Last Updated on October 14, 2025 12:48 pm by André Lemos | Published: October 14, 2025

Week 2 of the EuroLeague stormed in, a chaotic symphony of momentum swings, buzzer-beaters and tactical cat-and-mouse games that left fans either delirious or heartbroken. From Vitoria-Gasteiz to Piraeus, arenas shook, benches erupted and the kind of plays that usually live in highlight reels defined entire games. This wasn’t basketball on cruise control; it was a reminder that in Europe’s top competition, every possession is a story, and every timeout a chance to rewrite the script.

Take Baskonia vs. Panathinaikos, for instance. What began as a tentative, sloppy first quarter, the kind that makes you check the score twice, morphed into a 40-minute rollercoaster where leads evaporated, small-ball lineups sparked, and Kendrick Nunn reminded everyone why he’s the guy you want when the game screams for a hero. Or consider Hapoel vs. Maccabi, where the first derby of the season delivered precisely what it promised: raw emotion, pace, and enough chaos to make stat sheets irrelevant. And that was just Tuesday. Across the continent, shifts in strategy, adjustments on the fly, and the kind of efficiency that can only be learned in the crucible of EuroLeague pressure shaped a week that felt less like games and more like theater.

 

The Games of week 2:

Baskonia vs Panathinaikos: A Fight That Refused to End Quietly

It started nothing like anyone expected, two offensive juggernauts looking stuck in first gear. Both Baskonia and Panathinaikos opened flat, missing open looks and turning the ball over. Five early giveaways from the Greens, capped by a sloppy one from Jerian Grant, forced an early timeout with the score just 9–7 in Panathinaikos’ favor, a crawl for two of the most potent attacks in Europe.

But out of that timeout came a spark. A quick 7–0 run from the visitors flipped the rhythm entirely, led by flashes of the old T.J. Shorts, aggressive, confident, breaking down defenders and collapsing the paint. Baskonia got quality looks but couldn’t convert. Only Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot broke the trend, scoring 7 of Baskonia’s 14 first-quarter points without a miss and keeping them afloat. When the horn sounded, the hosts were down six, undone by accuracy inside the arc (Panathinaikos 8/13; Baskonia 4/13) and a tempo that never quite found its pace.

The second quarter opened with more purpose from the home side. A 5–2 run energized the Buesa crowd, especially as Baskonia began attacking through ghost screens and carving out driving lanes. Their defense briefly matched the energy, hard hedges, help rotations, and aggressive late-clock switches, but the discipline didn’t last. Two quick Cedi Osman threes punished blown rotations and stretched the lead to 11, forcing Galbiati to burn another timeout.

With all three bigs in foul trouble, Baskonia went small, sliding Rodions Kurucs to the five and accidentally discovering something that worked. The defense tightened, the floor opened, and Panathinaikos’ traditional bigs suddenly looked uncomfortable guarding in space. Even as the Greens found ways to attack mismatches, Baskonia’s five-out system kept the game alive, trimming what had been a 13-point deficit to just six at halftime, 42–36.

The second half began with a reminder of basketball’s oldest truth: it’s a game of runs. Baskonia erupted with seven unanswered points, five from captain Tadas Sedekerskis to grab a brief 43–42 lead, forcing Ergin Ataman to stop the bleeding. And out of that huddle came Panathinaikos’ own surge, a blistering 13–2 run in three minutes fueled by Juancho Hernangómez and Kendrick Nunn, who combined for 12 of those 13 points.

Galbiati went back to the small-ball look that had worked earlier, but lightning doesn’t strike twice. The Greens were ready this time. With better matchups and smarter rotations, they punished every mistake, and a string of poor decisions from Markquis Nowell left Baskonia staring at their biggest hole of the night, down 15 entering the final quarter.

But Baskonia doesn’t quit easily. A 7–2 burst to start the fourth brought life back into the building, and for once, it was their defense — not their shotmaking, that fueled belief. They held Panathinaikos scoreless for nearly three minutes, crawling back within reach. Still, when Jerian Grant’s late layup pushed the Greens back up nine with just over two minutes left, it felt finished.

