Olympiacos BC made quite the statement on Tuesday night by beating Real Madrid in the EuroLeague, and star forward Sasha Vezenkov is excited about what awaits the Reds as they continue to build more chemistry.

Olympiacos continues its process of turning a talented group into a team

Should [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) have lost at home against [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/), it would have been coach Georgios Bartzokas’s slowest start to a campaign in his eight seasons across two spells in charge of the Greek side. On Tuesday night, his players ensured that would not be the case.

The arrivals of several talented players over the summer allowed Olympiacos to put together a star-studded roster that may have raised expectations in Piraeus. Yet, it’s teams – and not individuals – who achieve wins and titles.

Olympiacos came into the Rivalry Series duel against Real Madrid following two straight road losses at Anadolu Efes Istanbul and FC Bayern Munich that saw the Reds drop to a 2-3 record.

“As we said after the two losses at Efes and Bayern, we are good players, we just need to become a good team,” [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/), who netted a game-high 23 points against Real Madrid, told EuroLeague TV. “Everybody has to sacrifice. Everybody has to put his body in the battle, and I think that this is what we did today.”

The process of turning a group of individuals into a team might be long and burdensome. Mistakes will be made and games will be lost on the way. After all, Olympiacos squandered double-digit leads at both Efes and Bayern before suffering a home loss in the domestic-league derby against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens last Sunday night.

But as [Shaq McKissic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shaquielle-mckissic/007853/) noted [after the 79-69 victory over Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-beats-real-madrid-79-69-in-rivalry-series-clash/), communication and making sure that everyone is on the same page could produce magic on the court.

“We had a long meeting after the derby game just about believing in each other and just about having fun,” McKissic, who paired his 15 points with 9 rebounds, said to EuroLeague TV. “We were encouraging each other, there were no down faces and you can contribute that to the win.”

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Indeed, Olympiacos looked focused on the court, especially when it came to protecting the boards. Coming into Tuesday’s clash, the Reds ranked 16th in total rebounds with just 31.0 per game. Meanwhile, Real Madrid recorded 26.0 defensive rebounds – the fourth-most in the EuroLeague. Yet, this time it was Olympiacos who dominated inside and outrebounded *Los Blancos* 43-31, allowing Real Madrid just 4 offensive rebounds compared to the 15 recorded by the hosts.

“We lost at the end, in the fourth quarter, probably because we lost the battle of the defensive rebounds,” Real Madrid head coach Chus Mateo said in the post-game press conference. “They got many more shots. On two-pointers, they took 41 shots and we only took 24.”

In the fourth quarters of the losses at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Efes and Bayern, Olympiacos was outscored 25-15, 26-19 and 25-19, respectively. After 30 minutes, the Reds trailed by one point at Fenerbahce and led by five and two, respectively, against Efes and Bayern. When the game heads into the closing quarter, chemistry will undoubtedly play a key role down the road.

To achieve cohesion, Olympiacos will need to turn its talented group of individuals into a team. And as Vezenkov pointed out after the clash against Real Madrid, this win is a solid step in the right direction.

Game News

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Led by Sasha Vezenkov, the Reds came together to defeat a perennial title contender in Real Madrid

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2024-10-29T19:15:00.000Z)

Olympiacos BC made a statement in Round 6 of the EuroLeague season by beating Real Madrid, with the Greek side's defense proving key in the latter stages.

Olympiacos stifled Real Madrid, Campazzo to secure the victory

Coming into Tuesday’s [Rivalry Series clash against Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-beats-real-madrid-79-69-in-rivalry-series-clash/), Olympiacos Piraeus knew that it needed to bounce back. Questions had started to surround the Reds after back-to-back losses on the road at Anadolu Efes Istanbul and FC Bayern Munich in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, then even more so after a tough league defeat to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens at home on Sunday. It was time for a response.

Nevertheless, morale was not the highest in Piraeus as Olympiacos and Real Madrid took to the Peace and Friendship Stadium court, with *Los Blancos* seemingly in control of the game after 30 minutes. Real Madrid was leading 56-59 heading into the fourth quarter after scoring 25 points in the third, and Olympiacos hadn’t managed to contain [Facu Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/), who registered 7 assists in the third period to maintain the visitors’ momentum.

