All seven opening-night games have been completed, marking the start of this year’s EuroLeague. The action continues on Friday (September 25) with three more games.
The Greek teams got off to a strong start, with Panathinaikos defeating Paris 91-72 and Olympiacos beating Baskonia 106-89.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Dubai BC pulled off a huge upset over Real Madrid, led by an outstanding Bacon and key contributions from Wright and Petrushev
Dubai BC survived the thriller at the “Coca-Cola Arena” and got off to a strong start in the new EuroLeague season!
On Thursday night (9/24) Xavi Pascual’s team edged out Real Madrid 78-77 in the United Arab Emirates in the opener of Europe’s top competition, in a game filled with intense action, dramatic twists, and plenty of thrills!
The home team had to come back from a a 6-point deficit in the final three minutes and secure the win thanks to Wright’s clutch three-pointer with 51 seconds left, as well as Petrusev’s spectacular defensive play in the closing seconds to stop Feliz’s attempt.
The standout player, however, was Dwayne Bacon, who finished the game with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a rating of 31! For the “Merenches,” Theo Maledon stood out with 11 points and 6 assists.
The quarter scores: 20-16, 38-44, 63-62, 78-77.
A dream debut for Bayern, a rough start for Hapoel
A thrilling opener with a surprise result in this year’s EuroLeague!
Hapoel Tel Aviv may have been the favorite heading into its matchup with Bayern Munich, but it was the Bavarians who played like the superior team for most of the game, and even though they saw their opponent come back from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter, they ultimately celebrated a narrow 86-84 victory in Sofia, Bulgaria!
Dimitris Itoudis’s team fell short of the occasion for three quarters, and although they rallied and fought for the win on equal terms, they ultimately got off to a rough start in the tournament. On the other hand, Bayern defied the odds and, withstanding the immense pressure placed on them, secured the important victory!
Obst led the winners with 19 points, supported by Timan (15 pts, 7 reb), Jessup (11 pts), and Foigtmann (10 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast). For Hapoel, Oturu stood out with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Mitic had 14 points and Bryant had 10.
Quarter scores: 21-16, 39-44, 57-68, 84-86.
Zalgiris came out on top in Belgrade
In a dramatic game—the longest of the season— Zalgiris defeated Red Star 83-77 in Belgrade in the EuroLeague opener and got off to a on the right foot in their bid to make the top eight, leaving the Serbs trailing.
Thomas Masiulis’s players held a 7-point lead at the end of the first quarter but trailed at halftime; but in the second half they found their rhythm from the perimeter and with three-pointers, building a +5 to +7 lead and holding off the pressure from the “red-and-whites” of the Serbian capital.
Leading the Lithuanians were Williams-Goss with 14, Edwards and Valančiūnas with 13, and Brown and Tubelis with 10 points each.
For the Serbs, Jones stood out with 15 points, while Butler and Kramer each scored 11.
Quarter scores: 21-28, 45-43, 57-59, 77-83
Barcelona broke Efes in the final stretch
A thrilling game took place at the “Palau Blaugrana” in the EuroLeague opener, with Barcelona overcoming Efes’ resistance in the final two minutes, with a 10-2 run to secure an 89-82 victory in their EuroLeague opener!
Leading the way for the Catalans were Brituella with 20 points, Pander with 19—who was decisive with a three-pointer in the closing moments—and Justin Robinson. James with 22 and Saric with 17 were the top scorers for the tenacious Turkish team.
Anadolu Efes got off to an impressive start, with Saric leading the way; they took an early 13-0 lead and extended it to 17-4, while Mike James made it 13-25 with a basket and a foul, before Justin Robinson hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to under ten points, ending the first quarter at 16-25.
The second quarter unfolded very differently, with Barcelona applying pressure and, gradually, with Pander providing solutions, chipping away at the deficit and keeping it under ten points. Efes pulled away again briefly to a +12 lead, but a 10-0 run—featuring two three-pointers from Gibson and Brithuela—narrowed the gap to a single basket at 34-36, with the 32-year-old “Blaugrana” guard hitting a three-pointer to give the home team the lead, scoring 13 points in the second quarter.
The Turks, with Saric and James each scoring seven points in the third quarter and Dozier and Osman providing some scoring support, held their own and regained the lead, with the score remaining close and Efes ending the quarter up by 4 at 67-63.
It was back-and-forth as the game progressed toward the middle of the final quarter, with James taking the lead in scoring, but on the other hand, Barcelona also had Brithuela having an outstanding game. Tyrese Martin tied the score at 77-77 with 2:48 left in the game. Barcelona, with baskets by Pander and Balcerowski, took an 83-80 lead with 1:12 left. James drew a foul on a three-point attempt but missed the free throw, making it 83-82. Then Justin Robinson hit a crucial three-pointer to give Barcelona a 4-point lead at 86–82 with 49 seconds left, while Balcerowski’s free throws with 20 seconds left sealed Barcelona’s 89-82 victory.
Quarter scores: 16-25, 45-44, 63-67, 89-82.
Villeurbanne crushed Maccabi and pulled off the upset
Dominating from the second quarter onward, Villeurbanne defeated Maccabi 84-74 in Lyon in their EuroLeague opener and looked like a force to be reckoned with for the rest of this year’s competition.
More to come shortly…
The results and schedule for the opening round:
Thursday, Sept. 24
- Dubai – Real Madrid 78-77
- Hapoel Tel Aviv – Bayern 84-86
- Red Star – Zalgiris 77-83
- Panathinaikos – Paris 91-72
- Barcelona – Anadolu Efes 89-82
- Baskonia – Olympiacos 89-106
- Villeurbanne – Maccabi Tel Aviv 84-74
Friday, September 25
- 8:00 p.m. Besiktas – Valencia
- 8:45 p.m. Fenerbahçe – Virtus Bologna
- 9:45 PM Partizan – Armani Milan
*photo source: KYPE
