Raúl González

The second round of the Euroliga has brought unexpected results and intense matches. Dubai surprises Barcelona, Olympiacos withstands Žalgiris, and the Italian derby is decided in the final seconds with a victory for Milan.

The second matchday of the Euroleague 2026-27 is taking place with a significant number of confirmed absences. From long-term injuries to last-minute omissions, teams are facing this round with depleted rosters, especially in key competitions like those of Barça, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Baskonia.

The FC Barcelona is defeated in the Euroleague against Dubai by 94-87, experiencing their first setback of the season. Despite a spectacular comeback in the final minutes, the Blaugrana are unable to complete the reaction and succumb to a rival that dominated the match since halftime.

Real Madrid achieved a golden victory in their league debut against Unicaja, resolving a match of maximum tension in the final moments. Defensive details and accuracy on rebounds were decisive for the whites to take the win 89-87, with the Malagueños failing key opportunities close to the basket in the final stretch.

Kevin Punter experiences a paradigm shift under the direction of Aleksander Sekulic. The Barça Basket guard reduces his minutes on the court but maintains his decisive influence, marking a new strategy after seasons of inconsistent performance.

The first day of the 26-27 season of the SuperManager ACB set all scoring records since 1987, with 94.8 points per team and seven teams surpassing 100. Balcerowski, Batemon, Jassel Pérez, Brankovic, and McGhee emerged as essential players, while managers are already planning their moves for Round 2, looking to maximize the available budget.

The Euroleague returns just five days after its kickoff with a round 2 full of decisive matches. The four Spanish representatives —Valencia, Baskonia, Real Madrid, and Barcelona— play on the same Tuesday, with the derby between Valencia and Baskonia as the highlight and a Barcelona team visiting Dubai without its three new interior players.

Juan Carlos Sánchez, director of basketball at Real Madrid, supports the NBA's expansion into the European continent and advocates for an immediate collaboration between the North American league and the Euroleague clubs. The Madrid executive will participate in an upcoming meeting in Italy where the specific proposal will be discussed.

Kosner Baskonia incorporates Brazilian interior player Márcio Santos to strengthen its front line for the next two seasons. The 2.04-meter tall player joins Paolo Galbiati's project after his time in the EuroLeague with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Valencia Basket evaluates the performance of its star signing TJ Shorts after his first games in the EuroLeague and ACB. The American showed flashes of quality in continental competition, although he faced difficulties in the domestic league that raise questions about his adaptation to the taronja project.

The Endesa League has had its most offensive debut in history. The nine matches of the first day of 2026-27 totaled 1,706 points with an average of 94.8 per team, positioning itself as the fourth highest-scoring day in the entire ACB era. Seven teams reached 100 points and three games saw both teams reach the century.

Euroleague Basketball implements an innovative automatic system based on artificial intelligence to assign referees for the upcoming 2026-27 season. The technology will analyze 14 different rules based on sporting criteria, workload, and integrity for both the EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup.