Two of Wednesday's narrow losers look for a quick response as FC Barcelona (9-3) protects its perfect home record against inconsistent Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (6-6). 

Barcelona, Fenerbahce look to shake off dramatic defeats

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-barcelona-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2023/113/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-game-facts-bar-ulk/) | [Notes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-game-notes-bar-ulk/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-prequotes-bar-ulk/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/tv-listings-el/)

The Turkish team has lost five in a row on the road, but came close to success at Baskonia in Round 12 through a powerful inside game, with 22 of 38 two-pointers converted including 4 of 5 by [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/johnathan-motley/011157/). That kind of effectiveness will be important against a Barca team led by the paint presence of [Willy Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/willy-hernangomez/003196/) and former Fenerbahce star [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/), who respectively scored 15 and 13 in Wednesday's defeat at Virtus. Fenerbahce point guard [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/) is another player going up against his old team, and his battle with [Tomas Satoransky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tomas-satoransky/002939/) for backcourt control could be pivotal.

[Barcelona Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/statistics/bar/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Fenerbahce Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/roster/ulk/?season=2023-24)

Tomas Satoransky vs. Nick Calathes: The backcourt battle between two premier playmakers and former teammates will be key on Friday.

Last Game: 2022-23, Round 28, Fenerbahce vs. Barcelona

FC Barcelona v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-12-08T19:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (7-5) aims for a third consecutive win with history on its side in the form of eight victories in a row against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (4-8) which has not won on the road this season.

Baskonia's Coach Ivanovic awaits his recent team Zvezda

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/115/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-game-facts-bas-red/) | [Notes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-game-notes-bas-red/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-prequotes-bas-red/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/tv-listings-el/)

It's a swift reunion for Zvezda with former coach Dusko Ivanovic, whose transformation of Baskonia's fortunes continued with an 80-79 thriller over Fenerbahce on Wednesday. [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) was the hero, netting 28 points including a game-winning triple with 7 seconds remaining, while big man [Maik Kotsar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maik-kotsar/004603/) continued his good form with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Zvezda is coming off a hard-fought loss at Valencia and needs big men [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) (12.5 points and 6 rebounds over the last two games) and [Luka Mitrovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/luka-mitrovic/002553/) (11.5 ppg., 5.2 rpg.) to establish an inside presence at Buesa Arena.

[Baskonia Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/statistics/bas/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Zvezda Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/statistics/red/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Tadas Sedekerskis vs. Luka Mitrovic: Effort on the glass between two top rebounders could determine the winner between Baskonia and Zvezda

Last Game: 2022-23, Round 30, Baskonia vs. Zvezda

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2023-12-08T19:30:00.000Z)

After the emotional high of Tuesday's stunning overtime win over Milan, FC Bayern Munich (6-6) will take the feelgood factor of a three-game winning streak to face an Olympiacos Piraeus (6-6) desperate to bounce back from consecutive defeats. 

Olympiacos aim to stop visiting Bayern, Ibaka

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/olympiacos-piraeus-fc-bayern-munich/E2023/112/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-game-facts-oly-mun/) | [Notes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-game-notes-oly-mun/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-rs13-prequotes-oly-mun/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/tv-listings-el/)

It's a meeting between two of the seven teams heading into Round 13 tied for seventh place, and a key figure will surely be [Serge Ibaka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/serge-ibaka/003583/), who hit 20 points against Milan, including an incredible buzzer-beating triple to force overtime. Bayern, which has never won in Piraeus, will also look for [Carsen Edwards](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/carsen-edwards/011987/) to continue his scoring streak after draining 32 points on Tuesday. Olympiacos needs more backcourt support for [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/), the only player to score more than 10 points (17) in Tuesday's loss to Real.

[Olympiacos Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/statistics/oly/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Bayern Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/statistics/mun/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Moustapha Fall vs. Serge Ibaka: A clash of big men under the rims in Piraeus will be at the center of attention on Friday.

Last Game: 2022-23, Round 28, Olympiacos vs. Bayern

Olympiacos Piraeus v FC Bayern Munich (2023-12-08T19:15:00.000Z)

In his first-ever EuroLeague start, a somewhat overlooked world champion, Justus Hollatz of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, shined in his home country of Germany. 

 World champ Hollatz shined for Efes in German homecoming 

A lot of the attention was given early this season to the eight Turkish Airlines EuroLeague players who had helped Germany win the Basketball World Cup in September. Anadolu Efes Istanbul playmaker [Justus Hollatz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/justus-hollatz/009513/), the German national team player who received perhaps the least fanfare shined at the time, made his return home on Thursday a breakout occasion. 

