Name: Jaylen Hoard: 'Happy about the way we played defense today'
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Jaylen Hoard spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Jaylen Hoard: 'Happy about the way we played defense today'

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-12-26T19:05:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus extended its winning streak to three games by grabbing a hard-fought 83-84 victory at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Thursday 

Olympiacos edges Milan in thriller, 83-84

Olympiacos Piraeus extended its winning streak to three games by grabbing a hard-fought 83-84 victory at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Thursday night. In a tight affair at Unipol Forum, neither team managed to secure a lead that was larger than 7 points, with the two sides trading blows throughout the 40 minutes. With the win, Olympiacos improved its record to 12-6. Meanwhile, Milan registered its third straight loss to drop to 9-9.

Sasha Vezenkov led all scorers with 21 points and Evan Fournier netted 18, with Alec Peters and Moustapha Fall scoring 14 and 11, respectively. Nikola Mirotic paced Milan with 16 points, Shavon Shields netted 15 and Leandro Bolmaro scored 14.

Game Videos

Kostas Papanikolaou opened the scoring with a dunk following a backdoor cut, but Leandro Bolmaro netted a midrange jumper and Nico Mannion nailed a triple to put Milan ahead, 5-2. Moustapha Fall and Sasha Vezenkov scored inside, but Zach LeDay drilled one from deep and Bolmaro scored a layup to put Milan back in front, 10-6. Vezenkov and Shavon Shields traded triples before buckets from the Olympiacos forward and Fall tied it at 13-13. After Shaquielle McKissic and Vezenkov scored in the paint to give Olympiacos the lead, Neno Dimitrijevic made 2 from the free-throw line to make it 19-19 after 10 minutes.

Stefano Tonut opened his account from beyond the arc before back-to-back layups from Fabien Causeur opened a 28-21 lead early in the second quarter. Five points from Vezenkov were followed by a reverse layup from Papanikolaou to bring Olympiacos within 32-28. A Causeur three was followed by a basket from Fall, but Bolmano netted off the glass to extend Milan’s lead to 37-30. Fall and Papanikolaou scored inside, trimming the deficit to 38-34. Then, Olympiacos went on a 2-7 run fueled by its defense, with Vildoza scoring from behind the rainbow and Peters netting in transition for a 40-41 edge at the break.

Game News

Vezenkov opened the third quarter with a bucket inside before a jumper from Walkup gave Olympiacos a 42-45 lead. Milan responded with back-to-back triples from Bolmaro and Shields, who gave the hosts a 48-45 cushion. Fournier drilled a triple for his first field goal of the night before a Fall put-back bucket put Olympiacos ahead, 49-50. Vezenkov sank a three-pointer to reach the 2,500-point milestone before a Fournier three allowed the visitors to maintain a 54-56 lead. Ousmane Diop and Fournier exchanged buckets before Shields tied it, 58-58. Then, Fournier completed a three-point play before nailing one from downtown, but Neno Dimitrijevic hit a jumper that reduced the difference to 60-64 heading into the closing quarter.

Dimitrijevic opened the fourth with a triple before a three from Giampaolo Ricci put Milan in front, 66-65. Yet, Peters netted inside and Vildoza nailed from the corner to restore a 66-70 lead. The game turned into a free-throw affair, with Olympiacos maintaining a 68-74 cushion. Shields scored one from deep, but Fournier got a tough score inside to make it 71-77. Mirotic completed a three-point play on the other end, but Peters responded with a triple, 74-80. Peters and Shields traded scores inside, before a couple of free throws from the former restored a 78-84 cushion. Bolmaro nailed a corner three before a layup from Mirotic brought Milan within 83-84 with 0:38 remaining. With one possession left for each team, neither side managed to get a score and Olympiacos sealed the road victory.

The Reds outlasted the hosts in a tight affair at Unipol Forum

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-12-26T19:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv romped to a 95-78 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 18 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and improved to 5-13 after Jaylen Hoard led the way on a game-high 23 points

Impressive Maccabi brushes aside Zalgiris, 95-78

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv romped to a 95-78 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 18 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and improved to 5-13 after Jaylen Hoard led the way on a game-high 23 points, while Rokas Jokubaitis added 16 against his former club. Roman Sorkin also chipped in with 18 points for Maccabi and Levi Randolph netted 10 as Maccabi dished out 24 assists and won the battle of the boards 36-26 against a flat-looking Zalgiris which dropped to 10-8.

