Name: Smailagic denies at the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Smailagic denies at the rim! Motorola Magic Moment

Zalgiris Kaunas v Paris Basketball (2025-03-13T18:00:00.000Z)

McCollum’s over-the-head assist! Motorola Magic Moment

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2025-03-13T17:45:00.000Z)

Marcus Foster went to another level to keep Hapoel’s season alive

It might have been far from pretty, but [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/) is in the BKT EuroCup Semifinals. Hapoel came out on top in [a hard-fought battle against Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-fights-off-turk-telekom-moves-into-semifinals/) on Wednesday, a 67-61 win in a low-scoring quarterfinal affair, which was rather uncharacteristic for the Israeli side's high-scoring offense.

And while the defense shined against Turk Telekom, not much worked for Hapoel’s offense in this game. It resulted in just 28 first-half points, a record low for Hapoel in any half of a EuroCup game. When Turk Telekom put together a 2-8 run in the first two minutes of the third quarter, Hapoel found itself down 30-34.

That’s when combo-guard [Marcus Foster](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marcus-foster/010386/) came to the fore.

### Foster's 14 second-half points

No one can say that Foster is an unlikely source of production. After all, no Hapoel player had scored more points (233) and made more three-pointers (33) entering the quarterfinals. And when not much was going his team's way, Foster couldn't have chosen a better time to step up.

"At some point I got to get myself going, and I got going a little bit," Foster said in a EuroLeagueTV postgame interview.

"For me individually, I’m just trying to find a way to help my team in many ways."

Down 30-34, Foster knocked down one three, then another to fuel an 8-0 run. He added another triple, his fourth of the night, to help open a 43-37 lead.

But even though Hapoel extended the margin to 12 points in the fourth quarter, the job was far from done.

Foster scored 21 in quarterfinals win

Turk Telekom rallied and got within 61-58 in the penultimate minute. On the crucial ensuing possession, the ball went to Foster, who used a second effort to get to the rim and make a bucket to reopen a five-point advantage, which Hapoel knew how to protect.

"My coach, the fans and my teammates, they pushed me to a whole other level. I am happy to be part of this," said Foster, who was thrilled after finishing the game with a game-high 21 points and tying his career best by pulling down 8 rebounds.

### Unsung heroes

For all the heroics Foster displayed, however, Hapoel needed a true team effort to progress to the next round.

Coach Dimitris Itoudis revealed after the game that [Joe Ragland](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/joe-ragland/005181/) decided to play despite stomach problems, but that did not stop him from stringing together 6 points at the end of the third quarter to help Hapoel build a 52-45 lead.

In addition, the team captain [Tomer Ginat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tomer-ginat/010550/) felt dizzy during the game after playing nearly 14 minutes in the first half.

"I could not use him in the second half," Itoudis confirmed.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">הפועל בחצי גמר היורוקאפ 👹👹👹 <a href="https://t.co/JxUK8yNqsc">pic.twitter.com/JxUK8yNqsc</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC/status/1899909273313784310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So, seldom-used 24-year-old [Guy Palatin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/guy-palatin/013283/) played late in the third and early in the fourth quarter, while [Oz Blayzer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/oz-blayzer/009877/) played the first seven minutes of the fourth. With a significant defensive contribution from both of them, Hapoel held the visitors to just 5 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to build a 61-49 lead, which it held on to until the end.

So, to no surprise, after the game, Itoudis stressed the team’s unity and trust in each other.

"We played all 12 players. That is why it is important to have all 12 players, and stay united," Itoudis explained.

### 'We've got more to do'

Not to be forgotten on a dramatic night were the several hundred of Hapoel fans who made a long trip to Bulgaria to support and help their favorite team as Hapoel overcame its struggles.

"We were sharp even when \[Turk Telekom\] made its runs", said Blayzer. "We knew that could happen and we stayed strong with the amazing support of the crowd. They made a difficult trip to come here and support us and they have a big role in this game."

So, for Hapoel, the journey continues past the quarterfinals for the first time in its three seasons since the club joined the competition. Next up, it’s the best team in the EuroCup, Valencia Basket, which will have home court advantage in a best-of-three series.

"This is what we came here for since the beginning of the season, to get to the finals and win," Foster pointed out. "We are right where we want to be, but we've got more to do."

