Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade announced on Sunday afternoon that Tyson Carter has been hospitalized in Belgrade due to respiratory complications

Zvezda guard Tyson Carter has been hospitalized 

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade announced on Sunday afternoon that [Tyson Carter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyson-carter/profile/011305/) has been hospitalized in Belgrade due to respiratory complications. The guard, who joined the club over the summer, will undergo a thorough medical examination and more detailed information will be shared in the coming days.

Carter, 27, has averaged 14.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists over his first three EuroLeague appearances with Zvezda. This is his second EuroLeague campaign after debuting with Zenit St. Petersburg during the 2021-22 season.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sr" dir="ltr">КК Црвена звезда Меридианбет обавештава јавност да је првотимац наше екипе Тајсон Картер хоспитализован у Београду због респираторних компликација.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://t.co/xig6fjSF1J">https://t.co/xig6fjSF1J</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1977346351722532883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The 27-year-old was experiencing respiratory complications

EuroLeague top photos of the week

Look back at all the action from Rounds 3 of the regular season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos of the week: Round 3

Olympiacos Piraeus star forward Sasha Vezenkov reached the personal milestone of 3,000 EuroLeague points on Friday night, and now he can set his sights on climbing much higher up the competition’s all-time scoring charts.

3k Vezenkov rapidly rising up the scoring charts

[Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) star forward [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) reached the personal milestone of 3,000 EuroLeague points on Friday night, and now he can set his sights on climbing much higher up [the competition’s all-time scoring charts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/players/?size=30&viewType=traditional&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=All&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score).

The 2022-23 league MVP netted 25 points in [his team’s 86-67 victory over Dubai Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-home-opener-provides-reasons-to-believe/), earning MVP of the Round honors and taking his career total to 3,013 points, which sees him surpass [Alexey Shved](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alexey-shved/kvz/) (3,006) into 23rd place.

Next in line are a pair of retired Real Madrid legends, [Felipe Reyes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/reyes-felipe/aax/) (3,029) and [Rudy Fernandez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/fernandez-rudy/bmt/) (3,037), whose totals could well be exceeded by Vezenkov during the upcoming double-round week which will see Olympiacos welcome Anadolu Efes Istanbul next Tuesday before travelling to Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv on Thursday.

And judging by the form shown by Vezenkov against Dubai, that could be just the start of his rapid rise up the scoring list.

Olympiacos Piraeus-Dubai Basketball | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

He was particularly hot at the start of the second half, starting off by knocking down a buzzer-beating triple which took him to exactly 3,000 points. Vezenkov then put Shved in the rearview mirror by adding 10 more points in less than five minutes, and he continued to score regularly with his usual accuracy to finish with 25 points on 6-of-8 two-point shooting in addition to 3-of-6 triples.

In this season’s three games Vezenkov has now averaged 20.7 points, slightly better than last season’s 19.8 PPG average. It’s not asking too much to expect him to continue to score at roughly that rate, and with the league’s expansion to 20 teams adding another four regular-season games – plus up to seven more in the postseason – he could make another 42 appearances before the dust settles on May’s Final Four in Athens.

If that does transpire, around 40 games at roughly 20 points per game would take Vezenkov’s career total to more than 3,800 points – lifting him above the likes of [Paulius Jankunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jankunas-paulius/bwi/), [Kyle Hines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/hines-kyle/002812/), [Milos Teodosic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/milos-teodosic/jdr/) and esteemed former teammate [Georgios Printezis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/printezis-georgios/amm/) and comfortably into the all-time top 15.

Some of those above Vezenkov, of course, are still playing, so overtaking consistent scorers such as [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) (3,670 points and counting), [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) (3,544) and [Scottie Wilbekin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/scottie-wilbekin/006661/) (3,179) might prove too much to ask for this season.

<center>
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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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There’s no doubt, however, that Vezenkov will continue to propel himself up the scoring charts, and at the age of 30 he should have plenty of time to eventually overhaul all-time legends [Juan Carlos Navarro](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/navarro-juan-carlos/adi/) (4,152 points) and [Vassilis Spanoulis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/spanoulis-vassilis/juo/) (4,455).

Just don’t expect Vezenkov to shout too loud about his personal achievements, however. Speaking to [EuroLeague TV](http://EuroLeague.TV) after the game, the star forward displayed his customary modesty as he reflected: “I was feeling good. I work hard and I was seeing the game.

