The GameS of week 26:
Baskonia vs Real Madrid
If you only looked at the standings, this was supposed to be a mismatch. If you remembered the last time these two met, in the 25/26 Copa del Rey final, you knew better.
Baskonia hosted Real Madrid in Buesa with the teams sitting on opposite ends of the EuroLeague table, but that backdrop never really mattered once the ball went up. The game had teeth from the start, and it quickly became a chess match built around two very clear ideas.
Real came out leaning hard into pick and roll, putting the ball in Facundo Campazzo’s hands and letting him orchestrate. It worked immediately. Campazzo was responsible for Real Madrid’s first 15 points, scoring 11 of them himself and completely controlling the opening rhythm.
Baskonia had a counter ready.
They went 5 out, using Diakite as a perimeter big, spacing the floor, shooting the three, setting screens, flowing into DHOs, and most importantly dragging Walter Tavares away from the paint. That was the pressure point. Baskonia’s first nine points all came from behind the arc, and that set the tone for the rest of the quarter. Both teams stuck with their initial plans, but the success shifted once Campazzo sat. Real’s offense lost its flow, Baskonia kept bombing away, and the hosts closed the first quarter up 29 27 after missing only one of their nine three point attempts.
For Real, the best thing working in that opening stretch was the live ball turnover game. Baskonia only turned it over four times in the first, but Real turned those into four steals and converted quickly on the other end.
The second quarter turned into a tale of two halves.
Baskonia came out swinging, ripping off a 7 0 run in just over two minutes and forcing Sergio Scariolo into an early timeout. It did not help much at first. Baskonia kept adding to the lead, and Diakite kept forcing Tavares into uncomfortable spots. The hosts were up 13 4 in the quarter, and for a while it looked like they had found the exact formula.
Then Diakite sat.
That changed everything.
Mario Hezonja scored five straight to settle Real down. Campazzo came back and restored the offensive fluidity. Suddenly, the game flipped on its head. Real closed the half on a 19 6 run over the final 5:19, and that stretch also happened to line up with Tavares’ most dominant defensive minutes of the night. He blocked three shots, erased several more without even touching them, and completely changed the calculus around the rim. Omoruyi could not replicate what Diakite had been doing, and Baskonia’s spacing advantage evaporated.
By halftime, Real had turned a bad quarter into a 53 48 lead.
The third quarter felt like it belonged to a different game.
After the pace and shotmaking of the first half, this one slowed to a crawl. At the 4:25 media timeout, the score in the quarter was just 9 9. Possessions got heavier. The ball stuck more. It looked like a game trying to decide what kind of finish it wanted.
Then Campazzo’s foul trouble forced another adjustment, and Real turned to Hezonja.
Without the Argentinian on the floor, the merengues leaned into Hezonja at the elbow and in the mid post, getting him the ball in his sweet spots and letting him work. He was excellent, not just as a scorer but as a passer when Baskonia loaded up. He called his own number when needed, and when the help came, he moved it.
Baskonia stayed alive by changing the source of their offense. The threes were not falling the same way, so they attacked vertically and hunted contact. The ball started living at the foul line. After attempting just 4 free throws in the entire first half, they went 12 of 13 from the stripe in the third quarter alone. That aggression kept them close.
Still, Real entered the fourth with a three point lead.
Then it almost got away from Baskonia.
Real scored the first six points of the final quarter and stretched the lead to nine, the kind of margin that can feel enormous late against a team as experienced as Madrid. Baskonia answered with a 5 0 run, and from there the quarter became a straight shot making contest. Both teams were landing punches. Madrid’s lead hovered around four. It felt stable, if not safe.
With 2:33 left, Campazzo drilled a three to push Real up seven.
That should have been the stabilizer. Maybe even the dagger.
Kobi Simmons had other ideas.
The American guard hit back to back threes, slicing the deficit to one with 1:05 left and injecting chaos into the final minute. On the other end, Real went right back to what had worked all night, another Campazzo pick and roll. He snaked through the defense, drew the foul, and went to the line. He missed the first, corrected on the second, and split the pair.
That left the door open, and Timothé Luwawu Cabarot kicked it down.
TLC had been a steady scoring source all night, even if he had not dominated the conversation. Now he was the guy. With Deck draped all over him, he drilled a long two to tie the game with 37 seconds left.
Scariolo called timeout and made his choice. If there was going to be a hero, it would be Hezonja.
Campazzo fed him on the block. Hezonja went to the old reliable turnaround jumper. It looked clean. It looked like the shot. It rattled out.
And then the game gave him the cruel twist.
On Baskonia’s final push, Hezonja fouled Kobi Simmons on the game winning attempt. Simmons stepped to the line and calmly made both. With 1.9 seconds left, Scariolo still had time to draw something up, but Real never found a real look. The possession dissolved into a Llull near half court heave that had no real chance.
Baskonia closed on a 10 1 run over the final 2:33 and stole it, 98 96.
The stat lines tell a lot, but not everything.
Campazzo was brilliant with 21 points and 9 assists. Hezonja added 17 points and 5 assists and spent long stretches looking like the obvious late game answer. For Baskonia, TLC led all scorers with 26, while Simmons poured in 21 and authored eight of the biggest points in the clutch.
But the matchup that really decided the game lived at the five.
Diakite beat Tavares in the matchup that tilted the entire geometry of the floor. He finished with 21 points, went 3 of 4 from two and a perfect 5 of 5 from three, and added five rebounds. Tavares posted 10 points and 11 boards, which on paper looks fine. On the floor, it was a different story. Whenever both shared the court, Diakite’s ability to pull Tavares out of the paint, make him guard in uncomfortable areas, and still punish him with shooting shifted the balance toward Baskonia.
This was not just a case of one big outscoring another. It was a case of one big changing the terms of the game.
And in a game this tight, that was enough to swing the result.
Hapoel vs Panathinaikos
This was a really fun game, and one of those matchups that kept changing shape every few minutes.
Hapoel started better than Panathinaikos, and the early edge came from exactly what you want to see against a team like the Greens. The ball was moving, the lanes were opening, and the offense had a flow to it. On the other side, Panathinaikos looked a little stuck out of the gate, mostly because Hapoel had a very clear plan for Kendrick Nunn.
The motto was simple. Send him right, avoid left at all costs.
Collin Malcolm took on the primary assignment, and that coverage worked. It disrupted Panathinaikos’ rhythm early and kept one of their biggest engines from getting comfortable. But Panathinaikos found a very familiar pressure point. They went hunting for Vasilije Micic and attacked him, over and over. That worked not just for the ball handler, but for the roller coming out of the action, and it opened up a lot of efficient looks inside. The Greens ended up scoring better than 70 percent from inside the arc, which tells you how much success they had once they found the right matchup.
The second quarter tilted back toward Hapoel.
They became the aggressor, and Antonio Blakeney was a big part of that. He brought a rhythm Panathinaikos was not expecting and buried back to back threes to push Hapoel in front. With more talent and pure scoring ability on the floor, the Israeli side looked more dangerous and more confident.
Then came a stretch where Hapoel lost track of some things defensively.
Around the middle of the second quarter, miscommunications started popping up, especially off the ball, and Panathinaikos made them pay. Juancho and Cedi both took advantage of actions that simply were not covered cleanly, and that helped the Greens claw back into it. Still, Hapoel had answers of their own. They were getting easy baskets near the rim, and Iwundu and Odiase made the biggest impact there, finishing plays and punishing the interior.
The third quarter belonged to Kostas Sloukas.
This was the stretch where Panathinaikos looked like it might break the game open, and Sloukas was the reason. He took over without hijacking the offense, which is the classic Sloukas trick. He scored, he created, he pushed the pace, and his tempo got almost frenetic. Hapoel did not enjoy that at all. Panathinaikos stretched the lead into double digits in the final three minutes of the quarter and seemed to be taking control.
Then Micic turned back the clock.
Just when it looked like the game was drifting away, he made sure Hapoel stayed in it. That sequence gave the game oxygen again, and then Collin Malcolm added the exclamation point. At the buzzer of the third quarter, with Hapoel trailing by 12, Malcolm drilled a half court shot to cut it to nine.
That mattered.
It changed the emotional temperature of the game heading into the fourth, and it came with another important layer underneath. Through three quarters, Panathinaikos had committed only two turnovers. That was one of the biggest reasons they were in front. They had been efficient, yes, but they had also been incredibly clean with the ball.
Then Hapoel changed the board in the fourth.
They opened the quarter with a small ball lineup, and that shifted everything. Malcolm and Elijah handled the four spot, Odiase played the five, and suddenly Hapoel had scorers and creators everywhere. Micic, Blakeney, Chris Jones, at times they even went full five out when Odiase sat.
The plan was simple, and it worked.
Run pick and roll with Odiase screening, open the floor, and throw the lob. They hit it twice with clear lanes, and that sequence completely flipped the momentum for the home side. The spacing looked different, the pace looked different, and Panathinaikos suddenly had a much harder time controlling the game.
Blakeney was enormous in that stretch.
He hit clutch shots, made clutch blocks, and gave Hapoel the kind of two way swing possessions that define fourth quarters in games like this. More broadly, Hapoel’s spirit in the final period was unmatched. They got more physical, played with more force, and just as importantly, they controlled their own mistakes. Only two turnovers in the fourth. That matters when you are trying to chase down a team that had been protecting the ball all night.
And then the other big shift came.
The threes started falling.
They had not in the first half, but in the fourth quarter the shots finally dropped, and that changed the math of the comeback.
What made this game so good was not just the star power or the scoring swings. It was the constant counterpunching. Hapoel had the better start. Panathinaikos found the matchup and punished it. Sloukas nearly blew it open. Micic dragged it back. Malcolm changed the mood with a half court buzzer beater. Then Hapoel went small, opened the floor, found the lobs, and brought a different kind of force to the final quarter.
Really fun game, yes.
Also a game full of answers, adjustments, and a fourth quarter where Hapoel completely changed the terms.
Key Performances of the Past Week:
Nathan Reuvers vs Virtus
This week had no shortage of strong individual performances, but no one burned brighter than Nathan Reuvers against Virtus.
The Valencia big was flat out unstoppable.
Reuvers finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and a monstrous 44 PIR, putting together one of those nights where every touch seems to have an answer built into it. The efficiency jumps off the page. He went 7 of 8 from two, a perfect 5 of 5 from three, and 4 of 5 from the line. For a 6’9 center, that kind of scoring profile is absurd on its own. The way he got there made it even more impressive.
This was the full bag.
Transition threes. Spot up threes. Finishes as the roll man. Nowitzki like fadeaways out of the post. Even some closeout attacks where he put the ball on the floor and showed off the handle. Reuvers was not just making shots, he was showcasing the entire range of what makes him such a unique offensive piece. Every time Virtus tried to adjust, he had another counter. Nothing they threw at him ever really disrupted his rhythm.
And that is what stood out most. Not just the volume, not just the efficiency, but the ease.
He was a +20 in only 21:33 of playing time, which says a lot about how devastating those minutes were. He did not need a marathon workload to completely warp the game. He just needed touches.
Showings like this are the kind that make suitors pay even closer attention, and it is easy to see why. Luckily for Valencia, they already understood what they had. Back in March, they secured his services through the 27/28 season, and nights like this are exactly why that move looks even better now.
Also worth a spotlight: Moses Wright
Moses Wright had the second best performance of the week, and the context around it made it even juicier.
Against a rival team that showed interest in him for next season, and with both teams fighting for the same goal, a playoff spot, Wright delivered a monster showing in Kaunas. He put up 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, including 3 on the offensive glass, and added 2 blocks.
That is the kind of line that hits every pressure point in a high stakes game. Physicality, activity, rim presence, second chance creation. A big time performance in a game where every possession carried playoff weight.
Standings Watch:
We have a new EuroLeague leader, and yes, the top of the table just got a little more interesting.
After Fenerbahçe’s loss in Munich, Olympiacos now sits alone at the top of the competition. Technically, anyway. The catch is that both teams have the same number of wins, which makes this less about separation and more about timing. Still, the optics matter. The Reds are first, Fenerbahçe is no longer there, and the conversation naturally follows.
So, is this just Fenerbahçe plotting to avoid the famous first seed curse?
Probably not. But it is funny how that storyline keeps hanging around every time the top spot changes hands. The idea that whoever finishes first never wins gold is one of those EuroLeague superstitions that never really dies. In a vacuum, maybe dropping off the top line is not the worst omen. In reality, every team in this tier still wants the one seed, and every team wants the path that comes with it.
The bigger drama might be lower down.
The Play In race is getting tighter, and Monaco and Crvena Zvezda are now the teams living most dangerously. Both sit just one win above the cut line, which is not much breathing room at all this late in the season. One bad week, one wrong result, and suddenly the margin disappears.
Maccabi is the team applying the most pressure.
They are one win behind that duo, but the important detail is the game in hand. That changes the math and the tension. It means the chase is not just active, it is real. If Maccabi takes care of that extra game, the entire picture can shift in a hurry.
Behind them, Dubai and Milano are still hanging around, still technically in it, but the runway is getting shorter by the week. That is the hard truth of this stage of the season. Chances do not disappear all at once. They erode, week by week, result by result, until suddenly there is nothing left to chase.