Game News

When not much was going offensively for Hapoel, Marcus Foster could hardly find a better time to step up

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Turk Telekom Ankara (2025-03-12T17:00:00.000Z)

In the one-and-done BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals, Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir College Istanbul in a come-from-behind 85-81 win over visiting Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.

Quarterfinals MVP: Marko Simonovic, Bahcesehir College Istanbul

In the one-and-done BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals, Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir College Istanbul in a come-from-behind 85-81 win over visiting Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. The big man scored a career-high 20 points, making 4 of 6 two-pointers and his only three-point attempt, and sinking 9 of 10 free throws. Simonovic also pulled down 4 rebounds, including 3 on offense, had a career-high 3 steals and 1 assist. Simonovic accumulated a PIR of 27, which was the best of his career and the most of any player on a winning team in the quarterfinals.

Jerad Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem had a PIR of 29, the highest of all players in the quarterfinals, albeit in an 89-92 loss against Dreamland Gran Canaria. Harper had 24 points, 5 assists and 11 drawn fouls. Two players had PIRs of 23: Gran Canaria’s Caleb Homesley and Zach Hankins of U-BT Cluj-Napoca. Homesley tallied 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 8 fouls drawn in a win over Jerusalem, while Hankins posted 12 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in a 98-74 loss to Valencia Basket. Rounding out the list of the quarterfinals' top performers was Olivier Hanlan of Turk Telekom Ankara who had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists for a PIR of 22 in a 67-61 loss against Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

### Individual highs: Zach Hankins, Cluj, 13 rebounds

 

Harper led all players in the quarterfinals with 24 points and finishes his season as the EuroCup’s leading scorer with 23.2 points per game.

 

Hankins grabbed 13 rebounds, more than any other player in the four quarterfinal games. Kyle Alexander of Turk Telekom is the top rebounder with 7.1 per game.

 

Cluj’s Zavier Simpson dished 10 assists, the most in the quarterfinals. Simpson's maiden EuroCup campaign comes to an end with him leading the competition with 8.0 assists 8.0 per game.

 

Jerusalem’s Justin Smith led all players in the quarterfinals with 4 steals. Andrew Albicy leads the season-long steals charts with 2.1 per contest.

 

Kyle Alexander had a quarterfinal-high 4 blocks and finished the season as the EuroCup's top shot blocker, averaging 2.1 blocks.

 

There were two double-doubles in the quarterfinals, both by Cluj players: Hankins (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Simpson (12 points, 10 assists).

A career night in the most important game of the season earned Simonovic his first MVP of the Round award

Sasha Vezenkov and Kendrick Nunn, the two leading candidates to become the EuroLeague Regular Season MVP, go head to head when Olympiacos BC and Panathinaikos BC face off on Friday night.

Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos: Will the real MVP please stand up?

Eminem asked “Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?” in his hit song “The Real Slim Shady” in 2000, but looking at the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, a similar question could be posed in the lead-up to Friday’s Greek derby: Will the real MVP please stand up?

This will be the 23rd time that [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) and [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) have locked horns in the EuroLeague this century, and most of the focus surrounding this clash of titans has surrounded the two teams’ MVP candidates, [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) and [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/).

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Two of front runners for MVP 🏆 👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/SashaVe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SashaVe</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/nunnbetter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nunnbetter_</a> have been on fire this season 🔥 <br><br>But who do the people of the Greek capital think should win the award? <br><br>We hit the streets to find out 🎙️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RivalrySeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RivalrySeries</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/PaniniAmerica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaniniAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/bhvWL2cR0C">pic.twitter.com/bhvWL2cR0C</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1899517115431825428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Vezenkov, the 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP and this season’s MVP of the Month for January, has picked up where he left off when he was last in the EuroLeague, ranking first in PIR (24.5), second in scoring (20.1 PPG) and seventh in rebounds (6.3). His play on the court has been integral in Olympiacos becoming the first team to qualify for the postseason as the Reds boast a league-best 21-7 record.

Nunn, on the other hand, secured his first MVP of the Month award in February and is averaging a league-best 20.6 points per game. Particularly with fellow star [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) having gone down with a fibula fracture in Round 17, Nunn has taken his game to another level to guide Panathinaikos to an 18-10 record and third place in the league.

It would be normal for the two stars of Greece’s two giant clubs to be at each other’s throats, but instead there is a mutual appreciation and respect.