“But the most important thing is for the team to win. I don’t like to talk about myself. I’m ready to contribute, to give everything every night and I’m happy that we won this game.”

It doesn’t even matter that Vezenkov doesn’t like to talk about himself – he can leave that to the rest of us.

Game News

This season could see the Olympiacos star move past a number of superstars, past and present

Olympiacos Piraeus v Dubai Basketball (2025-10-10T18:15:00.000Z)

KK Crvena zvezda has announced the hiring of Sasa Obradovic as its new head coach.

Sasa Obradovic returns to Crvena Zvezda

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/) has announced the hiring of Sasa Obradovic as its new head coach. The length of the 56-year-old’s contract has not been disclosed. 

Obradovic replaces Ioannis Sfairopoulos on the Crvena Zvezda bench following the Greek coach's [dismissal on Thursday](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-parts-ways-with-coach-ioannis-sfairopoulos/). The Serbian tactician has a 98-94 record in the EuroLeague across four different clubs.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sr" dir="ltr">Нови тренер нашег првог тима од данас је и званично Саша Обрадовић, некадашњи првотимац и тренер нашег клуба.<br><br>Обрадовић је, велики део играчке каријере провео управо у Црвеној звезди за коју је играо у три наврата, а током пандемије ковида 2020. године био је и тренер… <a href="https://t.co/lW8XYOHQRu">pic.twitter.com/lW8XYOHQRu</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1976977039543476274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

EuroLeague fans last saw Obradovic coaching AS Monaco, which he led to the 2023 Final Four in Kaunas – the first time in club history that it had reached European basketball's premier event. He also guided Monaco to the playoffs in each of his three seasons in charge, while he parted ways with the club in mid-November last year after starting the season 6-4.

Curiously, the Serbian play-caller coached Crvena Zvezda in 2020-21 after arriving from Monaco, where he had led the team in the 2019-20 BKT EuroCup campaign. Now, history repeats itself as Obradovic heads back to the club of his heart after leaving Monaco.

Coach Sasa Obradovic masterclass from the 2025 EHCB Coaches Congress

A legendary figure for Yugoslavia during his playing days, Obradovic won a gold medal at the 1998 FIBA World Cup and also lifted the FIBA EuroBasket three times, doing so in 1995, 1997 and 2001. He and his teammates secured a bronze medal at the 1999 EuroBasket, and a silver at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Obradovic came through at Crvena Zvezda, playing there between 1988 and 1994, then again in 1999-2000. 

He also represented Limoges (1993-94), ALBA Berlin (1994-97), Virtus Roma (1997-99), Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2000-01), and RheinStars Koln (2001-05) as a player. 

His first experience as a head coach came with Koln (2005-08) before going on to lead Kyiv (2008-09), Turow Zgorzelec (2009-10), Donetsk (2010-12), ALBA (2012-16), Lokomotiv Kuban (2016-18), Monaco (2019-20), Crvena Zvezda (2020-21), and Monaco (2021-24).

More Crvena Zvezda News

He previously coached the Serbian club, which he previously represented as a player, during the 2020-21 campaign

A stunning individual performance in a winning effort allowed Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus to earn Round 3 MVP honors in the 2025-26 EuroLeague season with a round-high PIR of 34.

Round 3 MVP: Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus

A stunning individual performance in a winning effort allowed Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus to earn Round 3 MVP honors in the 2025-26 EuroLeague season with a round-high PIR of 34.

Vezenkov led Olympiacos to an 86-67 home victory over Dubai Basketball with 25 points on 6-of-8 two-pointers, 3-of-6 three-pointers and 4-of-6 free throws, adding 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 4 fouls drawn. He took home the MVP of the Round award for the 15th time in his EuroLeague career. Only Shane Larkin (19 times) and Nando De Colo (16) are ahead of him in the all-time standings.

Chima Moneke of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Kevin Punter of FC Barcelona each amassed a PIR of 31 in Round 3. Moneke led Zvezda to an 81-86 road victory over defending champions Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul with 20 points on 6-of-8 two-pointers, 1-of-2 three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws, in addition to posting 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 3 fouls drawn. Punter stood out in his team's 108-102 home win over Valencia Basket with 27 points on 8-of-10 two-pointers, 2-of-5 three-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws, while he also had 1 rebound, 7 assists and 4 fouls drawn.

