EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 30 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 30th winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Kwstas Hasiotis beat everyone else in Round 30 with his team 'KOB BC RISKY', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 223.60.

The winning team had the following starting lineup: Paris Basketball's TJ Shorts as team captain, then Roman Sorkin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Donta Hall of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, and FC Barcelona duo of Chimezie Metu and Dario Brizuela. His sixth man was FC Bayern Munich's Johannes Voigtmann. The rest of the bench consisted of Paris Basketball's Yakuba Ouattara, Shavon Shields of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Jerian Grant of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Barcelona's Justin Anderson. His team's head coach was Tiago Splitter of Paris.

The prize for finishing first in Round 30 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season!

Marko Djukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 5,081.34 points.

Trades are now open for Round 31. 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 in Round 31 tips off already on Tuesday, March 25, as Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul hosts Paris Basketball at 18:45 CET. That game marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

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

Anadolu Efes recorded its fourth win in a row in the EuroLeague by demolishing KK Partizan 65-97 in Round 30, a victory that has seen Luca Banchi's men move into the postseason places.

Efes rolls on under Luca Banchi and gets into postseason picture

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) showed in no uncertain terms that it means business in the home straight of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season, romping away to [a 65-97 road demolition of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/dominant-efes-blows-away-partizan-65-97/) to squeeze into the top 10.

The result allowed Efes to climb three places up to ninth on a 16-14 record, while it also relegated Partizan to 12th at 15-15 after a third successive loss and the heaviest on its home court in the Serbian club’s EuroLeague history.

Efes, which looked unlikely to feature in the business end of Europe’s premier club competition before the February break, continued to thrive under Italian head coach [Luca Banchi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/banchi-luca/?season=E2024) after the 59-year-old had endured a patchy start in Istanbul.

Glimpses of the Turkish side’s vast potential were made obvious by [the 110-66 home destruction of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/coach-banchi-celebrates-first-win-as-efes-thrashes-milan-110-66/), Banchi’s first win after opening with three defeats at the helm. Now that Efes has hit top gear, few would bet against the back-to-back EuroLeague winners in 2021 and 2022 making the playoffs this term.

Against Partizan, a pack of five players finished in double digits paced by [Darius Thompson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/darius-thompson/011078/), who sank 19 points after scoring his team’s opening eight and then poured 11 in the third quarter to effectively seal the game as a contest in front of 20,000 home fans.

Thompson personified the visiting team’s razor-sharp offense as he shot 5 of 5 from downtown and 2 of 3 from inside, although it was the ironclad defense which initially did the damage as Efes pulled away from 16-16 early in the game to a 37-69 lead late in the third quarter.    

“The end of the season is near and we are trying to get a playoff spot, so we’ve got to fight in every game and today we played well as a team,” Thompson said in his postgame comments. “We knew this was a hard place to play at so we just wanted to stay together and fight for every possession.”

Having expressed hope that [Rodrigue Beaubois](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rodrigue-beaubois/006590/) and [Dan Oturu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dan-oturu/012788/) would recover swiftly from knocks and bruises they picked up in the grueling matchup, Banchi stressed it was all about staying consistent in the home stretch of the regular season.

“We are happy with the performance and for showing such character against a team like Partizan,” he said. “I am very proud but also a bit worried about the injuries we picked up. We wanted to have an intense game and the players responded well.

“We prepared and approached the game very well and were able to stay consistent throughout the 40 minutes. We built this win on solid defense and it was a promising performance which should help us push on through a very tough schedule in the final stage of the regular season.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">💪 “Play hard, play simple, play together!”<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhereIStand?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhereIStand</a> <a href="https://t.co/2d9oRAqp31">pic.twitter.com/2d9oRAqp31</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1903205988355756497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Partizan head coach [Zeljko Obradovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/obradovic-zeljko/?season=E2024) cut a dejected figure at a loss of words to explain the horror show his players served up in a crunch game, when a win was so desperately needed to keep the club’s postseason ambitions on track.

“I take responsibility as the head coach and we must now turn our attention to the upcoming games,” Obradovic told the postgame press conference. “I’ve never been a defeatist in my entire career but this was a completely substandard performance which came in the midst of a tough stretch in all competitions.

“Credit to Efes as it’s a great team with one of the best rosters in the EuroLeague, while we committed an avalanche of mistakes. I can’t remember a performance worse than this one.”

Partizan will have a chance to make amends when it hosts the competition’s bottom team, ALBA Berlin, in Round 31 while Efes is looking forward to a home game against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in its bid to keep up the good work.

Game News

The Turkish side stretched its fine run of form to five wins out of six with a magnificent display against Partizan

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-03-21T19:45:00.000Z)

Thanks in large part to Dario Brizuela and Justin Anderson, two players who have become irreplaceable for FC Barcelona, the Spanish club now sits in fifth place in the EuroLeague standings.

Barcelona 'trending in the right direction', climbing the standings after Zalgiris win

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) had to fight hard on Friday night but it controlled everything on the floor in the last three quarters [to beat Zalgiris Kaunas 82-70](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-wins-third-straight-gets-past-zalgiris-82-70/). 

Neither team had good shooting percentages and Barcelona, a team that came into the game as the best scoring team in the league with 87.6 points per game, did not score more than 23 points in any quarter.

