The Game of week 23:

Panathinaikos vs Zalgiris

OAKA was roaring, full of emotion and excitement, and Panathinaikos and Zalgiris gave it a game worthy of that stage.

The first big moment came immediately. Mathias Lessort returned to the competition, Panathinaikos went to him on the very first possession, and he delivered with a bucket. That set the tone in the building, but early on the tactical story leaned in a different direction.

Zalgiris opened by “weakening” ball screens, especially against Kendrick Nunn, pushing him toward his right hand and trying to make every touch a little less comfortable. Still, the early spotlight belonged to the battle inside between Lessort and Moses Wright. That clash had real edge from the jump.

Despite committing four turnovers in the opening quarter, Zalgiris managed to stay in front, and the reason was simple. They crushed the offensive glass, pulling down five offensive rebounds and creating extra possessions. Panathinaikos needed a late push to stay close, and T.J. Shorts provided it with his ability to attack the paint. By the end of the first, the Greens were down only three.

Zalgiris adjusted again to open the second quarter. They began switching all ball screens not involving Nunn, which stalled Panathinaikos and forced the offense into late clock situations. On the other end, they kept finding success attacking the hedge.

Panathinaikos looked for counters. They started posting up Grant when Sylvain Francisco was the defender, but the real momentum swing came from Cedi Osman. He scored five straight to tie the game and forced a Zalgiris timeout. Then, right out of the break, he struck again, capitalizing on another turnover.

Late in the half, the Greek defense ratcheted up. Zalgiris’ shooting dried up and the Lithuanians scored only four points in the final five minutes, despite generating some quality looks. The turnover issues also kept piling up, with four more in the second quarter. That helped Panathinaikos rack up six steals in the half and turn them into easy runouts.

By halftime, the Greens had flipped the game and led 44 40.

The second half started with Zalgiris leaning heavily into Spain pick and roll, both from the middle and on the side, and they found real success with it. But the transition issues remained. Cedi Osman kept hurting them in the open floor, and after a Nunn scoop layup the Panathinaikos lead grew to nine.

Zalgiris answered like good teams do. An 8 0 run, sparked by a Brazdeikis three and five quick points from Francisco, brought them right back into it.

Ataman went back to the bench and found the stabilizer in Shorts. His ability to touch the paint stopped the bleeding and helped ignite an 8 0 run for Panathinaikos before a late Zalgiris basket trimmed the deficit to six entering the fourth.

Then came the decisive push.

Panathinaikos opened the final quarter on an 8 2 run, stretching the lead to 12 and forcing Tomas Masiulis to call timeout. It worked, at least briefly. Moses Wright converted a 2 plus 1, then Francisco drilled a three within the next minute, giving Zalgiris a jolt.

And then Lessort took over the emotional center of the game.

Back to back impact plays, first a dunk, then a charge, completely flipped the momentum again. Moments later, Osman buried a three that pushed Panathinaikos to its biggest lead of the night at 14. That sequence felt like the game inhaling and exhaling all at once.

Zalgiris kept swinging. They made another push and got within three, but they could never fully break through. Panathinaikos held on for a 92 88 win.

Cedi Osman and Kendrick Nunn combined for 46 points and carried much of the scoring load. For Zalgiris, Francisco was the engine with 23 points, while three other teammates also reached double figures.

In a game full of tactical tweaks, momentum swings and playoff level tension, Panathinaikos found just enough answers, and in OAKA, that was enough.

 

Key Performances of the Past Week:

Codi Miller-McIntyre vs Fenerbahçe

In one of the games of the week, Codi Miller-McIntyre stole the show, and he did it without needing a huge scoring night.

This was not about gaudy point totals or a heater from deep. This was about control. Full game control.

The Crvena Zvezda guard finished with a 10 point, 12 assist double double and added eight rebounds, ending just two boards short of a triple double. It was the kind of stat line that tells you he was involved in everything, and the film backs it up.

Miller McIntyre caused problems all night by getting downhill into the teeth of Fenerbahçe’s defense. Once he cracked the first layer, the real damage began. He kept making the right read, over and over, putting teammates in position to finish plays and forcing the defense to stay uncomfortable for long stretches.

That is what made the performance stand out. He was not just creating offense. He was dictating the shape of the game.

And on defense, he looked like himself. Constant pressure on the ball. Comfortable switching onto bigger players. Competitive enough to hold his own in those matchups and keep the possession alive.

There are nights when the headline belongs to the scorer who catches fire. Then there are nights like this, when the best player on the floor is the one bending every possession to his will.

Against Fenerbahçe, Codi Miller McIntyre proved you do not need a 25 point explosion to own the spotlight. Sometimes it is enough to make the defense sweat on every trip and put your teammates exactly where they need to be.

