Euroleague Round 2: Surprises and Decisive Showdowns

Round 2 of the Euroliga has left moments of great excitement across Europe. Teams continue to seek to solidify their positions in the continental competition, with victories that open paths and defeats that raise doubts about future performances.

Dubai takes down Barcelona with Pascual on the opposing bench

Dubai achieved a convincing victory over Barcelona with a score of 94-87 at home, claiming their second win of the season. The surprising factor was the presence of Xavi Pascual, who coached Barcelona last season and now leads the Emirati team from the bench of the United Arab Emirates team, facing his former team and Aleksander Sekulic, whom he succeeded in the Dubai project.

Mfiondu Kabengele was the main architect of the victory with 21 points and six rebounds. Dwayne Bacon contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, while McKinley Wright also added 14 points for the winning team. Barcelona did not give up at any moment thanks to Kevin Punter, who kept the game alive after his team fell behind by as much as 20 points, finishing with 22 points and five rebounds in an effort that proved insufficient.

Olympiacos withstands in Lithuania with Shaq in the stands

In Kaunas, Olympiacos overcame Žalgiris 93-91 in a highly tense matchup where Shaquille O'Neal watched the game from the stands. The defending champions sealed the victory at the most critical moment when Sasha Vezenkov grabbed an offensive rebound after Evan Fournier missed a free throw with just two seconds remaining on the clock.

Evan Fournier scored 19 points for the Greeks, while Vezenkov added 18 points and eight rebounds in a decisive performance. Jean Montero contributed 15 points and seven assists. Meanwhile, Sterling Brown led Žalgiris with 20 points, including 14 in the final quarter, while Ąžuolas Tubelis scored 19 and Carsen Edwards added 16 in an effort that nearly achieved a comeback.

Real Madrid falls in Istanbul; Anadolu Efes imposes its will

Anadolu Efes defeated Real Madrid 94-84 in Istanbul, handing the white team their second consecutive loss in the competition. The Turkish team displayed defensive solidity and control of the pace in a game where the Spaniards could not find the necessary answers.

PJ Dozier led Efes with 18 points, followed by Matthew Strazel with 14. Mike James and Jordan Loyd each added 12 points, while Dario Šarić scored 10 in a well-balanced offensive distribution. Facundo Campazzo set the pace for Madrid with 16 points, and Chuma Okeke added 11, but the Turkish defense proved suffocating during the final moments of the game.

Fenerbahçe crushes Bayern; Valencia dominates Baskonia

Fenerbahçe routed Bayern Munich with a commanding 100-76 at home, in a game where all 12 players from the Turkish team contributed to the score sheet, reflecting an exceptional distribution of offensive effort. Talen Horton-Tucker led the way with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Wade Baldwin added 13 points and eight assists in a quality offensive display.

Duane Washington scored 20 points in his Euroleague debut with Bayern ahead of Friday's meeting with his former club Partizan. Rokas Jokubaitis added 13 points in the Turks' victory. In another matchup of the day, Valencia Basket overwhelmed Baskonia with a score of 111-88, completely dominating the game from the start. Armoni Brooks (17 points) and TJ Shorts (12 points, 10 assists) led the celebration at the Roig Arena.

Hapoel Tel Aviv stops Crvena zvezda in Belgrade

Hapoel Tel Aviv edged Crvena zvezda 81-80 in Belgrade in a game that was decided in the final moments. Vasilije Micić hit two crucial late triples to stop the home team's comeback. Elijah Bryant led Hapoel with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Antonio Blakeney and Zach LeDay scored 12 each. Micić finished with 11 points despite shooting 3 of 14 from beyond the arc, but his accuracy at decisive moments proved crucial.

Jared Butler set the pace for Zvezda with 19 points, followed by Jordan Nwora with 13 and Tyson Carter with 10, as the Serbian side suffered their second consecutive defeat in the competition.

Partizan comes back in Paris; Milan wins the Italian derby

Partizan recovered from an early 10-0 deficit to defeat Paris Basketball 92-79 on the road, improving to 2-0 in the competition. Luca Vildoza delivered 16 points and six steals, several at crucial moments, while Tonye Jekiri added 15 points and seven rebounds. Carlik Jones contributed five assists and achieved a performance index rating of 20. Nadir Hifi led Paris with 19 points, followed by TJ Warren and Jared Rhoden with 14 each in a game where the Serbians showed resilience.

In the Italian derby, Olimpia Milano edged Virtus Bologna 87-85 to secure their first victory of the season in a game that was decided in the final moments. Marko Gudurić led the hosts with 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists, while Moses Wright added 11 points and seven rebounds. Aliou Diarra scored 15 and grabbed seven rebounds for Virtus, who dropped to 0-2 after the close result that could have gone in any direction.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jornada 2 de Euroliga: Sorpresas y duelos decisivos