“It’s two teams fighting in March, it’s not going to be easy,” Barcelona forward [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/) said during a courtside interview with EuroLeague TV after the game.

But once Barcelona took the lead thanks to a 9-0 run bridging the first and second quarters, it never relinquished it.

“It’s four weeks to go and every game needs to be played 100% physical and 100% mental,” commented coach [Joan Penarroya](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/penarroya-joan/) after the big win. “I think we deserved the win tonight.”

And while Penarroya, like most of his colleagues, does not want to comment on his team’s playoff chance, it is a fact that with four games to go in the regular season, this win catapulted Barcelona into fifth place in the standings.

Admittedly, it’s a four-team tie at 17-13 record, which means Barcelona has the same number of wins as its next opponent, eighth-placed [FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/mun/). But it is also just a win away from fourth place.

“What’s the most important is our next game here at home. Nothing else matters,” Anderson added. “One game at the time. And this team is trending in the right direction.”

With three wins in a row and a 3-1 record after the February break, Barcelona certainly seems to be where it wants to be. [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/), [Jabari Parker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jabari-parker/012745/), [Chimezie Metu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/chimezie-metu/013379/) and [Tomas Satoransky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tomas-satoransky/002939/) are carrying the biggest load, expectedly, but [Dario Brizuela](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dario-brizuela/009992/) and Anderson have become irreplaceable pieces.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="cs" dir="ltr">M𝐁P (Mamba Brizuela Player) <a href="https://t.co/qbnoaBNGjB">pic.twitter.com/qbnoaBNGjB</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1903203428177711284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Brizuela led Barca with 20 points, scoring eight in the final quarter, as the hosts never allowed Zalgiris to get closer than six points.

“I am just happy to help my team in the situation we are missing players,” Brizuela commented modestly after the win.

Meanwhile, Anderson played more than 30 minutes for just the second time this season, his first in the EuroLeague, and was his team’s second-best scorer on the night with 16 points.

Despite the season-ending injuries to [Nico Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) and [Juan Nunez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juan-nunez/010106/), and the extended absence of [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/), it feels as though Barcelona is exactly where it wanted to be all along. And it keeps playing winning basketball in the month of March.

Thanks to its Round 30 victory, the Blaugrana are now in fifth place

Barcelona 'trending in the right direction', climbing the standings

FC Barcelona v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-03-21T19:30:00.000Z)

Trailing 69-77 to ALBA Berlin with six minutes to go, Panathinaikos BC put together a 21-0 run as it came away with a 91-81 victory.

Panathinaikos leaned on its defense to mount late charge against ALBA

When [Will McDowell-White](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/will-mcdowell-white/008062/) hit a three-pointer that set a game-high eight-point lead, 69-77, in [ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/ber/)'s favor with 6 minutes to go against [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/), there was some concern inside OAKA. After all, the visitors were looking like they might get their second win in a row and second since coach [Pedro Calles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/ber/calles-pedro/?season=E2024) took over for the German powerhouse.

“It was a strange game,” Panathinaikos boss [Ergin Ataman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/ataman-ergin/?season=E2024) stated right after the final buzzer. “Because we seriously risked losing the game. Offensively it was a terrible day for us, we scored only 4 three-pointers on 20 attempts."

Aware that its offense was not firing on all cylinders against a team that had nothing to lose, Panathinaikos decided to shift things around. Ataman brought February MVP [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) and [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) to the bench and went with a defensive-minded lineup containing [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/), [Panagiotis Kalaitzakis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/panagiotis-kalaitzakis/011209/), [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/), [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) and [Wenyen Gabriel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wenyen-gabriel/013383/).

And, with this configuration, the Greens came back to life.

“We made some shots, we dug in deep for some turnovers and, you know, this was a must-win for us,” Gabriel explained. “I think it showed a lot about our character and \[that we\] understand that this game meant a lot to us. We played well at the end of the game. We're a good team, that's what good teams to do.”

Ataman’s changes to the rotation turned into a 21-0 run in less than 6 minutes totally turned the tables. The visitors’ offense was totally shut down [as ALBA lost 91-81](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/panathinaikos-comes-back-to-beat-alba-91-81/), having had just one field goal and a couple of free throws, which came in the last 30 seconds of the game.

“We managed the last five or six minutes well,” Ataman celebrated. “I believe \[the key was to put together\] that defensive team. We kept out \[Kostas\] Sloukas and Kendrick Nunn and we played these minutes with \[Wenyen\] Gabriel, \[Panagiotis\] Kalaitsakis, \[Jerian\] Grant, Lorenzo Brown, all defensive players.

“And with this defense, we stole the ball, we made them find difficult shots and won the game. You cannot win all the games with your best scorers; sometimes you have to win them with your defensive players. We took the risk. We needed to play these changes in the last 5 or 6 minutes and we were successful."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Consistently dominant, consistently… <a href="https://twitter.com/JerianGrant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JerianGrant</a> 😤☘️<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/LiveTheGreenMagic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LiveTheGreenMagic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Club1908?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Club1908</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneClubOneApp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneClubOneApp</a> <a href="https://t.co/v3LCKknAiP">pic.twitter.com/v3LCKknAiP</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1903206216219738372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But the defensive effort would have been for nothing without offensive production, with [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/) – who heard his name chanted by the OAKA crowd – finishing as the team's top scorer with 19 points.