 

Standings Watch:

This was one of those EuroLeague rounds where the standings did not dramatically shift, but the tension somehow still rose.

The headline is the congestion around the Play In line. Every team currently sitting in Play In position is now tied at 17 14. That is the kind of traffic jam that turns every remaining game into a pressure cooker. One bad night can send you tumbling. One good week can change everything.

Lurking right behind that pack are Dubai and Milano, both just one win back. That detail matters. It means the group above them is not just fighting each other, it is also looking over its shoulder every single night.

The biggest loser of the week was Maccabi.

They now sit three wins behind the Play In spots, and it gets worse when you consider there are also two teams between them and the line. In a race this crowded, that kind of gap can feel bigger than the raw number suggests. It is not just about making up ground, it is about leaping multiple teams while hoping several results break your way.

So the obvious question hangs there now.

Was this the week Maccabi’s postseason hopes effectively ended?

Maybe not mathematically. But in a standings race this compressed, it is starting to feel very close.

 

Games to Watch Week 24:

Zalgiris vs Real Madrid

Is everyone ready for round two between Zalgiris and Real Madrid?

The first meeting came down to the final breath and ended with just a one point margin, so the sequel already has a built in hook. And this one has all the ingredients to deliver again.

For the season, Zalgiris and Real Madrid have been the second and third best offenses in the competition. That alone tells you what kind of ceiling this matchup has. Two elite attacks, plenty of creators, and multiple ways to stress a defense.

But there is an important split hanging over Real Madrid here.

Away from home, their offensive efficiency drops significantly, sliding from 120.8 ORTG to 113.2 ORTG. That dip goes a long way toward explaining the Blancos’ road issues and their 5 10 record in those games. The offense still has talent, but it has not traveled with the same force.

That is where Zalgiris becomes especially interesting.

Their guards are the ones who control the shape of the game, and they love to live in the pick and roll. Expect them to bring Edy Tavares into as many actions as possible, probing for openings and trying to use Moses Wright as a roller to put pressure on the defense. If Zalgiris can consistently force Tavares into difficult reads, that could tilt long stretches of the game.

On the Real side, the matchup pressure comes from different places.

Mario Hezonja and Trey Lyles are the kind of players who walk onto the floor as mismatches. Size, skill, shotmaking, versatility. Against almost any opponent, they can force a defense into uncomfortable decisions, and Zalgiris is no exception. If Real is going to steady itself on the road, those two feel like obvious pressure points.

So yes, this has all the signs of another tight one.

Two elite offenses. One team trying to weaponize its guards and pick and roll game. Another bringing oversized shot creators who can bend the floor in their own way. If the first meeting was any indication, expect another exciting game that stays close deep into the fourth.

 

What’s at Stake:

Should the sirens start to play in Barcelona?

The Catalans have now dropped four straight, and the surprising part is where the problem is showing up. Contrary to what many would expect, this is not really about the defense. The bigger issue has been on the offensive side of the ball.

For the season, Barcelona has posted a 117.7 ORTG, a strong mark that reflects the talent and firepower in this roster. But over the last four games, they have not reached that number once. In fact, they have gone above 111 ORTG only a single time in that stretch.

That is not just a cold patch. That is a real offensive slowdown.

The shooting numbers from deep help explain why. Barcelona has gone just 27 for 105 from three in those four games, a brutal 25.8 percent. When a team built to create advantages and space the floor goes that cold, everything starts to look harder. Driving lanes tighten. Rotations arrive sooner. Possessions become more fragile.

And that is what makes this stretch so fascinating.

Because when a team with this much talent starts sputtering offensively, the question is not only about the percentages. It is about the response. What gets simplified? What gets emphasized? Which players are put in more advantageous spots? How much of this is just shooting variance, and how much is something deeper?

That brings it back to the biggest question.

What will Xavi Pascual do to solve it?

Barcelona still has the talent to snap out of this quickly. But four straight losses and an offense that suddenly looks stuck is enough to make the alarms at least start warming up.

 

Biggest News Around EuroLeague

Life in Monaco has not been easy lately, and the hits just keep coming.

The latest blow is a significant one. Mike James has picked up a hamstring injury and is expected to be sidelined for the next two to three weeks, a tough loss for a team that has already been navigating turbulence.

And the context matters here.

Monaco went into the game against Olympiacos with just a nine man rotation. One of those nine was the EuroLeague’s all time leading scorer, and even with that thin margin, the Monegasques found a way to win. They currently have only 11 players registered in the EuroLeague, which makes every absence feel heavier and every rotation decision tighter.

That is what makes the James injury more than just a headline. It is not only about losing a star. It is about losing a star on a roster that already feels stretched to its limits.

