A double-header in the EuroLeague delivered several key results in the playoff race. Zalgiris Kaunas upset the league-leading Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul with an impressive three-point display, FC Barcelona defeated Crvena Zvezda in overtime at Palau Blaugrana, and Real Madrid maintained their dominance at the Movistar Arena against Anadolu Efes. Also standing out were victories by Panathinaikos over AS Monaco, Partizan against Valencia Basket in double overtime, and Baskonia, who snapped their losing streak in a record-scoring game against Hapoel Tel Aviv. On Thursday, Bayern Munich, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, and Maccabi Tel Aviv completed a sweep of home victories.
Friday, March 27
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 82-92 Zalgiris Kaunas
Zalgiris brought their best three-point shooting of the entire EuroLeague to the defending champions' court and secured an impressive 82-92 road victory over Fenerbahce in Istanbul. The Lithuanian squad improved to 20-14 to remain firmly in the playoff race—and even in contention for the home-court advantage—while league-leading Fenerbahce fell to 23-11 and lost the chance to mathematically clinch a postseason spot.
The game remained tightly contested for much of the matchup. With the score tied at 78 late in the game, Zalgiris elevated their three-point accuracy and broke the game open in the final five minutes. The visitors closed out the contest with a remarkable 13-of-21 from three-point range, an efficiency that turned a tight game into a solid 10-point road victory.
Dustin Sleva led the Lithuanian squad offensively with 18 points, going 4-of-7 from three and adding a well-rounded performance with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Sylvain Francisco contributed 14 points and 8 assists, while Arnas Butkevicius, Azuolas Tubelis, and Nigel Williams-Goss each added 13 points. For Fenerbahce, Wade Baldwin finished with 19 points and Talen Horton-Tucker added 18.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 107-97 AS Monaco
Panathinaikos extended their strong run with their fourth consecutive victory, defeating a depleted AS Monaco 107-97 at Telekom Center Athens.
The game began with some tension and a low-scoring first quarter, but the Greek squad broke it open in the second period. Panathinaikos put together a dominant 37-19 run that allowed them to reach halftime with a commanding 52-35 lead.
From that point on, the home team controlled the pace and managed their advantage without major concerns until the final buzzer, also surpassing the 100-point mark for the second consecutive game.
With this victory, Panathinaikos also secured the head-to-head tiebreaker against Monaco and improved to 20-14, while the Principality squad suffered their first loss in four games and fell to 19-15.
Five Greek players reached double figures in scoring, with Kendrick Nunn leading the way with 25 points. For Monaco, Elie Okobo delivered another well-rounded performance with 24 points and 13 assists, recording his second double-double of the week. Additionally, the point guard again registered an unusual stat: 13 assists without a turnover for the second consecutive game.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 110-104 Valencia Basket
Partizan extended their winning streak to five consecutive victories by defeating Valencia Basket in an intense game that required double overtime to decide.
Carlik Jones and Sterling Brown were the standout performers for the Serbian squad, both during regulation and in the extra ten minutes. Brown led the home team with 31 points and 7 rebounds, while Jones contributed 27 points and 6 assists.
The game had several pivotal moments. Partizan forced the first overtime with an 8-0 run at the end of regulation. Later, in the extra period, the Serbian squad rallied from behind at 92-97. Ultimately, a crucial three-pointer by Brown definitively tilted the game in favor of the home team.
For Valencia Basket, the loss represents a minor setback in their bid to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs, leaving their record at 21-13. Partizan, meanwhile, improved to 14-20 and is riding their best stretch of the season.
Dylan Osetkowski added 14 points for the Serbs and Isaac Bonga contributed 13. For the Valencia squad, Kam Taylor led the scoring with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Brancou Badio and Darius Thompson each added 16 points, while Nate Reuvers finished with 12.
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 118-109 Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv
Baskonia defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 118-109 in a fast-paced, record-breaking game at Buesa Arena.
Although the Vitoria squad no longer had playoff aspirations, they snapped an eight-game losing streak and improved to 10-24. Hapoel fell to 20-13, though they remain well-positioned in the playoff race.
The game was an offensive showcase from the start. Both teams played at a high tempo and shot efficiently throughout. The first half ended with a historic figure: 131 combined points, a new EuroLeague record for scoring in a first half. Baskonia reached halftime with a 67-64 advantage after surpassing their own best first-half scoring mark.
After the break, the offensive pace slowed slightly, particularly in the third quarter, but Baskonia maintained control and gradually extended their lead to secure a nine-point victory.
Trent Forrest was the standout performer with 22 points and 4 assists. Mamadi Diakite added 15 points and 4 assists as part of a well-balanced collective effort in which Kobi Simmons, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Gytis Radzevicius, Clement Frisch, and Eugene Omoruyi also reached double figures.