Isaia Cordinier of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, with a PIR of 30, and Tyrique Jones of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, who amassed a PIR of 28, complete the top individual performances in Round 3. In Efes’s 93-87 defeat at Partizan, Cordinier amassed 24 points, having made 3-of-3 two-pointers, 3-of-3 three-pointers and 9-of-11 free throws, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 6 fouls drawn. Jones finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from two-point range and 4-of-5 free throws, 8 rebounds — including 5 on the offensive glass — 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 fouls drawn, all without committing a single turnover.

### Individual highs: Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos, 30 points

Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens was this week's top scorer with 30 points in an 84-86 road victory over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in which he hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer. Will Clyburn of Barcelona is the competition's top scorer at 21.7 points per game.

Crvena Zvezda's Moneke led all rebounders by pulling down 12 against Fenerbahce. Olympiacos center Nikola Milutinov ranks first overall at 11.3 per night.

Wade Baldwin of Fenerbahce and Sergio De Larrea of Valencia each had 8 assists, more than anyone else in Round 3. Baldwin and Trent Forrest of Baskonia are tied for first place overall at 7.3 assists per game.

Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball collected 4 steals to lead this round's standings. Hifi is now tied with Jimmy Clark of Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv atop the steals charts at 3.0 per night.

Donta Hall of Olympiacos had 3 blocks in his team's victory over Dubai Basketball. Sylvain Francisco of Zalgiris Kaunas and Walter Tavares of Real Madrid are tied for first place at 1.7 blocks per game.

Six players registered a double-double in Round 3: Moneke (20 points, 12 rebounds), Milutinov (13 points, 11 rebounds), Sasha Vezenkov (25 points, 11 rebounds), Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos (15 points, 10 rebounds), Daniel Theis of AS Monaco (17 points, 10 rebounds), and Tadas Sedekerskis of Baskonia (10 points, 10 rebounds).

The 30-year-old forward earned MVP of the Round honors for the 15th time in his career



We have our third winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 3 winner

EuroLeague fans, we have our third winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Uros Nesic beat everyone else in Round 3 with his team magaracbabA, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 239.75.

Uros had the following lineup: team captain Sasa Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus, then Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball, Daniel Theis of AS Monaco, as well as Isaac Bonga and Sterling Brown, both of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade as his starters. Andreas Obst of FC Bayern Munich was his sixth man. Uros's bench players were Bayern's Oscar da Silva, Donatas Motiejunas of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Nemanja Dangubic of Dubai Basketball and Armoni Brooks of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Francesco Tabellini of Paris Basketbll was the head coach.

The prize for finishing first in Round 3 is a VIP EuroLeague TV Subscription for the 2026-27 Season, and an automatic entry to a lottery to win 2x Tickets to the 2027 Final Four.

Trades are now open for Round 4 of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/). Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season. You can either trade up to four players, or a head coach and three players.

The first game of Round 4, Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv vs. FC Barcelona, is scheduled to tip off on Tuesday, October 14 at 19:00 CEST, and thus marks 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. 

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade pulled off the first major shock of the new EuroLeague season on Friday night. The team came to Istanbul winless, severely depleted by injuries, a day removed from parting ways with its head coach and with an interim debutant on the bench, all while playing on the road against the reigning champion.

Crvena Zvezda used 'amazing effort' to stun the champs in Istanbul

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/) pulled off the first major shock of the new EuroLeague season on Friday night. The team came to Istanbul winless, severely depleted by injuries, a day removed from [parting ways with its head coach](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-parts-ways-with-coach-ioannis-sfairopoulos/) and with an interim debutant on the bench, all while playing on the road against the reigning champion.

However, Crvena Zvezda never trailed en route to an 81-86 win over [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/), which marked its third consecutive road win at Ulker Sports and Events Hall.

It was far from pretty and it involved drama in the final minutes as Fenerbahce rallied. But a win is a win – the first of the season in all competitions for the team from the Serbian capital, in fact.

“I feel that’s the type of game we needed just to know what it feels like to win, and know we have enough to win,” said [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/), one of the heroes in the victory. “We are still dealing with injuries, but I am proud of how we fought and how resilient we were.”