This is where Monaco’s season keeps getting tested. Depth has already been a talking point. Availability has already been an issue. Now the team has to survive another stretch without one of its central engines.

So the question becomes the obvious one.

How will the Monegasques handle yet another dose of adversity?

Given everything around this team lately, the answer may say a lot about where this season is really headed.

 

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

The Game of week 22:

Valencia vs Zalgiris

Inside Roig Arena, Valencia and Zalgiris delivered the kind of clash you expect when two of the most entertaining teams in the competition meet. Tempo against control. Fluid offense against methodical execution. For stretches, it felt like two different basketball philosophies sharing the same floor.

The only early surprise came from Zalgiris, with Sylvain Francisco coming off the bench. Everything else followed familiar patterns. Valencia sprinted into the game at a breathtaking pace while Zalgiris tried to slow the rhythm to a crawl. On the first three possessions alone, the Lithuanians dragged the shot clock under five seconds, forcing Valencia to defend full possessions.

It worked for a moment, but then Darius Thompson drilled two threes and the gap opened quickly, growing to nine by the first media timeout.

Without Birutis available, Tomas Masiulis went small with Tubelis at the five and Ulanovas at the four. The adjustment did not shift the balance much. Valencia consistently forced Zalgiris into rotations and attacked closeouts. Omari Moore thrived in those situations, slicing into space created by the defensive scramble.

Zalgiris never really found a rhythm in the opening quarter. Three turnovers. Cold shooting at 5 of 14 from the field. Just 13 points in the period. The Valencia bench alone produced 15, helping the hosts build a 25 point first quarter.

The second quarter flipped the tone. Zalgiris opened with a quick 6 0 run in under two minutes, capitalizing on two Valencia turnovers and forcing Pedro Martinez to call time. When play resumed, Sako reentered and immediately influenced the game with Gortat screens that opened driving lanes for the guards. Valencia answered with an 8 4 push that forced Masiulis to regroup.

Against the Zalgiris switching scheme, Valencia attacked from different angles than usual but with the same elite results. Instead of relying strictly on perimeter creation, they began posting up bigger wings like Taylor and leaned on Pradilla at the four, targeting Francisco and Maodo Lo. With the center stretching the floor, those mismatches created high quality looks.

Zalgiris struggled more in the half court. Their offense looked better in transition, but with Francisco quiet at just three points in the half, the visitors trailed by 11 at the break.

Out of halftime, adjustments arrived quickly. Zalgiris abandoned the switching coverage on side pick and rolls and began icing the action instead. Offensively, they simplified everything. An empty side pick and roll flowed into a middle pick and roll over and over again. The result was a 17 8 run across the first five minutes of the third quarter, slicing the Valencia lead down to two and forcing another timeout.

The pause steadied the hosts. Valencia rediscovered its offensive rhythm by attacking once the defense rotated, pushing the score to 71 64 entering the final period. Still, warning signs appeared. The three turnovers in the third matched the entire first half.

Zalgiris, meanwhile, played a near perfect quarter from a control standpoint. Zero turnovers and nine assists kept them within striking distance.

The fourth opened with both teams trading baskets until Valencia produced one of those bursts that define their style. A 5 0 run in five seconds flat. Taylor hit a three. Sako followed with a dunk. Suddenly the lead was back to double digits and Masiulis needed another timeout.

Zalgiris refused to fold. Sleva, who had already knocked down a few timely threes, hit another to spark a rally. Moses Wright kept attacking and living at the free throw line. The run peaked when Francisco buried a deep three that tied the game at 87 with 56 seconds left.

And then the offense stopped.

Valencia’s response was simple. Badio created space for a tough mid range jumper. Zalgiris came up empty on the next possession. Jean Montero calmly walked to the line and closed the door. Final score, 91 87.

Valencia survived a tense finish despite scoring just six points over the final five minutes and thirty four seconds. Omari Moore led the way with 16 points, supported by three teammates in double figures. Badio and Taylor deserve special mention for their defensive work, holding Francisco to an off night with nine points on 1 of 9 shooting and three turnovers.

For Zalgiris, Moses Wright produced a strong performance with 20 points and nine rebounds. Sleva added 14 points and Brazdeikis chipped in 13.

In the end, Valencia’s ability to exploit rotations and create advantages just enough times proved decisive. In a game defined by adjustments and momentum swings, the Taronja found the final answer.

Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos

The Greek derby opened with the home team looking composed and organized on both sides of the floor. With Sasha unavailable, Alec Peters stepped into the spotlight and took on the responsibility of filling the gap left by the former MVP.

Panathinaikos actually landed the first punch, but it did not take long for Olympiacos to flip the momentum. Two early threes gave the Reds the lead and, more importantly, allowed their defense to dictate the rhythm of the game. From that point on, Panathinaikos’ offense looked unprepared to deal with the defensive pressure.