“It was special," he admitted when asked about the fans' chants. “Definitely it’s one of the most special nights of my life. To hear 20 000 people calling my name. It really gave us a lot of energy and, you know, when we hear those fans like that we really feel like we can't lose."

A 21-0 run in 5 minutes during the last period saw the Greens flip the script

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v ALBA Berlin (2025-03-21T19:15:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes boosted its hopes of making the EuroLeague postseason with a crushing 65-97 road win over KK Partizan. Luca Banchi's men improved to 16-14, while Zeljko Obradovic's squad dropped to 15-15 after a third successive defeat.

Dominant Efes blows away Partizan, 65-97

Anadolu Efes Istanbul boosted its hopes of making the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague postseason with a crushing 65-97 road win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. Luca Banchi's men improved to 16-14, while Zeljko Obradovic's squad dropped to 15-15 after a third successive defeat.

Darius Thompson paced Efes on 19 points and Elijah Bryant added 18 for the visitors, who shot an impressive 25 of 33 (75.8 percent) from inside and 11 of 24 from downtown. Former Partizan player PJ Dozier chipped in with 13 points, Shane Larkin added 11 and Dan Oturu netted 10 for the visiting team.

Tyrique Jones, Frank Ntilikina and Isaac Bonga scored 11 points each for a disjointed Partizan, which has seriously derailed its postseason hopes after its heaviest home defeat in EuroLeague history, surpassing its 31-point loss to CSKA Moscow (55-86) in 2007.

Game Videos

Ironically, droves of CSKA fans joined their Partizan comrades ahead of Saturday’s football friendly between the two clubs which nurture brethren relations, but they had little to cheer about throughout a lop-sided contest with Efes taking it by the scruff of the neck early on.

Thompson sank the opening 8 points for Efes as the Turkish outfit raced into a 2-8 lead before Partizan hit back to level 16-16 thanks to 9 points from Tyrique Jones, but that was as good as it got for the home team.

Efes found another gear in the second quarter after taking the first 18-24 and simply shot the lights out as the backcourt trio of Thompson, Bryant and Larkin toyed with their rivals, silencing a raucous 20,000 crowd inside Belgrade Arena. 

The visitors were 33-54 up at halftime as Dozier also caught fire and then pressed on the gas even harder in the third quarter, as Efes carved out a 37-69 advantage with the home team looking lost at sea.

Sensing that an unspeakable debacle was on the cards, Partizan fans got behind their team in full force in the fourth quarter, making a valiant effort to help the Serbian side salvage some pride but to little effect.

Efes kept going at full throttle and wrapped up a memorable win, its third in a row and the fifth in the last six games, staying firmly on course to reach the business end of the competition after the Istanbul giant’s stretched its fine run of form under Coach Banchi.

The former champion produced a vintage performance to keep alive its postseason hopes

FC Barcelona continued its climb up the standings by downing the visiting Zalgiris Kaunas 82-70 on Friday night. It was Barcelona’s third consecutive win, which improved it to a 17-13 record, tied for the fifth best in the league. Zalgiris, meanwhile, dropped to 14-16 on the season.

Barcelona wins third straight, gets past Zalgiris, 82-70

FC Barcelona continued its climb up the standings by downing the visiting Zalgiris Kaunas 82-70 on Friday night. It was Barcelona’s third consecutive win, which improved it to a 17-13 record, tied for the fifth best in the league. Zalgiris, meanwhile, dropped to 14-16 on the season.

Barcelona grabbed the lead for good in the second quarter and extended it to double digits late in the third, then never allowed the visitors to get close again. Dario Brizuela led the way with 20 points. Justin Anderson had 16 points, Kevin Punter netted 14 and Chimezie Metu finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Three Zalgiris players scored 13 points: Sylvain Francisco, Ignas Brazdeikis and Deividas Sirvydis.

The two teams traded blows from the early going, with Francisco scoring 5 points for the visitors and Anderson doing the same for the hosts, including a three-pointer. A three-point play from Brizuela made it 14-10, but Sirvydis nailed back-to-back triples to put Zalgiris ahead before a pair of baskets from Bryant Dunston opened a 14-20 lead. The visitors had a 16-20 advantage after 10 minutes.

Joel Parra opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and his basket from close range capped a 9-0 run to put the hosts 23-20 ahead. Edgaras Ulanovas ended the visitors’ drought, but Metu hit a pair of shots, and transition baskets from Satoransky and Brizuela opened a 31-24 lead. Sirvydis answered by hitting a long-range jumper, but the lead reached 8 points before Brazdeikis hit from short range and deep as Barcelona went into halftime with a 36-31 edge.

Anderson and Willy Hernangomez, who had a fast-break dunk, opened a 40-33 lead. Brazdeikis hit a triple for the visitors, but Jabari Parker nailed one for the hosts. Giedraitis and Francisco took it to the rim to cut the margin to 45-42. But Brizuela nailed a triple and added a short off-balance jumper, then Parra fought his way inside to open a 52-43 advantage. A triple from Anderson gave Barcelona the first double-digit lead of the night, 57-47, and the hosts led 59-51 after 30 minutes.

