Paris Basketball went wave after wave after wave in beating Virtus Bologna 90-79 to make sure its emotional season home opener would go as planned. The game was Paris’s EuroLeague home opener this season but also the first game it had played at Adidas Arena in 2025-26. 

Going wave after wave, Paris rolls past Virtus in banner-raising home opener

[Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/prs/) went wave after wave after wave in beating [Virtus Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-bologna/vir/) 90-79 to make sure its emotional season home opener would go as planned. The game was Paris’s EuroLeague home opener this season but also the first game it had played at Adidas Arena in 2025-26. 

And Francesco Tabellini’s team took care of business in a historic manner. 

“It was the first time we were playing at home in front of our home fans. It was very important to set the tone, show them our face, our identity,” said the Italian coach, who took over this past off-season from Tiago Splitter. “It’s a good starting point.”

[Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nadir-hifi/012640/) led the way with 20 points and 6 assists, and last season’s EuroLeague Rising Star was excited to finally play at home.

“Every game is important but there is nothing like playing at home. We wanted to win this home opener after playing two games away last week. We couldn’t wait to play in front of our home crowd,” he said. 

Paris Basketball vs. Virtus Bologna | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Paris played its two EuroLeague games on the road last week at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv, while it also started the French League with road games against Gravelines and Le Mans.

There was a major highlight even before the showdown against Virtus as the club raised the banners from winning the French League and Cup double last season.

The crowd in Paris also got the first chance to see Tabellini’s unusual style of play. The 42-year-old regularly substitutes out all five of the players at the same time in order to keep up the energy and intensity of the team’s game plan. 

“The thing I appreciated most was that we were really connected on the floor. We were pretty connected between the bench and on court players.  With the number of substitutions we make, everybody has to be connected and ready,” Tabellini said. “The five people have to be on the same page. The way we play, it’s non-negotiable for us. And I think that was there. This is a good starting point.”

All 12 players had gotten into the game in the first 6 minutes against Virtus and all of them scored in the opening 17 minutes of the game. Observers of Paris games should get used to it. All 12 players played and scored in both of the team’s French League games, and the full roster played in Paris’s first two EuroLeague games – 11 of them scoring in each of the contests. 

“It’s just the way we play,” said veteran [Amath M'Baye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/amath-m-baye/007993/), who picked up 12 points against Virtus. “There are a lot of opportunities for a lot of people. The ways to score are out there and just up for grabs. And people did a great job at it today.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">FIRST HOME GAME FIRST HOME WIN 😍🫡<br><br>Grosse performance d’équipe ce soir, de très bon augure avant la réception de Monaco dimanche 😤<br><br>On vous attend nombreux ‼️ <a href="https://t.co/QVJM8v23nQ">pic.twitter.com/QVJM8v23nQ</a></p>&mdash; Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball/status/1976391338724819123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The main scorer for the team is Hifi, who had 10 points in the first 6 minutes of the game and then did not score for more than 20 minutes of game action, though he still helped with his playmaking. 

And his defense as it turns out, having been responsible for 4 of Paris’s 15 steals. 

The hosts' never-ending waves of defensive pressure wreaked havoc on Virtus, which committed a club-record 26 turnovers – eclipsing its previous mark of 23 from November 2001. Those miscues turned into 36 points off turnovers for Paris. 

Paris’s effort was also evident on the offensive glass, where the French team did whatever it wanted en route to 20 offensive rebounds. That set a club record, topping the 19 offensive boards the team grabbed last season against Maccabi in December 2024.

Now three games into the new EuroLeague season, the message should be clear for Paris opponents: be prepared for one wave after the next. 

Game News

The French side used all 12 players to devastating effect and caused plenty of misery for the visitors

Paris Basketball v Virtus Bologna (2025-10-09T18:45:00.000Z)

Partizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic drew on his wealth of EuroLeague experience to notch a sweet win in his inaugural battle with compatriot Igor Kokoskov, as the Serbian side outmuscled Anadolu Efes Istanbul 93-87 in a titanic Round 3 clash. 