Frank Ntilikina spent long stretches on Kendrick Nunn, while Nikola Milutinov handled the blitz coverage well early on. Even when Panathinaikos beat the first line of defense off the dribble, Olympiacos stayed extremely disciplined. Help came on time. Rotations followed immediately. The chain never broke. The result was a first quarter in which the Greens could only muster 13 points.

Olympiacos did not fully capitalize on the small ball look with Mitoglou at center for the greens. In the final three minutes of the opening quarter they rushed several possessions, leaving points on the table and finishing the period just under the 20 point mark. Still, the defensive tone had been established.

Nunn, meanwhile, looked completely out of rhythm. Too many mistakes, no scoring in the first ten minutes, and Panathinaikos struggled to find any consistent creator.

Early in the second quarter Olympiacos pushed the lead to 16. Their ball movement improved compared with the latter stretch of the first quarter and Panathinaikos had no real answer. For a derby with so much at stake, the Greens looked passive.

Turnovers began to pile up. Olympiacos forced them and punished them, finishing the half with 17 points off turnovers compared with just nine for Panathinaikos. Even more telling, the Greens went the first 20 minutes without a single trip to the free throw line. That stat alone tells the story of their lack of aggressiveness attacking the basket.

By halftime Olympiacos held an 11 point lead and full control of the game’s tempo.

The third quarter flipped the script. Olympiacos’ defense lost some of its early sharpness and fatigue began to show for Milutinov, who struggled to keep up with the switching and blitzing responsibilities. Panathinaikos took advantage by raising its intensity on both ends.

Defensively the Greens started picking up the Olympiacos point guard near the free throw line and pressed whenever possible. The goal was simple. Create chaos and run. Their half court offense had stalled in the first half, so they leaned into transition opportunities created by steals.

Offensively Panathinaikos became the aggressor. Nunn finally looked like Nunn, attacking downhill and drawing defensive attention. With guards collapsing the defense, the wings found open looks and knocked down four threes in the quarter. Just as important, they committed only two turnovers in the entire period.

Suddenly the game tightened. Entering the fourth quarter, Panathinaikos trailed by only two.

The final quarter acted as a reset for Olympiacos. The defensive intensity returned to the level seen in the first half. Tyler Dorsey eventually fouled out, but his minutes helped stabilize the offense when it needed direction. Evan Fournier delivered timely contributions as well.

On defense, the focus returned to containing Nunn, cutting off the same driving lanes that had opened in the third quarter.

Olympiacos also embodied its next man up philosophy throughout the night. Shaq McKissic stepped forward with energy, hustle and production on both ends, giving the Reds valuable minutes in key stretches.

For Panathinaikos, the issue remained control. Outside of Nunn’s surge in the third quarter, their guards never truly dictated the game the way they needed to.

The numbers underline the difference. The Olympiacos bench outscored the Panathinaikos bench by 16 points. Combine that with the advantage in points off turnovers and the equation becomes clear.

In a derby defined by defense, discipline and depth, Olympiacos found just enough of everything to walk away with the win.

Key Performances of the Past Week:

Leandro Bolmaro vs FC Barcelona

In Milano, one of the world’s fashion capital, the standout performance of the night did not come with flash or runway flair. It looked more like workwear. Functional. Tough. Built for the grind. That description fits Leandro Bolmaro’s night against FC Barcelona perfectly.

The box score gives you a solid outline. Thirteen points on 5 of 8 shooting. Four rebounds. Six assists. At times he even operated as the de facto point guard, initiating offense and organizing possessions. That alone would qualify as a strong outing.

But that stat line only tells part of the story.

Bolmaro’s biggest imprint came on the defensive side, where he spent the night hounding Kevin Punter from baseline to baseline. Ninety four feet of pressure. Constant contact. No easy catches. No rhythm.

The result was one of the quietest nights you will see from one of Europe’s most dynamic scorers. Punter finished with just seven points, shooting 2 of 6 from two point range and 1 of 5 from deep, while committing three turnovers along the way. Every possession felt like work.

That is the part of Bolmaro’s performance that jumps off the film more than the stat sheet. His activity, his willingness to chase and disrupt, and his ability to stay disciplined through actions turned one of Barcelona’s main weapons into a non factor for long stretches.

It is not the kind of stat line that lands a player on the red carpet. There were no fireworks numbers or viral highlights.

But it was the type of all around, high impact performance that basketball people everywhere appreciate. And the type of performance that quietly swings games.

Braian Angola vs Efes

Replacing Nando De Colo is not exactly a light assignment. That is the context Braian Angola walked into when he arrived at ASVEL. Big shoes, big expectations, and a fan base that needed something to get excited about.

