The EuroLeague playoffs are entering a critical phase. On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 7:45 PM local time, Game 1 of the quarterfinal series will tip off between Fenerbah\u00e7e Beko Istanbul, the second seed in the regular season, and Paris Basketball, the tournament\u2019s surprise eighth seed, fresh off a dramatic play-in victory over Real Madrid.<\/p>\n
The game will be played at the \u00dclker Sports and Event Hall, one of the most intense and challenging arenas in Europe, with a crowd that lives and breathes basketball. The officiating crew will be of the highest caliber, led by Crew Chief Juan Carlos Garc\u00eda, assisted by Carlos Cort\u00e9s and Kristaps Konstantinovs.<\/p>\n
This is Paris Basketball\u2019s first-ever appearance in the EuroLeague playoffs after winning last season\u2019s EuroCup. For Fenerbah\u00e7e, the goal is to return to the Final Four and chase a title that has eluded Istanbul since 2017.<\/p>\n
Series schedule<\/strong> Season meetings: two games, two different stories<\/strong><\/p>\n The two teams met twice in March, with Fenerbah\u00e7e winning both games\u2014but in vastly different circumstances.<\/p>\n The first clash, a rescheduled Round 17 matchup on March 3 in Paris, saw the home team start strong before Fenerbah\u00e7e gradually took control and won 87\u201383. The Turkish side\u2019s dominance on the boards (50\u201329), bench contributions, and Guduric\u2019s leadership proved decisive. Despite strong outings from TJ Shorts (22 points, 8 assists), Hifi, and Ward, Paris lacked depth support.<\/p>\n The second encounter, played on March 25 in Istanbul (Round 31), was one of the most thrilling games of the season. Fenerbah\u00e7e prevailed 101\u2013100 thanks to a buzzer-beating three by Nigel Hayes-Davis, who once again delivered a dominant performance. Paris had led for more than 30 minutes, shot better from three, won the rebounding battle (36\u201328), and showed courage throughout, but Fenerbah\u00e7e\u2019s flawless closing stretch sealed the win.<\/p>\n Two very different games in pace, flow, and execution\u2014elements that add even more intrigue to this upcoming playoff series.<\/p>\n Stats and season performance<\/strong><\/p>\n Fenerbah\u00e7e finished the regular season averaging 83.2 points scored and 81.2 conceded per game, ranking as the third-best defense in the league. The Turkish side excels in fundamentals: 35.6 total rebounds per game (third overall), 11.8 offensive rebounds, 82.1% free-throw shooting, and 11.2 made three-pointers on average.<\/p>\n Paris, in contrast, is the highest-scoring team among the top eight, averaging 86.3 points per game\u2014but also the most porous defensively, conceding 85.2. They boast the league\u2019s fewest turnovers per game (10.4) and rank fourth in offensive rebounds (11.7). However, they are last in both total rebounds allowed (37.9) and offensive rebounds conceded (12.0).<\/p>\n These numbers reflect their identities: Fenerbah\u00e7e is about structure, physicality, and depth; Paris thrives on flair, tempo, and offensive aggression.<\/p>\n Tactical keys: pace, rebounding, and spacing<\/strong><\/p>\n The tempo will be the first major battleground. Fenerbah\u00e7e aims to control the rhythm, play half-court sets, attack set defenses, and build possessions with patience and precision. Paris, by contrast, wants to push the pace, create controlled chaos, generate early offense, and isolate dynamically within the first 8\u201310 seconds.<\/p>\n Rebounding will likely decide the outcome. When Fenerbah\u00e7e controls the glass, it dictates the game\u2019s flow. If Paris can secure quick boards and initiate transition, they can trouble any opponent.<\/p>\n Defensively, Fenerbah\u00e7e must stay alert on the perimeter. Nadir Hifi, who has scored 13+ points in 7 of his last 8 games, is a lethal shooter. Jantunen\u2014rumored to be joining Fenerbah\u00e7e next season\u2014has hit multiple threes in seven consecutive games, and Ward, Herrera, and Malcolm are all capable from deep. At the heart of it all is TJ Shorts, the EuroLeague\u2019s top assist man (7.5 per game), second in efficiency rating (23.2), and the team\u2019s emotional leader.<\/p>\n On the other side, Paris will struggle to contain Fenerbah\u00e7e\u2019s offensive variety and depth. Hayes-Davis is having an MVP-caliber season, Guduric and McCollum excel in crunch time, and Baldwin has the ability to shift momentum instantly. Defensively, Hall, Colson, Pierre, and Melli offer versatility and reliability across positions.<\/p>\n The weight of experience<\/strong><\/p>\n Experience often tips the balance in the playoffs. Fenerbah\u00e7e is built for this stage, with veterans who have thrived under pressure and a roster that has already endured many battles at this level.<\/p>\n Paris is entering uncharted territory. The absence of Maodo Lo, a stabilizing force and leader, could weigh heavily. If TJ Shorts struggles or tires, Paris lacks clear alternatives in the playmaking role.<\/p>\n Injury report<\/strong><\/p>\n Fenerbah\u00e7e will be without Scottie Wilbekin, who has been sidelined since early in the season and is no longer part of the core rotation. The team has already adjusted to his absence.<\/p>\n Paris is missing both Maodo Lo and Daulton Hommes. While their impact differs, their absences reduce the team\u2019s ability to adapt and shorten the rotation from the bench.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" EuroLeague Playoffs Heat Up: Fenerbah\u00e7e Hosts Paris in Game 1 of a High-Stakes Clash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":438909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_spbk_hide_featured":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[199],"tags":[],"rumors":[],"typology":[],"posizionamento":[],"class_list":["post-438978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-euroleague"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/04\/GomthubWsAAVNhY.jpg","digistream_id":0,"digistream":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438978"},{"taxonomy":"rumors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rumors?post=438978"},{"taxonomy":"typology","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/typology?post=438978"},{"taxonomy":"posizionamento","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posizionamento?post=438978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGame 1 \u2013 April 22: FENERBAH\u00c7E vs PARIS
\nGame 2 \u2013 April 24: FENERBAH\u00c7E vs PARIS
\nGame 3 \u2013 TBA: PARIS vs FENERBAH\u00c7E
\nGame 4 \u2013 TBA: PARIS vs FENERBAH\u00c7E *
\nGame 5 \u2013 TBA: FENERBAH\u00c7E vs PARIS *<\/p>\n