Smailagic opened the fourth quarter with a layup, but Anderson scored inside before Brizuela hit a wide-open three to open a 64-53 margin. Brazdeikis hit a long jumper, but Brizuela scored a mid-range shot, then a second-chance three-pointer to open 71-58. Isaiah Wong cut it back to single digits, but Metu scored twice more. Sirvydis kept Zalgiris hope alive with another triple, but Punter and Anderson made sure the visitors do not get closer than 9 points, closing out the game.

The Blaugrana also secured the head-to-head tiebreaker with this 12-point win

Panathinaikos BC bounced back from its defeat in the Greek derby with a hard-fought 91-81 win over the visiting ALBA Berlin at OAKA on Friday night.

Panathinaikos comes back to beat ALBA, 91-81

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens bounced back from its defeat in the Greek derby with a hard-fought 91-81 win over the visiting ALBA Berlin at OAKA on Friday night. The Greens led by double digits at halftime, 46-35, but a strong run early in the fourth period boosted ALBA to a 69-77 advantage with just 6 minutes remaining. The Greens didn’t step back, though, as Jerian Grant and Lorenzo Brown sparked a 21-0 run to inspire the comeback and seal the victory. 

Panathinaikos, which improved to 19-11, was led by Grant, who scored 19 points on 10-of-10 free throws. Kendrick Nunn followed with 18 and Wenyen Gabriel and Brown had 13 apiece for the winners. Matt Thomas paced ALBA with 14 points, Gabriele Procida chipped in 13 and Yanni Wetzell netted 11 for the visitors, which slipped to 5-25.

Despite a balanced start, the hosts rapidly amassed a 12-4 lead with Grant and Nunn pulling the strings in the backcourt and Gabriel rocking inside. ALBA survived thanks to its better outside shooting as Louis Olinde and Procida hit from downtown to reduce the gap to 14-12. Another spurt fueled by Juancho Hernangomez allowed the Greens to escape again, 19-12, but the guests needed not much to tie it at 19-19 behind a 0-7 run capped by a triple by Robert Baker. Grant came to the rescue with four free throws in a row to close the first quarter with a 23-19 advantage for the hosts.

Coach Ergin Ataman needed just 102 seconds to call a timeout right after the game resumed, as Olinde and Wetzell made it all square, 23-23. The first free throw of the game for ALBA was followed by the first three of Panathinaikos, which helped the hosts build a 30-24 edge while using a small backcourt with three guards at the same time. Despite Olinde’s effort to bring ALBA back, Nunn stepped up as a couple of quick offense sets kept PAO on track, 36-30. It turned even worse for the guests as Panathinaikos geared up on defense and used a couple of three-point plays by Grant and Ioannis Papapetrou to open a double-digit lead, 44-32, entering the last minute, which turned into a 46-35 halftime margin.

A 2-12 run fueled by Wetzell inside and Procida and Thomas outside early in the third period brought ALBA within 50-47, making it interesting again. Panathinaikos looked a little bit shocked after losing Papapetrou with a sprained ankle, joining Cedi Osman who also had to leave the court midway through the first period. The visitors’ accuracy from downtown and a fast-break layup by Procida finished the comeback and turned the tables, 54-55, soon after. Tim Schneider made it 56-58 from deep, but a more aggressive offense and free-throw shooting returned the Greens on top, 64-60. A couple of buckets by Matteo Spagnolo avoided further damage as ALBA trimmed the deficit to 66-64 entering the last stanza.

ALBA started strong and used a lucky three and a couple of free throws by Thomas, plus a technical foul called on Ataman to boost a 0-10 run that put Panathinaikos on red alert, 66-74, with 8 still minutes to play. Will McDowell-White hit from downtown to keep ALBA in charge, 69-77, but that became the last field goal of the visitors for nearly 6 minutes. With renewed poise, the Greens locked in on defense to shut down ALBA’s offense completely, while taking advantage of the offensive inspiration of the Brown-Grant duo and the hustle of Gabriel inside to launch a 21-0 run that brought the fans inside OAKA to their feet. A couple of free throws allowed the guests to end the drought, but it was too late to prevent Panathinaikos from celebrating again at home.

The hosts trailed 69-77 in the last period but had a 21-0 run to turn the tables

## Friday, March 21, 2025

### [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 91-81 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-alba-berlin/E2024/268/)

Panathinaikos bounced back from its defeat in the Greek derby with a hard-fought 91-81 win over the visiting ALBA at OAKA on Friday night. The Greens led by double digits at halftime, 46-35, but a strong run early in the fourth period boosted ALBA to a 69-77 advantage with just 6 minutes remaining. The Greens didn’t step back, though, as Jerian Grant and Lorenzo Brown sparked a 21-0 run to inspire the comeback and seal the victory. Panathinaikos, which improved to 19-11, was led by Grant, who scored 19 points on 10-of-10 free throws. Kendrick Nunn followed with 18 and Wenyen Gabriel and Brown had 13 apiece for the winners. Matt Thomas paced ALBA with 14 points, Gabriele Procida chipped in 13 and Yanni Wetzell netted 11 for the visitors, which slipped to 5-25.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Home W secured by <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paobcgr</a> after an exciting fourth quarter! ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/3Z4txohKWu">pic.twitter.com/3Z4txohKWu</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1903194622605791305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [FC Barcelona 82-70 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/fc-barcelona-zalgiris-kaunas/E2024/269/)