Partizan edges Efes as Obradovic beats compatriot Kokoskov in their first clash 

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach Zeljko Obradovic drew on his wealth of EuroLeague experience to notch a sweet win in his inaugural battle with compatriot Igor Kokoskov, as the Serbian side outmuscled Anadolu Efes Istanbul [93-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2025-26/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2025/26/) in a titanic Round 3 clash.

Obradovic, who has won nine titles in Europe’s premier club competition with five different clubs, saw his team enact sweet revenge on Efes for last season’s debacle at the same venue – a 65-97 blowout which vanquished Partizan’s hopes of making the postseason.

Partizan relied on a trio of outstanding performers to prevail, led by [Sterling Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sterling-brown/012720/), who poured 24 points while [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) racked up 18 to go with 8 rebounds against his former club. [Isaac Bonga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaac-bonga/006760/) chipped in with 16 points in a flowing team effort.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Known for demanding perfection from his players, Obradovic refused to get carried away in his postgame comments after seeing Efes bounce back from a 12-point halftime deficit to nose ahead 75-76 early in the fourth quarter.

"We played much slower in the second half than we did in the first and we allowed them back into the game," he said. "It’s an important victory and I must thank my players for a very good effort. It’s still early days in the season and there’s a lot of things that need to be fixed.

"We were outstanding in the first half as we forced 10 turnovers from Efes and scored a barrage of fast break points while the fans gave us a lift after our rival had turned the game around,” Obradovic added at the press conference.

"We were up and down and we beat a team coached by Igor Kokoskov, who made a name for himself in the NBA and has a force to be reckoned with of a roster."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A BIG Win at home for <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PartizanBC</a> who closed it out despite the <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnadoluEfesSK</a> fight back<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/SvDSMLJbYf">pic.twitter.com/SvDSMLJbYf</a></p>&mdash; EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1976388141490860045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jones, who dominated the paint at both ends throughout, echoed Obradovic’s words after a flying start and an equally strong finish to the game.

"It was a hard-fought win and |I am just happy we got it done,” Jones said in a flash postgame interview. We wanted to protect our home court at all costs. They are a good team, they made a run, but in the end, we came out on top."

Partizan benefited from selfless teamwork to cancel out lethal three-point shooting from the visitors, who sank 5 of 10 three-pointers in the first quarter, but finished on 12 of 32 from downtown as Partizan’s relentless hustle took its toll on Efes.

Kokoskov, who took over from Obradovic at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in 2020, having worked at a myriad of NBA franchises as an assistant before he was named the Phoenix Suns head coach in 2018, conceded that a poor first half cost his team.

"We didn’t exist in the first half; we gave them too much respect and they didn’t feel us at all," he said. "The reaction was there in the second half and it came down to a one-possession game, but it’s hard to keep up with Partizan when they are playing at home. We have to do a better job, though, as we committed some turnovers after timeouts at crunch time.” 

The winner of a record nine EuroLeague titles got the better of his fellow Serbian

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-10-09T18:30:00.000Z)

The last time Panathinaikos BC had escaped with a victory from Baskonia was back in 2017, but Kendrick Nunn made sure to end the curse on Thursday night.

Nunn’s heroics break the curse as Panathinaikos grabs long-awaited win in Vitoria

[Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) was aware that it would not have it easy on the road at [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/). In fact, the last time the Greens had escaped with a victory from the Basque Country was back in 2017, when reigning MVP [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) was still in college and three-time EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman had just arrived at Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Baskonia had recorded seven straight victories against the Greens, who struggled every time they visited Vitoria. In one of the most memorable games between the two sides over the last few years, Codi Miller-McIntyre pulled up from just inside the arc with the score at 73-73 and nailed a buzzer-beating jumper to stun the Greek side.