Yet, the hosts hit the ground running in the fourth, with Alec Peters nailing a triple before five points from [Shaq McKissic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shaquielle-mckissic/007853/) allowed Olympiacos to go on an 8-0 run that put the Greek side back in front, 64-59. Olympiacos never looked back, despite Real Madrid’s efforts to turn the game around.

Game Videos

The Reds’ defense held the Spanish side to just 10 points in the fourth, limiting Campazzo to 0 assists and protecting the boards to clinch its third straight win on home soil. “Everybody knows that this game was not easy at all today,” coach Georgios Bartzokas told EuroLeague TV. “Against such a talented team you need to be solid defensively, but at the same time you need to execute with patience on offense. Otherwise, they hit in transition with open threes. They’re very talented.”

In yet another game in these opening rounds of the 2024-24 EuroLeague campaign, McKissic was the game changer and [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) performed the role of leader on the court. The former chipped in with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. He scored 10 of those points in the last quarter, including a huge triple to make it 75-70 with 03:13 left on the clock. 

Meanwhile, Peters did a great job at the ‘4’, giving Vezenkov some rest in the second half. A fresh Vezenkov came off the bench with 02:38 remaining and netted 7 of his 23 points, including a dagger for a 75-67 cushion with 01:37 to go to practically seal it.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That win meant a LOT to <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Olympiacos_BC</a> 💪 <br><br> The team celebrate in front of a PACKED arena 🏟️ 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RivalrySeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RivalrySeries</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/mulkM4SYGp">pic.twitter.com/mulkM4SYGp</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1851372169038585935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“We lost two in a row in the EuroLeague,” Vezenkov said to EuroLeague TV. “We lost in the domestic league to Panathinaikos. It’s a good start and on Thursday we play against the first team in the rankings.”

Following its morale-boosting victory against Real Madrid, Olympiacos is set to host FC Barcelona on Thursday night. Joan Penarroya's side come to Piraeus on a five-game winning streak, but Olympiacos – which beat the *Azulgrana* in Game 5 of last year's playoffs to advance to the 2024 Final Four – has shown what it can do when it locks in on defense. Barcelona, be warned.

The Reds got back on track after a pair of losses in the last couple of weeks

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz remained perfect on home floor, edging EA7 Emporio Armani Milano 88-83 to register its fourth win in as many games on home floor this season. Khalifa Diop, Ousmane Ndiaye and Pavel Savkov played important roles in a win.

Young Baskonia trio did what they've been asked

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/games/bas/?season=2024-25) remained perfect at home, edging [EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/ea7-emporio-armani-milan/games/mil/?season=2024-25) 88-83 to register its fourth win in as many home games this season.

The hero of the nigh was [Trent Forrest](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trent-forrest/013367/) who strung together 12 points in the final 5 minutes and 30 seconds of the game, outscoring the visitors 12-9 over that span and securing Baskonia's victory.

He finished with a game-high 22 points and earned praise from his coach Pablo Laso: "This is Trent's first year in Europe, and he has to read the situations where he has more space because they are defending other guys," Laso said.

Forrest's performance was that much more needed because [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) was held to 9 points, as stopping him was clearly Milan's focus.

"They did a great job on Markus, but he is always a threat and we take a lot of advantage of them trying to defend Markus", Laso said. "They are overplaying Markus like crazy. Perfect. That's what we want. You want to stop Markus Howard, very good. But I want Baskonia to win, I don't want Markus Howard to score 50 points and we lose."

And while Forrest was Baskonia's offensive spark, it was the team's youngsters who stepped up.

"We had a good team effort, everybody helped us win tonight," Forrest pointed out. "We had a lot of energy, and everybody came to play for us. I feel Ousmane and Khalifa both gave us good energy, especially in the second half."

The 22-year-old [Khalifa Diop](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/khalifa-diop/008072/) came up huge in the paint with 9 points and 11 rebounds, including 7 on the offensive end. The 20-year-old [Ousmane Ndiaye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ousmane-ndiaye/012058/) just had 1 dunk, missing the other four shots from the field, but pulled down 5 rebounds, including 3 on the offensive glass.

