U18 Zalgiris Kaunas doubled their wins in the 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals by edging U18 Real Madrid 70-69 on Friday. A back-and-forth affair saw Los Blancos lead until late in the third quarter, when the Lithuanian side established a cushion that they maintained throughout the fourth. Zalgiris has now reached the NextGen Championship Game, while Javier Juarez’s side dropped to 1-1, with everything in Group B set to be decided on Saturday.

Dovydas Buika paced Zalgiris with 14 points, Kajus Mikalauskas had 13, Ignas Stombergas scored 12, and Dominykas Grunkis added 11. Real Madrid center Sidi Gueye led all scorers with 19 points, which he combined with 13 rebounds for a double-double. Gildas Gimenez netted 11 in a losing effort.

Real Madrid got off to a solid start, dominating inside and taking an early 3-11 lead. Stombergas responded with 9 straight points, but Los Blancos remained in control, taking a 17-21 advantage into the second quarter. Six points in a row from Maksim Brnovic were followed by 5 straight points from Gildas Gimenez that allowed Real Madrid to maintain a 36-40 cushion at halftime.

A 2-8 run in the opening stages of the second half made it 40-48 for Real Madrid. Yet, Zalgiris replied with an 11-2 surge, taking a 54-52 edge after 30 minutes. Having imposed their game on Los Blancos, the Lithuanians dictated the tempo on both ends, maintaining a narrow lead until the final whistle despite Real Madrid’s late comeback attempt. This was Zalgiris's first win over Los Blancos since 2007-08, having lost all their last six games against the Spanish side.

Game News

Rock-solid defense contained Los Blancos’s offensive weapons

Zalgiris wins thriller against Real Madrid, 70-69

U18 Zalgiris Kaunas v U18 Real Madrid (2025-05-23T10:30:00.000Z)

U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is one win away from securing participation in the 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals Championship Game after beating U18 FC Barcelona 80-85 on Friday. The Italian side maintained a narrow lead for the majority of the game, managed to absorb Barcelona’s comeback attempts and recorded its second straight victory. Everything in Group A will be decided on Saturday, but a Milan (2-0) win over U18 Dubai Basketball (1-1) would be enough for Michele Catalani’s team to clinch a Championship Game spot.

Achille Lonati stood out with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks for a PIR of 35. Diego Garavaglia netted 17 points and Omar Karem had 13 - 6 of which were scored down the stretch.

Lluc Pluvinet led Barcelona with 15 points and Mohamed Dabone had 11, with Daniel Gonzalez netting 10. Mohamed Dabone completed a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.

Milan started strong and took an early 4-10 lead, with Garavaglia scoring half of his team’s points. Barcelona responded with a 7-0 surge before tying the game at 19-19 heading into the second quarter. A 0-6 run from Milan was followed by a 9-0 spurt from Barcelona, but the Italian side managed to secure a 36-41 advantage at halftime.

An entertaining exchange of blows from inside and beyond the arc saw Milan maintain a 57-60 edge mainly thanks to Lonati, who scored 11 of his team’s 19 points in the third quarter. Offensive rebounds kept Barcelona in the game, but 6 straight points from Karem in crunch time sealed the outcome.

Achille Lonati shined with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists

Milan defeats Barcelona 80-85, for second straight win

U18 FC Barcelona v U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2025-05-23T08:15:00.000Z)

U18 Dubai Basketball bounced back from Thursday’s thrashing at the hands of U18 FC Barcelona by crushing U18 Mega Super Belgrade 84-102 a day later. Slaven Rimac’s side led from start to finish, grabbing its first victory in the 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals. Dubai is still in the race for a Championship Game spot, but Mega has been eliminated after recording two straight defeats.

An outstanding Tomislav Vuckovic broke the record of most triples made in the history of the tournament by nailing 9 and led all scorers with 39 points. Meanwhile, Andy Huelves, Bacary Doucoure and Simon Gradin all recorded double-doubles. The former had 22 points and 10 assists, Doucoure bagged 10 points and 16 rebounds and the latter registered 11 points and 17 boards.