Barcelona continued its climb up the standings by downing the visiting Zalgiris 82-70 on Friday night. It was Barcelona’s third consecutive win, which improved it to a 17-13 record, tied for the fifth best in the league. Zalgiris, meanwhile, dropped to 14-16 on the season. Barcelona grabbed the lead for good in the second quarter and extended it to double digits late in the third, then never allowed the visitors to get close again. Dario Brizuela led the way with 20 points. Justin Anderson had 16 points, Kevin Punter netted 14 and Chimezie Metu finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Three Zalgiris players scored 13 points: Sylvain Francisco, Ignas Brazdeikis and Deividas Sirvydis.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Third W in a row for <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBbasket</a>! ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/R8zp4EOdzL">pic.twitter.com/R8zp4EOdzL</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1903198323214782632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 65-97 Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2024/270/)

Efes boosted its hopes of making the EuroLeague postseason with a crushing 65-97 road win over Partizan. Luca Banchi's men improved to 16-14, while Zeljko Obradovic's squad dropped to 15-15 after a third successive defeat. Darius Thompson paced Efes on 19 points and Elijah Bryant added 18 for the visitors, who shot an impressive 25 of 33 (75.8 percent) from inside and 11 of 24 from downtown. Former Partizan player PJ Dozier chipped in with 13 points, Shane Larkin added 11 and Dan Oturu netted 10 for the visiting team. Tyrique Jones, Frank Ntilikina and Isaac Bonga scored 11 points each for a disjointed Partizan, which has seriously derailed its postseason hopes after its heaviest home defeat in EuroLeague history, surpassing its 31-point loss to CSKA Moscow (55-86) in 2007.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">✊ Mode: ON<br>Partizan 65 - 97 Anadolu Efes | Maç Sonucu<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/LwYDHDysWU">pic.twitter.com/LwYDHDysWU</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1903200501711134962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

## Thursday, March 20, 2025

### [Olympiacos Piraeus 73-81 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/olympiacos-piraeus-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2024/264/#boxscore)

Crvena Zvezda put an end to its three-game losing slide by defeating Olympiacos at Peace and Friendship Stadium. The visitors shared the ball well on offense and looked solid on the other end, leading from start to finish to get back to winning ways. Zvezda improved its record to 17-13, while Olympiacos remains atop the table despite dropping to 22-8. Rokas Giedraitis led all scorers with 20 points, having gone 6-for-7 from deep, and Codi Miller-McIntyre recorded a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Sasha Vezenkov paced Olympiacos with 19 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HEROIC 🤯🤯🤯<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://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/sportmts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sportmts</a> <a href="https://t.co/EJW4DIFRza">pic.twitter.com/EJW4DIFRza</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1902808622511558763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [AS Monaco 91-82 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/as-monaco-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2024/263/)

Monaco improved to 18-12 and boosted its hopes of a top-four finish after an impressive home win over Fenerbahce on the back of a season-high 29 points from pack leader Mike James. Elie Okobo chipped in with 16 points and Daniel Theis racked up 15 points and 7 boards for the home team, which prevailed despite losing the battle of the boards 32-41 as it forced 17 turnovers from Fenerbahce. The visitors, who only managed 12 assists, were paced by Errick McCollum on 24 points. The result also means that Fenerbahce dropped to 20-10 and still has work to do to secure an automatic playoff spot. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">‼️ 𝙌𝙐𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙀 𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙊𝙄𝙍𝙀 ! 🥵<br><br>🔒 Avec une défense de fer et un money time de feu, la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> domine le Fenerbahçe à la maison ! 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DagheMunegu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DagheMunegu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RivalrySeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RivalrySeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/XTHNjN3QMc">pic.twitter.com/XTHNjN3QMc</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1902816962712863116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 77-67 Virtus Segafredo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2024/267/)

Maccabi now has the longest active winning streak in the EuroLeague after beating Virtus for its fourth straight victory. With Crvena Zvezda snapping table-topper Olympiacos's six-game roll, Maccabi is now the hottest team though the Israeli champion has already been eliminated from postseason contention with a 10-20 record. Maccabi took control of the game with a 32-8 run spanning the middle two quarters. Rokas Jokubaitis led the way with 19 points and Jimmy Clark scored 14. Virtus suffered an eighth straight loss for a 7-23 record. Achille Polonara was Virtus’s leading scorer with 15 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">WWWW <a href="https://t.co/TksNZcQPtX">pic.twitter.com/TksNZcQPtX</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1902830060769558837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 112-89 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-fc-bayern-munich/E2024/265/)

Baskonia produced an offensive whirlwind to thrash Bayern and keep the Spanish team’s top 10 hopes alive. Baskonia improved to 13-17, while Bayern dropped to 17-13. Baskonia led for most of a high-scoring first half, which ended 50-48, and accelerated its scoring pace after the break to seal a big win. Markus Howard led the way with 27 points, as Trent Forrest recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists. 12. Shabazz Napier paced Bayern with 15 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">¡¡QUÉ TRIUNFO JUNTO A VOSOTROS, BASKONISTAS!! ✊✊✊<br><br>✅✅✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/F5KS2db4pg">pic.twitter.com/F5KS2db4pg</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1902832615628919226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Real Madrid 81-70 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/real-madrid-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/E2024/266/)