Less than two years later, Panathinaikos would give Baskonia a taste of its own medicine thanks to the hands of a red-hot Nunn. The 30-year-old guard netted 7 of the Greens' 20 points in the first quarter, with the visitors securing a 36-42 lead heading into the second half.

Baskonia hit the ground running in the third and took its first and only lead of the game (43-42) thanks to an early 7-0 run. Enter Nunn, who nailed 9 straight points at the other end to restore a 49-60 cushion.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

When everything indicated that Panathinaikos would be able to see out the game, Baskonia brought back ghosts from the past in the closing stages. An 11-2 surge saw the hosts tie the game up at 84-84 with 4 seconds remaining. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Unsurprisingly, it was Nunn who received the ball from [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/)’s inbound pass. Aware that all he needed was a two-point bucket, the Panathinaikos star found his spot and pulled up from just inside the rainbow, released the ball with two Baskonia players hanging on him and beat the buzzer to clinch the dub for the guests.

“Four seconds left is a lot of time,” Nunn told EuroLeague TV after the game. “Just give me space and I’ll get a shot up.”

Baskonia may have headed into Thursday’s clash on the back of three straight victories across all competitions, but it showed fighting spirit until the very last buzzer, looking desperate to grab its first win this season. It took another extraordinary performance by Nunn, who demonstrated his never-say-die attitude to down the hosts. He made 12-of-20 field goals, ending the game with 30 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 assist. Now, that is how you break a curse.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ice. Cold. Just <a href="https://twitter.com/nunnbetter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nunnbetter_</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/Club1908?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Club1908</a> <a href="https://t.co/y0MYKqKjQ7">pic.twitter.com/y0MYKqKjQ7</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paobcgr/status/1976400735765254285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“It’s tough to win here,” [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) told EuroLeague TV in his post-game comments. “They are a great team. We hadn’t won \[here\] in a lot of years.”

The Panathinaikos forward rode his momentum by completing a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards, less than a week after scoring 27 against FC Barcelona. Nunn and Juancho were assisted by [Cedi Osman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/cedi-osman/004088/), who netted 20, meaning that the three men combined for 65 of Panathinaikos’s 86 points on the night.

Having scored in double digits in each of Panathinaikos’s first three games of the season, Nunn has hit the ground running as he aims to pull off another MVP season. After netting 21 and grabbing 10 boards to inspire his team to an 87-79 victory in the Greens' season opener against FC Bayern Munich, he delivered another clutch moment to seal their second victory of the campaign.

With the 2026 Final Four set to take place at Panathinaikos’s home arena in late May, Nunn proved on Thursday night that he’s locked in. Not even a long-standing curse can stand in his way.

The reigning EuroLeague MVP beat the buzzer with a game-winning jumper

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-10-09T18:30:00.000Z)

It was a night that was supposed to be all about Nikola Mirotic, but instead it was Daniel Theis and later a combination of Elie Okobo and Alpha Diallo who stole the headlines as AS Monaco grabbed a 79-82 win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Thursday night.

With Mirotic struggling, Monaco’s other superstars pull off the Italian Job

It was a night that was supposed to be all about [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/), but instead it was [Daniel Theis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/daniel-theis/004132/) and later a combination of [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/) and [Alpha Diallo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alpha-diallo/011226/) who stole the headlines as [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) grabbed a 79-82 win at [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/mil/) on Thursday night.

Theis, in particular, was at his dominant best in his first return to Unipol Forum since making his Monaco debut there at the end of February. This time, though, the Germany international was able to come out on the winning side.

In both the first and second quarters, Theis posted a PIR higher than anyone else as he went into the halftime break with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block. He kept charging in the third, moving to 16 points and 10 boards, but foul trouble prevented him from putting his fingerprints on the final frame.

“I think Daniel grabbed all of our rebounds,” Okobo joked afterwards. “He was amazing, helping us sitting in the paint, fighting, grabbing rebounds, contesting layups. Overall it was a very good performance for him. Even when he was in foul trouble, he stayed locked in. That’s why we need Theis on this team.”

