Name: Parker's fastbreak dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Zalgiris Kaunas recorded its seventh straight win over Virtus Bologna, ending its four-game EuroLeague losing streak in the process, by winning 77-68 on the back of 20 points by Sylvain Francisco.

Sylvain Francisco scores 20 as Zalgiris topples Virtus, 77-68

Sylvain Francisco’s fourth 20-point game this season proved key for Zalgiris Kaunas as it brought its four-game losing skid to an end against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, winning 77-68. Zalgiris has now won seven straight games against Virtus, with this victory improving Andrea Trinchieri’s men to an 11-10 record, while Dusko Ivanovic’s charges fell to 6-15.

Another key man in the victory was Arnas Butkevicius, who did a bit of everything with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Edgaras Ulanovas had his best scoring night of the season with 16 points, while Dovydas Giedraitis added 10 points. Virtus’s Isaia Cordinier netted 18 points and Toko Shengelia posted 12 points.

Game Videos

Giedraitis and Francisco knocked down three-pointers either side of a Laurynas Birutis bucket as Zalgiris raced out to an 8-0 start. Andrejs Grazulis’s tip-in got Virtus off the mark 2:06 minutes into the quarter, but the visitors looked lost at sea and found themselves 16-4 down when Butkevicius drained a three-pointer from the Zalgiris logo. Nicola Akele and Momo Diouf did offer a boost to Virtus, but Ulanovas went to the line a couple of times and later hit a triple on the turn to give Zalgiris a 25-11 lead, with the score 25-13 after 10 minutes.

When Lonnie Walker hit back-to-back three-pointers to open the second frame – his first and second shots of the game – it looked like there was going to be no way back for Virtus, with Zalgiris up 31-13. With those two makes, Zalgiris was 8 for 10 from downtown. Matt Morgan converted Virtus’s first triple to make it 31-16, and slowly but surely the impact of Alessandro Pajola and Cordinier started to be felt, with the hosts’ lead trimmed to 11 points at 35-24 after a Pajola three. A stunning sequence by Butkevicius saw him race back to block Pajola before converting a three on the other end, 38-24, but Shengelia came to the fore in the closing stages as Virtus reduced the deficit to nine points, 41-32, at halftime.

Game News

Despite Francisco’s three to start the second half, Virtus’s momentum continued and Pajola’s triple saw the visitors get within seven at 44-37. Ulanovas, Francisco and Butkevicius stepped up to give Zalgiris breathing room at 52-40. Even though Virtus fought back again to get within eight at 55-47, Ulanovas restored a double-digit lead at 58-47. Alen Smailagic’s corner three gave Zalgiris a 12-point lead, 61-49, but Matt Morgan made a couple of free throws to set a 61-51 score after 30 minutes.

The more the game went on, the more it seemed that things were falling in Virtus’s favor. A 9-3 Virtus run to open the fourth, capped by an off-balanced basket by Cordinier, got the visitors almost within touching distance at 64-60. Francisco’s patience allowed Smailagic to dunk, 66-60, but Zalgiris soon found itself in the penalty with 4 minutes to play. Virtus again got within four points on a couple of occasions, with Grazulis and Cordinier converting (68-64, 70-66), then Francisco took center stage. His block on Morgan was followed by a stop-and-pop mid-range jumper down the other end, 72-66, before driving and scoring a layup with 40 seconds remaining to give Zalgiris a 74-68 edge. Butkevicius and Francisco added the cherry on top from the line, as Zalgiris won 77-68.

Since returning to the EuroLeague in 2022, the Italian side has gone 0-6 in this fixture

Zalgiris Kaunas v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Tomas Satoransky feeds Jabari Parker with a wild fastbreak dunk!

Parker's fastbreak dunk! Motorola Magic Moment

 Tomas Satoransky feeds Jabari Parker with a wild fastbreak dunk!

