EuroLeague top photos of the week

Look back at all the action from Rounds 4 and 5 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos of the week: Rounds 4 and 5

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz has announced the signing of Kobi Simmons, who has penned a two-month contract that includes an option to extend it until the end of the 2025-26 season.

Baskonia signs Kobi Simmons on initial two-month contract

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) has announced the signing of Kobi Simmons, who has penned a two-month contract that includes an option to extend it until the end of the 2025-26 season.

Simmons (1.96 meters, 28 years old) joins Baskonia at a time when the team is dealing with an injury crisis in its backcourt, with [Trent Forrest and Markus Howard both sidelined](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonia-trent-forrest-markus-howard-sidelined-for-several-weeks/) for several weeks.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">✍️ Kobi Simmons refuerza el puesto de base de Baskonia<br><br>📰<a href="https://t.co/DRUuAlV1W9">https://t.co/DRUuAlV1W9</a><br><br>El jugador estadounidense se une a las filas baskonistas con un contrato de dos meses y llegará en los próximos días a Vitoria-Gasteiz. Ongi etorri, Kobi! <a href="https://t.co/C4JcR9Fzhx">pic.twitter.com/C4JcR9Fzhx</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1979505071911006236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The American guard last played for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the Chinese League, averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds last season. Simmons has made 42 appearances in the NBA during his career, playing 32 times for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2017-18, the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018-19, the Charlotte Hornets in 2022-23, and the Toronto Raptors in 2023-24. His career averages in the NBA stand at 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

More Baskonia News

His arrival comes after the injuries suffered to Trent Forrest and Markus Howard

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has announced that Arturs Zagars suffered a hamstring injury during the team's Round 5 win against FC Bayern Munich on Thursday night.

Fenerbahce: Arturs Zagars dealing with hamstring issue

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) has announced that [Arturs Zagars](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arturs-zagars/008104/) suffered a hamstring injury during the team's [Round 5 win against FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-bounces-back-with-big-win-over-bayern-to-get-on-track/) on Thursday night.

The 25-year-old underwent examinations at Medicana Atasehir Hospital and it was confirmed that a second-degree injury was detected in his right hamstring muscle. As confirmed by Fenerbahce, Zagars has already begun his treatment. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Arturs Zagars’ın sağlık durumu hakkında bilgilendirme<br><br>Oyuncumuz Arturs Zagars, 16 Ekim Perşembe günü oynanan Bayern Münih karşılaşmasında hamstring bölgesinden sakatlık yaşamıştır.<br><br>Sporcumuzun Medicana Ataşehir Hastanesi’nde yapılan kontrollerinin ardından sağ hamstring kasında… <a href="https://t.co/LncIfKttA9">pic.twitter.com/LncIfKttA9</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1979566963908026725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Latvian point guard has made two EuroLeague appearances for Fenerbahce so far this season, having appeared in Rounds 4 and 5. In those two games, he averaged 7.5 points and 2.5 assists.

More Fenerbahce News

A massive individual performance in a dramatic comeback win has earned Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus the MVP honor for Round 5 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Round 5 MVP: Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus

A massive individual performance in a dramatic comeback win has earned [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) of [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) the MVP honor for Round 5 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Vezenkov led Olympiacos to a stunning [94-95 road victory over Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/sasha-vezenkov-olympiacos-stole-victory-from-maccabi/), helping his team erase a 12-point deficit in the final four minutes. The 30-year-old forward finished with 23 points, making 6-of-7 two-pointers, 2-of-5 three-pointers and all 5 of his free throws. He added 10 rebounds, 2 assists and drew 2 fouls for a performance index rating (PIR) of 31 – the highest in Round 5.

This marks Vezenkov’s second MVP of the Round award this season, making him the first player to achieve the feat in 2025-26. He also ties Nando De Colo of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne for the second-most MVP honors all-time with 16, trailing only Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, who has 19.

Two other players came close to the top PIR of the round. [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/), also of Olympiacos, and [Cedi Osman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/) of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens each recorded a PIR of 30. Milutinov tallied 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting inside the arc and 7-of-8 from the line, along with 5 rebounds and 8 fouls drawn. Osman led Panathinaikos to an 81-95 road win over Efes with a career-high 29 points on 3-of-4 two-pointers, 6-of-10 threes and 5-of-6 free throws, adding 5 rebounds and 5 fouls drawn.