It wasn’t. Diallo hit his free throws, Baskonia forced two stops, and Luwawu-Cabarrot buried a jumper to cut it to four. Panathinaikos grabbed two offensive rebounds on the next trip before Nunn, fittingly, ended the chaos with a crucial make. Diallo answered immediately from deep, and the arena shook once more. Down three with seconds left, Trent Forrest went to the line, calmly hit the first, then intentionally missed the second so perfectly that he recovered it himself and laid it in, tie game.

But not all stories get the fairytale ending. With four seconds left, Kendrick Nunn attacked left, rose over two defenders, and buried the knockout jumper. 86–84, Panathinaikos.

The Greens owed the win to their trio of Nunn, Osman, and Juancho, who combined for 65 of the team’s 86 points and delivered every timely bucket when the game tightened. Baskonia, now 0–3, will again feel like they let one slip away. Defense wasn’t the issue this time, offense was. Despite five players in double figures, their go-to scorer Markus Howard finished with zero points in 20 minutes, a stat that says as much about the night as any box score can.

 

Hapoel vs Maccabi: The First Derby Delivers

The first EuroLeague derby of the season didn’t just meet expectations, it matched the chaos and electricity the rivalry promises every year. From the opening tip, it was fast, high-scoring, and fueled by emotion on both sides.

Maccabi, after struggling from deep in their earlier games, came out firing, hitting 4 of their first 6 from beyond the arc. Their rhythm was immediate, their spacing crisp, and that early shot-making gave them the control they had been missing. Loonie set the tone with his aggression, attacking the rim with purpose, while on the other side Elijah carried the load for Hapoel, matching intensity for intensity.

The Brisset–Hoard combo at the forward spots proved to be a quiet difference-maker. Their size and length were too much for Hapoel’s wings, who couldn’t physically match up possession after possession. Hapoel’s decision to switch nearly everything on defense backfired at times, a few miscommunications, a few slow recoveries, and Maccabi punished every one of them with clean looks.

On the offensive end, Hapoel never looked entirely comfortable. Maccabi’s length and pressure disrupted their rhythm, forcing turnovers and pushing them out of their usual flow. Micic, who had been the steadying hand in previous games, couldn’t find the same impact this time around. Sixteen turnovers across forty minutes told the story, Hapoel simply gave Maccabi too many extra chances.

And when it mattered most, Maccabi seized control. Hapoel went scoreless for three straight minutes in the closing stretch, watching their lead disappear under a 13–0 Maccabi run led by Jeff Dowtin’s relentless energy and shot-making. Brisset sealed it with a strong fourth quarter, closing possessions and making timely plays that broke Hapoel’s spirit.

Maccabi walked away with the win and maybe a little peace of mind. The shooting finally came alive, the defense held when it had to, and for one night at least, the yellow and blue could breathe again.

 

EA7 Milano vs AS Monaco: A Chess Match with a Wild Finish

This one had a theme from the very first possession. Monaco leaned on its two former MVPs, Mike James and Nikola Mirotić, not just as scorers but as creators. Running empty-corner pick-and-rolls through them, Monaco kept Milano in rotation, moving the ball smartly and generating open looks across the floor. Milano stayed loyal to their bread-and-butter pick-and-roll offense, but Monaco came ready. Their coverages were tight, their help precise, and their early teamwork showed: seven assists on nine made field goals and only two turnovers in the first quarter, good for a 22–17 lead.

Milano opened the second with a wrinkle. Instead of their usual 1–5 pick-and-roll, they ran the action through Zach LeDay, popping him to the perimeter, creating instant offense. He and Gudurić combined for eight straight points, briefly pushing Milano ahead 27–26. Okobo’s persistence, grabbing his own missed free throw and floating one in, swung it back Monaco’s way. Daniel Theis quietly became the hinge of the game, eight points by halftime, working as both roller and mismatch hunter, forcing Monaco’s defense to react.