Real Madrid grabbed its third consecutive home victory by downing ASVEL in the Spanish capital. Real improved to 16-14 in the standings while ASVEL dropped to 11-19 with its seventh straight loss. Walter Tavares led the winners with 23 points. Sergio Llull added 12 while Dzanan Musa had 10 for Real. Theo Maledon paced ASVEL with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Paris Less added 15 points for the visitors.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🏁 FP: <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> 81 - 70 <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LDLCASVEL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/UnicajaBanco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnicajaBanco</a> <a href="https://t.co/RUmoDeHYtm">pic.twitter.com/RUmoDeHYtm</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1902836786516148389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

## Tuesday, March 18, 2025

### [Paris Basketball 92-79 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/paris-basketball-ea7-emporio-armani-milan/E2024/262/)

Paris downed Milan 92-79 in Round 30 to grab the tiebreaker between these two, which could be crucial come playoff time. Both Paris and Milan entered this clash with an identical 16-13 record, but Paris now improves to 17-13 while Milan drops to 16-14. TJ Shorts was outstanding for the hosts, posting a 24-point, 10-assist double-double in addition to 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Sebastian Herrera and Maodo Lo both added 13 points, and Tyson Ward poured in 11. Milan's leading scorer was Fabien Causeur with 18 points, followed by Nico Mannion with 17, Zach LeDay with 14 and Shavon Shields with 10.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Paris Basketball with a dominating win at home!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/1C0mNzhGiY">pic.twitter.com/1C0mNzhGiY</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1902110269695729747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With the playoff race starting to take shape, how will things look after Round 30?

Game Center: Efes blows out Partizan by 32 points; PAO, Barça grab victories

Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 30 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Pregame quotes hub: Round 30

## Friday, March 21

### Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. ALBA Berlin (20:15 CET)

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

"All teams in the EuroLeague have competitive rosters. ALBA Berlin may not be in a favorable position in the standings, but they have experienced players such as \[Martin\] Hermannsson, \[Matt\] Thomas, \[Gabriele\] Procida, and \[Matteo\] Spagnolo. They won their last game, scoring 97 points, which demonstrates their strong offensive capabilities. They play at a fast pace and excel in transition. It is crucial for us to protect our home court and secure the victory. The most important thing for us – regardless of our opponents – is to win all of our home games. If we aim to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs and reach the Final Four, it is essential to be dominant at home. If we also manage to win one away game, we will surely finish in the top four or even the top three. In any case, every game is crucial. Some teams, like ALBA Berlin, have no pressure, so they will play freely. Every game is different. After this, we face Paris Basketball at OAKA – a team that defeated us in France – and then Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, a highly competitive team fighting for home-court advantage and a top-four finish. Every game is significant, and we must remain focused from the first minute to the last in order to win. A single mistake could cost us the season."

**Jerian Grant, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard**

"We watched film, we know what they can do. We've got to be prepared. We're excited to be back in this building and play for the \[fans\]. \[Myself and my teammates\] been together for a year now, so it really feels like family."

**Pedro Calles, ALBA Berlin head coach**

"After the two wins last week, our focus is now on the future. Panathinaikos is a great team, but we're mainly looking at ourselves right now. We want to get better day by day in practice so that we can perform as well as possible in the remaining EuroLeague games."

**Matt Thomas, ALBA Berlin guard**

"Panathinaikos has a lot of talented players and proved that last season. In addition, the Panathinaikos fan base is huge and very passionate. After winning the EuroLeague title last year, the atmosphere inside OAKA and the support is even greater. Basketball is almost like a religion in Greece – it's really unique to experience."

### FC Barcelona vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CET)

**Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach**

"It is a game against a team that is right now fighting to make it to the play-in showdown, which comes off a home victory over Paris. It will be a tough game because all teams coached by Trinchieri are tough and hard to play against. Zalgiris is one of the best defensive teams in the competitions, numbers-wise, and just like all games from now until the end of the season, it is a very difficult game. The standings are really tight and everyone is playing for big goals. We are focused on a game against a tough team tomorrow. It was our first game of the season and now both teams have different players: we have some injured players and they made some roster changes. We hope a great atmosphere at Palau Blaugrana which helps us compete the best way possible and get the victory." 

**Dario Brizuela, FC Barcelona guard**

"It is obvious that we want to make it to the playoffs and skip the Play-In Showdown, which is very dangerous. We feel like even if we go to the play-in, we will have a lot of chances \[to reach the playoffs\] because I don't believe anyone wants to play against us, now that we are bringing players back and playing better, with more confidence. The goal is to make it to the playoffs against a good opponent and make the most out of the extra week we would have \[if Barca goes straight to the playoffs\] to try to rest a little bit, which is not a bad thing, of course. We are not quiet or anxious. The fact that we are playing well and things went well in the last few weeks doesn't mean we are in a quiet situation in both competitions, but we are not anxious. We understand we are in a good moment but there is a lot at stake. There were a lot of jokes in the locker room \[when I had to play point guard\] because they say I don't pass the ball a lot, which is true, it is my playing style. I am trying to adjust to this new role and make everyone involved on offense. They tell me they are happy, the feedback I am getting is that when I play point guard, we play very fast and that's good for us in some moments of the game. Lately, we have been playing against a lot of past-paced teams, so I don't know if Zalgiris will be a good fit for us, I hope it is. We play with a lot of physicality, want to run and play hard. We will try to play that way, which is what interests us, especially here at Palau. We always raise our physicality at home, rebounding and running. Zalgiris plays really well and is really well coached. Sylvain Francisco is having a great season and right, he arguably is in the best moment of his career. The game will depend on us playing the way we want and try to make Francisco uncomfortable, which is what costed us the win over there."

**Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach**

"It's the last sprint of the EuroLeague regular season. Every game is more than important, every team is doubling their efforts, and we expect a very tough game in Barcelona. They are playing with a lot of energy, big alignments, running the court like crazy. It's like seeing the Olympic final of the 100 meters. It's a speed that is rare to be seen in late March, so we know that they are the favorite. We know that we are playing solid, consistent, we are playing team basketball on both ends of the court. We want to play one possession at a time and put together our best effort in order to compete, knowing that it will be very difficult, but we respect everybody. We also respect our hard work in the last few weeks. I am very confident that we are going to put together the best possible game. The Zalgiris that we have now is very similar to the Zalgiris from the first part of the regular season: a defensive-minded team, team-orientated. We're trying to improve some things, to have very good chemistry, and very clear hierarchies. Looking at Barça, they are full of talent. Losing \[Juan\] Nunez and \[Nico\] Laprovittola, they've just switched to a big alignment with \[Alex\] Abrines at the 2, \[Tomas\] Satoransky is a big point guard, \[Justin\] Anderson, \[Joel\] Parra... But at the end of the day, I believe it's a team that plays around the talent of \[Kevin\] Punter and \[Jabari\] Parker."

### Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:45 CET)

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

"We are preparing at a good pace after a very difficult period behind us. We had demanding trips to Barcelona and then to Dubai. Now we are facing our first big final, considering the situation both teams are in. Efes is playing exceptionally well, and their roster is among the best in Europe. We carefully analyzed their game against Bayern, which, in my opinion, was one of the best games of the season. They have outstanding quality, play at full speed with frequent rhythm changes, and punish every defensive help. A very challenging game awaits us, but we believe in our own abilities."

**Brandon Davies, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade center**

"We’ve had two good practices so far, and we have one more tomorrow before the game. We’re prepared, and we understand how important this game is, so we’re going to go out there and give our best. The most important thing for tomorrow’s game is our mindset because when we played there last time, we had too many lapses that cost us the game. I hope we’ve learned from our past losses and that we’ll perform better this time."

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

"The game in Belgrade against Partizan will be very challenging. They actually have the same record as us. And we know how that team traditionally is capable, especially in a home games, to show all their potential and their capacity to fire the crowd and make the atmosphere special around the game. We are very excited to be in such a stage, because it's time for us to prove our team personality and show all the character you need to play such a kind of game."

**PJ Dozier, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward**

"I am excited to have the opportunity to go back and play in Belgrade in front of those amazing fans. It will always have a special place in my heart because of the love and support they showed me in my short time there. Our team is really looking forward to coming in and playing a great game to come out victorious in a very important game for both teams."

## Thursday, March 20

### Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (19:00 CET)

**Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach**

"Our players are high-quality players, and they do not need extra motivation for this kind of game. We are in the homestretch for the EuroLeague regular season. That’s important not only for us but for all teams. We will play in a full gym, in front of our fans, in a great atmosphere, and we want to win. It is that simple. The absences that our opponent has in the front line will not affect our game style. I am sure that no matter what, they will fight till the end, like they do in every game. They have potential, talent, and experience in their perimeter."

**Luca Vildoza, Olympiacos Piraeus guard**

"It is going to be a tough game. They really need the win. They are facing many problems in their frontcourt, but I am sure that they will fight for the win. We lost against them in Belgrade, and the goal for us is to show a completely different face tomorrow. The fact that we have already secured our place in the playoffs does not affect us. We want to win and remain in first place. We are here to win no matter what. We do not relax. Playoffs are coming, and we must be ready."

**Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach**

"Olympiacos is a very good team. Everyone knows what kind of team it is. They are first in the standings and have stability in the game throughout the season. The great quality and experience they possess make them one of the main favorites to win the EuroLeague. Our job is not easy at all, because we don't have centers and we will try to do the best with the team we have. This is a challenge for all of us to show character and make up for the lack of centers. I expect everyone to give their maximum effort."

**Branko Lazic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade guard**

"Even with the injury issues we have at the five, we're going to have to make some adjustments in the rotation and go there prepared. We will play as hard as possible, you all know what Olympiacos is like, the position in the standings shows that they have already secured the playoffs. We mustn't relax, no matter what lineup we go with in Piraeus."

### AS Monaco vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (19:00 CET)

**Vassilis Spanoulis, AS Monaco head coach**

"Fener suffered a little at the start of the season, but then they found the solutions to connect better and establish themselves as one of the best teams in the EuroLeague. They play very good basketball, they play together offensively and defensively. It's a very important game for us. We've trained very well, and I expect my players to approach this game in the best possible way and show what kind of team we are. It's a must-win game. Being third, fourth or fifth isn't the most important thing today. The most important thing is to find your best form, and that's why we train, why we talk to each other, why we make videos, so that we can progress, secure big wins and reach new mental heights each time."