"I am very happy because they are guys that have to help us", Laso said.

"[Pavel ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/pavel-savkov/010784/)\[[Savkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/pavel-savkov/010784/)\] played great", Laso said about the team's 22-year-old forward who missed all of his 4 shots in 10 minutes on the floor.

"He missed jumpers, so what!? Ousmane missed jumpers, so what!? They played with energy. They were able to defend, they were able to rebound, they were able to fight. This is something we are going to ask every night from them. If they make shots, great. But for me basketball is more than making shots. I am very happy with their performance, and in the team you need guys that are able to this job. And Pavel and Ousmane did a great job today," Laso concluded.

Khalifa Diop, Ousmane Ndiaye and Pavel Savkov played important roles in Baskonia's win

Young Baskonia trio did what was asked of them

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-10-29T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich edged Virtus Segafredo Bologna 84-87, grabbing its first road win. Once again, Nick Weiler-Babb was all over the place. 


Nick Weiler-Babb remains Bayern's silent leader 

[FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/roster/mun/?season=2024-25) edged Virtus Segafredo Bologna [84-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/virtus-segafredo-bologna-fc-bayern-munich/E2024/54/) on Tuesday night for its first road win of the season. [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) was a major reason why. He was simply all over the place. 

In his fifth season with Bayern, Weiler-Babb is playing some of the best basketball of his career, helping Bayern in many different aspects of the game. Against Virtus, he finished the game with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and just 1 turnover. Weiler-Babb was coming off another great all-around performance [against Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 5](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/fc-bayern-munich-olympiacos-piraeus/E2024/45/#boxscore) in which he tallied 10 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 1 turnover for a PIR of 20.

Weiler-Babb has been efficient all around, committing just 9 turnovers in over 156 minutes on the floor so far this season. His assist-to-turnover ratio (2.44) is one of the best in the league. In the last two games, Weiler-Babb boosted that ratio to 6 to 1.

Against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, FC Bayern Munich playmaker Nick Weiler-Babb finished the game with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and just one turnover.

Weiler-Babb does it all against Virtus

He stepped up at all times during the game, too. He had 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in a 0-13 run that gave Bayern a 25-30 lead midway through the second quarter. When Virtus tied it at 68-68 with over 7 minutes left, Weiler-Babb buried a critical jumper off a timeout. 

Virtus took an 82-79 lead with over a minute left and Weiler-Babb took matters into his own hands, burying a three-pointer from the left wing, grabbing a rebound at the other and finding Shabazz Napier to hit the go-ahead shot from downtown with 5.0 seconds remaining.

Napier had missed all of his six shots from beyond the arc until that moment but buried a highly-contested, step-back three-pointer that put Bayern in charge for good.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">END | 84-87 | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIRBAY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIRBAY</a> <br><br>Yes!!! There’s the first road win in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a>! 😤💪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBallTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeBallTogether</a> (c) Nucci <a href="https://t.co/uF1AZqrIg4">pic.twitter.com/uF1AZqrIg4</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1851385584800964898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"When I missed my last three, I think it was like 1:30 left, I told myself that I was going to make a big shot. And I was fortunate enough to be in a position to do so, and my teammates believed in me," Napier said after the game. 

"So I'm definitely grateful that it went in, and obviously it was a tough shot. I'm excited for this team and what we can continue to accomplish. One of the biggest things to do in the EuroLeague is win on the road. If you can get a win on the road, it's big time for the standings. So for us today, that was our main focus and we accomplished that today."

Bayern is set to look for its fourth consecutive win on Friday, when it visits LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 7.

The 28-year-old guard came through when Bayern needed him

Nick Weiler-Babb was again Bayern's silent leader against Virtus

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v FC Bayern Munich (2024-10-29T20:00:00.000Z)

Devon Hall and Nigel Hayes-Davis were two of Fenerbahçe Beko's star performers as the Turkish side beat Maccabi Tel Aviv in Round 6 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Fenerbahce leaned on Devon Hall, Nigel Hayes-Davis to subdue Maccabi 

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul was flirting with a third straight home loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague before a fourth-quarter surge allowed the competition’s 2017 champion to grind out [an 84-82 victory over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-edges-maccabi-84-82-after-fourth-quarter-comeback/) in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Saras Jasikevicius’s men rallied from 58-67 down heading into the final 10 minutes, having trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter before a dynamic trio saved the day for the Turkish outfit.