Against Efes, Angola delivered the type of performance that explains why the team brought him in.

He poured in 26 points in 31 minutes, scoring from everywhere on the floor. Angola is a dynamic scorer who can get his points in multiple ways. Pull ups, drives, quick actions where he attacks the defense before it can settle. When he gets going, the variety in his scoring package becomes very hard to contain.

The stat sheet tells you he is mostly there to put the ball in the basket. Angola does not contribute as much in other areas, but that has not stopped him from becoming a lifesaver for ASVEL fans who have been looking for reasons to enjoy some good basketball again.

Since joining the team he has done one thing consistently. Get buckets.

In a brief seven game stint he is averaging 17.6 points per game with respectable efficiency, along with four rebounds and almost four assists per night. That production in such a short sample has quickly made him one of the most important pieces in ASVEL’s current rotation.

It is still early, but performances like the one against Efes make one thing clear. Braian Angola is a player worth keeping an eye on going into next season.

 

Standings Watch:

AS Monaco and Panathinaikos are skating on thin ice.

After losses this week, the two teams that currently hold the final Play In spots suddenly feel the pressure from below. Both sit just one win ahead of Dubai and Milano, and the situation becomes even more delicate when you factor in that Dubai still has one game in hand. If Dubai wins that game, they will tie Panathinaikos for the final Play In position. That possibility alone turns every upcoming game into a high tension affair.

Panathinaikos in particular looks vulnerable right now. Their form has been shaky not only in EuroLeague play but also domestically. They lost again in the Greek League last weekend by two points, and the overall feeling around the team is far from comfortable. Results in Europe have followed a similar pattern, making the current standings race something everyone should monitor closely.

Monaco’s situation adds another layer of intrigue. Their struggles have not been limited to the court, with the ongoing drama around the club still hovering over the season. When a team already fighting for position has distractions off the floor, the margin for error becomes even smaller.

At the top of the table things remain stable for now. Fenerbahçe continues to lead the league, followed by Valencia and Olympiacos. Real Madrid currently holds the final home court advantage spot, sitting two wins clear of the fifth place team.

The middle of the standings, however, is anything but stable. One win can lift a team into safety. One loss can pull them straight into the chaos. Right now Monaco, Panathinaikos, Dubai and Milano are right in the middle of that storm.

 

Games to Watch Week 23:

Panathinaikos vs Zalgiris

Panathinaikos has one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the EuroLeague. On paper, it looks like a group that should sit comfortably near the top of the standings. The reality is very different. The Greens are currently in 10th place and playing with virtually no margin of error.

The recent form explains why. Over the last ten games Panathinaikos has managed only four wins. Some of those defeats came during the absence of Kendrick Nunn, which certainly did not help. Still, the former MVP returned for major matchups against Olympiacos and Fenerbahçe, delivered solid individual performances, and the team still came away with losses.

The roster is now even deeper with the addition of Nigel Hayes Davis. His presence gives Panathinaikos another offensive weapon and adds a very solid defender to the rotation. He is the type of player who can be plugged directly into almost any system and contribute immediately.

Even so, adjustments are inevitable. The guards will need time to adapt to his presence, especially when it comes to sharing touches and playing with the possibility of less time with the ball in their hands.

And time is exactly what Panathinaikos does not have.

There are only eight games left in the regular season. That leaves a very small window to find rhythm, stabilize the rotation and rediscover consistency. The question now is simple but heavy. Can the Greens find their groove again before the clock runs out, or are we heading toward one of the most shocking endings to a EuroLeague season in recent memory?

 

Biggest News Around EuroLeague

Could PAOK be heading toward the EuroLeague in the near future? Some reports suggest that possibility, particularly with the uncertainty surrounding the future of the French clubs ASVEL and AS Monaco in the competition.

The Greek club recently made a bold and intriguing move by signing Andreas Trinchieri to a three year deal. Trinchieri brings a strong résumé built across both EuroLeague and EuroCup. His trophy cabinet includes the EuroCup Coach of the Year award from 2014, and he has consistently led competitive teams at the European level.

On the court, PAOK is currently sitting fourth in the Greek League. At the same time, they are competing in the FIBA Europe Cup, the fourth tier of European competitions, where they have reached the Quarter Finals and will face fellow Greek side Peristeri BC.

A potential jump to the EuroLeague would almost certainly require a major transformation of the roster to give the team a realistic chance to compete. That type of overhaul might not be difficult now that the club has a new owner. Greek billionaire Aristotelis Mistakidis has arrived with the promise of revitalizing PAOK’s basketball project.