**Mike James, AS Monaco guard**

"We're approaching the end of the regular season, and every result counts. Objectively, we need to win, and I think they also want to win to keep their position (second), so it's a big game. We're not going to change what happened before. We just need to concentrate on tomorrow's game. My message is still the same: play hard to stay on course. We have to have our own way of playing and apply it to every game, whether it's a league game or a EuroLeague game. There are certain basics to respect. We need to play better defense and move forward."

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

"Monaco is one of the top teams in the EuroLeague. For us, it is one of the most difficult games of the season. Like always the big games, this also will be decided by the easy points. They have a lot of talented guards and other position players. We have to make it as difficult as possible for them, especially for the guards. So, let’s hope we can do it."

**Errick McCollum, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard**

"It’s always tough playing on the road in the EuroLeague, especially against a team that is fighting for a playoff position. We know it is going to be tough. They have good guard play. It’s going to be important that we try to contain that. We have to be aggressive, try to make it tough for them, force them into difficult shots and take away easy transition buckets."

### Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:15 CET)

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

"We're going to miss some key players, so we are not in a perfect situation. Still, we want to play better, like we have done the last three or four weeks and we want to keep winning."

**Rokas Jokubaitis, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard**

"It's nice to start winning, finally, in the EuroLeague and not to be in the last two positions. These remaining games that are left are for our pride. This season was bad in the EuroLeague, but it's coming to an end so I think we need to step it up, like we are doing now, and to show our pride. I think we can go up even more, so we will try to finish as high as possible in the standings."

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

"We need to improve from the game against Maccabi. They changed so much during the season and now they are really an athletic team, probably the best in transition and offensive rebounds. We know we have a tough game ahead of us."

**Rayjon Tucker, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard**

"Obviously we want to win. We've had a little losing streak on the road and every game is important to improve and grow as a team. What we will have to do is go out on the court hard."

### Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. FC Bayern Munich (20:30 CET)

**Pablo Laso, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz**

"I am sure it will be a tough game. Bayern is the German League champion and is playing very well. It is clearly an offensive-oriented team. I think that having Shabazz Napier and Johannes Voigtmann, plus playing Nick \[Weiler-Babb\] at point guard makes them play a very open-court offense. Having Andreas Obst and Carsen Edwards together on court also helps them have this open-court offense feeling. They have frontcourt problems because they had injuries, but Voigtmann's signings made them really solid. We will need to make a very good defensive work if we want to have some sort of control of the game against a team that, in the end, if you watched the game we played in Munich, you have the feeling that you played well and they did better, hitting a lot of shots. A lot of the shots they made were contested, so we congratulated them and that's it. What do we have to do to avoid this? We have to increase our defensive intensity, slow them down and keep our playing rhythm. With that in mind, we have to be aware we play against a team that is in that group fighting for playoffs and play-in. If we don't want to lose track, we must get the win."

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

"Rebounds will be the key in Vitoria. They are big, physical, and athletic, so we need to secure the boards. Offensively, we need pace and ball movement. It’s not just about playing freely but about delivering a strong team performance."

**Niels Giffey, FC Bayern Munich forward**

"The pressure is high for many teams, and every game is extremely important. We definitely have a chance to win on the road at Baskonia, but we need to be ready from the start."

### Real Madrid vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:45 CET)

**Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach**

"Regardless of their trajectory in recent weeks, ASVEL Villeurbanne has players of enormous quality. \[Theo\] Maledon, \[Paris\] Lee, \[Nando\] De Colo, \[Joffey\] Lauvergne are top-level players and that's not to mention the rest, who also have a lot of quality and are showing a lot of talent. ASVEL has three superb playmakers, very good rebounders, people with tremendous athleticism and physicality, players who at the 5 can open up and at the 4 can play in the low post, outside players who can also play in the low post, shooters... ASVEL has so many resources that we have to be attentive to everything. We can't give ourselves any breathing space or take any confidence with them and we have to be at our best from the first moment. It will also be very important to try to get something positive out of every play, lose few balls, score in situations of numerical superiority on counterattack, circulate the ball well and not forget to touch the paint on offense."

**Gaby Deck, Real Madrid forward**

"Tomorrow we have a tough game ahead of us against a great opponent like ASVEL Villeurbanne and we will try to give our best at home with the support of our people to get another victory. We know it won't be easy as we have a final ahead of us, the first of the ones we have ahead of us in this EuroLeague. I would highlight ASVEL's toughness. It is a team that plays with a lot of intensity during the 40 minutes and we will have to match that toughness and fight for every ball, every minute, always looking for the best options in attack. We must focus on what we do, on trying to do our job well and, surely, with the support of our fans, we will have a plus."

## Tuesday, March 18

### Paris Basketball vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CET)

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

"We face one of the surprise teams of the competition, well coached and organized by coach Tiago Splitter, a team capable to play very uptempo especially at home. For us, it will be crucial to produce a good shot selection in order to have a better transition defense. We are happy that Freddie Gillespie, regardless of his ability to play in Paris, has been recovered with no further consequences after his terrifying fall during the Fenerbahce game."

Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 30 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.