“He’s a great player and, most importantly, he’s a great person,” Nunn said of Vezenkov. “Just the little time of knowing him and just watching him play, what he does is amazing. He’s unique and nobody does it like he does, to be honest. He’s very effective without being ball dominant, which is pretty rare in basketball. Not a lot of guys can do it.”

Likewise, Vezenkov only had kind words to say about Panathinaikos’s electric scorer.

“I said it multiple times, he’s a great player and great person,” the Olympiacos star said of Nunn. “I won the award, too, but in February it was his turn. We have to focus and we know they’re coming for us on Friday. They won the \[Greek\] Cup, so we need this game.”

Olympiacos Piraeus forward Sasha Vezenkov spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 28 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Sasha Vezenkov: 'Kendrick Nunn is a great player and great person'

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos each come into Friday’s derby on winning streaks, with the Reds having won five straight games while the Greens have chained together four victories, and a big performance by Vezenkov or Nunn in a triumphant effort could go some way towards determining the Regular Season MVP.

There has been a celebratory atmosphere at Olympiacos of late, not only because of the team’s winning performances – coach Georgios Bartzokas’s men have won 12 of their last 13 games – but because of [the club celebrating its 100th anniversary](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/high-flying-olympiacos-celebrates-100th-birthday-with-eyes-set-on-the-prize/). Hopes are sky-high for the Reds this season, with Vezenkov and fellow star signing [Evan Fournier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/evan-fournier/013380/) determined to bring a fourth EuroLeague championship to Piraeus and end the club’s 12-year wait to wear Europe’s crown.

Nunn and Panathinaikos know what it takes to do just that, as they showed last year, and an eighth star is all that anyone is thinking about in Athens. First, though, the Greens know they can take another big step forward towards securing home-court advantage in the playoffs with a victory at SEF on Friday.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A big week ahead as focus shifts to the Greek Derby 🇬🇷 <br><br>And we brought out some legendary jerseys 🤩<br><br>Check out the thread below for them all ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/C6z40AQP32">pic.twitter.com/C6z40AQP32</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1899145366387282392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

To do that, Panathinaikos will need to put some demons to bed having lost seven straight EuroLeague games against Olympiacos. The last time the Greens downed the Reds was on February 5, 2021, as they came away with a 77-88 win at SEF. Both clubs were in transition at that time, but they enter this latest Greek derby as the two favorite teams to lift the EuroLeague title in May.

Not much separates the two teams, so the play of the two teams’ MVP candidates could go some way towards determining the final outcome. Will the real MVP please stand up?

Sasha Vezenkov and Kendrick Nunn go head to head at SEF

Olympiacos Piraeus v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-03-14T19:15:00.000Z)

Check out the best plays of the BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, and see who made the best of them.

Top 10 Plays | Quarterfinals | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Congratulations to Mantas Saviciunas, our 20th winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Mantas's team, 'Molinukai', posted a score of 178.75

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 20 winner

Congratulations to Mantas Saviciunas, our 20th winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Mantas's team, 'Molinukai', posted a score of 178.75

 

Mantas had the following starting lineup: Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem as team captain, then Yam Madar of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, Khadeen Carrington also of Jerusalem, Braian Angola of Turk Telekom Ankara and Marko Simonovic of Bahcesehir College Istanbul. Turk Telekom center Kyle Alexander was the sixth man.

 

The head coach of Mantas's team was Pedro Martinez of Valencia Basket, while the four bench players were Jerusalem's Justin Smith, Brynton Lemar of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana,, Tyler Cavanaugh of Bahcesehir and Oz Blayzer of Hapoel.

 

The prize for finishing first in the 20th round of the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Mantas!

 

The leader in the overall standings remains Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallIsLife', which has a total of 3,421.2 points after the first 20 rounds. Trades are now open for the 21st round, which is Game 1 of the EuroCup semifinals, and the number of trades is unlimited.

 

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

Noa Kouakou values the joy of celebrating - like he did with U18 Pole France INSEP Paris at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Belgrade - but deeper inside the French forward is the motivation of two gut-wrenching losses on the biggest of stages in 2024.  

Hustler Kouakou turned gut-wrenching losses into motivation 

Noa Kouakou values the joy of celebrating - like he did with U18 Pole France INSEP Paris at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Belgrade - but deeper inside the French forward is the motivation of two gut-wrenching losses on the biggest of stages in 2024. 