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-AS Monaco | Round 3 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague

Instead, the fourth quarter was carried to a large extent by Okobo and Diallo. It took two and a half minutes for the first score by either team in the period, a [Jaron Blossomgame](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaron-blossomgame/011231/) reverse layup that gave Monaco a 62-68 advantage, then Okobo dipped into his bag on offense to make things comfortable at 65-73. Diallo knocked down his first three-pointer of the night and [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) – like Mirotic and [Nemanja Nedovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nemanja-nedovic/000848/), playing at his former home – scored a mid-range jumper to open the first double-digit lead of the game, 69-79.

All this occurred with Mirotic sitting on the bench. Although it seemed like coach Vassilis Spanoulis was keeping him fresh ahead of a tight finish to the game, the second and third quarters saw Milan purposefully go at its former star, who sat on 3 fouls after 30 minutes and had been limited to just 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. It just wasn’t his night.

A shocking comeback appeared to be on the cards when [Marko Guduric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/) became a one-man battering ram, reeling off 6 straight points to make it interesting at 75-79, so Spanoulis quickly turned to Mirotic to give Monaco something a little different on offense. Guduric’s personal run then extended to 8-0, making it 77-79, but that’s when Mirotic made one of the game’s most decisive plays, grabbing an offensive rebound off [Matthew Strazel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/matthew-strazel/008099/)’s missed three-point attempt and being fouled by [Bryant Dunston](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/bryant-dunston/003048/). Even though he split free throws, it was enough to give Monaco confidence (77-80).

That wasn’t the last big play of the game, however. After [Devin Booker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/devin-booker/007056/) knocked down a turnaround jumper at the end of the shot clock, [Shavon Shields](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/shavon-shields/007831/) raced up the floor looking to give Milan just its third lead of the contest and its first since the second quarter, but Diallo raced back to get effectively the game-winning block. Strazel then hit a couple of free throws (79-82) and that was that.

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From being up 10 points with 4 minutes to go, Monaco was so close to letting this win slip away. Instead, it moves to 2-1 and has now won back-to-back games after recovering from its Round 1 upset at home to Zalgiris Kaunas by defeating Dubai Basketball in Round 2 and now Milan in Round 3.

“The most important thing now is to find consistency,” Coach Spanoulis said in the post-game press conference. “We played badly against Zalgiris, we played good against Dubai, bad in the French League, better today. We need to find consistency.

“We have to improve on defense a lot and we have to improve our ball movement, how we share the ball, and our spacing. I think we will improve more during the season. We will see that this team, especially in the second half of the EuroLeague season, will go far.”

For all the excitement surrounding Mirotic’s return, which saw him awarded a framed Milan jersey bearing his name before tipoff, it was Monaco’s other superstars who pulled off the Italian Job on Thursday night. Last season’s EuroLeague finalist will be hoping to make it two wins from two in Italy when it takes on Virtus Bologna at the start of the double-round week next Wednesday night.

Vassilis Spanoulis's squad improved to 2-1 on the season while Milan dropped to 1-2

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v AS Monaco (2025-10-09T18:30:00.000Z)

Here is your all-access pass to the 2025-26 EuroLeague season opener as Dubai Basketball star Justin Anderson is Mic’d Up for the big game against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. From pre-game warmups to courtside banter and in-game intensity, hear everything as Anderson brings his energy, leadership, and personality straight to the fans. Go behind-the-scenes and hear the real sounds of the court in this special Mic’d Up feature.

Mic’d Up: Justin Anderson in Dubai’s EuroLeague debut

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade decided to part ways with head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos, the club announced Thursday.

"This decision was made with only one goal in mind for both parties – that this is in the best interest of Crvena Zvezda at this time", the club said in a statement.

Crvena Zvezda parts ways with coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade decided to part ways with head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos, the club announced Thursday.

"This decision was made with only one goal in mind for both parties – that this is in the best interest of Crvena Zvezda at this time", the club said in a statement.

"The club would like to thank coach Ioannis Sferopoulos for everything he has done on Crvena Zvezda bench, and the way he has represented the club on and off the court as a gentleman, and for everything he has done so we raise the club to a higher level together."

Crvena Zvezda, depleted by injuries, opened the EuroLeague campaign with a pair of losses last week, 82-92 at home against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and 97-88 on the road at FC Bayern Munich. Then, it lost a home game against Zadar in the Adriatic League on Monday.

Sfairopoulos took over Zvezda bench in October 2023, and went on that season to won the domestic triple crown – Adriatic League, Serbian League and Serbian Cup. Last season, he guided the club to a EuroLeague Play-In Showdown, club’s first EuroLeague postseason appearance since 2016.

Zvezda also won the Serbian Cup trophy last season under Sfairopoulos, but missed out on other two domestic championships.

Zvezda next travels to face the reigning EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Friday.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sr" dir="ltr">Након заједничког састанка председника клуба Жељка Дрчелића, генералног менаџера за спортски сектор Милана Томића, менаџмента клуба и досадашњег тренера Јаниса Сферопулоса, донета је одлука да господин Сферопулос неће више обављати функцију тренера првог тима нашег клуба.<br><br>Ова… <a href="https://t.co/jjJ8EuZ2RX">pic.twitter.com/jjJ8EuZ2RX</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1976233629127790622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zvezda registered assistant coach Tomislav Tomovic to serve as a head coach in Round 3

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

For Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, the first-ever EuroLeague clash between Israeli clubs became a night of hard truths and harsh lessons. A 90–103 loss to Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv in Sofia left head coach Dimitris Itoudis unsparing in his assessment, not of effort, but of readiness.

Hapoel learns painful EuroLeague lesson in derby loss

For Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, the first-ever EuroLeague clash between Israeli clubs became a night of hard truths and harsh lessons. A 90–103 loss to Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv in Sofia left head coach Dimitris Itoudis unsparing in his assessment, not of effort, but of readiness.

“This was not arrogance,” Itoudis clarified after the game, addressing suggestions that his team might have underestimated Maccabi. “We were bad defensively. I saw this coming because it’s just the start of the season. We are not the team that we want to be, and that’s normal. I was saying this even while we were winning.”

### Defensive struggles and momentum swings

While Hapoel produced 90 points – enough to win on most nights – the problem, as Itoudis pointed out, was everything that happened on the other end. “We were not there on a communications level, physicality, strategically as well,” he said.

“I think there are many momentums in a game. At 65-60 for us, they went on a 9-0 run with 2 fouls to give. And the three-pointers – they were mostly in our face. Not contested, most of them. Fourteen three-pointers is a huge number. (Maccabi) deserved to win. We cannot give up 103 points.”

Hapoel’s defensive rotations frequently broke down during Maccabi’s runs, especially in the second half, as Lonnie Walker and Oshae Brissett punished mismatches and weak closeouts. Despite brisk offensive production from Hapoel’s core, the defensive gaps proved decisive.

### The building process continues

Itoudis made clear that despite the disappointment of losing a derby, perspective was crucial. “We need time. We need such games. Unfortunately, it happened in the derby. It’s a good lesson for us. We need to bounce back and we will bounce back,” he said, emphasizing the long-term process of shaping Hapoel into a true EuroLeague contender.

The veteran coach, who guided CSKA Moscow to EuroLeague glory in the past, framed the loss as part of the club’s evolution. “At the level of the EuroLeague, mistakes are going to be punished, and we made a lot of mistakes,” he noted. “There are positive things. Believe me, we are going to watch the whole film with the team in the following days and we are going to draw exactly the messages that this game gave us for this certain period of the season where we are still trying to build something.”