Rounding out the top individual performances of Round 5 were [Dan Oturu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dan-oturu/012788/) of Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (PIR 29), and three players who each recorded a PIR of 28: [Arnas Butkevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/arnas-butkevicius/002676/) of Zalgiris Kaunas, [Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) of Virtus Segafredo Bologna and [Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) of Dubai Basketball. Oturu contributed 18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks in Hapoel’s narrow 88-89 road win over Paris Basketball. Butkevicius tallied 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals in Zalgiris’s 78-89 loss to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Edwards exploded for a career-high 36 points, adding 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal in Virtus’s 83-90 victory at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Petrusev delivered 23 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block to lead Dubai past FC Barcelona, 83-78.

### Individual highs: Carsen Edwards, Virtus, 36 points

Carsen Edwards of Virtus led all scorers in Round 5 with 36 points. That ties the season-high mark originally set by Wade Baldwin of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Edwards is now among the top scorers in the competition, while Nadir Hifi of Paris remains the EuroLeague’s overall leader with 23.2 points per game.

Mfiondu Kabengele of Dubai pulled down a round-high 13 rebounds in Round 5. Despite that, Vezenkov retains the top spot on the season leaderboard, averaging 10.0 boards per game.

Kostas Sloukas of Panathinaikos dished a Round 5-best 12 assists. Sylvain Francisco of Zalgiris remains the EuroLeague assists leader at 6.6 per game.

Nikola Mirotic of AS Monaco collected 4 steals, the most by any player in Round 5. Hifi remains first in steals across the season, averaging 2.6 per game.

Khalifa Diop of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz led all players with 3 blocks in Round 5. Walter Tavares of Real Madrid continues to lead the league in blocks with 1.8 per night.

Six players registered double-doubles in Round 5: Kabengele (10 points, 13 rebounds), Vezenkov (23 points, 10 rebounds), Partizan’s Carlik Jones (18 points, 10 assists), Valencia’s Nate Reuvers (10 points, 10 rebounds), Paris’s Momo Faye (11 points, 10 rebounds), and Maccabi’s Jaylen Hoard (12 points, 10 rebounds).

Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv v Olympiacos Piraeus (2025-10-16T19:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul has confirmed that Ercan Osmani and Georgios Papagiannis will both spend time on the sidelines after sustaining injuries in the team's Round 5 defeat to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Friday night.

Efes: Ercan Osmani out three weeks, Georgios Papagiannis to miss eight months

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) has confirmed that [Ercan Osmani](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ercan-osmani/012710/) and [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) will both spend time on the sidelines after sustaining injuries in the team's [Round 5 defeat to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/career-best-osman-vintage-sloukas-lead-panathinaikos-over-efes/) on Friday night.

In the case of Osmani, he injured his left shoulder and is expected to be out for approximately three weeks.

Papagiannis's injury is more severe, however, as he injured his ACL. He will undergo surgery 'in the near future' and is projected to miss the next eight months. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Panathinaikos Aktor’u ağırladığımız karşılaşmada sol omzunda zedelenme meydana gelen Ercan Osmani’nin tedavisine başlanırken, oyuncumuzun yaklaşık 3 hafta sahalardan uzak kalması beklenmekte.<br><br>Kısa süre içerisinde sol dizindeki ön çapraz bağ yaralanması için ameliyatı… <a href="https://t.co/FW6SOCKSkq">pic.twitter.com/FW6SOCKSkq</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1979474190462746806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

They join injured center [Vincent Poirier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vincent-poirier/004887/) on the treatment table, with [the Frenchman having had knee surgery](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-timetable-for-poiriers-return-set-at-4-6-months/) in late August. At the time, Efes declared that Poirier would be out for four to six months.

More Efes News

Both players suffered injuries in Round 5

EuroLeague fans, we have our fifth winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Nikola Gajic beat everyone else in Round 5 with his team KK Paca, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 240.20.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 5 winner

EuroLeague fans, we have our fifth winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Nikola Gajic beat everyone else in Round 5 with his team KK Paca, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 240.20.

