Olympiacos Takes EuroLeague Lead, Valencia Consolidates, Baskonia Stuns Real Madrid

The EuroLeague matchday brought a shake-up at the top of the standings, with Olympiacos claiming the lead after defeating ASVEL (74-82), while Valencia Basket took another firm step by beating Virtus Bologna (81-94) and consolidating its position in the playoff zone. In a night of maximum tension, Baskonia stunned Real Madrid in Vitoria (98-96), a result that prevented the Spanish side from seizing first place. Additionally, Zalgiris strengthened its postseason candidacy by overcoming FC Barcelona (83-71), Hapoel Tel Aviv pulled off a crucial comeback against Panathinaikos (92-88), Dubai Basketball stayed alive in the playoff race with a win over AS Monaco (101-91), Partizan claimed the derby against Crvena Zvezda (82-89), Paris Basketball stopped EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (103-93), Maccabi extended its hot streak against Anadolu Efes (103-89), and Bayern Munich halted Fenerbahce (85-76).

Friday, April 3

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 74-82 Olympiacos Piraeus

Olympiacos returned to winning ways by defeating ASVEL 74-82 on Friday night at the LDLC Arena. A tightly contested first quarter saw Olympiacos take a slight 24-25 advantage entering the second, where the visitors put together a 2-12 run to open up a 39-47 halftime lead. The hosts responded in the second half and held Olympiacos to just 14 points in the third quarter, but the visitors answered with a 0-9 run to start the fourth period before securing the result down the stretch.

With only their second road victory in six games, Olympiacos tied Fenerbahce atop the standings with a 23-12 record. Meanwhile, ASVEL, in last place, suffered their fifth consecutive loss and fell to 8-27. Sasha Vezenkov led all scorers with 23 points and Donta Hall added 14 off the bench. Melvin Ajinca made 5 three-pointers to finish with 17 points.

Virtus Bologna 81-94 Valencia Basket

Valencia delivered a solid performance to overcome Virtus, taking control in the fourth quarter to secure a 81-94 victory. The result strengthens the Spanish team's playoff position, moving them to a 22-13 record in fourth place. Meanwhile, Virtus suffered their sixth consecutive loss and fell to 13-22.

The game started at a frenetic pace, with both teams attacking aggressively while Valencia took the first quarter. A hotly contested second quarter saw several lead changes, with Valencia slightly ahead at halftime thanks to Nate Reuvers. The visitors took control in the third quarter, building an eight-point advantage, and maintained their momentum in the fourth period with efficient shooting and solid team play to secure a 13-point victory.

Reuvers stood out for the visitors, finishing with a phenomenal 44 PIR thanks to 33 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. Brancou Badio and Jean Montero contributed 15 and 11 points respectively on the way to victory. Carsen Edwards fought hard for Virtus, scoring 26 points to keep his team in the game.

Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 98-96 Real Madrid

In a thriller decided on the final shot, Baskonia edged Real Madrid 98-96 at the Buesa Arena on Friday. Baskonia, with no playoff hopes, improved to 11-24 in the standings after recording their tenth home victory of the season. Real Madrid fell to 22-13 after suffering their sixth loss in their last seven road games.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the winners with 26 points and 6 rebounds. Kobi Simmons and Mamadi Diakite each added 21 points, while Eugene Omoruyi contributed 15 for Baskonia, who tied a EuroLeague record with 8 three-pointers made in the first quarter. Facu Campazzo led Real Madrid with 21 points and 9 assists. Mario Hezonja added 17 points, Sergio Llull 12, Gabriel Deck 11, and Walter Tavares 10 for the Spanish side. Tavares also grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double. Simmons made the free throws that gave his team the lead with 1.9 seconds remaining before Llull missed from well beyond the arc at the buzzer.

Thursday, April 2

Zalgiris Kaunas 83-71 FC Barcelona

In a crucial matchup for both teams, Zalgiris moved closer to securing a playoff spot by defeating Barcelona 83-71 before a packed house at the Zalgirio Arena on Thursday. Zalgiris improved to 21-14 in the standings and extended their winning streak to seven consecutive home victories, while Barcelona fell to 20-15. Zalgiris holds a 2-0 (+27) record against Barcelona this season, which should be decisive in case of a potential tiebreaker.

Moses Wright led the winners with 18 points and 11 rebounds, good for a 28 PIR. Nigel Williams-Goss added 16 points, Sylvain Francisco contributed 14 points and 8 assists, while Arnas Butkevicius chipped in 12 points for Zalgiris, who dominated the boards 41-30. Kevin Punter led Barcelona with 16 points. Jan Vesely added 14 while Toko Shengelia contributed 10 for the visitors. Francisco scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, making the difference in the game and guiding Zalgiris to a valuable home victory.

Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv 92-88 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

Hapoel secured a crucial victory in their fight for the top four by mounting a comeback to defeat Panathinaikos 92-88 in a thrilling matchup with major playoff implications. Hapoel erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and Chris Jones made four free throws in the final 26 seconds to win a game that featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties.