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Moneke had a double-double and came up huge late in the fourth quarter. With Fenerbahce cutting it to 69-72 after [Bonzie Colson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/bonzie-colson/009783/) nailed a third of his four fourth-quarter three-pointers, Moneke answered right back with a three of his own, his only triple of the night, with 2:35 to go.

Then, on the ensuing Fenerbahce possession, Moneke blocked [Mikael Jantunen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mikael-jantunen/012613/), flexed his muscles toward the Zvezda bench, then grabbed an offensive rebound on the other end of the floor. Just 30 seconds later, he scored again, racing for a layup after helping his teammates solve Fenerbahce’s full-court pressure.

But for all those late-game heroics, Moneke was prouder of another one of his feats – a double-double. After collecting a combined 24 points and 14 rebounds in the first two rounds, Moneke almost matched that output against the defending champs with a 20-point, 12-rebound performance, while also delivering 2 blocks.

“I am 1.96 \[meters\]. My whole career people have told me he is ‘this but’, ‘he is too short’. They can’t measure the heart that I have,” Moneke said in a EuroLeague TV interview after the game.

“I feel like I’m the best rebounder in Europe and I pride myself on rebounding at all times. That’s what I care about the most. So, anytime I am able to get double-double with rebounds, I am proud of that. I am proud of us. We had great contribution from everybody, and it feels good.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Perfectly representing heart over height.<a href="https://twitter.com/Chimdogg_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chimdogg_</a> 🗣️ <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kkcrvenazvezda</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/DqVYy2e8z3">pic.twitter.com/DqVYy2e8z3</a></p>&mdash; EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1976745286270701838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Another one of the major contributors for Zvezda was [Donatas Motiejunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donatas-motiejunas/lcz/), who has joined on loan from Monaco, where he sat out the first two rounds. Against Fenerbahce, the big man played his first minutes of the season, but that did not stop him from collecting 13 points and 6 rebounds in less than 15 minutes on the floor.

Motiejunas arrived at the club in a turbulent moment, not even playing a single game for coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos who brought him in. And the veteran center spoke very realistically after a win.

“In these type of situations, usually two things happen. Either you get united or you get separated. I am happy that we united,” he said before also adding:

“We beat Fenerbahce on the road, that’s an amazing achievement. But at the same time, this effort we showed today has to be a bottom line how we have to play. There are gonna be some games where we gonna make shots, miss shots, but if we are gonna show the effort we showed today, I am pretty sure we are gonna win more than we are gonna lose.”

The effort is also what the interim head coach Tomislav Tomovic underlined:

“We did a great job as a team. We showed some amazing reaction, amazing effort, amazing toughness and hustle.”

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="cs" dir="ltr">Massive shoutout to Tomislav Tomović for this big win! ❤️🤍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://t.co/TuEoXSnWpN">pic.twitter.com/TuEoXSnWpN</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1976748537435373820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

On the other hand, Fenerbahce has also dropped to 1-2 record with its second straight loss. There's no hiding the fact it was a disappointing performance from coach Sarunas Jasikevicius men.

Zvezda opened a 16-point lead, its largest of the night, in the final minute of the first half before [Tarik Biberovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tarik-biberovic/006961/)'s buzzer-beating triple made it 30-43 at the break.

Of Fenerbahce’s first-half performance, perhaps the best example to demonstrate its sub-par display was the fact that of the 27 points it scored before Biberovic’s triple, 18 came from the free-throw line. The hosts had 10 turnovers, made 5-of-24 field goals, and even managed to miss 8 free throws in the first half alone.

Zvezda, which showed great hustle but also struggled offensively, missed its first 9 three-pointers and had 9 turnovers, but it still managed to open – and maintain – a double-digit margin into the third quarter, when Fenerbahce started to rally.

[Tyson Carter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyson-carter/011305/) helped Zvezda to victory with 15 points, while [Talen Horton-Tucker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/talen-horton-tucker/014124/) and [Bonzie Colson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/bonzie-colson/009783/) scored 19 apiece for the hosts, with Colson netting 15 of his in the second half.

Both the Serbian side and Fenerbahce now sit on 1-2 records after three rounds

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2025-10-10T17:45:00.000Z)

It was quadruple joy for a single family as Sylvain Francisco celebrated his 28th birthday in grand style, earning the player of the game accolade after steering Zalgiris Kaunas to an emphatic 70-98 drubbing of his former club FC Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague.