Deividas Syrvidis and Sylvain Francisco amassed 15 points each for the Lithuanian team and Lonnie Walker scored 14 after enduring a torrid shooting night, sinking just 1 of 10 from deep after missing his opening nine shots beyond the three-point arc.

Following an even start, as the teams were tied 13-13 midway through the first quarter, Maccabi went on a crucial 9-0 run and never looked back. Jokubaitis and Hoard drained 11 points each in the opening period as Maccabi surged ahead 26-16 and then continued to torment the visitors in the second quarter.

Hoard and Jokubaitis combined for 29 points by halftime, with Maccabi dominating in all departments. The hosts sank 5 of 7 three-pointers in the first half and contained Zalgiris to 6 of 20, dishing out 24 assists while forcing 11 turnovers from the visitors.

Maccabi also nailed 15 of 24 shots from inside and its aggressive defense limited Zalgiris to 6 of 9, as the Lithuanian team was forced out of the paint by aggressive defense from Maccabi.

There seemed to be a glimmer of hope for Zalgiris after a ferocious Alen Smailagic dunk ignited a streak that slashed Maccabi’s lead to 67-55 late in the third quarter.

However, a 13-5 run from Maccabi vanquished any thoughts of a comeback as the Israel champs kept their feet on the gas in the fourth.

Maccabi led by as many as 23 points in the closing stages, 87-64, before a late rally by Zalgiris kept the final score remotely respectable for the visiting team.   

The Israeli champs fired on all cylinders from start to finish

Poirier’s poster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

AS Monaco v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2024-12-26T18:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco guard Jordan Loyd spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Jordan Loyd: 'When we play defense like that, we're a great team'

AS Monaco guard Jordan Loyd spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

AS Monaco-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

ratiopharm Ulm-Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul | Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

ratiopharm Ulm v Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (2024-12-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid forward Mario Hezonja spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat ALBA Berlin in Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.  

Mario Hezonja: 'I am lucky to be in a locker room with Sergio Llull'

ALBA Berlin v Real Madrid (2024-12-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Bolmaro nets an unlikely triple to beat the buzzer!

How on earth, Bolmaro?! Motorola Magic Moment

ALBA Berlin-Real Madrid | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Smailagic rip through the paint and rocks the rim with a monster slam!

Smailagic takes off! Motorola Magic Moment

 Smailagic rip through the paint and rocks the rim with a monster slam!

AS Monaco stayed strong at home to comfortably down Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 94-75, on Thursday night. 

Monaco takes first place with win over Efes, 94-75

AS Monaco stayed strong at home to comfortably down Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 94-75, on Thursday night. The Roca Team improved to 12-6 to establish a two-game margin over Efes at 10-8.

Monaco raced into an early double-digit lead, which was extended to 49-34 at halftime. The advantage reached 19 points early in the second half, and that was too big a gap for Efes to ever threaten. Monaco’s team effort was paced by 14 points apiece for Mike James and Jordan Loyd. Mam Jaiteh added 12 points, and Jaron Blossomgame scored 11. Dan Oturu paced Efes with 14 points, with double-digit scoring from Darius Thompson (12), Elijah Bryant (12), Rolands Smits (10) and Vincent Poirier (10).

Loyd’s three-pointer gave Monaco the first lead, and Thompson’s driving layup responded for Efes. Vitto Brown’s triple, James’s layup and Loyd’s free throws made it 10-2, before Poirier and Donatas Motiejunas traded close-range scores. Brown’s three-point play pushed Monaco into a double-digit lead, 15-4. Ercan Osmani’s inside score and a pair of Poirier dunks pulled Efes closer, but Georgios Papagiannis scored 4 fast points before Bryant and Elie Okobo traded triples to make it 22-13 after ten minutes.

Papagiannis opened the second quarter with a floater, and three-pointers were exchanged between Rodrigue Beaubois and Matthew Strazel. Jaiteh’s fastbreak finish stretched Monaco’s lead to 29-16, but Oturu’s tip-in and Shane Larkin’s floater reduced the margin to single digits. Two more Jaiteh buckets kept Monaco comfortable, 35-20, and 4 straight points for Oturu didn’t help Efes much as Motiejunas and James netted at the other end. Free throws and a James triple maintained the margin, and it was 49-34 at the interval.

