EuroLeague Thursday Recap: Play-In Race Heats Up, Walker & Musa Shine

Posted : 03 April 2026

Thursday night’s EuroLeague slate featured six games packed with drama, including the high-profile Belgrade derby, but plenty of storylines emerged beyond the headline matchup.

The Play-In race is heating up. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv and Dubai Basketball both gained crucial ground on teams above them. Losses by Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, FC Barcelona, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, and AS Monaco tightened the standings.

Maccabi and Dubai are now just one win shy of ninth-place Zvezda and tenth-place Monaco. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, trailing after a defeat to Paris Basketball, now faces a must-win scenario to remain in contention, especially with a double round coming next week.

Lonnie Walker rediscovered his scoring form for Maccabi. After struggling in recent games with just 11 points over three outings, the team’s leading scorer exploded for 25 points against Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

This marked his highest output since Round 15 and boosted Maccabi to its fourth consecutive win, solidifying their chances of sneaking into the top 10 with four regular-season games left.

Partizan head coach Joan Penarroya also made headlines. Appointed on December 23, 2025, Penarroya marked 100 days in charge by leading the team to an 82-89 victory over archrival Crvena Zvezda. This result gave Partizan its first-ever EuroLeague double over its rival and extended their winning streak to a club-record six games, signaling a resurgence under the new coach.

Dubai’s Dzanan Musa shone in front of a home crowd in Sarajevo. Following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup qualification celebrations, Musa posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 assists against Monaco, after already scoring a career-high 31 points in Round 33. His performances are energizing Dubai and keeping fans in Sarajevo excited for the remaining home games.

Finally, Julius Thomas has quickly made an impact as Paris Basketball’s new head coach. Replacing Francesco Tabellini, Thomas guided the team to back-to-back wins over Virtus Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, scoring 103 points in each game.

At 28, he is the second-youngest EuroLeague coach ever and the youngest to record a EuroLeague win, offering hope for Paris fans despite postseason elimination.

Thursday’s results highlighted key performances and shifting dynamics, setting up an intriguing final stretch for the EuroLeague season.

EuroLeague Thursday Recap: Play-In Race Heats Up, Walker & Musa Shine

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