[Devon Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/devon-hall/011205/) was named player of the game after racking up 16 points and a career-high 9 assists, the bulk of which came in the second half of the contest. The former EA7 Emporio Armani Milan swingman paced Fenerbahce in the first half with 13 points and then facilitated in the second as he received more attention from Maccabi’s defenders.

“It’s a good win, especially as we came back from an 11-point deficit,” Hall said in a courtside post-game interview. “It feels good as this was a home-away-from home game for us. It was important to get the ball to [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) in the fourth quarter and he played really well.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Bizim Takım! 💛💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/kEzSk8dtgg">pic.twitter.com/kEzSk8dtgg</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1851363780464128251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hayes-Davis had a quiet first half and was stifled out through most of the third quarter too, but then poured 16 of his game-high 20 points in the last 13 minutes, with [Tarik Biberovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tarik-biberovic/006961/) also stepping up as he drained a pair of huge triples down the stretch.

“It’s really important to take care of those home wins as they all add up at the end of the season,” Hayes-Davis said. “We still have a lot to learn though as we are a new team and we’re still adjusting. I tried to be aggressive but I missed like five layups so I really need to go to the gym and work on some basics.”

Coach Jasikevicius was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief after his men turned the tide despite a patchy performance after last week’s tough home loss to reigning champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

“We dug deep and found a way to get some stops which put doubts into Maccabi heads,” the Lithuanian tactician stated. “We found a lineup which managed to up the pace and facilitate Tarik and Nigel, who had a huge second half. Devon had a huge game throughout; he was our best player in the first half and very solid in the second. “

Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash hailed his team’s fighting spirit. “We knew we were up against a lot of quality and we missed some shots in the fourth quarter,” he said. “We showed a lot of character and I feel sorry for the players.”

[Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/) had an opportunity to force overtime on Maccabi’s last possession but lost his footing and committed a turnover which dashed the visiting team’s hopes of avoiding a third straight loss.

Still, the Lithuanian guard drew a lot of positives ahead of the upcoming blockbuster against Real Madrid. “We came here ready, we came up short and what we need to do now is focus on the next game against Real Madrid,” he said. “It wasn’t a bad game for us so we need to keep the same intensity and play with the same mentality.”

The Turkish side was able to turn the tide in the fourth quarter thanks to inspired performances from the two Americans

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-10-29T18:30:00.000Z)

Bayern improved to 4-2 in the standings while Virtus dropped to 1-5. Carsen Edwards led the winners with 26 points. Shabazz Napier added 16, hitting the go-ahead triple with 5.0 seconds left, Nick Weiler-Babb had 14, Devin Booker 12 and Elias Harris 11 for Bayern. Toko Shengelia led Virtus with 21 points. Isaia Cordinier added 18, Matt Morgan 15 and Achille Polonara 13 for the hosts. 


Napier leads Bayern past Virtus, 84-87! 

FC Bayern Munich improved to 4-2 in the standings with a thrilling 84-87 road win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Tuesday at Unipol Arena. 

Carsen Edwards led the winners with 26 points. Shabazz Napier added 16 and 7 assists plus the go-ahead three-pointer with 5.0 seconds left. Nick Weiler-Babb scored 14 and grabbed 4 steals, Devin Booker netted 12 points and Elias Harris 11 for Bayern. 

For Virtus, which dropped to 1-5 on the season, Toko Shengelia led the way with 21 points, Isaia Cordinier scored 18 and dished 5 assists, Matt Morgan added 15 points and Achille Polonara 13.

Edwards got Bayern going with 4 quick points. Momo Diouf finished a four-chance Virtus offense with a three-point play. Shengelia and Morgan each struck from downtown in an 11-0 run highlighted by Cordinier's show-stopping dunk. Booker scored down low, Diouf hit a jumper and Will Clyburn's put-back slam prompted Bayern to call timeout at 15-6. Shengelia scored in penetration, Edwards followed a three-point play with a layup and Andreas Obst made a jumper to bring the visitors within 19-13. Cordinier stepped up for Virtus but Harris and Napier drew Bayern closer, 25-19, after 10 minutes.