Jaiteh’s steal and score was bettered by Bryant’s triple to start the second half, but Terry Tarpey struck from deep and Jaiteh netted again to make it 56-37. Bryant and Loyd traded close-range buckets, before Jordan Nwora’s triple and a pair of Smits scores made it closer, 58-48. Blossomgame snapped a 0-9 run to settle Monaco, and Okobo added a smooth layup. Papagiannis and Poirier were on target at the rim, and a triple from Strazel made it 69-54 with ten minutes left.

Blossomgame’s threeball made Monaco even more comfortable, before Oturu scored twice and Thompson added a jumper to keep Efes hoping, 75-60. Strazel hit his third triple and Motiejunas was on target to protect a safe margin, and James also struck from deep for an 83-66 margin. Blossomgame’s layup and highlight reel reverse slam removed any lingering doubt despite a flurry of points from Thompson, and Monaco eased to a clear win.

The Roca Team strengthened its challenge at the top of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings

Real Madrid started the second part of the regular season in style, going to the German capital to down ALBA Berlin 69-80. Los Blancos registered their third straight win, and 18th in as many head-to-head games against ALBA, to improve to 9-9 on the season, while ALBA dropped to a league-worst 3-15 record.

Real Madrid keeps winning run going, downs ALBA 69-80

Real Madrid started the second part of the regular season in style, going to the German capital to down ALBA Berlin 69-80. *Los Blancos* registered their third straight win, and 18th in as many games against ALBA, to improve to 9-9 on the season, while ALBA dropped to a league-worst 3-15.

Sergio Llull, who made his 425th EuroLeague appearance to tie Kyle Hines for the most all-time, scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the first half to help Real pull away to a 17-point lead, and the hosts never came closer than 6 points the rest of the way as Real mostly controlled things on both ends of the floor. Llull was 5-of-9 from long range, while Mario Hezonja scored 18 points and had 6 rebounds. Dzanan Musa scored all 10 of his points in the first quarter, Facundo Campazzo had 9 points and 9 assists, while Walter Tavares collected 9 points and 10 rebounds. David McCormack had 15 points and 8 rebounds for ALBA, Malte Delow scored 13, and Matteo Spagnolo 10 points in the loss.

After Campazzo and Delow traded triples, Musa strung together 8 points, including a pair of threes to make it 11-13, and spark a 2-14 run by Real. Hezonja and Llull each added a three-pointer and Gabriel Deck joined in to complete a run of 9 consecutive points by the visitors and make it 13-24. Spagnolo snapped a run with a jumper, but another three from Llull made it 15-28 after 10 minutes.

Llull had a four-point play and a corner three to extend the margin early in the second. A three from Hugo Gonzalez opened a 21-38 lead. Spagnolo scored on a fast break and Matt Thomas hit a three-pointer, only for Tavares to answer with a big dunk to help restore a 17-point margin. However, ALBA responded with an 8-0 run that included big dunks from Delow and McCormack, and Real went into halftime up 34-45.

Tim Schneider made a triple and a tough baseline jumper, but Gabriel Deck had a three-pointer for the visitors and Tavares scored inside, keeping the margin in double figures at halfway point of the second, 39-52. Hermannsson scored 4 points to get the margin into single digits, before Hezonja hit a triple, but a jumper from Spagnolo and a put-back dunk by McCormack cut it to 48-55. After a timeout, however, Andres Feliz and Llull each scored a runner and Real took a 51-61 lead into the fourth quarter.

McCormack and Yanni Wetzell cut the margin to 55-61, but Lull hit his fifth triple and took it to the rim to keep ALBA at bay. Then Hezonja took over, scoring 8 points, including a three-point play, a tough turnaround jumper and a three-pointer to make it 59-74 and ice the game. ALBA kept fighting, and McCormack scored twice for the hosts after offensive rebounds, but the margin never went under 10 points the rest of the way.

Real has never lost against ALBA in 18 games this century

What a pass by Alfonso Plummer who finds Marcio Santos for a monstrous slam.


Santos punishes the rim! Magic Moment