Luis Torres
Dailysports's expert
Fenerbahçe
Paris Basketball
On April 24, 2025, the second match of the Euroleague quarterfinal series will take place at Ülker Sports Arena in Istanbul, where Fenerbahçe will host Paris. Both teams showcased a high level of play in the first encounter. After a grueling 37 minutes of equal struggle, the Turkish club managed to turn the tide and snatch a victory, thus leading the series 1-0. Let's consider a bet on the winner of this match.
Fenerbahçe
In the first match of the series, the Turkish club showed character and secured an important home victory, moving two steps closer to reaching the Final Four, which will be held in Abu Dhabi. The game started at a high pace, especially from the visitors — Tiago Splitter's team literally imposed a lightning-fast rhythm, not allowing the hosts to establish their game. However, towards the end of the first quarter, Fenerbahçe managed to turn the events around and take control of the initiative.
A crucial factor was a brilliant performance by Erick McCollum, who particularly shone in the final moments, scoring vital points — he scored 11 points. He also skillfully organized the decisive moment for Wade Baldwin, who sealed the game with an accurate mid-range shot, becoming the top scorer for his team with 15 points. Nigel Hayes-Davis showed a stable game, Tarik Biberovic excelled with accurate three-pointers, and Dontas Hall contributed defensively. On the contrary, Marko Guduric had a poor game and remained scoreless.
Despite a tough start, Sarunas Jasikevicius's wards managed to adapt and finish the meeting in their favor. Now they approach the second game of the series with greater confidence.
Paris Basketball
Paris missed the chance to secure an important away victory. Despite a powerful start and a quick seven points from TJ Shorts, the match soon shifted to a pace more comfortable for Fenerbahçe. Now the French team needs to react urgently, as a loss in the second game will significantly complicate their position in the series. The rebounding battle is particularly pressing — once again, rebounds became the main issue. The Parisians defended well, but lapses in rebounding remained their main vulnerability.
The trio of leaders — Shorts, Nadir Hifi, and Tyson Ward — looked commendable. Although Shorts didn't have an outstanding game, scoring only 17 points, his teammates took the initiative. Hifi scored 21 points, hitting five challenging three-pointers, and Ward added 19. However, despite good individual stats, the team play left much to be desired. When Shorts was on the bench, the attack lacked organization, the pace slowed down, and finding open shots became difficult.
In the final moments of the game, the lack of experience in such matches was particularly evident — unnecessary turnovers and fouls played an almost decisive role.
Interesting facts and head-to-head encounters
- Fenerbahçe has won 21 of their last 22 home games.
- Fenerbahçe has won 9 of their last 10 games.
- Paris Basketball has won 5 of their last 6 games.
- Fenerbahçe has won the last 3 head-to-head meetings with Paris.
Prediction for the match Fenerbahçe vs Paris Basketball
In the first encounter, Fenerbahçe demonstrated more individual skill and an advantage in offensive rebounding, which led to victory. Although the score doesn't quite reflect the flow of the game, it wasn't as tense as it seems. In the second half, Paris's shots became more difficult, while Fenerbahçe found easier ways to score. I expect the hosts to deliver a more convincing result in the second game and not leave their fans on edge until the last minutes. My bet for this match is a Fenerbahçe victory with a -5 handicap and odds of 1.74.
