Panathinaikos Leads in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
In the second week of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the premier basketball club competition in Europe, Greek team Panathinaikos AKTOR finished as the leader.
In the regular season, played in a round-robin format, 18 teams competed on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The first domestic derby of the season in the EuroLeague was played between Turkish teams.
Fenerbahce Beko defeated Anadolu Efes 83-78 on the road, starting the season with a 2-0 record. This was Anadolu Efes’ first loss of the season. All 10 players who took the court for Fenerbahce contributed to the score. Bonzie Colson was Fenerbahce’s top scorer with 16 points, while Dan Oturu’s 21-point performance for Anadolu Efes wasn’t enough for victory.
Reigning Champion Tops the Standings
The reigning champion, Panathinaikos AKTOR, coached by Ergin Ataman, rose to the top of the standings after winning at home.
Ataman’s team defeated the German side Bayern Munich, who had beaten Real Madrid last week, with a score of 94-79 at OAKA. The Greek team, now with two wins, leads the league based on point differential.
In addition to Panathinaikos AKTOR and Fenerbahce Beko, Monaco and Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) also started the season with two victories. Paris Basketball, Virtus Segafredo Bologna, Partizan, and ALBA Berlin have yet to win a game.
Performance of Turkish Players in Europe
Turkish national team players playing for foreign teams in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague ended the week with victories.
Furkan Korkmaz, who plays for Monaco, was not included in the squad due to injury as they defeated Maccabi Playtika 85-79.
Cedi Osman scored 5 points and Omer Faruk Yurtseven added 8 points for Panathinaikos in their win against Bayern Munich.
MVPs: Vezenkov and Sako
The MVP title for the week was shared by two players.
Olympiacos star Sasha Vezenkov and LDCL ASVEL center Neal Sako were named the week’s MVPs.
Vezenkov recorded 30 efficiency points, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in his team’s 74-68 win against Zalgiris. Sako also had 30 efficiency points, with 19 points and 11 rebounds, in LDCL ASVEL’s 87-85 victory over Virtus Segafredo Bologna.
Meanwhile, after the first two weeks, Dan Oturu of Anadolu Efes leads the efficiency rankings with 25 efficiency points. Fenerbahce Beko leads the league in defensive and total rebounds, while Anadolu Efes is the league leader in blocks.
First Double-Game Week of the Season
The first double-game week of the 2024-2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season will take place next week.
Teams will play two games during the week. Representing Turkey, Fenerbahce Beko will host Crvena Zvezda in Istanbul on Tuesday, October 15, and then face ALBA Berlin in Germany on Thursday, October 17.
Anadolu Efes will play Israeli team Maccabi Playtika in Belgrade on Tuesday, October 15. The blue-and-white team will then host Greek side Olympiacos on Friday, October 18.
Results and Standings
Here are the results and standings after the second week of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague:
• Monaco 85-79 Maccabi Playtika
• Crvena Zvezda 78-71 Baskonia
• Anadolu Efes 78-83 Fenerbahce Beko
• LDCL ASVEL 87-85 Virtus Segafredo Bologna
• Panathinaikos AKTOR 94-79 Bayern Munich
• Real Madrid 93-86 Partizan
• Olympiacos 74-68 Zalgiris
• Barcelona 88-73 ALBA Berlin
• EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 79-74 Paris Basketball