Messina reached for a momentum-changer, dialing up one of Milano’s most trusted sets, Spain Action. But Monaco, sharp and disciplined, read it perfectly. The “Spanoulis boys,” as fans have started calling them, played it to a tee: the big showed just enough to disrupt timing before slipping the back screen, and the guards switched fluidly through the action, neutralizing the play completely. It summed up the half, Monaco staying one step ahead, maintaining a five-point cushion at the break.

Milano came out swinging in the second half. Messina doubled down on size, rolling out a double-big lineup with Booker and Dunston, switching everything. The move caught Monaco off balance, and Booker’s quick five tied the game. But Monaco adjusted fast. Their elite guards went to work on those switches, James manipulating angles, Strazel punishing space and in just 80 seconds, a 9–0 run restored control. Milano clawed back late in the quarter, finding life when Theis rested, trimming the deficit to four heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter began sluggishly, almost three minutes without a field goal, before Monaco rediscovered their flow. Milano’s help schemes started to overextend, and Monaco made them pay. A classic Mike James mid-range pull-up stretched the lead to ten, forcing Messina to call time with 4:02 left. Out of it, Gudurić caught fire. He went on a personal 8–0 run, including a vintage four-point play, slicing the lead to two with just over 90 seconds left.

Monaco, suddenly tight, needed something and Mirotić delivered an offensive rebound and a trip to the line, splitting his free throws to nudge the lead to three. Milano refused to fade: a tough turnaround jumper made it a one-point game. Two empty Monaco trips later Shavon Shields raced out in transition with a chance to steal the win, but Alpha Diallo met him at the rim, soaring for a stunning block that stooped Unipol Forum dead in it’s tracks. Monaco held on as Strazel calmly sank both free throws, extending the lead to three.

Milano had one last chance. Down three, they held for the final shot; Monaco, choosing not to foul, let it play out. Lorenzo Brown got Theis off his feet with a pump fake but couldn’t sell the contact, the shot never truly left his hands as the buzzer sounded. Game over.

Mike James led Monaco with 18 points, but Daniel Theis was the night’s quiet star, a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double with stellar defense anchoring the visitors’ composure. Milano spread the scoring, five players in double figures, yet couldn’t sustain their rhythm. LeDay, after a strong start, went scoreless in the second half, and Messina’s decision not to use Nico Mannion (averaging 20 minutes and 5 assists in previous games) raised eyebrows.

A night of adjustments, swings and defiance ended with Monaco standing tall, and a reminder that sometimes, in the EuroLeague, execution beats familiarity.

 

Partizan vs Efes: Energy, Execution, and the Edge of Control

Belgrade got the version of Partizan everyone came to see: physical, aggressive, and relentless. The hosts came out firing, attacking the paint with force and converting two early and-ones to set the tone. Within minutes it was 13–4, Partizan owning both glass and tempo. Ty Jones dominated early, scoring eight first-quarter points and outworking Kai Jones inside. The offense hummed, the ball swung side to side, decisions quick and clean, while Efes, undone by sloppiness (six turnovers), stayed alive only because their threes were falling: 5-of-7 from deep in the opening period.

Partizan kept leaning on one of their most effective sets this season: clearing a side for Kevin Punter or PJ Dozier (in this one, Carlik Jones) to run a pindown for Jabari Parker. Parker curls, receives on the wing, and from there the defense is in trouble, two lethal options created out of simple structure. It worked again and again. The result: a high-scoring quarter, 31–24 Partizan, with Efes’ 15 of those 24 points coming from behind the arc.

In the second, the pattern held, only the personnel shifted. Efes cooled off from deep, while Partizan kept feeding the same blueprint. This time it was Osetkowski taking over inside, matching Ty Jones’ early energy with less flash but equal impact. Efes unraveled a bit further: Lloyd picked up three quick fouls, foul trouble stacked up, and their defense softened. By halftime, the numbers told the story, Efes with 10 turnovers to Partizan’s single one, the home side grabbing 11 offensive rebounds, and a 12-point lead to show for it.

