Sportradar breaks down which teams have been hottest in 2025
Stats review: Which teams carry the most momentum?
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With one round to go in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, the teams advancing to the postseason are already decided, but there are several spots up for grabs above the Play-in Showdown that will shape the quarterfinals. Who claims those spots is worth monitoring as several teams have climbed the standings over the second half of the year. Given the way Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens found another gear during the second half of last season on its way to the championship, it is worth paying attention to who is carrying the most momentum into the postseason.
No team has played as well as FC Barcelona in recent months and it can finish its climb into and above the Play-In Showdown slots with a win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna at Palau Blaugrana this week. With a favorable tiebreaker against AS Monaco, which currently sits in fourth place one win above, Barca will have no shortage of rooting interests across the league with four other teams potentially moving to 20 wins with a victory. Regardless, Barcelona has been playing at a very high level in recent weeks and its road victory at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 33 speaks to how dangerous it could be moving forward. Dario Brizuela has turned his season around like few players in recent history to add some firepower to this offense on the perimeter, while the now injured Chimezie Metu, Tomas Satoransky, and Joel Parra all played well late in the year to fill in the blanks for an offense that is thriving in the half court.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul has risen in lockstep with Barcelona in the second half and has notched the key victories to secure the tie breakers over the other four teams currently tied with 19 wins to surge up the standings. Guard play been the difference as the Turkish club has risen to lead the EuroLeague in overall offensive efficiency thanks in large part to the rhythm Elijah Bryant and Shane Larkin have found in 2025.
Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos, and Fenerbahce have spent much of the last few months just above the crowded part of the standings and their consistency has had a lot to do with that. Much like Efes and Barcelona, their performance on the offensive end has been key to their success as it has been increasingly difficult for teams to differentiate themselves defensively during the second half of the year. One of Real Madrid, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, and Zalgiris Kaunas will lead the EuroLeague in overall defensive efficiency at around 0.98 points per possession—a notable rise from the 0.95 points per possession mark Panathinaikos posted to lead the league last year.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz were both victims of the EuroLeague's parity this season. As well as that duo played recently with Baskonia proving especially formidable at home, timing played a bigger role in the postseason picture than previous seasons. The two-win margin between fourth and 10th place shows how razor-thin margins have been.
With a lot on the line in the final round of the regular season ahead of what should be an extremely competitive Play-in Showdown, it will be fascinating to see which teams carry the momentum they have built over the last few months in the quarterfinals.