Napier downed a jumper early in the second quarter and Oscar da Silva dunked after which Virtus called timeout at 25-23. Weiler-Babb hit a three-pointer and Napier buried a mid-range shot that Harris followed with a turnaround jumper to boost the margin to 25-30 after a 0-13 run. Virtus was held scoreless for 6 minutes until Shengelia hit free throws. Cordinier swished a fadeaway jumper that Weiler-Babb improved on with a bomb from downtown. Edwards banked in a running shot that Diouf matched with a put-back basket. Booker took over with back-to-back alley-oop dunks to boost Bayern's lead to 33-40 at halftime.

Cordinier and Weiler-Babb traded three-pointers right after the break. Morgan stepped up for Virtus and Shengelia's three-pointer got the crowd involved at 41-43. Edwards answered from beyond the arc and added a driving layup, Booker scored down low and fed Johannes Voigtmann for a layup that made it a double-digit game, 41-52, after a 0-9 run. Booker kept pushing Bayern and Edwards swished an eight-meter shot for a 44-57 Bayern margin. A unstoppable Edwards hit a jumper and a catch-and-shoot triple in transition but Morgan and Clyburn got Virtus closer, 51-62. Clyburn got help from Polonara to get the hosts within 60-68 after 30 minutes.

Polonara buried his second triple and added a backdoor layup to make it 65-68 early in the fourth quarter. Morgan swished a step-back triple and Bayern called timeout at 68-68. Weiler-Babb and Cordinier traded jumpers, then Shengelia's three-pointer completed Virtus's comeback, 73-70, with less than 6 minutes left. Booker dunked again and Napier gave Bayern a 73-75 edge. Cordinier scored in penetration and Polonara did even better with a layup-plus-foul. Edwards rescued Bayern with a driving layup and Napier added free throws to make it 78-79. Shengelia scored off a wild spin move and soon made free throws for an 82-79 Virtus lead with 1:13 left. Weiler-Babb struck from downtown and so did Napier for an 82-85 Bayern margin with 5.0 seconds remaining. Morgan and Harris traded free throws before Morgan missed a catch-and-shoot three-pointer in the game's final possession.

The Bayern playmaker made the game-winner with 5 seconds remaining

Shabazz Napier leads Bayern past Virtus, 84-87

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz protected its home court once again, holding off the visiting EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 88-83 on Tuesday night. Baskonia improved to 4-2 on the season, tied for the second best record in the league, and is perfect 4-0 at its Buesa Arena. Meanwhile, Milan dropped to 1-5 record.

Forrest, Baskonia hold off Milan, 88-83

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz protected its home court once again, holding off visiting EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 88-83 on Tuesday night. Baskonia improved to 4-2 on the season, which is tied for the second best record in the league, and is perfect 4-0 at its Buesa Arena. Meanwhile, Milan dropped to 1-5.

Baskonia never trailed after opening the second quarter with a 12-0 run, but Milan did come back from a double-digit deficit to tie the game at 74-74. However, from that point, Trent Forrest scored 12 consecutive Baskonia points, keeping the hosts in front, as they finally prevailed. 

Forrest finished with 22 points and 5 rebounds, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 16, Chima Moneke had 11 points, while Kamar Baldwin collected 10 points and 7 assists for Baskonia. Khalifa Diop posted 9 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. On the other end, Nikola Mirotic had 21 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting, Armoni Brooks scored 17 and Neno Dimitrijevic 15 points in defeat.

The teams traded blows in the early going. Mirotic and Brooks each made a triple for the visitors, but Forrest scored 5 points on the other end, including a three-pointer of his own. Forrest also had a tough jumper, that made it 13-12, but Fabien Causeur knocked down a triple, and Gugliemo Caruso a three-point play to make it 14-18. Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 4 points for the host, but Dimitrijevic knocked down a corner triple that made it 20-21 after 10 minutes.