For now, it remains a developing situation. But with a respected coach in place and new financial backing behind the scenes, this is a storyline worth monitoring closely over the coming months.

 

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

The Game of week 21:

Paris vs Panathinaikos

This one opened at full throttle. Paris, as usual, was the main driver of the tempo, but Panathinaikos did not blink. They ran with them. The first quarter turned into a shot making contest, Paris lighting it up from deep, six of ten from three, while the Greens managed two of six. Beyond the arc, both offenses were sharp. Panathinaikos leaned inside, exploiting real advantages in the paint through Holmes, and for stretches that balance kept them afloat.

Nigel Hayes Davis made his debut in green, starting at the four alongside Cedi Osman at the three. Paris pressed full court, trying to speed up the decision making of the Greek guards, but they stayed poised. Turnovers were low. Execution was solid. The difference was shot profile.

Paris found a groove in the pick and roll, repeatedly hitting Dokossi as the roller. Six quick points came almost exclusively from that action, and just like that the lead ballooned to ten. Panathinaikos adjusted, switching instead of blitzing the coverage, but the damage had been done. By halftime, Paris was up 13, shooting the lights out at 10 of 22 from three.

The script held in the second half. Paris kept doing Paris things. The defense was good enough in spurts, forcing Panathinaikos to grind for every touch. Then Rogkavopoulos flipped the energy. Two forced turnovers, a quick swing, and the deficit was down to eight. Momentum teased a shift. Paris answered the only way they know how, from behind the arc again.

In the fourth, the lead stretched further, fueled in part by Panathinaikos failing to run back in transition, a dangerous habit against the fastest team in the league. Offensively, the Greens relied heavily on individual talent. The fit with Hayes Davis looked clunky for most of the night, until the final five minutes. That is when he turned aggressive, hunting shots, scoring almost 13 straight points to cut the margin to four.

Paris began to look tight, committing too many offensive mistakes. Rogkavopoulos drilled a three with 40 seconds left to trim the lead to two. Tension everywhere. Ataman was ejected. A foul sent Paris to the line, and that was effectively the end.

In the end, pace and shooting carried the day. Paris’ ability to stretch the floor and play fast proved too much. Still, that late surge from Hayes Davis leaves a trace of optimism. For Panathinaikos, it might be a glimpse that the best is yet to come.

 

Key Performances of the Past Week:

Talen Horton-Tucker vs Partizan

Once a promising Lakers prospect, now thriving in Turkish lands, Talen Horton-Tucker looks like a player who believes the stage belongs to him. Against Partizan he delivered 29 points on a blistering 10 of 12 from the field, and in a tight game he was clearly the best player on the court when it mattered most.

The scoring jumps off the page, but the rest of the box score fills up quickly too. Horton-Tucker has that rare build that feels almost unfair at this level. Too strong for most guards, too explosive for many forwards, he lives in the paint and lives at the line. The amount of fouls he draws is not an accident, it is a byproduct of pressure. Constant, downhill pressure.

This is the kind of performance that makes you wonder about ceilings. MVP chatter may sound ambitious, but nights like this are how those conversations begin. When the game tightened, he did not. He closed it.

Paris Backcourt vs Panathinaikos

Sometimes dominance does not scream at you from the points column. Nadir Hifi, Rodions Rhoden and Justin Robinson combined for 43 points against Panathinaikos. On the surface, that might not seem outrageous. Dig a little deeper.

They handed out 16 assists. They committed just five turnovers. That is control. That is orchestration.

Those three bent the defense over and over again. Drives that collapsed the paint. Kicks that found shooters. Secondary actions that turned small advantages into clean looks. They created opportunities beyond their own scoring, and they appeared exactly when Paris needed them most.

Defensively, they held up well enough to keep the structure intact. Offensively, they were the engine. Not just buckets, but decisions. Not just highlights, but command.

 

Standings Watch:

Does anyone remember Crvena Zvezda struggling? It feels like a different season.

Not long ago, there were whispers that their run was over. Some bad mouths, us included, wondered if the hole had grown too deep. Fast forward to now and the picture looks very different. Zvezda has won six of its last eight games, and the climb back into relevance has been powered by an offense that has ranged from good to flat-out elite on certain nights.

The two losses in that stretch came against Olympiacos and Maccabi, and even in those games they competed until the final possessions. There is no sense of folding. No sense of drift.

The biggest shift shows up in the flow. The ball is moving again. The offense feels more fluid, less sticky. Decisions are quicker, advantages are shared, and the result is a unit that looks connected. The defense has been somewhat better, not dominant but sturdier, enough to give the offense room to breathe.

This is what late-season traction looks like. A team left for dead finding rhythm, finding belief, and suddenly becoming a problem in the standings.