Kouakou was a force at both ends of the court for INSEP in Belgrade as the two-time continental champion proved too much for U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the first-place game. The athletic and versatile forward collected 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the 74-60 victory and earned the Most Valuable Player award.

“It’s a team title - not just mine. If I am MVP, it’s because of my teammates. If they don’t pass me the ball I can’t score. It’s all the work of the team, not just mine,” said Kouakou, who averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.8 blocks for the tournament.

“I am really happy for my team. And proud of myself for doing everything I could to help my team win. And that is what happened. We will just enjoy the moment and then focus on Abu Dhabi.”

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/noakkh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@noakkh</a> is the MVP of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NextGenEuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NextGenEuroLeague</a> qualifier in Belgrade 🇫🇷👏🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NextGenEuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NextGenEuroLeague</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/adidasBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#adidasBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/HMPLVVrGOt">pic.twitter.com/HMPLVVrGOt</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1898848431797354914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And it is in the United Arab Emirates that Kouakou hopes to avenge one of the most bitter losses in his still young career. He is one of six INSEP players back from the team that lost 85-84 to U18 Real Madrid in an overtime thriller in the NextGen Championship Game last season in Berlin.

“I learned a lot of things. Real was a really, really good team. They played good basketball with a really high IQ. They had really good players. The game was really hard physically,” said Kouakou, who contributed 1 rebound in 6:09 minutes of action playing a year younger. “Last year I didn’t have the same role as this year. It taught me that you have to be really consistent the whole game.”

Kouakou then played with his own 2007-born generation last summer at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 in Istanbul, where France was considered a title challenger to the United States, which had never lost a game in the history of the cadet global competition with six undefeated championships.

France held tight with the USA in the first game of the tournament and lost 104-81 but then were surprised by China in the second game. A win over Guinea meant a Round of 16 matchup with Puerto Rico, who ended up shocking the French 91-84 to end the hopes of a rematch against the Americans in the Final. And Kouakou had visions of Real and Berlin all over again.

"The finals will be the real, real games. The real basketball, the real best players."

“It was really the same thing as Real Madrid. The fact that you have to be really consistent the whole game. The game is 40 minutes. It’s not 39 or 38. You have to play 40 minutes and give your whole body on the court,” said Kouakou, who contributed 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block in 16 minutes against Puerto Rico.

“The energy that the bench can give us on the court is really important. We could have been better in this aspect than we were in Turkiye - bring more energy.”

Kouakou averaged 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16 minutes at the U17 World Cup last summer. But those two losses fueled him.

“It’s really extra motivation for me. I have never won a gold medal with the national team or a final tournament with the club. We won this tournament but it’s just a qualifier. The finals will be the real, real games. The real basketball, the real best players. It hurts me a lot to always lose, but I learned so much from those losses. It’s all a benefit for me for later.”

Kouakou has put that motivation into his work off the court. His Instagram profile includes the phrase “Hustler 69” and on one of his posts it says: “Hustlers don’t stop, they keep going”.

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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/C5lJhb2Nnkc/?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 Noa Kouakou - Heugue (@noakkh10)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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The number represents France’s 69th department Lyon - Kouakou’s home city - and hustler, he says, is a mentality.

“Hustle hard every day. Reach your potential one percent more every day by giving your full potential every day. Don’t waste your time. Every day you have, improve yourself. Improve your weaknesses and try to be your best self,” Kouakou said.

The 2.08-meter forward also prides himself on his defense.

“Defense is a mentality. It’s the thing that makes you win the game. Without defense, you cannot win and you cannot be a complete player. You cannot be a very versatile player without defense. I really enjoy being able to defend every position from point guard to center. I try my best at that. It means a lot for me to get a stop and see my teammates enjoy the moment. It makes me happy,” he said.

INSEP head coach Francois Peronnet can see the work Kouakou has put in.

“He has energy at both sides of the court and on and off the court. He has improved a lot the last two seasons. Now he is more facing the basket. He can really move on the floor - both offensively and defensively. He can be an outside player. He still can improve but it’s great to have him on the team,” said Peronnet, who is spending his first season as INSEP head coach.

Koukoua has one more chance to win a NextGen EuroLeague crown, which would make hoisting the trophy in Abu Dhabi that much more special.

“It would mean a lot because it’s my last year at INSEP. I did my three years at INSEP and improved a lot. I respect all my coaches, shout out to them. It would mean a lot of things for me,  lots of emotion to play with those guys. I have known some of them for eight years. So it would really make me happy.”

