the Top Scorer race, and much more.

EuroLeague & Friends: Hayes-Davis's role as a star player, TJ Shorts vs. Kendrick Nunn...

This week's EuroLeague & Friends episode, featuring [Deniz Aksoy](https://www.instagram.com/denizzaksoy/), [Milena Martin](https://www.instagram.com/milenagramm/), [Asta Zukaite](https://www.instagram.com/asta_zukaite/) and [Aleksandra Radivojevic](https://www.instagram.com/amazing__alex/), sees the girls reflect on Nigel Hayes-Davis’s heroics, the excellence of TJ Shorts and Kendrick Nunn, the Top Scorer race, and much more.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2025-04-04T18:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2025-04-04T18:30:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-04-04T18:00:00.000Z)

ALBA Berlin v Olympiacos Piraeus (2025-04-04T18:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Paris Basketball (2025-04-03T19:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v FC Bayern Munich (2025-04-03T18:30:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-04-03T17:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-04-03T17:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) to remain together through the end of the 2027-28 season, the club announced Tuesday afternoon. Punter (1.93 meters, 31 years old) joined Barca this season and is ranked sixth in the league with 17.1 points in 30 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances. He has made 40.9% of his three-point shots and 93.6% of his free throw attempts. Punter has also averaged 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.7 fouls drawn for a PIR of 16.7.

Kevin Punter's best plays of the 2024-25 campaign, his first season in Barcelona jersey

Kevin Punter's best plays in his first season in Barcelona jersey

Barca is the fifth team in Punter's EuroLeague career after previous stops with Olympiacos Piraeus, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. Punter is one of four EuroLeague players to play more than 150 games and average at least 15.0 points, along with Mike James, Alexey Shved and Marcus Brown. He has averages 15.0 points in 154 career games.

"One of the main factors, I would say, is the fact that we are building something, just the stability of the team, of us, is building something for the future," Punter said. "Obviously it is an up and down season but it still doesn't take away the fact that we have the chance to do some good things. I am enjoying myself on and off the court. My connection with my teammates and coaches and everyone around is going really, really well. I am happy and want to continue to be happy moving forward."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">✅ El Club s’assegura la continuïtat de l’escorta nord-americà per a les properes tres temporades<br><br>Tots els detalls de la renovació, aquí 👇<a href="https://t.co/32nuAOwDxF">https://t.co/32nuAOwDxF</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1907055448915636422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

During his career, Punter has also played for GS Lavrio and AEK Athens of Greece, Port of Antwerp Giants of Belgium, Rosa Radom of Poland and Virtus Segafredo Bologna of Italy. He helped AEK to win the Greek Cup and BCL titles in 2018 and lifted another BCL trophy with Virtus in 2019. Punter also added to his trophy case the Italian Cup with Milan in 2021 and the Adriatic League title with Partizan in 2023.

The veteran guard has averaged 15.0 points over 154 career EuroLeague games