Baskonia stormed out of the gate in the second quarter, scoring four consecutive threes, two by Baldwin and two by Howard, to open 32-21 after only 2 and a half minutes. Mirotic and Giampaolo Ricci answered with back-to-back threes, before Moneke and Mirotic traded threes to make it 35-30. The long-distance shots kept falling for the hosts, as Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos sank one and Luwawu-Cabarrot a pair to open 45-34 margin. But Mirotic made his fourth and fifth three-point shots of the first half before Zach LeDay's three-point play helped cut it to 52-45 at halftime.

A pair of dunks, one by Donta Hall and another by Luwawu-Cabarrot, restored a double-digit margin, 56-45, but Josh Nebo, back after missing four games, had a put-back dunk and Mirotic's sixth three-pointer helped get within 56-52. Forrest netted a triple, but close-range baskets from Mirotic and Leandro Bolmaro helped the visitors get within 61-58. Luwawu-Cabarrot and Khalifa Diop gave Baskonia some breathing room, and the hosts took a 67-63 edge into the fourth quarter.

Dimitrijevic's triple cut the margin to 67-66 to start the fourth. Howard's triple made it 72-68, but Dimitrijevic scored 6 more points to help tie the game at 74-74. Forrest hit a three-pointer, but after a timeout, Brooks returned the favor, 77-77. Forrest scored the next 5 points for Baskonia, making it 82-78. Forrest had another jumper, but Nebo threw down a big dunk and then a block on Moneke then led to a Brooks triple and 84-83. But another basket from Forrest made it a 3-point affair, and after a defensive stand, Luwawu-Cabarrot sealed it from the free throw line.

The Spanish side is now 4-0 at Buesa Arena to start the season

Paris Basketball changed up its game to off-set an uncommon defense played by ALBA Berlin and the final result was setting a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague record with 52 three-pointers taken and a second straight road win.

Paris punished ALBA defense with record shooting night 

[Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/paris-basketball/games/prs/?season=2024-25) changed up its game to off-set an uncommon defense played by [ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/alba-berlin/games/ber/?season=2024-25) and the final result was setting a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague record for most three-pointers taken and a second straight road win.

Paris attempted a record 52 three-pointers and made 20 of them in an [83-92](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/alba-berlin-paris-basketball/E2024/49/) victory over ALBA as the EuroLeague debutant finished its three-game road trip with two wins and now plays three consecutive home games. 

Paris blew past the previous EuroLeague record of [45 threes taken by Montepaschi Siena](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/stats/db/E2007/228/#boxscore) during the 2007-08 season. And the reason the French side had all those shots was ALBA playing the unusual box-and-one defense to try to slow down [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/), who came into the game ranked second in the league this season in scoring with 19.8 per game.

“ALBA’s strategy was to minimize TJ Shorts and let the other guys play the game with the box-and-one. In the first half, it worked. We were not hitting the shots, the open threes they were letting us shoot,” Paris head coach Tiago Splitter said.

“Fifty-two threes is crazy. But we still had the confidence to shoot those 52 threes and knock down 20. I’m glad our guys were strong mentally to keep shooting. Eventually, the ball is going to go in. They showed tonight that they have big character to knock down those shots. And the whole team worked for those shots. That was their strategy and I respect that. But we took advantage of it.” 

Paris came into the game averaging 28 three-point attempts per game and hitting only 30.9%, which ranked 16th in the league. The French side connected on just 2 of 14 from long range in the first quarter and the team had made 7 of 26 in total in the first half - a percentage of 26.9%. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">NEXT MISSION : BASKONIA À LA MAISON VENDREDI🫡<br><br>➡️🎟️ <a href="https://t.co/OY8jPUkLmI">https://t.co/OY8jPUkLmI</a> <a href="https://t.co/sgxSLv20cu">pic.twitter.com/sgxSLv20cu</a></p>&mdash; Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball/status/1851368805181599748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Splitter’s team connected on 13-of-26 three-point attempts - 50.0% - in the second half to get the win.

[Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nadir-hifi/012640/) and [Tyson Ward](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyson-ward/012610/) were the two biggest beneficiaries of Paris’s attack. Hifi drained 7 triples in scoring a career-high 25 points, and Ward knocked down 6 threes for a career-high 23 points.