Nikola had the following lineup: Virtus Segafredo Bologna's Carsen Edwards as team captain, then Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's Wade Baldwin, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens's Cedi Osman, Olympiacos Piraeus's Sasha Vezenkov and Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv's Dan Oturu as his starters. Zalgiris Kaunas's Arnas Butkevicius was his sixth man. Nikola's bench players were AS Monaco's Matthew Strazel, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's Edwin Jackson, Virtus's Daniel Hackett, and FC Bayern Munich's Leon Kratzer. Fenerbahce play-caller Sarunas Jasikevicius was Nikola's head coach.

The prize for finishing first in Round 5 is a VIP EuroLeague TV Subscription for the 2026-27 Season, and an automatic entry to a lottery to win two tickets to the 2027 Final Four.

Trades are now open for Round 6 of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/). There are unlimited trades this week, so if you haven't made the start you had envisaged, you have a chance to reset your roster!

The first game of Round 6, Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv vs. Real Madrid, is scheduled to tip off on Wednesday, October 22 at 20:05 CEST. This marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner! To help with that, watch the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge podcast weekly on the [EuroLeague's YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@euroleague) and on all audio platforms.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager. 

Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv head coach Dimitris Itoudis attributed his team's clutch 88-89 win at Paris Basketball to team spirit and the roster's readiness. The visitors survived an incredibly fast-paced, back-and-forth battle at Adidas Arena, sealing the W in the closing seconds. The win moves Hapoel to 4–1 on the season.

Hapoel proves the value of roster depth in nail-biting win over Paris

“We need each other. We need each other!”

That was the passionate message from [Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/hapoel-ibi-tel-aviv/hta/) head coach [Dimitris Itoudis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/hapoel-ibi-tel-aviv/hta/itoudis-dimitris/) after his team pulled out a clutch 88-89 win over [Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/), a victory he attributed to team spirit and the roster's readiness.

The visitors survived an incredibly fast-paced, back-and-forth battle at Adidas Arena, sealing the W in the closing seconds. The win moves Hapoel to 4–1 on the season.

Facing off for the first time since January 2024, both teams played at a blistering pace from the opening tip. Momentum swung constantly, but when [Tyler Ennis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyler-ennis/008858/) hit two clutch free throws and [Elijah Bryant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/) came down with a key rebound, the game was decided.

Paris Basketball-Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Itoudis put full trust in his roster, with all but two listed players seeing at least 14 minutes of action. His faith paid off as five players reached double figures in scoring, spearheaded by center [Dan Oturu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dan-oturu/012788/), who impressed with 18 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks. 

Former Paris player [Collin Malcolm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/collin-malcolm/012609/) and [Tomer Ginat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tomer-ginat/010550/) drained crucial triples, [Antonio Blakeney](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/antonio-blakeney/013402/) packed a punch, while [Vasilije Micic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/vasilije-micic/002580/) set the pace for the road team early on. Itoudis was quick to praise how his bench stepped up and starters sacrificed.

“I would like to congratulate my team,” he said. “We proved that we have a deep roster. The game could have gone either way, but we kept believing in what we were doing. We had to dig, dig, dig deep into the bench. Tyler did a great job, AB did a great job – everybody who came in helped the starters. That is how we build character. Togetherness!”

Hapoel’s team-first mentality was evident throughout. The Israeli team totalled 20 assists through the contest and it played committed, swarming defense, limiting EuroLeague scoring leader [Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nadir-hifi/012640/) for much of the night. Another solid contributor for the victors was [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/johnathan-motley/011157/), who logged 11 points and hustled hard. The center also recognized the strength in depth and importance of personal sacrifice.

“They have a great team – they play hard and play together – so we had to match that intensity,” said Motley. “We've got a lot of players, so we have to sacrifice, help each other and be good when our name is called, I think we’re doing a good job.”

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It was a tough loss for Paris, which had taken the lead in the final minute. Hifi exploded in crunch time, and [Momo Faye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mouhamed-faye/012403/) made key plays on both ends to keep the hosts in it.

Head coach [Francesco Tabellini](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/tabellini-francesco/) trusts that his team can regroup, despite the gut-wrenching loss.

“For sure, we could have done something different, but we’ll watch the game and try to get better,” Tabellini said. “The game changed when Collin Malcolm made those two threes, and in that moment we missed a couple of good looks. That’s basketball – sometimes it hurts, and we’ll deal with the pain.”