Hollatz played in six of Germany's nine perfect wins in its march to the World Cup title but played an average of just 10 minutes, contributing 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Until Thursday, neither had the 22-year-old stood out yet for [Efes, whom he joined his off-season on loan ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/anadolu-efes-grabs-talented-point-guard-justus-hollatz/)from BKT EuroCup club Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. 

Hollatz came into the Round 13 game at ALBA Berlin having scored just 6 points to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists in a combined 44 minutes over eight EuroLeague games. With Efes's current spate of injuries, Hollatz got his opportunities this week.

First, in Round 12, he played 21 minutes at home against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, tallying 3 points, 4 rebounds 2 assists and 1 steal and staying on court for much of the fourth quarter in that [dramatic 71-68 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/anadolu-efes-istanbul-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/101/).

His next stop was Berlin, about an hour and a half from where he grew up in Hamburg.

Justus Hollatz (9 points) Highlights vs. ALBA Berlin, 12/07/2023

Hollatz shined in his first EuroLeague start

 For the occasion, Hollatz was given his first-ever EuroLeague starting assigning, and he did not disappoint, helping his team rally for [an 89-97 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/alba-berlin-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2023/109/) to complete a double-round sweep despite his fellow world champion, Johannes Thiemann, scored 31 points with a PIR of 40, both new career highs, for ALBA.

Hollatz would stay on the floor for a team-high 36 minutes, which is the most played by any player as young as he is in the EuroLeague this season. He would finish with 9 points to go with 3 rebounds and 8 assists. Beyond the stats, he was also second on the winning Efes team in plus-minus with +11. 

Perhaps most impressive about Hollatz's performance, and indicative of how long he played, was that he didn't commit single turnover in those 36 minutes on the court against an ALBA squad that came into the game leading the EuroLeague in both steals and forced turnovers. 

This performance will undoubtedly give Efes head coach Erdem Can more confidence in Hollatz. And that will lead to more attention on one of Germany's proud world champions.

More Anadolu Efes Istanbul news

In his first-ever EuroLeague start, a somewhat overlooked world champion shined in his home country of Germany. 

World champ Hollatz shined for Efes in German homecoming

ALBA Berlin v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-12-07T19:00:00.000Z)

A pair of teams looking to recover winning ways meet at Zalgirio Arena as Zalgiris Kaunas (5-7) hosts AS Monaco (7-5) as both look to salvage the double-round week with a victory.

 Tomas Dimsa, Zalgiris: 'We need to come together' 

### Kazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris coach

"A match against one of the EuroLeague’s elite teams. AS Monaco is a very physical and athletic team. I would say they are one of the favorites in the EuroLeague in terms of their line-up. With stars like Mike James, who is in good shape, Jordan Loyd and Donatas Motiejunas, who we know well, who is also in good shape now. It’s going to be a tough game. For us, it is a difficult stage. The last defeat was painful, and then the player losses followed. I think we have nothing to do but to come together as a team. We will also be looking for help from our fans, now we will play a few games at home, so I believe that we will be united and we will fight for the victory."

### Tomas Dimsa, Zalgiris players

"We are coming back home after few games on the road. It is a difficult stretch not only because of some lost games, but also we have lost Arnas \[Butkevicius\], Brady \[Manek\] and Lukas \[Lekavicius\] due to injuries. The next player just has to step up in such situations. It will not be easy against such team as AS Monaco, but with the help of our fans we need to come together."

Zalgiris vs. Monaco news

Tomas Dimsa, Zalgiris: 'We need to come together'

Zalgiris Kaunas v AS Monaco (2023-12-08T18:00:00.000Z)

Following speculation surrounding the last possessions in overtime of the Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. AS Monaco game  played on December 5, 2023, Euroleague Basketball's findings are:

Euroleague Basketball report on Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. AS Monaco

Following speculation surrounding the last possessions in overtime of the Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. AS Monaco game  played on December 5, 2023, Euroleague Basketball's findings are:

\-With 49.3 seconds remaining on the game clock, Donatas Motiejunas missed a three-point field goal. In the rebound, there were two players striving for the ball, Kevin Punter and John Brown. The ball went out-of-bounds, and the referees awarded the ball to Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade as the ball was lastly touched by John Brown. Correct call.

As this is a reviewable play according to the Euroleague Basketball Bylaws (Appendix XIII – Article 3.1), the referees review the footage and identify that John Brown was the last player who touched the ball. They confirmed their initial decision. Correct decision.

The referees also made a game clock adjustment (article 4.1) and set the game clock at 50.2 seconds.

\-With 35.7 seconds remaining on the game clock, Perry Dozier Jr drives to the basket and there is contact with Jason Blossomgame. The referees called an offensive foul on Perry Dozier Jr in a block/charge play close to the defensive semicircle. Incorrect call.

As this is a reviewable play (article 3.3), the referees were unsure whether the defender was inside or outside the defensive semi-circle (DSC) for a block/charge foul.