For Hapoel, Elijah Bryant had a spectacular start with 19 points in the first quarter and finished the game with 26 points on an excellent 9-of-11 shooting performance.
FC Barcelona 92-88 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade
FC Barcelona secured their third consecutive victory by defeating Crvena Zvezda 92-88 in overtime at Palau Blaugrana.
The victory allowed the Blaugrana to improve to 20-14 and take a 2-0 record in the head-to-head matchup against the Serbian squad, which fell to 19-15.
The end of regulation was particularly dramatic. Jared Butler scored five points in the final 12.7 seconds to tie the game at 75 and force overtime.
In the extra period, Will Clyburn and Tomas Satoransky took on the offensive responsibility, combining for 13 points that allowed Barcelona to secure a crucial victory.
Clyburn was Barcelona's leading scorer with 18 points, all scored in the second half and overtime. Jan Vesely added 14 points, Joel Parra contributed 13, Satoransky added 12, and Kevin Punter chipped in 10.
For Crvena Zvezda, Jordan Nwora led the scoring with 26 points. Codi Miller-McIntyre added 13, while Jared Butler and Jasiel Rivero each scored 11. The Serbian squad committed 17 turnovers in the game.
Thursday, March 26
FC Bayern Munich 93-83 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Bayern Munich bounced back after being eliminated from playoff contention and defeated LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 93-83 at home, snapping a three-game losing streak.
The game remained tightly contested for much of the matchup, with minimal scoring differences. In fact, the largest lead for most of the game was just six points.
The decisive moment came in the final two minutes, when Bayern scored six consecutive points to open a decisive gap and reach 90-81.
Justinian Jessup delivered his best personal performance with 19 points, Andreas Obst contributed 15, and David McCormack completed a well-rounded effort with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals to lead Bayern to 14-20.
ASVEL suffered their fourth consecutive loss and fell to 8-26—including a 2-16 record on the road—despite 16 points from Armel Traore and 13 points with 10 assists from Thomas Heurtel.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 103-87 Virtus Bologna
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan stayed in playoff contention with a decisive victory over Virtus Bologna in the Italian derby.
The Milan squad dominated the game from start to finish in a matchup marked by team play. The home team distributed 25 assists with just 7 turnovers and had six players reach double figures in scoring.
Zach LeDay led the victory with 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Quinn Ellis added 18 points and 6 assists.
With this win, Milan improved to 17-17. Virtus, meanwhile, fell to 13-20 after suffering their seventh loss in eight games, which practically eliminates their playoff hopes.
Devin Booker scored 14 points for the visitors, while Marko Guduric and Josh Nebo each added 11. Milan also made 14 three-pointers in a high-paced game.
For Virtus, Saliou Niang was the leading scorer with 15 points, while Matt Morgan and Mouhamet Diouf each contributed 14.
Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 104-100 Dubai Basketball
Maccabi Tel Aviv needed overtime to defeat Dubai Basketball 104-100 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia, in a crucial matchup in the Play-In Showdown race.
The victory allowed Maccabi to improve to 17-16 after securing their seventh win in eight games and move ahead of Dubai, who fell to 17-17.
Additionally, the Israeli squad took a 2-0 record in the head-to-head matchup between the two teams, a detail that could prove decisive if both finish the regular season with the same record.
Jimmy Clark led the victory with a brilliant performance of 23 points and 10 assists, his best personal mark. O'Shae Brissett added 19 points, Jaylen Hoard contributed 15, Roman Sorkin added 14, and Zach Hankins chipped in 10.
Dubai dominated the game 51-66 at the start of the second half, with McKinley Wright leading the scoring with 26 points. Mfiondu Kabengele recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds, Dwayne Bacon contributed 16, and Filip Petrusev added 11.
Maccabi rallied late and forced overtime with a layup off an offensive rebound by Brissett with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation (88-88). In overtime, Sorkin, Clark, and Hoard made the difference.
Real Madrid 82-71 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Real Madrid secured their 17th victory in 18 home games by defeating Anadolu Efes 82-71 at Movistar Arena.
The Turkish squad started better and took an 11-21 lead after the first ten minutes. However, Real Madrid responded at the start of the second quarter with a 20-5 run that completely changed the game's trajectory and allowed the home team to reach halftime with a 42-33 advantage.
The third quarter was more balanced, with Real Madrid maintaining a 60-53 lead before launching a 10-0 run midway through the final period that sealed the victory.
The team coached by Sergio Scariolo completed a perfect week of double-headers and improved to 22-12. Anadolu Efes, meanwhile, lost both games played in Spain this week and fell to 10-24.
Seven Real Madrid players scored at least eight points. Trey Lyles stood out with 14 points after converting 4-of-5 three-pointers. Jordan Loyd was the game's leading scorer with 21 points, though it wasn't enough to prevent the road loss.