FC Barcelona v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-01-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Kabengele puts the ball on the floor to overcome all defenders and finish with a strong two-handed jam

Kabengele hammers it home! Magic Moment

 Kabengele puts the ball on the floor to overcome all defenders and finish with a strong two-handed jam

Umana Reyer Venice v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2025-01-15T19:00:00.000Z)

Bahcesehir College Istanbul came back from an 18-point deficit to beat Trefl Sopot 76-81 on Wednesday night. This win improved Bahcesehir to a 13-3 record, clinching the first place in Group A with three games to go, while already-eliminated Trefl dropped 1-14 on the season.

Bahcesehir rallies against Trefl to win Group A

Bahcesehir College Istanbul came back from an 18-point deficit to beat Trefl Sopot 76-81 on Wednesday night. This win improved Bahcesehir's record to a 13-3 and clinched first place in Group A with three games to go, while already-eliminated Trefl dropped 1-14 on the season.

Trefl made 7 of its first 11 three-point attempts to open a 43-25 lead, but Bahcesehir halved the deficit before halftime and then erased the rest in the third quarter, before pulling out the win in the final minutes. 

Jaleen Smith paced the winners with 25 points and 9 rebounds, Tai Odiase scored 20 points and Tyler Cavanaugh added 12 in the victory. Nick Johnson netted 18 points for the hosts, Aaron Best had 13 , Geoffrey Groselle 12 and Mikolaj Witlinski 11 in a losing effort.

Smith and Best opened the game trading triples, but then Nahiem Alleyne and Johnson hit back-to-back long-range shots for the hosts to open an 11-7 lead. Kenan Sipahi had a jumper and Odiase a put-back layup to keep the visitors close, but Alleyne knocked down another three. Then Johnson scored 4 more points as Trefl scored the last 9 points of the first quarter to take a 24-13 lead.

Groselle and Johnson made it 28-13 in the second before Cavanaugh snapped a 13-0 run, ending Bahcesehir’s scoring drought of almost 6 minutes. Smith’s driving layup cut it to 30-19, but Johnson and Jakub Schenk made a triple apiece, with Best hitting a short jumper in between to make it 38-21. A three-pointer from Jaroslaw Zyskowski, Trefl’s seventh of the night, increased the margin to 18 points. But Axel Bouteille drained a three and Odiase had a three-point play to spark a 0-7 run that Bahcesehir used to finish the first half and cut the deficit to 45-37.

Best opened the third quarter with a triple, but Sipahi and Smith scored the next 6 points to close the gap to 48-43 before back-to-back threes from Cavanaugh cut it to 50-49. Trefl struggled offensively, but Schenk scored inside to make it 54-49. However, Odiase’s three-point play tied it before a pair of baskets from Furkan Korkmaz gave the visitors a 54-58 lead. Schenk to finished the quarter by sinking 3 foul shots to make it a single-point affair going into the fourth quarter.

A triple from Best tied it at 60-60 and the teams traded blows with a Best-to-Johnson alley-oop dunk giving the hosts a 66-64 lead. But the visitors scored the next 8 points, with back-to-back triples from Sehmus Hazer and Smith giving Bahcesehir a 66-72 advantage. Johnson scored from the outside and Groselle twice from the inside to tie the game at 74-74 entering the final 2 minutes. Smith made a tough runner in a crowd in the final minute and Bouteille got a lucky bounce on a tough baseline jumper with 30 seconds left to make it 74-78. Groselle’s dunk gave the hosts hope, but Smith’s free throws sealed the outcome.

The Turkish side secured the top spot in the group

Trefl Sopot v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas guard Sylvain Francisco spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Virtus Bologna in Round 21 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Sylvain Francisco: 'We fixed what we're supposed to do'

Zalgiris Kaunas guard Sylvain Francisco spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Round 21 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Zalgiris Kaunas-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 21 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Aris Midea Thessaloniki-Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (2025-01-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica outscored Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 10-1 in the final minute to complete a comeback from a 13-point deficit to win 84-83 at Moraca

Buducnost rallies past Hapoel, 84-83

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica outscored Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 10-1 in the final minute to complete a comeback from a 13-point deficit to win 84-83 at Moraca. The victory raised Buducnost’s record to 7-8 and put it in sixth place in Group A, while Hapoel fell to fourth place with a 9-6 record. Despite the loss, Hapoel clinched a ticket to the postseason.

