Real Madrid’s clash with Panathinaikos was undoubtedly the standout game of EuroLeague Round 10.
So much so that we dedicated an entire article to it, leaving this edition of the EuroLeague Notebook free to explore a few other stories.
And there was certainly no shortage of them.
Nadir Hifi – It Should Have Been the Play of the Season
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Picture Messi or Maradona slaloming through an entire defense. That’s what Nadir Hifi’s drive against Efes looked like.
Juste had no idea which way to go, Yilmaz was sent to the shops twice, and even Kai Jones went flying.
I couldn’t have cared less who won that game, but I’ll be mourning that missed Hifi shot for a long time.
It rolled around the rim and out.
Pure brilliance.
Hifi delivered perhaps the finest performance of his EuroLeague career, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Those numbers carry even more weight considering Paris have now won three games in a row.
The Rollercoaster of Watching Hapoel
Watching Hapoel Tel Aviv is a rollercoaster ride unlike any other in the EuroLeague.
They look capable of beating absolutely anyone by 20 points – and just as capable of losing by the same margin.
Against Barcelona, they controlled the game and built a nine-point lead. Then everything fell apart. Then they clawed their way back. And then they missed the shot that would have sent the game into overtime.
And this was hardly the first time. One thing is certain: Dimitris Itoudis’ team is always worth watching.
And while we’re at it, how come nobody’s talking about the excellent job Aleksandar Sekulic is doing at Barcelona?
Cameron Payne – A Three-Point Howitzer
I’ve watched more Cam Payne games than I can count, going all the way back to his rookie season with the Thunder.
Shooting mechanics aren’t everything when it comes to accuracy, but watching Payne shoot could sometimes be downright painful. Pun intended.
Despite that, he’s a respectable 36.6 percent three-point shooter over his NBA career. Still, few expected this kind of explosion in the EuroLeague.
Last season with Partizan, he made 21 of 63 three-point attempts, roughly in line with his career averages. But through ten rounds with Efes, he’s shooting a remarkable 49.1 percent from deep – 27 makes in 55 attempts.
Whether he can sustain those numbers remains to be seen, but Payne is already proving to be a smart signing. If only Efes could find some consistency.
Peppa Poeta Gets the Sack
It’s not as though Peppa Poeta is solely responsible for the situation in Milan.
Zach LeDay and Shavon Shields are gone, while the players brought in to lead the team have delivered nowhere near what was expected of them.
You can’t replace an entire roster, so you replace the coach.
To be fair, Poeta lasted longer than many expected. Perhaps longer than he should have. For Olimpia Milano, it may already be too late to salvage the season.
Numbers That Stand Out
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Kendrick Nunn scored 23 points in the fourth quarter against Real Madrid. The EuroLeague record for points in a single quarter belongs to Carsen Edwards, who poured in 26 for Bayern against Maccabi in April 2025.
Elijah Bryant drew a remarkable 12 fouls in Hapoel Tel Aviv’s game against Barcelona.
Two power forwards, eight assists each, in the very same game. Vladimir Lucic and Jae Crowder – basketball IQ at its finest.
Reigning European champions Olympiacos shot just 5-of-36 from three-point range in their defeat to Crvena Zvezda. That’s 13.9 percent. It can probably get worse, but it won’t be easy.
Baskonia may be in free fall, but the Manimal hasn’t forgotten how to rebound. Kenneth Faried grabbed 15 boards in the loss to Fenerbahce – the most by any player in a single EuroLeague game this season.
