EuroLeague Matchday 3: Four Undefeated Teams and Real Madrid at 0-3

EuroLeague Matchday 3 closed with a sentence no one expected to write in October: Real Madrid had never started a European season with three losses. They fell in Sofia to Hapoel (102-98) after rallying from 22 points down and collapsing again, left alone at the bottom of the standings while four teams remained undefeated.

Four Perfect Records

Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce, Partizan, and Valencia Basket are the only teams still undefeated after three matchdays. And all four achieved it in very different ways.

Panathinaikos was the most dominant: they routed Maccabi Tel Aviv (90-67) with a defensive masterclass that held the Israelis to 24 points at halftime and 0-for-10 from three-point range, while also getting Nigel Hayes-Davis back after a month out.

Fenerbahce had to suffer more than expected against Dubai Basketball (76-66): they led by 12 in the first quarter, watched Xavi Pascual's team tie it at 61 in the fourth, and closed it out with a 15-5 run powered by Marcus Bingham Jr.'s 20 points and 8 rebounds.

Partizan won in Munich by two (84-86) playing poorly for half an hour and surviving on defense: seven steals and a Carlik Jones who didn't score until the third quarter. And Valencia pulled off the most impressive feat of all: they rallied from 18 points down in Lyon to beat ASVEL 92-105 after conceding 60 points in just 17 minutes.

Dubai Basketball Loses First Game

Until this Friday, the newly arrived team had two wins and no losses, both against Spain's two biggest clubs: they beat Real Madrid by one and Barcelona by seven. Their streak ended in Istanbul, but the message from their start remains intact: they compete with anyone.

Read also

• Hapoel defeats Real Madrid (102-98): 0-3 in EuroLeague
• Mike James undergoes Achilles surgery: 7-9 months out
• Valencia rallies from 18 down in Lyon and wins (92-105)

Spanish Teams, Four Different Directions

The picture of the four Liga Endesa teams couldn't be more unequal. Valencia is the best of all with a 3-0 record and the only Spanish undefeated team. Barcelona got their first road win at Besiktas (82-95) with a game decided from the first quarter, 16 points from Kevin Punter, and the opponent shooting 7-for-31 from three. Baskonia got their first win at home in the Buesa Arena against Olimpia Milano (86-76), responding with a 14-2 run to the only moment the Italians took the lead. And Real Madrid remains winless.

A Three-Pointer at the Buzzer Against the Champion

The image of the matchday came from Marcus Carr. With six seconds left and Olympiacos ahead (93-94) after a Jean Montero basket, Virtus Bologna's point guard received the ball, stepped back from beyond the arc, and nailed the three-pointer that ended the European champion (96-94). Carr finished with 22 points, 10 assists, and 5-for-8 from three. For Olympiacos, Mbaye Ndiaye had 23 points in 20 minutes but left empty-handed.

The Night Nobody Wanted to See

The toughest moment of the matchday had nothing to do with the scoreboard. With 2:40 remaining in the third quarter of Crvena Zvezda-Anadolu Efes (77-72), Mike James went for a loose ball, collapsed without anyone touching him, and left Belgrade Arena on a stretcher. On Friday he underwent Achilles tendon surgery, and the Turkish club announced a timeline of seven to nine months: season over for the competition's all-time leading scorer, at age 36.

That game also had another storyline: it was Ibon Navarro's first EuroLeague win, in a Spanish coaching matchup against Pablo Laso.

Paris and Hifi, Again

Paris Basketball also got their first win, and did it the same way they beat Zalgiris in the preseason: with Nadir Hifi deciding. The Lithuanians tied it at 69 in the fourth quarter at Adidas Arena, and the point guard, with 21 points, took care of breaking the tie to seal the 82-78 victory. Carsen Edwards missed the possessions that could have changed the game.

EuroLeague Standings After Matchday 3