Partizan’s length was a problem all half. Bonga and Brown tagged Larkin on switches, bullied him inside, and created separation whenever they wanted. Yet momentum shifted after the break. Efes came out with better structure, more motion, and more defensive urgency. They turned it over only once in the third and started stacking stops. Their threes kept dropping, and with every clean defensive possession, their confidence grew. Meanwhile, Partizan’s ball movement stalled. The energy dropped, decisions slowed, and the offense became predictable. Efes won the quarter by 10, trimming the deficit and exposing a recurring concern, just as in the loss to Milano, Partizan struggled to sustain focus through 40 minutes.

But this time, they found answers. The fourth quarter was a test of poise. Efes fell back into old habits, settling for quick threes and losing rhythm. Partizan, steadier now, closed with the right balance of pace and control. Sterling Brown showed up when it mattered, again, hitting timely, clutch shots that kept Efes from getting over the top.

Courdinier was flawless, literally, 24 points without a miss from the field (his only blemish a missed free throw). Osetkowski anchored both ends, but beyond those two, Efes got little consistent help outside of flashes from Larkin. For Partizan, it was a team win built on interior dominance and composure, with Brown and Bonga leading the scoring charge at 24 and 18 points respectively.

A night that began with brute force ended with control, the kind of win that reminds you what this Partizan team can look like when aggression meets discipline.

 

Olympiacos vs Dubai: Defense, Discipline and a Statement in Piraeus

For a few minutes, it looked like Dubai had something cooking in Peace and Friendship Stadium. Their offense flowed early, with Mfiondu Kabengele diving hard to the rim and punishing Olympiacos’ weak coverage on lob attempts. Those early dunks built confidence, and the visitors found a rhythm that quieted the home crowd, briefly.

Then, everything shifted. Olympiacos adjusted, digging into their off-ball sets, and suddenly Sasha Vezenkov was everywhere, curling, slipping, and punishing Dubai’s switch-heavy defense. The hosts hunted mismatches and won nearly every one. Dubai’s second unit entered without the same intensity, and by the end of the first quarter, the Greeks were in control, up seven and rising.

The second quarter brought more of the same. Dubai’s offense slowed to a crawl, heavy isolations for Dwayne Bacon, no real ball movement, and little rhythm. Their defense, built around constant switching, couldn’t keep up with Olympiacos’ cutting and screening. Every possession felt like a clinic in patience versus impatience. Olympiacos, crisp and composed, even devoted special attention to tracking Davis Bertans’ off-ball movement, refusing to give up easy looks.

A small subplot played out in the stands too: Filip Petrusev, once a home player here, was greeted not with applause but with boos from the Olympiacos faithful, a reminder that “Peace and Friendship” is just a name on the building when emotions run deep in Piraeus.

On the floor, the physical battle tilted further toward Olympiacos. Kabengele began to struggle against Nikola Milutinov’s sheer strength, sending the Serbian big to the line multiple times. By mid-second quarter, Dubai was completely out of rhythm, shooting just 10% from three with a single make to show for it.

With Shaq McKissic annd Thomas Walkup out Ntilikina and Ward’s energy off the bench gave Olympiacos a defensive identity that Dubai simply couldn’t solve. They chased over screens, denied passing lanes, and ran hard in transition. Dubai’s backcourt never found breathing room.

By the midpoint of the third quarter, the scoreboard told the story, a 19-point gap, and a game essentially decided. Olympiacos never eased up. Their defense tightened, rotations stayed sharp, and every possession reinforced what makes them so dangerous when locked in.

The fourth quarter mirrored the third, control, cohesion, and consistency. The biggest takeaway wasn’t the margin; it was the manner. Olympiacos defended with purpose and identity, the kind of defensive effort that doesn’t just win games, it builds championship muscle.

 

Key Performances of the Past Week:

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Kendrick Nunn was the headline act. The reigning MVP reminded everyone why there’s @nunnbetter_ with yet another masterpiece, this time closing the door on Baskonia in brutal, poetic fashion. But before diving into his brilliance, two other names deserve their flowers.