Antonio Blakeney scored 19 points and Elijah Bryant added 18 for Hapoel, who improved to 21-13 after snapping a two-game losing streak. The Greens saw their four-game winning streak come to an end and fell to 20-15 despite 17 points from Juancho Hernangomez.

Dubai Basketball 101-91 AS Monaco

Dubai returned to winning ways by defeating a depleted Monaco side 101-91 on Thursday night at the Zetra Arena. In a first half of runs, Dzanan Musa scored 13 points in the first quarter for a 24-18 lead after 10 minutes, but Monaco responded in the second period and held Dubai to just one basket in the final three minutes to tie the game 47-47 at halftime. A tightly contested third quarter was followed by a fourth period in which McKinley Wright stepped up to close out the game for the hosts.

Musa paired his 24 points with 10 assists and Wright scored 23, while Mfiondu Kabengele added 18 points and 9 rebounds. Kevarrius Hayes and Alpha Diallo led Monaco with 17 points each, while Jaron Blossomgame and Nikola Mirotic each scored 15. Dubai improved to 18-17 and remains in the playoff race. Meanwhile, Monaco suffered their second consecutive loss and fell to 19-16, though they maintain the head-to-head tiebreaker against Dubai.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 82-89 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade

Carlik Jones saved his best for last, scoring five consecutive points in the crucial moments to guide Partizan to a victory that marks a club record with six consecutive EuroLeague wins. The visitors improved to 15-20 and also dashed Crvena Zvezda's playoff aspirations. Jones, who received the March MVP award on Wednesday, led Partizan in the Belgrade derby with 26 points and a flawless performance, while Sterling Brown added 22 points and 7 rebounds.

After three tightly contested quarters in which both teams had their moments, Partizan opened up a 57-72 lead in the fourth quarter, but Zvezda responded and cut the deficit to 82-85 with a series of big baskets from Codi Miller-McIntyre, who finished with 24 points and 9 assists in the loss.

Zvezda fell to 19-16 and faces a dramatic finish in the race to secure a playoff spot. Bruno Fernando added 15 points and 5 rebounds and Isaac Bonga contributed 12 for Partizan, while Jasiel Rivero scored 13 and Jordan Nwora 12 for Zvezda.

Paris Basketball 103-93 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

Paris withstood a valiant comeback attempt to defeat Milan 103-93. The result is a harsh blow to the visitors' playoff aspirations, who fell to 17-18 on the season, while the hosts improved their disappointing record to 14-21.

Paris started strong, building an early double-digit lead thanks to a strong bench contribution. The dominance continued in the second quarter, with Nadir Hifi leading an explosive offensive effort that gave Paris a 23-point halftime advantage. Milan responded with a huge third quarter to cut the deficit to 11, and their momentum continued into the fourth period as Paris became inaccurate, allowing the lead to shrink to just one point. However, a late scoring run by Amath M'Baye restored control, and despite the scare, Paris managed to hold on for a 10-point victory.

Hifi was the standout performer with 25 points, 4 steals, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds for a 34 PIR. M'Baye also contributed significantly with 19 points and 3 rebounds. Derek Willis finished with 16 points. Leading his team's comeback attempt, Armoni Brooks stood out in the loss with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 103-89 Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Maccabi notched their fourth consecutive victory to maintain their momentum toward the playoffs after defeating a depleted Efes side 103-89 in Belgrade. Efes started strong with Brice Dessert scoring 8 early points for a double-digit lead, 9-19, but Maccabi responded quickly to take a 49-44 halftime advantage. The hosts broke open the game with a 13-1 run in the third quarter, featuring three three-pointers from Lonnie Walker, and Efes never seriously threatened a comeback.

Walker was the leading scorer with 25 points, while Jaylen Hoard impressed with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Jimmy Clark orchestrated the offense with 17 points and 8 assists, Roman Sorkin scored 13, and Tamir Blatt added 12 in a night when Maccabi made 15 of their 23 three-pointers. Efes was led by Jordan Loyd's 17 points, with Dessert adding a career-high 16. Maccabi improved to 18-16 after winning eight of their last nine games, while Efes fell to 10-25 after their fourth consecutive loss.

Wednesday, April 1

FC Bayern Munich 85-76 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Bayern ended their eight-game losing streak against Fenerbahce by defeating the Turkish side 85-76 at the SAP Garden on Wednesday night. After securing their second consecutive home victory, Bayern improved to 15-20. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce lost for the fifth time in their last six games and fell to 23-12.

The two teams traded blows in the opening minutes before a 17-2 run allowed Bayern to take a 25-12 lead after 10 minutes. The hosts extended the advantage with a 10-2 run midway through the second quarter, but Fenerbahce responded with a 0-7 run that left the score at 43-30 at halftime. The visitors gradually chipped away at the deficit until it was down to a single possession (79-76) in the final moments of the fourth quarter, but an inspired Justinian Jessup made a corner three-pointer to seal the game.

Neno Dimitrijevic tied his career scoring high with 22 points, while Jessup scored 16 with a 5-of-9 mark from three-point range. Andreas Obst added 14 points, 11 of them in the first quarter. Tarik Biberovic made 6 three-pointers to finish with 21 points, but it wasn't enough for the visiting team.