At the top, a new leader.
Around the Play In line, very little safety.
That is a pretty good summary of where the standings are right now.
Games to Watch Week 27:
Olympiacos vs Real Madrid
This is the game of the week, and there is really no debate.
Two of the winningest clubs in EuroLeague history, a packed Peace and Friendship Stadium, top seed implications, home court implications, and enough star power to make almost every possession feel like its own event. This is the kind of game that does not need much selling.
Both teams are still hunting the top overall spot. Both want to hold on to, or improve, their playoff position. And both understand what home court can mean once the postseason starts. That alone would be enough. Add the names on the floor, and this becomes appointment viewing.
Talent wise, these are two of the best teams in the competition, which means the matchup board is loaded. There should be something interesting at every position, but a few battles stand out as the ones most likely to tilt the result.
Start at center.
Nikola Milutinov and Walter Tavares are two of the best bigs in the league, and this is one of those classic game within the game matchups that deserves its own spotlight. Size, rim presence, rebounding, screen setting, interior control, every part of it matters. When two anchors like that share the floor, the geometry of the entire game changes.
Then there is the four spot, which might be even more fascinating.
Sasha Vezenkov enters as the MVP frontrunner, and every big game at this point feels like another chance for him to strengthen that case. Real Madrid counters with Trey Lyles, who has MVP level talent of his own, though he is a game time decision. If Lyles cannot go, or is limited, Chuma Okeke is still an elite option there and a player who matches up really well with Vezenkov. That matters because few teams can throw credible size and versatility at Vezenkov without compromising elsewhere.
If there is one warning sign for Madrid, it is the setting.
Real has struggled on the road, and in a game this big, in an environment like this, that can absolutely come back to haunt them. Peace and Friendship is not the place you want to be slightly off.
This has all the ingredients. History, pressure, stars, matchups, and a building that should feel ready to explode.
Valencia vs Panathinaikos
If Olympiacos vs Real Madrid is the heavyweight chess match, Valencia vs Panathinaikos feels like the track meet.
Expect a high scoring game. Expect a frenetic pace. Expect long stretches where it looks like both teams are playing downhill.
Panathinaikos may have a size advantage on the wings, and that is something they could absolutely look to exploit. Those bigger lineups can create problems, especially if they can get into early offense and force Valencia into cross matches.
But if Valencia is going to make this the kind of game they want, the priority is obvious. Contain Panathinaikos’ guards at all costs. That is the pressure point. If the Taronja can disrupt the backcourt rhythm and keep the Greens from getting comfortable in space, the game opens up.
And most importantly, some of the EuropeanHoops crew will be there live.
That alone might be worth tuning in.
What’s at Stake:
No, Partizan is not really in contention for anything meaningful in the standings.
Yes, a six game winning streak in the EuroLeague still matters.
A lot.
Sometimes late season runs from teams outside the real playoff picture get dismissed as empty calories. This one should not. What Partizan has done lately is too sharp, too clean, and too dramatic on both ends of the floor to just wave away.
Since March 1, Joan Peñarroya’s squad has been the best team in Europe.
Undefeated in that stretch, and more importantly, transformed.
The offensive improvement is real. Before March 1, Partizan was operating at a 110.1 ORTG. Since then, that number has climbed to 113.6. That is meaningful on its own, especially when paired with the stylistic shift that came with it. But the defense is where this thing really jumps off the page.
Partizan went from 17th in defensive rating to 1st.
That is not a tweak. That is a total identity flip.
They improved by a staggering 14.7 points allowed per 100 possessions, and the eye test matches it. More intensity. More aggression on the ball. More force at the point of attack. They are dictating more possessions instead of reacting to them, and that is usually where these kinds of defensive surges begin.
Then there is the pace.
This may be the sneakiest part of the whole story.
Before March, Partizan was one of the six slowest teams in the league. Since the start of the month, they have become the second fastest. That is a massive swing, and it has clearly unlocked something in this roster. More possessions, more pressure, more opportunities to leverage their improved defensive activity into easier offense. When the tempo changed, the whole team changed with it.
That is what is really at stake here.
Not a playoff berth. Not a seed. Not some miracle late season climb.
Foundation.
When a team with little left to chase starts playing this well, this hard, and this coherently, it means something. Stretches like this can carry over. They can shape rotations, sharpen identities, and establish habits that matter months from now.
Partizan may not be playing for this season anymore.
But they might be building something for the next one.
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!