Rasheed Sulaimon paced the winners with 19 points, Nikola Tanaskovic contributed 14 and McKinley Wright added 11 points and 6 assists. Alen Omic tallied 4 points and 9 rebounds and in doing so moved past Jamar Smith (1,396) and into fourth place on the EuroCup’s all-time scoring charts with 1,399 points.

Bruno Caboclo paced the Hapoel attack with 16 points, Tomer Ginat tallied 15 points and 7 rebounds, Johnathan Motley also scored 15 and Yam Madar had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in defeat.

Hapoel started strong with a Madar jumper and a Ginat triple only to see Buducnost answer with a Sulaimon layup and a three by Wright. The visitors quickly regained the lead through Motley and Ish Wainright, whose second three of the game made it 9-13. Motley added to the lead with 5 straight points in the paint. Sulaimon scored twice in transition and Tanaskovic heated up with 5 points to trim the gap to 18-20. Dordije Jovanovic’s dunk briefly tied that game at 22-22, but Caboclo responded with a triple seconds later. Omic scored his historic basket and Joe Ragland’s layup made it 24-27 after 10 minutes.

Tanaskovic buried another three early in the second quarter and Fletcher Magee followed from deep to give Buducnost the lead. The Buducnost defense held Hapoel scoreless for more than three minutes and Omic’s tip-in made it 34-30. Caboclo ended the Hapoel drought and, after Tanaskovic free throws, Bar Timor made it a 1-point game with a triple. After a Buducnost timeout, threes by Jovanovic and Sulaimon made it 42-37. Marcus Foster and Oz Blayzer revived the visitors and Motley put Hapoel back on top with free throws. Tanaskovic scored on the offensive glass before Joe Ragland beat the halftime buzzer to give Hapoel a 49-50 advantage.

Caboclo and Wainright ignited a 0-11 run early in the second half. Ginat and Madar also contributed as Hapoel made it 51-61. Yogi Ferell tried to get Buducnost back on track and Juwan Morgan added free throws, but Madar and Ginat kept Hapoel on track. A floater by Ferrell drew Buducnost within 60-67 at the end of the third quarter.

Caboclo restored a double-digit lead to open the fourth quarter and restore a double-digit Hapoel lead. A minute later, Madar connected from deep to push the margin to 13. It took more than 3 minutes before Sulaimon scored Buducnost’s first points of the fourth quarter. A three by Morgan and floater by Wright gave Buducnost hope at 69-75 and prompted a Hapoel timeout. After sitting for the last quarter and a half, Motley returned to the game and sank a mid-range jumper. Ginat’s fourth three of the game made it 71-80. Sulaimon answered with a three, but he and Fletcher both missed on the ensuing possession as the clock started to play a factor. Madar added points from the line and Wainright denied Morgan at the rim, but Buducnost fought on. A three by Fletcher and basket by Wright made it 79-82 with 18.5 seconds left. After Madar split free throws, Sulaimon got Buducnost within 2. With 11.5 seconds to play, Wainright missed 2 free throws and Patrick Beverley then fouled Fletcher, who was shooting a three, with 4.4 seconds left. Fletcher made all 3 free throws and Marcus Foster missed for Hapoel at the buzzer.

Despite the loss, Hapoel clinched a postseason berth

Juwan Morgan seemed on his way to an easy score before Ish Wainright stopped him from behind

Wainright saves the day with rejection! Magic Moment

Pushing on a fast break, Best connects with Johnson for an alley-oop dunk.

Trefl’s fastbreak alley-oop! Magic Moment

 Pushing on a fast break, Best connects with Johnson for an alley-oop dunk.

Simpson shows amazing dribbling skills to make his defender surrender

Zimpson dances and scores! Magic Moment

 Simpson shows amazing dribbling skills to make his defender surrender

Turk Telekom Ankara-Veolia Towers Hamburg | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Turk Telekom Ankara v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2025-01-15T16:30:00.000Z)

Isaia Cordinier finds Toko Shengelia in transition, with the Georgian dunking on Laurynas Birutis.