“It was a bad start. They let us shoot the open threes. We missed a lot. We came back in the second half and shot with confidence to get the win. We can be proud of ourselves,” said Hifi, who attempted 19 three-pointers, which tied for second all-time for a single player, evening [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) and [Tomas Kelati](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/thomas-kelati/000545/) and missing [Alexey Shved](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alexey-shved/kvz/)’s high by just 2.

Ward meanwhile gave a lot of praise to Shorts, who was limited to 11 points on 6 shot attempts - 8.4  shots fewer than his average attempts thus far this season - while dishing out 9 assists with just 2 turnovers.

“He’s leading the pack. It’s nothing but big ups to him. The team was playing a different defense that you don’t see too often, and he handled it well, maturely, and he passed the ball when he needed to. He’s one of the best players in the league,” Ward said about the Paris team leader.

Paris is a newcomer to the league, but the French side has already shown it can adapt to a new situation and come out on top.

The EuroLeague debutants set a new standard with 52 attempts from behind the arc

ALBA Berlin v Paris Basketball (2024-10-29T18:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus opened the double-round week in style by pulling off a hard-fought 79-69 victory over Real Madrid at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Tuesday night. 

Olympiacos beats Real Madrid, 79-69, in Rivalry Series clash

Olympiacos Piraeus opened the double-round week in style by pulling off a hard-fought 79-69 victory over Real Madrid at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Tuesday night. The two teams traded blows for the majority of the game, but Olympiacos’s rigid defense in the fourth quarter allowed it to pull away in the closing stages. Following a breathtaking Rivalry Series game in Piraeus, both teams now have 3-3 records.

Sasha Vezenkov led all scorers with 23 points, 7 of which came in the last 2 and a half minutes. Shaquielle McKissic scored 15, Thomas Walkup netted 12 and Evan Fournier added 10. For the visitors, Mario Hezonja bagged 15 points and Gabriel Deck recorded 12. Facundo Campazzo paired his 7 points with 10 assists – 7 of which were registered in the third quarter.

Two backdoor cuts from Fournier and Vezenkov sandwiched a three-pointer from Serge Ibaka for a 4-3 Olympiacos lead. Then, the former netted a corner triple before the latter finished with a floater to make it 9-5. Five points from Ibaka and an open layup by Deck put Real Madrid in front, 11-12. Yet, Olympiacos responded with a 6-0 run, with Vezenkov netting from inside for a 17-12 cushion. But the guests went on a 0-9 surge, as Hezonja hit a triple and Walter Tavares slammed home an open dunk before buckets from Alberto Abalde and Hezonja gave Real Madrid a 17-21 lead after 10 minutes.

Sergio Llull netted 4 points to open the second quarter, but McKissic drilled one from deep to cut the difference to 22-25. Abalde and Vezenkov traded triples before Eli Ndiaye also nailed one of his own from the corner to extend Real Madrid’s lead to 27-34. But Olympiacos fought back and went on a 9-0 run, with Moustapha Fall scoring twice in the paint and Alec Peters sinking a triple for the hosts to take a 36-34 lead into the second half.

The opening stages of the third quarter saw an exchange of triples, with Fournier and Deck taking their tally to 10 points apiece, as Real Madrid grabbed a 46-50 lead. Five points from Hezonja were followed by a midrange jumper from Walkup, with the visitors maintaining a 50-55 cushion. Then, Walkup nailed a triple before Deck and Vezenkov exchanged buckets from inside for a Real Madrid 56-59 cushion after 30 minutes.

Peters opened the closing quarter with a three before McKissic netted 5 unanswered points to put Olympiacos ahead, 64-59. A Llull triple was followed by a McKissic layup before Campazzo nailed one from deep to trim the deficit to 67-65 with 4:13 left on the clock. McKissic drilled an off-balance three-pointer before Vezenkov scored one from inside to make it 72-67 heading into crunch time. Then, the Olympiacos forward nailed a dagger from downtown to extend Olympiacos’s lead to 75-67 with 1:37 remaining. But Real Madrid didn't manage to get open looks on offense and a long-range floater from Walkup made it 77-67 to seal it for the hosts.

Sasha Vezenkov stood tall with 23 points for the winners 