Zalgiris thumps Bayern as birthday boy Sylvain Francisco puts former club to the sword

It was quadruple joy for a single family as [Sylvain Francisco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/) celebrated his 28th birthday in grand style, earning the player of the game accolade after steering [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/) to an emphatic 70-98 drubbing of his former club [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/) in the EuroLeague.

Francisco poured in a game-high 19 points to go with 7 assists and would you believe it, it was a perfect birthday gift to his mother and aunt too, who were born on the same date as Sylvain.

It was clear from the off that the versatile guard was on song as he sank 9 points in the first quarter, all of them from long range as Zalgiris missed its opening six shots from inside but made four of five from downtown to wipe out an early 4-0 deficit, the only time the visitors were behind on the night.

Having picked injury-hit Bayern apart with fast-flowing offense coupled with ironclad defense which gave the home team preciously little room to operate, Zalgiris never looked back as it built a whopping lead to delight its vociferous band of supporters inside SAP Garden.

FC Bayern Munich-Zalgiris Kaunas | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Francisco was at the heart of it all, as his unselfish approach unleashed a cohesive team effort which generated a staggering 14 three-pointers from 24 attempts, with [Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/), another former Bayern player, adding 10 points while [Dustin Sleva](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dustin-sleva/011927/) chipped in with 14.

At the other end, Bayern’s sharpshooter [Andi Obst](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/andreas-obst/004508/) led Bayern on 15 points but made no real impact as the hosts played in fits and starts on offense, sorely missing a bunch of sidelined players. Particularly conspicuous for his absence and often zoomed in by the cameras was point guard [Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/), who suffered a severe knee injury at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 having joined Bayern from Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv during the off-season.

Hauled in to pull the strings on offense, Jokubaitis could only watch helplessly as Francisco stole the show and helped Zalgiris romp to a perfect start in the current campaign with its third straight win, while Bayern dropped to 1-2.

“We knew it was going to be tough but we managed to carve out a big lead and got the win,” Francisco said in his post-game comments. “We played tough defense on Obst as we knew how lethal a shooter he is and then we just kept going as they couldn’t stop us at the other end.

“It’s that much sweeter as it’s my birthday, but also my mum’s and my aunt as we were all born on the same date,” he said with a broad and boyish smile on his face.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">28th birthday and a 28-point win. Coincidence? I don’t think so. 😮‍💨 <a href="https://t.co/CNE9impRgr">pic.twitter.com/CNE9impRgr</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1976763439155388541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zalgiris head coach Tomas Masiulis kept his feet firmly on the ground, knowing that Zalgiris may yet flatter to deceive as his team – albeit led by a different coach, Andrea Trinchieri, at the time – made an impressive 6-1 start last term before an epic meltdown denied the Lithuanian giant a postseason spot in Europe’s premier club competition.  

“Every game is a new story and we just want to keep fighting,” Masiulis stressed in a flash post-game interview. “We didn’t let Bayern run, they took just 8 offensive rebounds and for them that’s not a big number. We stopped Obst as we played solid defense.” 

Wearing a surgeon-styled mask on his face, Bayern head coach Gordon Herbert slammed his team for looking like a bunch of individuals who came together for the first time and not like a team which made waves last term by reaching the playoffs.

“We didn’t play as a team, we tried to play by ourselves too much,” he said. “We have four games in seven days coming up so we’ve got to look at the video of this one tomorrow and crack stuff. We lost battles at both ends of the floor and I was embarrassed how we played this game.”

Zalgiris dominated every department as it won the battle of the boards 30-25, but particularly damaging for Bayern was the difference in taking care of the ball as the visitors dished out 18 assists against 10 turnovers, while the home team had 11 assists and 13 turnovers – courtesy of relentless Zalgiris pressure.

“The stat sheet doesn’t really show how hard we hounded them defensively,” said Sleva, who constituted a wall in the paint for Zalgiris. “We did an amazing job as a team defensively as we did so many little things to stop them.”  

The French guard produced a sterling performance for the fast-flowing Lithuanian side as the visitors took their German rivals to the cleaners

FC Bayern Munich v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-10-10T18:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona recently lost two of its point guards to injury, but its remaining backcourt stars stepped up in a big way against Valencia Basket in Round 3.