### Looking ahead

For Hapoel, the defeat was a reminder of the margin for error in the EuroLeague – and of the importance of cohesion in both communication and structure. The team showed flashes of its offensive potential but will now turn its focus to refining its defensive identity before visiting Valencia Basket and then facing Paris Basketball next week.

If anything, this night in Sofia may serve the purpose Itoudis values most: not as a step back, but as one forward in the process of building the team he envisions.

A subpar defensive effort led to defeat at the hands of archrival Maccabi 

Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv v Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (2025-10-08T18:05:00.000Z)

After Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv made history with a 90-103 victory over rival Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in the first-ever EuroLeague game between Israeli clubs, Coach Oded Kattash had one message that he repeated several times. Kattash spoke about Maccabi being a new team. He went on about how after losing its first two games of the season, it was able to use practice time to come together. And how important this win will be for the team going forward. 

New Maccabi arrives: Kattash’s rebuilt squad shines to win historic derby

After [Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-rapyd-tel-aviv/tel/) made history with a 90-103 victory over rival [Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/hapoel-ibi-tel-aviv/hta/) in the first-ever EuroLeague game between Israeli clubs, Coach Oded Kattash had one message that he repeated several times. Whether it be with EuroLeague TV right after the game, in the post-game press conference or in Hebrew outside the locker room, Kattash spoke about Maccabi being a new team. He went on about how after losing its first two games of the season, it was able to use practice time to come together. And how important this win will be for the team going forward.

From the summer, when the Maccabi roster was coming together, it was clear Maccabi would be a work-in-progress. Of the main 14 players, eight of them were new to the club – and only two of those newcomers had ever played in the EuroLeague before.

On Wednesday at 8888 Arena in Sofia, Bulgaria, Maccabi showed glimpses of what may come as four of those new players accounted for 61 points. [Lonnie Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lonnie-walker-iv/013403/) was dominant in flashes as he scored 20 points. [Oshae Brissett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/o-shae-j-brissett/014127/) muscled his way to 19 with near-perfect shooting. [Jeff Dowtin Jr.](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jeffrey-dowtin-jr/014123/) was huge late as he scored all of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. And [T.J. Leaf](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-leaf/014012/) contributed 9 points in 11 and a half minutes.

Against a Hapoel team that has far more continuity, Maccabi took far better care of the ball, amassing 24 assists to 12 turnovers, while Hapoel committed more turnovers (16) that assists (15).

"We're a new team and we need to build. We needed to build our confidence," Kattash said in the press conference. "It's the way we reacted to the losses. We used those three days of practices to work good. I felt like we were positive with the right body language. And that's why the result is very important for us: building our confidence as a new team."

Kattash, a Maccabi star as a player and later a coach for Hapoel, of course understood the importance of winning the derby, particularly for the fans. All the Maccabi players, new and old, knew how much it would mean. But more important is getting a feel for how good Maccabi can still be.

"Guys were coming in early to get shots, staying later to get shots. We can tell that everyone was really focused for this game, and now we've got to keep it rolling. That's when we get even more confidence for next week for sure," Brissett said after the game. " We saw what we're made of. So now we just got to keep it rolling. Keep it going. And keep winning for our fans back at home."

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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPj6NN9DOVV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball (@maccabitlv)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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Walker not only led Maccabi in scoring, but had several possessions where he exposed double teams to find open men and he finished with 4 assists. He led Maccabi in +/- with +11 in just 22 minutes. Alongside his dominant stretches, Walker also some turnovers that will likely go away as the chemistry with his teammates grows.  

Dowtin was non-factor through three quarters before netting 11 points and 3 assists in the fourth. Brissett was brilliant, coming off a game in which he had only 3 points. Leaf shot 4 for 4.

Veterans [Jaylen Hoard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaylen-hoard/006835/) (13 points), [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/) (12 points) and [Tamir Blatt ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/)(11 points, 7 assists) contributed as usual. But the play of the others begs the question of how good Maccabi can be when the chemistry improves, when Walker fits better into the flow of the offense, when Dowtin and Brissett become more consistent, when Leaf can take on a bigger role.