 

Games to Watch Week 22:

Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos

This one needs no marketing campaign. Greek derby. Same city that will host this season’s Final Four. Everything else is background noise.

In EuroLeague play, the recent trend has leaned red. The last five meetings have all gone Olympiacos’ way. That matters. Patterns matter. Especially in rivalries where every possession feels heavier than usual.

Panathinaikos comes in walking a tightrope. Three straight losses. The two wins before that came by a single point each. Their margin of error is paper thin right now. Every defensive lapse, every empty trip, it all compounds. On the bright side, the Greens did take the last matchup in the Greek Cup Final, so there is at least recent proof that they can land a punch.

Injuries will shape the chessboard. Olympiacos will be without Milutinov, and that absence shifts the interior equation. Rebounding, rim presence, second chances. Those details add up quickly in a derby.

And then there is the Nigel Hayes Davis factor. We have not seen him in this matchup wearing a Panathinaikos jersey. That alone introduces intrigue. On paper, he looks like one of the more natural options to match up with Sasha on both ends, someone who can absorb the physicality defensively and test him the other way.

Form says one thing. Rivalry says another. Add injuries, recent momentum swings, and a new piece stepping into the spotlight, and uncertainty becomes the headline.

 

Biggest News Around EuroLeague

McKinley Wright IV has his fingerprints all over Dubai Basketball’s perfect February.

Four games. Four wins. One MVP of the Month award.

Wright averaged 14 points and 5.5 assists, posting an 18.8 PIR while steering the ship with efficiency and control. The scoring came within the flow. Sixty four percent inside the arc. Sixty six point seven percent from three. Those are video game splits for a lead guard operating against high level EuroLeague defenses. Add a +14.4 average plus minus and you start to see the full picture. He was not just producing. He was tilting games.

Dubai’s 4-0 run was not built on soft landings. They took down Olympiacos in overtime 108-98. They beat Real Madrid 93-85. They went on the road and handled EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 96-78. They closed the month with a 96-85 win over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. That is a heavyweight stretch, and Wright was the constant through it all.

What stands out is the control. The limited mistakes. The sense that the tempo bent to his will. He scored when necessary, created when the defense shifted, and never let the game speed him up.

The standings reflect it. Dubai climbed to 11th at 15-14, just one win behind AS Monaco and Panathinaikos in the playoff chase. February did not just bring an individual award. It injected real belief into a team that now sees the postseason within reach.

 

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

The Game of week 20:

FC Barcelona vs Paris BC

Barcelona and Paris, two beautiful European cities, two elite basketball teams, and a game that felt important from the opening tip. The Catalans entered shorthanded, missing leading scorer Kevin Punter and veteran Czech guard Tomas Satoransky. That absence shaped everything that followed.

Paris came out as Paris always does. Full court pressure, aggressive hedges on every pick and roll, pace turned up to uncomfortable levels. It worked immediately. Barcelona’s offense stalled and the visitors opened on a 7 2 run. Soon it was 11 5 with just over six minutes left in the first, and Xavi Pascual had seen enough.

The timeout flipped the rhythm. Barcelona ripped off a 7 0 run in under a minute, powered by Brizuela and Laprovittola creating advantages off the dribble. But Paris had counters. Lamar Stevens checked in and made his presence felt on both ends, helping Paris regain control. Barcelona tried to stabilize things by doubling down on the inside game, feeding the post and playing off their bigs, but miscommunication on screening actions, especially guard to guard screens, kept undoing their work. Paris got downhill repeatedly, shot 8 of 10 from two, and closed the first quarter up 21 18.

The second quarter followed a familiar script. Paris continued to slice through Barcelona’s pick and roll coverages with their PnR and DHO game. The margin held steady until Pascual reached into his bag and unveiled a 2 3 zone. That adjustment changed the tone. It slowed Paris’ frenetic tempo, forced tougher looks, and sparked stops. Combine that with relentless work on the offensive glass, eight offensive rebounds in the half, and Barcelona walked into the locker room up 43 39.

Out of halftime, Paris doubled down on identity. Faster, sharper, attacking not just in transition but in the half court as well. Barcelona kept searching for answers in the post, especially through Shengelia, but Paris zoned up the back side and crowded his space. Then the threes started falling. Paris went 7 of 9 from deep in the third, Robinson burying the final one to stretch the lead to 12. Barcelona managed just 12 points in the quarter, with only Brizuela consistently creating anything clean.

Pascual experimented at the five, even opening with Shengelia there, but the defensive problems persisted. Pick and roll coverage broke down, straight line drives were conceded, and offensively Barcelona leaned too heavily on the three point line with little reward. Only after back to back Paris turnovers did the Blaugrana string together a 7 0 run to cut it to 10, forcing Francesco Tabellini to call timeout. That pause settled Paris, and from there they controlled the finish.