The referees reviewed the footage and identified that the defender was inside the DSC. According to the regulations, this type of call must be overturned to the correct decision upon review. The referees changed the initial decision to a defensive foul on Jason Blossomgame, which resulted in two free throws for Perry Dozier Jr. Correct decision.

The referees also made a clock adjustment (article 4.1) and set the game clock at 36.9 seconds.

\-With 23.9 seconds remaining on the game clock, Donatas Motiejunas enters in the restricted area and creates contacts with his opponent prior to the release of the ball for a field goal attempt. This is a marginal contact. Correct no call.

\-With 20.3 seconds remaining on the game clock, Zach Leday grabs a rebound in Partizan's backcourt after a missed shot of Donatas Motiejunas. Zach Leday passes the ball to Kevin Punter, Kevin Punter returns the ball to Zach Leday who passes the ball to Perry Dozier JR. Perry Dozier Jr passes the ball, to cross the midcourt line, to Alen Smailagic who receives the ball with 11.0 seconds in the frontcourt.

This is an incorrect no call and the referees should have called an 8-second violation, which should have resulted in possession being awarded to AS Monaco with 12.3 seconds remaining in the game clock.

\-With 9.8 seconds remaining on the game clock, Donatas Motiejunas made contact with Allen Smailagic and the referees called a personal foul. Incorrect call

As this is a reviewable play (article 3.4), the referees reviewed the footage and considered that Donatas Motiejunas did not make a legitimate attempt to play the ball. The referees determined that the call should be upgraded to unsportsmanlike foul, criteria C1. Correct decision.

\-With 1.2 seconds remaining on the game clock, Perry Dozier Jr inbounds the ball being guarded by Donatas Motiejunas and the ball was legally touched by the defender, resulting in a new out-of-bounds violation.

Prior the release of the ball at the inbound, Jordan Loyd is guarding Zach LeDay with both arms around his body. This action restricted the freedom of movement of Zach LeDay and should have called a throw-in foul. The penalty of that foul should have resulted in one free throw for Zach LeDay and possession for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on the sideline closest to where the foul was committed. Incorrect no call.

As part of the action, there was an incidental contact in the Jordan Loyd’s face when both players were falling to the floor as a result of the missed foul. That was a correct no call.

Due to the contact in the face, the referees decided to review the IRS under the reviewable play for act of violence or potential act of violence (article 4.2). The referees could not identify or determine any type of potential act of violence, so they kept the initial decision.

Regarding the missed throw-in foul, as the action was not called in the court, the referees are not allowed to referee again the play in the monitor.

The referees also made a clock adjustment (article 4.1) and set the game clock at 1.1 seconds.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard Aleksa Avramovic limped off the floor midway through the first quarter with a leg injury and after the game his coach called it "a serious injury".

Aleksa Avramovic expected to miss time with leg injury

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard [Aleksa Avramovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/aleksa-avramovic/003983/) limped off the floor midway through the first quarter with a leg injury and after the game his coach called it "a serious injury".

"He has a broken leg. I have no idea how long it is going to be, we have to see about that," Coach Zeljko Obradovic said in the post-game press conference. "It is unbelievable how many unlucky things have happened to him in the past two years."

Avramovic leaves the game with injury

The 29-year-old guard missed the first 14 games last season with a hand injury and then broke his hand again in Game 3 of the playoffs. He then suffered a broken nose in domestic competition in November and has been playing with a mask.

When healthy, Avramovic has been a difference maker for club and country. He entered Thursday's game against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan averaging 8.6 points per game alongside tenacious defense. Over the summer he had a key role on the Serbian national team and won the silver medal at the 2023 Basketball World Cup.

More Partizan news

Coach Zeljko Obradovic called it a broken leg after Thursday's game. 

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-12-07T19:30:00.000Z)

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan came into Round 13 after playing overtime games 48 hours earlier and it was the home team that found more energy in the second half to pull away.

Partizan found late energy to rally past Milan

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan came into Round 13 after both played overtime games only two days earlier. Partizan defeated AS Monaco 89-85 while Milan lost to FC Bayern Munich on the road, 91-84. Before this game, both coaches stressed how important energy would be, given the short margin for recovery after two very demanding contests for both squads.

And, at the beginning of the game, it seemed that the team that had managed to recover better and faster was Milan, as the guests started at full throttle and displayed an incredible offensive performance that led to a 20-25 edge at the end of the first quarter and a 45-60 advantage after 25 minutes.

Partizan looked stuck and empty, but soon after that was when Kevin Punter and Zach LeDay took over to spark a 12-0 run in 3 minutes that made it a 1-point game entering the last period. Both combined for 10 points in that time span, revitalizing their team and reanimating their fans.