Kevin Punter had been quiet to start the season, but against Efes he rediscovered his rhythm, dropping 27 points and looking every bit like the cold-blooded scorer Partizan needs him to be. It wasn’t just the numbers, it was the confidence, the fluidity, the way he demanded the ball again. That’s the Punter we know.

And then there’s Isaïa Cordinier. Yes, it came in a losing effort, but the Frenchman was flawless, 24 points without missing a single field goal (his only miss came at the free throw line). He carried Efes offensively when no one else could and still managed to impact the game defensively. Nights like that, where he looked unbothered by pressure and simply took over, prove how complete he’s becoming.

Still, no one shone brighter this week than Kendrick Nunn. It’s getting redundant at this point, but he just keeps finding new ways to impress. Against Baskonia, he poured in 30 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, the kind of line that pops off the page. But what made it special wasn’t just the volume; it was how he did it.

Nunn shot 12-for-20 from the field (60%), including 3-for-7 from deep and a perfect 3-for-3 at the line, good for an elite 67.5% effective field goal percentage. That’s absurd efficiency in a EuroLeague setting where every shot is contested, every inch earned.

Still, even those numbers don’t fully capture his performance. The context matters, the timing mattered. When Panathinaikos needed a leader, Nunn became exactly that. He scored the final eight points for the Greens, including the coldest moment of the week: tie game, four seconds left, ball in his hands. Two dribbles right, a between-the-legs cross, one step left… swish. Two defenders contesting, no hesitation, just inevitability.

That was the knockout punch and the kind of sequence that defines MVPs.

As his Instagram handle says, and as Europe is quickly learning once again: there’s @nunnbetter_.

Standings Watch:

The alarms are starting to sound in Vitoria-Gasteiz, as Baskonia remains the only winless team in this year’s EuroLeague. Yes, that surprising road loss to ASVEL, a game they had to win, stung badly, but not everything is doom and gloom. Against both Greek giants, they’ve shown plenty of fight and were inches away from flipping their season narrative.

Against Olympiacos, they led with 2:30 left before surrendering 11 points in the closing stretch. Against Panathinaikos, it was even crueler: down by as many as 15, they stormed back to tie the game in the final seconds, only to watch Kendrick Nunn rise, release, and rip their hearts out with a cold-blooded midrange dagger.

But the EuroLeague table doesn’t care about “what ifs.” Baskonia needs wins, not moral victories. Their next opportunity comes in Paris, a potential “track meet” of a game that might finally unlock their offense. More than anything, though, they need Markus Howard to rediscover his rhythm. Averaging under 10 points per game and shooting just 33% from deep, he’s the engine of this team and when the engine sputters, the whole car stalls.

Keep an eye on Baskonia. The next couple of games could tell us whether they swim or sink.

If we’re talking about the other end of the table, Zalgiris is the standout story. Sitting at 3–0, this feels like another one of those classic Zalgiris runs we’ve seen before, a scrappy, well-oiled group punching above their weight early in the season. But there’s something different this time: they’ve already taken down two top-five teams, Monaco and Fenerbahçe. That’s no fluke.

Whether they’re built to sustain it is another question, and that’s exactly why this is the standings watch team. For now, they’ve earned every bit of that 3–0 and the rest of Europe is taking notice.

 

Week 3 Games to Watch:

Real Madrid vs Partizan

Real Madrid “welcoming” Partizan might not be the right phrasing. The memories of the 2023 Playoffs still hang heavy between these two giants, the tension, the emotion, the edge. Every time Real Madrid and Partizan share the floor, it feels personal.

Expect a slower tempo but a fierce, detail-heavy battle, the kind that basketball purists live for. With Zeljko Obradovic and Sergio Scariolo facing off, this isn’t just a game; it’s a chess match between two of Europe’s sharpest minds. Adjustments, counters, and execution will decide it. Every possession will tell a story.