Marching on as one unit, Hapoel has closed out a successful two-game week and will look to move to 5-1 when it faces AS Monaco next Thursday. 

Paris, meanwhile, will aim to bounce back next week when it takes on Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.

Game News

The EuroLeague newcomer is now 4-1 on the season, level with Panathinaikos for the best record in the league

Paris Basketball v Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (2025-10-17T18:45:00.000Z)

Just a week ago, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach Ergin Ataman was not a happy man. Fast forward just eight days and Panathinaikos now sits atop the EuroLeague standings with a 4–1 record after earning its third straight win – an 81–95 road victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Friday night.

Career-best Osman, vintage Sloukas lead Panathinaikos to win at Efes

Just a week ago, [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) head coach [Ergin Ataman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/ataman-ergin/) was not a happy man.

His team had pulled off [a buzzer-beating win in Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kendrick-nunn-heroics-break-the-curse-as-panathinaikos-grabs-long-awaited-win-in-vitoria/) thanks to reigning MVP [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/), but Ataman didn’t hold back in his post-game comments. He called the rest of the team’s performance “terrible”.

“With only one player, we cannot reach any of our goals,” he said at the time.

Fast forward just eight days and Panathinaikos now sits atop the EuroLeague standings with a 4–1 record after earning its third straight win – an 81–95 road victory over [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) on Friday night.

It looks like the message was received loud and clear.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Efes was hanging in the game until midway through the third quarter, closing within 49-51, and 52-57. But then, Sloukas, who already had double-digit assists, set up Osman’s third three-pointer of the night, which sparked a 0-16 run that opened a 21-point lead and the Greens never looked back as Osman seemed unstoppable, scoring 19 points in the second half.

“I think that’s just the confidence carrying since EuroBasket, really”, Osman pointed out after the win. “I've worked a lot. I know what I'm capable of, but also, thanks to my teammates they were finding me whenever I was open. They trusted me and I was knocking the shots down.”

“We shared the ball very well tonight,” Osman said about team’s 27 assists. “Everybody played great, especially in the second half. We were amazing. And our defense was great. And then, everybody contributed tonight. That was the most important thing. This is a very important win going forward, we need to keep playing the same way.”

“I’d like to congratulate [\[Kostas\] Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) because he had a great game with 12 assists. He organized everything,” Ataman told EuroLeague TV after the win at Efes. “And of course, [Cedi \[Osman\]](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/) had maybe his career game. He played very well.”

And they did it without needing Nunn, who had an off night.

He finished with just 2 points, 4 turnovers, and 3 personal fouls midway through the second quarter. He remained on the bench until midway through the fourth, with Panathinaikos already up by double digits and the result all but sealed.

No Nunn, no problem.

Osman stepped up in a big way against his former club. He poured in a career-high 29 points, hitting a personal-best 6 of 10 from three-point range. Sloukas, meanwhile, orchestrated the offense with 12 assists – just one shy of his career high. The four-time EuroLeague champion was in full command.

Efes kept it close into the third quarter, pulling within 49–51 and later 52–57.

But then Sloukas set up Osman for his third three of the night, sparking a game-changing 0–16 run. Panathinaikos suddenly led by 21, and the Greens never looked back.

Osman was unstoppable in the second half, scoring 19 of his 29 points after the break.

“I think that’s just the confidence carrying over from EuroBasket, really,” Osman said after the game. “I’ve worked a lot. I know what I’m capable of. But also, thanks to my teammates – they were finding me whenever I was open. They trusted me, and I was knocking the shots down.”

“We shared the ball very well tonight,” he added, referencing the team’s 27 assists. “Everybody played great, especially in the second half. We were amazing. And our defense was great. Everybody contributed tonight. That was the most important thing. This is a very important win moving forward – we need to keep playing the same way.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unstoppable. Relentless. On fire from start to finish. <a href="https://twitter.com/cediosman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cediosman</a> was on 🔥 tonight!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Club1908?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Club1908</a> <a href="https://t.co/GsbK539qh3">pic.twitter.com/GsbK539qh3</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1979276616292327892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Despite the strong showing, the night was overshadowed by injuries to two Efes big men.