Punter, LeDay led Partizan's second-half comeback against Milan

Punter LeDay led Partizan's second-half comeback against Milan

“Coach put me in some actions, and I give credit to him”, said LeDay after the game. “I was kind of in the corner a little bit, but he put me in some actions in the second half and we were able to take some advantage for us. And at the end of the day, we brought some energy, and the crowd helped us as well.”

Partizan continued rocking in the last quarter, punishing with another 15-0 run that definitely turned the game upside down. Milan had only 6 points in the last period and was totally suffocated by a red-hot Partizan, which looked like it was in a trance on both ends of the floor. LeDay scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, while Punter had 12 of his 19 in the last 12 minutes of the game.

Asked to explain how Partizan went from a 15-point deficit to a 13-point victory in less than 15 minutes, Punter was very clear: “We got some stops first of all, we kept fighting, got to scoring the ball and the rest is history,” he said. “In the third quarter, we made a run late, started off a little slow for us, but we were able to finish it properly.”

“The result was 45-60 for them. It was a different game after we started to play”, Partizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic stated at the press conference. “We had an incredible comeback thanks to the energy, from the trust between ourselves and the support of our incredible fans.”

Game Videos

Game News

Kevin Punter and Zach LeDay came up big in the second half to pave the way for the hosts. 

Reigning EuroLeague champion Real Madrid proved its title credentials in the most challenging circumstances after a balanced team effort saw them engineer an impressive 78-90 win at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, which completed a perfect week in Greece.

Deep roster allowed Real to overwhelm Panathinaikos in crunch time

Reigning EuroLeague champion Real Madrid proved its title credentials in the most challenging circumstances after a balanced team effort saw them engineer an impressive 78-90 win at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, which completed a perfect week in Greece.

Real’s victory in the OAKA Arena’s fervent atmosphere came on the back of Tuesday’s narrow 73-77 victory at Olympiacos Piraeus, again demonstrating that Real have a champion’s mettle as well as the deepest roster in the competition.

Panathinaikos was in seventh heaven after a 14-0 run in the first half saw the home team gain the upper hand, throwing the home fans into raptures as center Mathias Lessort galvanized them with 3 monstrous slam-dunks.

The visitors appeared to be reeling, but player-of-the-game Mario Hezonja then nailed a three-pointer and Facu Campazzo allowed Real to nose ahead 45-46 at halftime with a long two on the buzzer.

That set the tone for the second half, which featured one-way traffic as Real ran riot and went on a 22-1 rampage which turned a 51-48 deficit into a 52-70 lead and effectively killed the game off as a contest.

With Hezonja showing nerves of steel from the perimeter, Walter Tavares did his thing in the paint and Campazzo pulled the playmaking strings for the visitors. Former Panathinaikos forward Hezonja, who paced the visitors with 19 points, was humble in victory after he was given a rising ovation by the home fans at the end of a rip-roaring contest.

“It was great to see everybody again, you know what my feelings are for Athens and Panathinaikos,” Hezonja said. “The guys who came out in the second half established a very important balance for us and got some great stops on the defensive end.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">👏 El MVP <a href="https://twitter.com/autoheroespana?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@autoheroespana</a> frente al <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a> ha sido <a href="https://twitter.com/mariohezonja?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mariohezonja</a> 👏 <a href="https://t.co/S5U5qQZT3V">pic.twitter.com/S5U5qQZT3V</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1732871301558087692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tavares, who climbed up to 7th position on the EuroLeague’s all-time rebounds list, made it a double milestone as he also reached the 2,000 points mark in the competition: “Playing in the EuroLeague is a blessing, because day you come out to play against teams like this in a fantastic atmosphere,” he said. “I am happy to get those numbers and I will keep going.”

Panathinaikos relied heavily on Kendrick Nunn and Mathias Lessort, with the former pouring in 20 first-half points and the latter giving Real’s big men a roasting with some spectacular slam-dunks. However, they were subdued in the second half by the visitors, who ended the contest on 13-of-26 shooting from downtown while they also racked up 36 boards to the home side’s 28.

Panathinaikos, which made only 7-of-23 shots from three-point range, was also undone in sharing the ball as the hosts managed a mere 12 assists to Real’s 21, prompting head coach Ergin Ataman to concede that his team was second-best on the night.

“When you miss as many open shots as we did, Real will punish you,” he said. “They are a very good team and they know how to manage the game. They deserved to win.”

Counterpart Chus Mateo lauded his players for weathering the first-half storm. “We stayed together through the bad moments in the second quarter, we kept fighting and in the third quarter we broke away with some very good shooting,” he told the post-game press conference. “A great effort to beat two big opponents on the road this week.”

The hosts looked capable of staging an upset before they were blown away by the champs.

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Real Madrid (2023-12-07T19:15:00.000Z)