And the hustler could finally call himself a champion.

Noa Kouakou was named the NextGen EuroLeague Belgrade MVP

Makoundou’s emphatic slam! Magic Moment of the Night

Valencia Basket-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Valencia Basket v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2025-03-12T19:30:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket guard Chris Jones spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat U-BT Cluj-Napoca in the BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals. 

Chris Jones: 'We played hard'

Valencia Basket’s 98-74 victory over UB-T Cluj-Napoca felt like the Spanish team was not only advancing to the next stage but also sending a message for the rest of the teams remaining in the BKT EuroCup, with a ruthless and focused performance that saw Coach Pedro Martinez’s men lead by double digits for nearly 33 minutes.

Chris Jones was staying focused after leading Valencia to victory

[Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/valencia-basket/roster/pam/?season=2024-25)’s [98-74 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/valencia-cruises-past-cluj-98-74-and-into-last-four/) over [UB-T Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/roster/clu/?season=2024-25) felt like the Spanish team was not only advancing to the next stage but also sending a message for the rest of the teams remaining in the BKT EuroCup, with a ruthless and focused performance that saw Coach Pedro Martinez’s men lead by double digits for nearly 33 minutes.

Although this was truly a team effort, the best performer statistically was [Chris Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/chris-jones/010568/) with a game-high 14 points along with 9 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots for a PIR of 18.

Chris Jones stood out for Valencia in the quarterfinals

And the point guard readily agreed with the notion that this performance was a clear statement of intent for the title-chasing *Taronjas*, with Jones saying, "Definitely we wanted to show something in our first game in the playoffs in the EuroCup.

“We went out, we played hard, we got after it defensively, and I think that sparked the game for us, getting out on transition and stuff like that. We executed, not the best that could have, but we got the win, so I’m happy with that.”

Game Videos

The impression that Valencia knows its job is nowhere near done was further strengthened by the lack of celebratory atmosphere at the final buzzer. The Spanish team has already won the EuroCup on three occasions since 2010 and is clearly in the mood to add another trophy, with Jones keeping his game face on as he assessed the upcoming challenge presented by Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in the last four.

“It’s a journey,” he said. “We’ve got this one, we’ll enjoy it tonight, and then we’ll get back to the drawing board, focus on what we need to do and prepare ourselves.”

Judging by Wednesday’s performance, Valencia will not be lacking preparation or focus when the matchup with Hapoel rolls around.

The Spanish team is not celebrating yet despite a huge win over Cluj

Valencia Basket held its home court in emphatic fashion for a 98-74 victory over UB-T Cluj Napoca, sending the Spanish team into a semifinal meeting with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

Valencia cruises past Cluj, 98-74, and into last four

Valencia Basket held its home court in emphatic fashion for a 98-74 victory over UB-T Cluj Napoca, sending the Spanish team into a semifinal meeting with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

Valencia quickly found its offensive rhythm to take a double-digit first-quarter lead, and raced into a 53-36 advantage by halftime. Cluj fought but never got within single digits, as the host cruised to a victory that was safe long before the final buzzer.

Chris Jones orchestrated Valencia with 14 points and 9 assists, while Semi Ojeleye added 13 and Jean Montero netted 12, with Matt Costello and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui both scoring 10. Zavier Simpson led Cluj with 12 points and 10 assists, while Zach Hankins also had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, Adam Mokoka netted 12, and Gediminas Orelik and Karel Guzman both scored 11.

Simpson’s layup was bettered by Brancou Badio’s triple in the opening possessions. Guzman also struck from deep before Jaime Pradilla and Badio kept the three-point party going. Hankins and Jones traded inside buckets for a 15-7 Valencia lead, and Lopez-Arostegui kept the host moving with a corner three. Montero’s jumper made it a double-digit game, before Costello’s three and Josep Puerto’s putback gave Valencia a 30-15 lead at the end of the first.

Ojeleye’s triple started the second quarter, and an inside score by Hankins was bettered by another Ojeleye triple to make it 38-17. DJ Seeley lifted Cluj with a pair of deep strikes, but Lopez-Arostegui and Nate Sestina protected a comfortable lead. Orelik and Sasu Salin added threeballs as Cluj rallied to 47-31, only for Sestina to hit another Valencia triple followed by a layup-and-one from Jones. Guzman’s close-range finish and Mokoka’s three-pointer made it closer at the half, 53-36.