 

Maccabi vs Barcelona

Call it a clash of styles. Maccabi loves chaos, speed, pace, and transition buckets. They come in confident after their derby win over Hapoel. Barça, meanwhile, is more deliberate and veteran-heavy, an older, less athletic group that thrives on control and halfcourt precision.

Keep an eye on the Clyburn vs Brisset/Hoard matchup; it’s a test of strength versus energy. But the real X-factor might be K.P. (likely Kalinic or Parker, depending on your shorthand), because it’s hard to see any Maccabi defender equipped to contain him.

This one should be fun and fast. Expect both teams to crack 90 points and for the highlight reel to be full by halftime.

 

Crvena Zvezda vs Zalgiris

How long can Zalgiris keep this up? That’s the question hovering over every EuroLeague conversation right now. The Lithuanians are unbeaten and riding a confidence wave, but the test in Belgrade is a different kind of challenge.

They’ll walk into one of Europe’s most intimidating arenas, facing Crvena Zvezda, fresh off a statement win over Fenerbahçe and with Sasa Obradovic back at the helm. The Crvena Zvezda faithful will bring the fire, the noise and the pressure.

A perfect record on the line, a cauldron of atmosphere, and two proud clubs colliding, what more could you want from a Friday night in the EuroLeague?

 

Anadolu Efes vs Panathinaikos

Two teams built for the Final Four, neither playing like it yet, which makes this one fascinating. Efes and Panathinaikos both ooze talent but are still chasing chemistry and consistency. Expect offense, and plenty of it.

For Ergin Ataman, it’s more than just another game, it’s a homecoming. The Turkish coach returns to Istanbul, to the club where he became a legend, now leading their green rivals into his old house. Given his fiery personality and the passion of Efes fans, there’s every chance this one turns electric, on and off the court.

High stakes. High emotion. High-level basketball. Week 3 is loaded.

 

What’s at Stake:

Fenerbahçe: Red flags or growing pains? That’s the question after back-to-back losses for the defending champs. Losing their main star has left a vacuum, and the team is still figuring out who they are without him.

Defense hasn’t been the problem, Fenerbahçe ranks second in Defensive Rating, but scoring efficiently has been. They’re in the bottom four in Offensive Rating, and that’s what Coach Saras must fix, and fast.

The return of Brandon Boston Jr. and Scottie Wilbekin, combined with a little regression toward the mean (Jantunen shooting 38% for his career but just 22% this season, Biberovic at 43% for his career but 30% now), should help ease the scoring burden. But maybe it’s also time for a fresh look at the playbook. EuroLeague titles aren’t defended by hope alone, adjustments start now if Fenerbahçe wants to compete.

Zalgiris: Consistency has been their story so far, and that’s impressive. The lineup of NWG–Francisco–Lo–Moses Wright is an elite four-man unit, with a supporting cast that knows its role inside and out. But even the best teams carry caveats: Zalgiris has been shooting 48.6% from three over the last three games. That’s unlikely to hold long-term.

Still, their guards are clever scorers who make everyone around them better. For now, the Lithuanians look like a team capable of a deep playoff run, but with the caveat that early success shouldn’t inflate expectations. They’re talented, disciplined, and dangerous, but they’re not invincible.

 

EuroLeague Headlines:

Sasa Obradovic Returns to Belgrade

Sasa Obradovic is back in Belgrade, a city he knows intimately after eight years as a player and one as a coach. After a successful stint guiding Monaco, Obradovic now takes the reins of Crvena Zvezda with one clear goal: a deep EuroLeague run and, potentially, the club’s first-ever Final Four appearance.

In the first game under an interim manager, the Red and Whites thrived playing at a high pace. With Obradovic in charge, expect that style to stick. The roster at his disposal is perfectly suited to a fast, aggressive approach, and if last season at Monaco is any indication, Belgrade fans may be in for a thrilling ride.

 

This article was written by the European Hoops team: Tiago Cordeiro, João Caeiro, Diogo Valente and André Lemos. Make sure you give us a follow on Twitter at @EthosEuroleague!