The numbers underline the difference. Barcelona shot just 5 of 32 from three. Paris hit 11 of 30. In a game this tight, that gap is decisive.

Darius Brizuela led Barcelona with 15, Laprovittola and Shengelia added 11 apiece. Will Clyburn struggled, scoring nine on 1 of 9 shooting, and in the absence of Punter, more was needed. For Paris, the point guard duo dictated terms. Nadir Hifi poured in 21, Justin Robinson added 18, and Rhoden and Lamar Stevens joined them in double figures.

On a night shaped by pace and pressure, Paris stayed truer to itself for longer, and that was enough to leave the Ciutat Comtal with a statement win.

Key Performances of the Past Week:

Tarik Biberovic vs Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos against Fenerbahçe delivered drama from start to finish. Wade Baldwin IV will live in the highlights after the buzzer beater, but the player who truly bent the game was Tarik Biberovic.

Before the ball went up, the Turkish forward downplayed the importance of Nigel Hayes Davis. Then he walked onto the floor and backed it up. Career high 26 points, four rebounds, just three missed shots all night. That is not noise. That is command.

Biberovic brought the flame thrower to OAKA. Six of seven from deep, and not just stand still looks. He scored on simple relocation threes, on elite off ball movement that punished the smallest defensive lapse, and even sprinkled in some self creation. When Panathinaikos tried to chase him off the line, he did not panic. He put the ball on the floor, got to his sweet spots, especially in the mid range, and calmly knocked those down too.

This was not a hot shooting night built on luck. It was a scoring clinic built on reads and counters. Every adjustment had an answer. Every closeout felt a step late.

When Fenerbahçe fans felt heartbroken by Nigel Hayes Davis’ decision, Tarik Biberovic stepped forward. Superman cape on, no hesitation.

 

Standings Watch:

If you like chaos, the EuroLeague table is delivering.

There is a full blown log jam in the middle of the standings, five teams tied with 16 wins, stretching from the last Play Off spot all the way down to the final Play In position. That is not a cushion. That is a knife fight. For all five, avoiding the extra Play In game has to be the priority. One clean run and you are hosting a series. One bad stretch and you could tumble completely out of the Play In picture.

Right behind that cluster sit Milano and Dubai with 14 wins. They are close enough to apply pressure, far enough that every loss hurts double. With so many teams packed together, the margin between security and panic is razor thin.

Up top, there is a little more clarity. Fenerbahçe remains in first place, holding a two win advantage over Valencia and Olympiacos. Just behind that trio sit the two Spanish giants, both eyeing a top four finish and the protection that comes with it.

The table is compressed, the stakes are obvious, and every week now feels like it swings two directions at once. Climb or slide. There is very little middle ground left.

 

What’s at Stake:

Fenerbahçe’s defense isn’t just good. It’s in another stratosphere. The defending champions are sitting at a 109.1 DRTG, numbers that don’t just win games, they define them.

But it’s not magic. It’s structure. Sarunas Jasikevicius has built a system that lives in the gaps. Switching is automatic, but it’s what comes after the switch that sets them apart. They front the bigs, rotate on the backside, and are merciless about identifying the weak link on the other end. If you’re not a threat, you’re a target; help comes, mistakes happen, shots get contested.

The results show up in the little things. Fenerbahçe funnels offenses into mid-range shots, second-best in the league in both mid-range attempts allowed (9.4%) and points per shot on those attempts (0.68). They clean the glass, grabbing 68.5% of available defensive boards, which in this system is everything. Miss a box-out, miss a chance; get it right, and you force one more tough possession.

The real question: can this defensive machine carry them all the way to back-to-back titles? Right now, the evidence says yes, but the margin for error is razor thin in the playoffs.

 

Biggest News Around EuroLeague

Kai Jones is staying put in Istanbul. Anadolu Efes and the Bahamas-born center agreed to a two-year extension, locking him in through 2028.

The numbers this season aren’t eye-popping yet, but the flashes are impossible to ignore. Under Pablo Laso, Jones’s minutes have jumped, particularly over the last eight games, he’s logged 20-plus in every single one. And with that time comes efficiency: 45/47 FG on the season. That’s not luck. It’s athleticism turned into a EuroLeague weapon. He’s one of the best rollers and lob targets on the continent, the kind of player who can finish above the rim even when everyone knows the play is coming.

Defensively, he’s just as impressive. 1.1 blocks per game puts him fourth in the league, but he’s doing it with roughly eight fewer minutes than the three players ahead of him. Rim protection, timing, anticipation: the tools are there.

This season was mostly about adaptation. If he continues on this trajectory, next year could be when Kai Jones really announces himself.

 

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