Cluj further narrowed the gap early in the third, with Guzman, Hankins and Mokoka all scoring from close range to make it 55-42. But Valencia responded with a dunk from Nate Reuvers and a three from Jones, as Cluj went three minutes without scoring. Simpson’s smooth hook shot was bettered by Montero’s three-pointer, and further triples from Mokoka and Montero made it 70-52 with 10 minutes left.

Orelik’s triple to open the fourth quarter gave Cluj hope, but Ojeleye’s inside score settled the host. Another Mokoka triple was followed by Pradilla’s dunk, making it 74-58. Simpson’s driving layup was followed by Ojeleye’s three-pointer, and the long bombs continued from Costello, Seeley and Orelik, pulling Cluj back to 80-68. Costello’s layup and Jones’s long two made sure Cluj didn’t get closer, and a Costello putback was followed by Montero’s three-point play to ensure a big winning margin.

The Spanish side underlined its title credentials with another dominant display

In three years since joining BKT EuroCup, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv never won a game in which it scored fewer than 76 points, but it managed to do it Wednesday when it mattered most. Hapoel downed Turk Telekom Ankara 67-61 in a hard-fought one-and-done quarterfinals clash that has seen Hapoel reach the semifinals of the competition for the first time.

Defense, boards, belief and unity have Hapoel keep on going

In three years since joining BKT EuroCup, [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-tel-aviv/hta/) had never won a game in which it scored fewer than 76 points, but managed to so on Wednesday when it mattered most. Hapoel fought hard for [a 67-61 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-fights-off-turk-telekom-moves-into-semifinals/) over [Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/roster/ttk/?season=2024-25) in a one-and-done quarterfinal clash that saw Hapoel reach the semifinals of the competition for the first time.

“This is what playoff basketball is about,” said Marcus Foster, Hapoel’s leader in the game with 21 points and 8 rebounds. “Sometimes it’s not got to be pretty, so you just have to find your way to win.”

Hapoel came into the quarterfinals as the third-best scoring team, having averaged [88.8 points per game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/key-stats-teams/?size=1000&misc=&seasonCode=U2024&category=Score&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS) during the regular season. But on Wednesday night the offense struggled.

In the first half, Hapoel scored just 28 points, which was its lowest-scoring half in any EuroCup game. But the team still led by 2. 

By the end of the night, Hapoel only had 67 points on its tally, its second-worst scoring performance in three EuroCup season. But the team still managed to pull out a win.

"Defense is what won the game,” said [Oz Blayzer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/oz-blayzer/009877/), who played 17 minutes, which is 10 more than his season average, due to team captain [Tomer Ginat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tomer-ginat/010550/) not being able to go in the second half.

“We came committed to our game plan. We kept them to a low score but we also didn’t score much. In the end, we made the correct plays,” Blazer said.

The way Hapoel had done the job was the dominance on the offensive glass. Hapoel pulled down 18 offensive board to just 3 by Turk Telekom.

What’s more, all 3 of those offensive board Turk Telekom grabbed in the first quarter.

That’s not all the damage that Hapoel’s defense has done. The Coach Dimitris Itoudis team has allowed only 3 field goals in each the second and third quarter. So, even though the offense was not clicking, the defense was there to step up.

“\[Key\] was the belief,” Itoudis said. “Trust to the unity, the locker room is healthy. Players are together. They are ready to accept criticism, and they are ready to fight.”

And fought they did. For a place in the semifinals, for the first time in club history.

Hapoel had to get a little bit out of character to pull out a hard-fought win and move into the semifinals

Defense, boards, belief and unity fueled Hapoel

Lopez-Arostegui turns on the style! Magic Moment

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv guard Marcus Foster spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Turk Telekom Ankara in the BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals. 

Smailagic denies at the rim! Motorola Magic Moment

McCollum’s over-the-head assist! Motorola Magic Moment

Top 10 Plays | Quarterfinals | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Makoundou’s emphatic slam! Magic Moment of the Night

Valencia Basket-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Chris Jones: 'We played hard'

Lopez-Arostegui turns on the style! Magic Moment

Marcus Foster: 'This is what playoff basketball is about'

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Turk Telekom Ankara | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Ojeleye says no! Magic Moment