Center [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) suffered a nasty-looking knee injury in the second quarter and was carted off the floor in a wheelchair. That came shortly after big man [Ercan Osmani](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ercan-osmani/012710/) exited the game with a shoulder injury just 2 minutes and 32 seconds into the first quarter.

The game quickly turned into a small-ball battle.

“Our guards played better tonight than Efes’s guards,” Ataman pointed out.

“After \[the injuries\], the game started to be strange,” he added. “They started to play with five guards. They only used [Rolands Smits](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rolands-smits/007109/), and he had a problem on the pick-and-roll defense.”

Sloukas, however, didn’t find it strange at all. He read the floor perfectly and exploited every gap in Efes’s improvised setup.

“Sloukas is very smart – he sees the spacing of a player rolling or a player getting an open shot,” Ataman said. “And we played smart. We moved the ball in the last quarter and kept control of the game.”

It helped Omer Yurtseven score 15 points in the first half, while Richaun Holmes finished with 10. It was a complete team performance as Panathinaikos won its third game in a row.

Up next: a trip to Bologna to face Virtus, with the Greens riding high.

The Greens pulled out a big win in a tactically unusual game

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-10-17T17:30:00.000Z)

It was a long wait for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade but the Serbian team finally ended its winless spell at Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz, forcing the Spanish outfit into submission on its home court for the first time since October 2001.

Partizan breaks 24-year old jinx to grab first road win of the season

It was a long wait for [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/) but the Serbian team finally ended its winless spell at [Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/), forcing the Spanish outfit into submission on its home court for the first time since October 2001.

Partizan prevailed 79-91 on the back of a super-strong finish as it produced a 2-14 run to close out an electrifying contest, with the hosts erasing a 47-63 deficit in the third quarter to set up a grandstand home stretch when they simply ran out of gas.

Smarting from [a timid 93-86 reverse at Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/los-blancos-turned-to-lyles-debutant-maledon-in-win-over-partizan/) earlier this week, the visitors headed into the game like their lives depended on it and rose to the occasion, as [Carlik Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carlik-jones/013369/) paced Partizan on 18 points and [Duane Washington](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/duane-washington/013370/) added 17 while [Jabari Parker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jabari-parker/012745/) chipped in with 14 and 9 boards.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | Round 5 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

[Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) underlined a smooth team effort with 10 points and 7 rebounds as Partizan sank 10-of-18 three-pointers and racked up 36 boards, 13 of which were on the offensive end. Coach Zeljko Obradovic was pleased with the effort, but for a several-minute barren spell in the third quarter which allowed Baskonia to catch up.

“We played really well but then we got nervous and they came back because they are a team that fights,” Obradovic said in his post-game comments. “We had an excellent momentum in the last three minutes of the game and it was necessary to win it. It’s a very competitive season, anyone can beat anybody, and hence every win is massive.”

Carlik Jones produced his best EuroLeague performance of the season and pulled the strings alongside Washington, whose three-point play followed by a clutch shot from downtown in the closing stages put Partizan out of sight against battling Baskonia.

Jones hailed the collective team effort in which Parker and Washington stood out, as Partizan shared the ball selflessly to generate 19 assists against just 8 turnovers.

“It was a big win for us and I give a lot of credit to my teammates for trusting me and the coach trusted me too,” the livewire point guard said. “It wasn’t just me, a lot of guys stepped up like Jabari (Parker) and Wash (Duane Washington). Baskonia made a run and but we got stops and handled it well.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">WIN!✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/zFtbfUY57L">pic.twitter.com/zFtbfUY57L</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1979303709843820868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Having endured a patchy season last term, Washington served up arguably his most mature EuroLeague performance for Partizan and came up big when the chips were down.  

“We held it together and found some offensive rhythm in the last half of the fourth quarter after they made some tough shots,” he said. “The loss (to Real Madrid) earlier this week made us feel we weren’t playing like ourselves but we got another opportunity today to show who we are. We had a good game plan, we knew what was at stake and how hard they were going to play.”

Baskonia head coach Paolo Galbiati had no complaints. “We competed, we put everything on the floor but it wasn’t enough,” he told the post-game press conference. “We struggled defensively because of their size and they also punished us for missing some open shots.”  

The visitors forced Baskonia into submission with a strong finish after hosts had erased a 16-point deficit

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2025-10-17T18:45:00.000Z)