"I'm really happy for the players. We need to collect team experiences, to build our confidence and to believe in our team and our process," Kattash summed up.

It won’t get easier for Kattash and co. as they face [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2025-26/maccabi-rapyd-tel-aviv-fc-barcelona/E2025/35/) and [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2025-26/maccabi-rapyd-tel-aviv-olympiacos-piraeus/E2025/43/) in next week's games. But with the confidence gained from this win, Maccabi will be much tougher the next time it takes the court.

Coach Kattash hails the breakthrough victory as a turning point for his new-look squad

Dubai Basketball will spend a lot of time in the air this season, but its October schedule will be particularly grueling.

Entering the unknown: Dubai ready to ‘pioneer’ travel

[Dubai Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/dubai-basketball/dub/)’s debut EuroLeague season started with a bang. In the opening week, the team notched [a landmark victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/dubai-tops-partizan-89-76-in-historic-debut/) in Round 1 in front of a sold-out crowd at Coca-Cola Arena, its first-ever win in the competition.

But just three days later, Dubai hit its first roadblock after [losing on the road at AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/monaco-dismisses-dubai-for-first-win-103-81/) in Round 2. That game in Monaco also marked the beginning of a brutal stretch of travel the team will face this season.

“This is something we knew was going to happen,” head coach [Jurica Golemac](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/dubai-basketball/dub/golemac-jurica/) said last week as the season was about to tip off. “We’re not emphasizing it, we’re not going to talk about how hard it is.”

Well, if Coach Golemac won’t, let me break it down.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Road stretch ahead ✈️🏀<br><br>October 10 – Olympiacos Piraeus 🇬🇷<br>October 12 – Borac Mozzart 🇷🇸<br>October 14 – Fenerbahçe Beko 🇹🇷 <a href="https://t.co/B2ULwht1r8">pic.twitter.com/B2ULwht1r8</a></p>&mdash; Dubai Basketball (@dubaibasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/dubaibasket/status/1975801157047230973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After logging a seven-hour round trip to Monaco, Dubai now heads to Greece to face Olympiacos in Piraeus on Friday for Round 3. But there’s no rest after that — the UAE-based team immediately travels west to Serbia for an Adriatic League matchup against Borac Cacak on Sunday.

Next stop? Istanbul. There, Dubai will face Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Tuesday in the first leg of the EuroLeague’s second double-round week. Then it’s back home to host FC Barcelona in Round 5, with tipoff scheduled just 44 hours after the previous game ends. The team will finally enjoy a few days in Dubai as it hosts U-BT Cluj Napoca in the Adriatic League, but the brief pause won’t last long.

Because after that, Dubai faces a brutal stretch.

Coach Golemac and his players will fly another seven hours to face LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in EuroLeague Round 6, then heads east to Slovenia to play Krka in the Adriatic League. From there, it’s off to Spain for EuroLeague games against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Valencia Basket — part of another double-round week.

Finally, the team returns home on a 10-hour flight, totaling roughly 25 hours in the air over just eight days in late October.

“We did some studies on this — we’re going to be the pioneers,” Golemac said. “Nobody’s done this before. We couldn’t ask anyone how to manage it, because the closest thing is the NBA, where East and West Coast teams might take three or four big trips a 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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So, what is Dubai doing to prepare its players and staff for such a demanding schedule?

“The trips are going to be long. We’re going to do everything we can so the team doesn’t feel it as much,” Golemac explained. “That’s why we have a big roster. We’re thinking a lot about preparation, recovery, supplements, and how we’re going to fly.”

“For sure, we’ll end up helping the next team that tries to do this,” he added.

Dubai’s October gauntlet could pay off later in the season. But for now, the EuroLeague debutant is entering the unknown.

More Dubai Basketball News

Round 3 in Piraeus marks the start of a tough road stretch for Dubai, three time zones away from home

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