Barcelona breaks club record in home-opening win against Valencia

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) recently lost two of its point guards to injury, but its remaining backcourt stars stepped up in a big way against [Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/valencia-basket/pam/) in Round 3.

This was a highly anticipated game for several reasons. After playing three consecutive road contests across both competitions, Barcelona returned to Palau Blaugrana for its home opener. Valencia, meanwhile, came into the bout undefeated, having defeated the *Blaugrana* at Roig Arena in Spanish League action just five days earlier.

Facing Valencia had previously meant struggling to match the high tempo and intensity of coach Pedro Martinez’s team, but not this time. Barcelona rose to the occasion, securing a 108-102 victory. In the process, the Spanish side set a new club record in the EuroLeague with its 108 points, having never scored that many before in a non-overtime game.

So, what total did coach Joan Penarroya's men beat? Barcelona had actually scored 107 points twice in regulation, doing so against Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir (107-79) in 2015 and against Anadolu Efes Istanbul (83-107) in 2018. However, the club’s all-time scoring record remains the 111 points it scored in an 111-109 overtime home win over UNICS Kazan on December 22, 2021.

FC Barcelona-Valencia Basket | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Despite missing the injured [Juan Nunez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juan-nunez/010106/) and [Nico Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/), Barca tallied 24 assists and committed just 13 turnovers. The team’s primary ballhandlers rose to the challenge, ensuring a victorious home debut. 

[Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) was everywhere on Friday night, leading the way with 27 points and 7 assists. When Valencia took an 85-88 lead with just over six minutes remaining, Punter teamed up with [Myles Cale](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/myles-cale/013269/) and [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/) to spark an 11-1 run that put Barcelona ahead for good at 96-89. Punter then nailed three more clutch shots to fend off Valencia’s comeback attempts.

“First game at Palau and obviously, it was a much-needed win. Valencia is a good team but I’m glad we were able to protect our home court in the first game of the season. We just have to keep it going,” Punter said after the game. “I try to work hard on my game and am extra confident. My team believes in me, so we have to keep going.”

All eyes were on [Tomas Satoransky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tomas-satoransky/002939/), who delivered a well-rounded performance with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and no turnovers – earning a PIR of 26, just shy of his career-high 28 against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on December 30, 2022. [Dario Brizuela](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dario-brizuela/009992/) battled foul trouble throughout the game, but when Valencia closed the gap to 96-92, he hit a crucial three-pointer. Moments later, Punter ensured Barca coasted to a memorable home win.

“It was a very difficult, tough, physical game against Valencia. They play very fast, with lots of possessions, rebounds, and three-pointers. You can never feel safe with any lead. We played them six days ago in the ACB, so we really wanted this win. It was a tough game, and I think we still need to improve defensively if we want to grow as a group and as a team. That’s still ahead of us, but today our game flowed a bit better.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">MVP… i cap a casa! ⭐ <a href="https://t.co/ERS4aBmBaG">pic.twitter.com/ERS4aBmBaG</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1976758068668178896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Valencia fought back from two double-digit deficits and finished with outstanding shooting percentages: 71.4% on two-pointers, 44.8% from beyond the arc, and 81.3% from the free-throw line. It was a high-quality contest, as evidenced by the combined PIR of 240 (126-114).

“It was a good basketball game. Both teams played really well on offense,” Coach Martinez said in the post-game press conference. “We made a great effort to come back in the fourth quarter, but they made some unbelievable shots with a lot of quality. You always feel you could have done more on defense, but you have to acknowledge the talent and quality of your opponents, who were excellent offensively in the final stretch.”

“We’re happy with the win in our first game at Palau this season. It was important to start strong against a tough opponent that plays with a lot of rhythm and possessions,” said Barca head coach Joan Penarroya. 

“They’re known for high-scoring games. It was surely entertaining for the fans—maybe a bit less so for us coaches. We know these are high-scoring affairs, and I’m very pleased with how we played offensively, how we read the game, and the balance we showed.”

Both teams have now scored over 100 points twice in just three games this season. Coming up in Round 4, Valencia hosts Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv on Wednesday, October 15. A day earlier, Barca visits Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv.

The fans inside Palau Blaugrana saw a bit of history on Friday night

FC Barcelona v Valencia Basket (2025-10-10T18:30:00.000Z)