 Shengelia dunks on Birutis! Motorola Magic Moment

 Isaia Cordinier finds Toko Shengelia in transition, with the Georgian dunking on Laurynas Birutis.

Turk Telekom Ankara remained firmly on course to reach the BTK EuroCup playoffs with a hard-fought 77-65 home win over Veolia Towers Hamburg in Group B, improving to 9-6 while the German side dropped to 3-12 

Turk Telekom retains playoff hopes with 77-65 win over Hamburg

Turk Telekom Ankara remained firmly on course to reach the BTK EuroCup playoffs with a hard-fought 77-65 home win over Veolia Towers Hamburg in Group B, improving to 9-6 while the German side dropped to 3-12 and lost all hopes of advancing into the business end of the competition.

Anthony Brown paced Turk Telekom with 18 points, Yoan Makoundou added 16 to go with 6 boards while Kenneth Smith racked up 10 points and 7 assists for the home team. At the other end, Jordan Barnett netted 18 points and Kur Kuath registered a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Turk Telekom gained the upper hand from the start and soon carved out a 16-9 lead on the back of fast-paced offense, combined with strong defense which denied Hamburg open looks and forced the visitors out of the paint.

The Turkish side then raced clear, 28-13, as its big men Makoundou and Kyle Alexander dominated at both ends of the floor while the backcourt unit kept sinking shots from mid-range and downtown.

Hamburg was unable to cope with Turk Telekom’s torrid pace, which saw Smith and Alexander light up the contest with several spectacular alley-oops which had a vocal home crowd on its feet.

The hosts engineered a commanding 46-31 lead at halftime, with the versatile Makoundou leading the way on 12 points, while livewire Brown added 8. Alexander and Ismet Akpinar chipped in with 6 points apiece and Smith dished out as many assists to underline Turk Telekom’s smooth team effort which put the home side firmly in the driving seat. 

The Turkish team appeared to lose some of its momentum early in the third quarter and allowed Hamburg to conjure a 2-8 run which slashed the deficit to 48-39, as Jaizec Lottie hit a deep three for the visitors midway through the third quarter.

They closed the gap to 50-44 moments later and forced the home team’ head coach Erdem Can to call a timeout, with Turk Telekom’s offense grinding to a screeching halt. The Turkish side responded with a lightning 7-0 run as Brown sank one from downtown to stretch the lead back to double figures. Not for long though, as Hamburg then netted 6 unanswered points to reduce Turk Telekom’s lead to 57-50 heading into the final 10 minutes.

A corner three from Smith followed by Olivier Hanlan’s mid-range jumper made it 64-50 early in the fourth and although Hamburg fought hard to stay in touch, Smith drained another three from way downtown to keep the hosts in control, 69-55.

There was one last roar from Hamburg as it closed in to 70-65 with 1:28 minutes left on the clock before a pair of free throws by Makoundou followed by a spot-up three from Brown put the game beyond the German team’s reach.

“Hamburg was under no pressure and our biggest problem was the offensive rebounds, as we gave them too may,” Can said in his postgame comments. “We stayed together and were smart on offense, but our defense was the key.”

Hamburg won the battle of the boards 48-39 having collected a staggering 21 offensive rebounds but the visitors were ultimately undone by their own dreadful long-range shooting, having sank a mere 4 of 34 from deep while Turk Telekom made 8 of 25.

With three rounds to go in the regular season, the Turkish side stayed on course to advance 

Arnas Butkevicius blocks Alessandro Pajola on one end, then drains a three down the other.

Butkevicius does it at both ends! Motorola Magic Moment

Tai Odiase works his way to the basket, but Darious Moten comes from the weak side to deny him with a big swat.

Moten denies Odiase! Magic Moment

Marco Belinelli uses his vision by guiding Daniel Hackett’s pass to Momo Diouf, who has the easy dunk.