EuroLeague opening night: Olympiacos blows out Baskonia, Bayern stuns Hapoel

EuroLeague kicked off its 2026-2027 season on September 24 with a full slate of seven Round 1 games, and the night delivered everything from a one-point finish to a total blowout. Bayern Munich pulled off the upset of the evening at Hapoel Tel Aviv, while Olympiacos went the other direction entirely, steamrolling Baskonia in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Here's how all seven games unfolded, quarter by quarter.

Dubai holds off Real Madrid by a single point

Dubai Basketball opened its 2026-2027 campaign with the tightest finish of the night, edging Real Madrid 78-77. Dubai broke on top 20-18 in the first quarter, but Real Madrid flipped the game with a 26-18 second-quarter surge to take a 44-38 halftime lead.

Dubai answered right back, winning the third quarter 25-18 to retake the advantage 63-62 entering the fourth, then matched Real Madrid 15-15 in the final period to hang on for the win. Dwayne Bacon, of Dubai Basketball, posted 24 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 29 minutes, going 9-of-11 on 2-point attempts and 6-of-7 at the free-throw line. McKinley Wright IV, also of Dubai Basketball, added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists on a 1-of-2 clip from 3-point range. Real Madrid's Théo Maledon finished with 11 points and 6 assists, while Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, also of Real Madrid, chipped in 11 points on 1-of-3 shooting from deep.

Bayern's road statement at Hapoel

Bayern Munich pulled off the road shocker of the night, stealing an 86-84 win in Tel Aviv. Hapoel opened strong, taking the first quarter 21-16, but Bayern answered with a 28-18 second-quarter blitz to seize a 44-39 halftime edge.

The Germans kept pouring it on in the third, winning that period 24-18 to push the lead to 68-57, and needed every bit of that cushion when Hapoel stormed back with a 27-18 fourth quarter that fell just two points short. Daniel Oturu, of Hapoel Tel Aviv, was unstoppable on the losing side, posting 20 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks on a scorching 10-of-11 from inside the arc in 29 minutes. Vasilije Micic, also of Hapoel Tel Aviv, chipped in 14 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, going a perfect 7-of-7 at the free-throw line. Bayern got its own scoring punch from Andreas Obst, who drilled 3-of-6 from 3-point range for 19 points, and Johannes Thiemann, also of Bayern Munich, added 15 points and 7 rebounds in just 19 minutes, shooting 5-of-6 on 2-pointers and 5-of-6 from the line.

Zalgiris survives a back-and-forth in Belgrade

Zalgiris Kaunas escaped Belgrade with an 83-77 win over Crvena Zvezda in a game that swung several times. Zalgiris jumped out 28-21 in the first quarter, but Zvezda clawed back with a 24-15 second-quarter run to take a 45-43 halftime lead.

The visitors reasserted control in the third, outscoring the hosts 16-12 to lead 59-57, then closed it out with a 24-20 fourth quarter to hold on for the six-point win. Christopher Jones, of Crvena Zvezda, put together a strong losing effort with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals in just 18 minutes, and David Kramer, also of Crvena Zvezda, added 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Zalgiris got the balance it needed from Nigel Williams-Goss, who finished with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, while Carsen Edwards, also of Zalgiris, scored 13 points and had 2 steals in only 16 minutes, going 2-of-6 from 3-point range.

Panathinaikos buries Paris early and coasts

Panathinaikos never let Paris Basketball breathe, cruising to a 91-72 win at home. The Greek side blitzed the first quarter 31-17, then survived a 14-11 Paris push in the second to take a 42-31 lead into the break.

Panathinaikos blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Paris 27-13 to push the margin to 25 points, and cruised through a 28-22 fourth quarter that the visitors won but far too late to matter. Sylvain Francisco, of Panathinaikos, led the hosts with 18 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists on 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, and Mathias Lessort, also of Panathinaikos, added 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks while going 11-of-12 at the free-throw line. Paris got 17 points from Tyson Etienne, who fired 4-of-10 from deep, and 11 points from Jared Rhoden, also of Paris Basketball, but neither could slow the Panathinaikos machine.

Olympiacos' 17-point statement in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Olympiacos made the loudest statement of opening night, blowing out Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 106-89 on the road. The Greek powerhouse jumped ahead 36-29 in the first quarter, adding a 20-17 second quarter for a 56-46 halftime lead. Olympiacos buried the game in the third, outscoring Baskonia 25-14 to balloon the margin to 21 points, and coasted through a 29-25 fourth quarter that Baskonia won but couldn't make count.

Tyler Dorsey, of Olympiacos, torched the Basque club for 25 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, adding 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 22 minutes. Aleksandar Vezenkov, also of Olympiacos, was nearly as efficient, scoring 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting from inside the arc to go with 5 rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes. Baskonia got a strong effort of its own from A.J. Lawson, who finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on 4-of-9 shooting from deep, and Tadas Sedekerskis, also of Baskonia, added 15 points while going a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, but neither could keep pace with Olympiacos' offensive surge.

Barcelona weathers an Efes surge at home

Anadolu Efes Istanbul came out firing, taking the first quarter 25-16, but FC Barcelona flipped the game with a 29-19 second-quarter surge to grab a slim 45-44 halftime lead. Efes shot back ahead in the third, winning that period 23-18 to lead 67-63 entering the fourth, before Barcelona closed the game on a 26-15 run to escape with the 89-82 win. Dario Brizuela, of FC Barcelona, led the way with 20 points, 2 rebounds and a steal, going 3-of-4 from 3-point range in just 19 minutes.

Kevin Punter, also of FC Barcelona, added 19 points, a rebound, an assist and 2 steals while hitting 2-of-3 from deep in 25 minutes. Mike James, of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, kept the visitors within reach with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and a block in 32 minutes, and Dario Saric, also of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, added 17 points and 5 rebounds while going 8-of-9 at the free-throw line in 29 minutes.

Crowder's hot shooting lifts ASVEL past Maccabi

ASVEL opened at home tied 19-19 with Maccabi Tel Aviv through the first quarter, before pulling away with a 23-13 second-quarter surge to take a 42-32 halftime lead. Maccabi answered with a 25-20 third quarter to trim the deficit to five, 62-57, but ASVEL closed out the game with a 22-17 fourth quarter to seal the 84-74 win. Jae Crowder, of ASVEL, paced the hosts with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block, connecting on 4-of-5 from 3-point range in 24 minutes.

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