Ognjen Srzentic paced Mega with 20 points, Nikola Karalic scored 15, Vuk Danilovic netted 12 and Djordje Gnjato added 10.

Dubai hit the ground running with Vuckovic bagging 10 early points for a 6-14 lead. Doucoure took over with 7 points, as Dubai secured a 15-31 cushion after 10 minutes. Mega upped the intensity on the floor and responded with a 14-3 run to start the second quarter. Yet, Dubai rediscovered its groove through Huelves, who took his tally to 10 points for a 39-53 advantage at halftime.

Dubai opened the second half with a 0-8 surge that allowed them to maintain a 71-83 lead heading into the closing quarter. Then, Dubai tightened up its defense, with Huelves and Vuckovic cooking on the other end to clinch the victory.

The Dubai guard drilled an all-time best 9 triples, finishing the game on 39 points

Vuckovic fires on all cylinders as Dubai stuns Mega, 84-102

U18 Mega Super  Belgrade v U18 Dubai Basketball (2025-05-23T06:00:00.000Z)

The adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals continues on Friday with action from Round 2. There are four unbeaten teams after Round 1, but just two will be left after Friday's slate as U18 FC Barcelona comes up against U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan before U18 Zalgiris Kaunas takes on U18 Real Madrid, which is aiming to win a third straight NextGen championship.

NextGen Finals continue on Day 2 in Abu Dhabi

Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals Round 2 | Final Four Abu Dhabi

U18 Real Madrid took a first step towards what could end up being an epic three-peat by defeating U18 Overtime Elite 101-87 on Thursday

Real Madrid beats Overtime Elite, 101-87

U18 Real Madrid took a first step towards what could end up being an epic three-peat by defeating U18 Overtime Elite 101-87 on Thursday. Los Blancos secured a 54-43 cushion at the break before a comeback attempt by Overtime Elite made it a one-possession game, 83-81, halfway through the fourth. Yet, Real Madrid finished the game off with a 14-0 run in the closing stages. The two-time defending champion shares the top spot in Group B with U18 Zalgiris Kaunas, which beat U18 Pole France INSEP earlier on Thursday.

Sidi Gueye paced Real Madrid with 17 points followed by Gildas Gimenez and Andrej Bjelic, who recorded 15 each. Ignacio Campoy completed a double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds, with Maximo Garcia-Plata and Adrians Andzevs scoring 11 and 10, respectively.

Adam Oumiddoch led all scorers with 19 points and Asher Elson had 15. Taylen Kinney flirted with a triple-double by bagging 13 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds, with Kohl Rosario scoring 12. Kevin Savage III and Collin Paul added 10 points apiece in a losing effort.

An entertaining first quarter saw the two teams play high-tempo basketball, with Overtime Elite taking a 24-27 lead after 10 minutes. Real Madrid opened the second quarter with an 18-2 charge which allowed them to secure a 54-43 cushion at halftime. Overtime Elite improved on both ends and bounced back, matching Real Madrid’s energy to trim the deficit to 76-69 heading into the closing quarter. The American side went on a 0-8 spurt that brought them within 83-81 midway through the fourth, but Los Blancos answered with a 14-0 run that put the game to bed.

Six players scored in double digits for Los Blancos 

U18 Real Madrid v U18 Overtime Elite (2025-05-22T12:45:00.000Z)

U18 Zalgiris Kaunas grabbed a hard-fought 82-87 victory over U18 Pole France INSEP in a thrilling overtime battle on Thursday. In a game of two halves, INSEP was superior before the break, but Zalgiris bounced back to secure a 63-73 lead with 4 minutes to go. A late run by the French side sent the duel to overtime, where the Lithuanians prevailed to win the thriller.

Dominykas Grunkis recorded a game-high 28 points, having gone a sublime 6-for-7 from deep. Dovydas Buika netted 24, including a huge triple that put the game to bed, with Kajus Mikalauskas bagging 12 points, 5 of which were scored in overtime.

Nathan Soliman paced INSEP with 15 points, Hugo Yimga Moukouri had 15, Noa Kouakou-Heugue registered 14 and Cameron Houindo added 10.

INSEP turned its 7 offensive boards in the first quarter into 9 second-chance points, taking a 22-14 advantage after 10 minutes. Inside dominance allowed the French side to open a double-digit lead, but a 2-7 run late in the second quarter brought Zalgiris within 39-33 at halftime.

A 0-11 run fueled by Buika, who scored 9 in that stretch, gave the Lithuanians their first lead of the game, 43-46. What followed was an exchange of blows that saw Zalgiris maintain a 54-57 edge heading into the closing quarter.

Then, Zalgiris fired on all cylinders from beyond the arc to open a 61-71 lead. But Grunkis fouled out with 02:46 remaining and INSEP responded with a 14-4 surge, sending the game to overtime. The clash turned into a back-and-forth affair, with Buika nailing a dagger three to make it 81-86, practically finishing the game off.

Dominykas Grunkis went 6-for-7 from deep for a game-high 28 points

Zalgiris outlasts INSEP, 82-87, in overtime

U18 Pole France INSEP Paris v U18 Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-05-22T10:30:00.000Z)

U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan defeated U18 Mega Super Belgrade 106-88 in their first game of the 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals. Mega started strong, but Milan fought back in the second half and shared the ball well on offense, registering 32 assists. Diego Garavaglia and Achille Lonati combined for 52 points, leading the Italian side to victory. Milan now tops Group A alongside U18 FC Barcelona, which thrashed U18 Dubai Basketball earlier on Thursday.

Garavaglia led all scorers with 28 points, which he paired with 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 steal for a PIR of 31. Lonati followed with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, with Guglielmo Youssef scoring 14. Mattia Ceccato ended the game with a double-double of 12 points and 13 assists, also registering 8 rebounds for a PIR of 30.

For Mega, Ognjen Srzentic and Vuk Danilovic netted 21 each, with Pavle Backo scoring 15. Vukasin Musikic had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Nikola Karalic bagged 11 points.

Mega started strong and took an early 4-10 lead, with Srzentic drilling a couple of triples. The game turned into a back-and-forth affair, with Garavaglia netting 10 first-quarter points and Backo scoring 6 off the bench, giving Mega a 25-27 cushion after 10 minutes. Milan bounced back and took its first lead of the game (38-37), but Mega ended the second quarter with a 2-7 run, taking a 46-48 edge at halftime.

Milan opened the third quarter with a 9-2 spurt that allowed the Italian side to grab a 72-65 advantage heading into the fourth. Then, Michele Catalani’s side remained in control and never looked back, establishing a double-digit lead until the final whistle.

The Italian side circulated the ball smoothly, ending the game with 32 dishes

Garavaglia and Lonati shine as Milan dominates Mega, 106-88

U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v U18 Mega Super  Belgrade (2025-05-22T08:15:00.000Z)

U18 FC Barcelona opened the 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals with an emphatic 46-110 win over U18 Dubai Basketball on Thursday. Head coach Carlos Marin’s side dominated from the tip-off and led throughout the game to open the tournament with a comfortable victory.

Mathieu Grujicic and Mohamed Dabone paced Barcelona with 16 points each. Ma Samba Gueye and Arturas Butajevas scored 13 apiece, with Sayon Keita and Abdrahamane Kone netting 11 and 10, respectively. For Dubai, Anil Alyanak was the only player to reach double digits in points by bagging 10.

Barcelona opened the game with a 0-14 surge before taking a 7-34 lead into the second quarter, having gone a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc. Dubai fought back in the second and slightly cut the difference to 20-42, but Barca responded with a 2-10 run fueled by Butajevas and secured a 26-58 cushion at halftime. Barcelona didn’t take its foot off the gas in the second half and outscored Dubai 8-22 in the third quarter before reaching the 100-pont mark with 02:04 left in the game.

The Blaugrana hit the ground running and never looked back

Barcelona crushed Dubai in NextGen Finals opener, 46-110

U18 Dubai Basketball v U18 FC Barcelona (2025-05-22T06:00:00.000Z)

Day 1 of NextGen Finals started on Thursday morning with Group A action, a game between U18 Dubai Basketball and U18 FC Barcelona followed by U18 Emporio Armani Milan vs. U18 Mega Super Belgrade.