Sirtautas Stuns Moscholios as Paris Win 71–62 in Cyber EuroLeague Debut

Indrius Sirtautas made an immediate impact in his first-ever Cyber EuroLeague appearance, guiding Paris Basketball to a 71–62 road victory over Panathinaikos and last season’s Final Four gamer Giannis Moscholios.

The result represents one of the first major surprises of the new Cyber EuroLeague 2K27 season. Moscholios entered the campaign with strong credentials after reaching last season’s Final Four and recently winning the Greek Federation 2K tournament, but a depleted Panathinaikos roster and Paris’ relentless tempo ultimately proved decisive.

Panathinaikos had only *10 available players, with *Kendrick Nunn, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Moustapha Fall and Kostas Sloukas unavailable. With real-life availability reflected in Cyber EuroLeague rosters, Moscholios was forced to operate with a significantly shortened rotation.

Sirtautas recognized the situation and deliberately pushed the pace.

The Lithuanian newcomer looked to get Paris into transition quickly, increase the number of possessions and make Panathinaikos’ limited rotation work throughout the game. It produced an entertaining contest filled with momentum swings, with more than 10 lead changes as both gamers repeatedly answered one another.

Panathinaikos made the brighter start and took the opening quarter *21–15. Paris responded in the second period, winning it 18–15, although Moscholios still carried a narrow *36–33 halftime advantage.

The third quarter continued in the same punch-and-counterpunch fashion. Panathinaikos edged it 17–15 and entered the final period leading 53–48.

But the accumulated effect of Paris’ tempo became increasingly visible in the fourth.

With Panathinaikos running on a short rotation, Paris increased the pressure and completely changed the game over the closing minutes. Sirtautas' side dominated the fourth quarter 23–9, turning a five-point deficit into a nine-point victory.

The final score: Panathinaikos 62–71 Paris Basketball.

Moscholios admitted afterwards that the pace eventually became too much for his depleted roster.

“We had a very small rotation and running at that pace tired us down. We used our timeouts but it wasn’t enough.”

For Sirtautas, the result could hardly have provided a better introduction to the competition. His first Cyber EuroLeague game ended with a road victory against one of the league’s established gamers.

“It’s a very nice team. It fits also to the playstyle I want to play. The season already started interesting.”

Paris therefore begin the season at *1–0, while Sirtautas starts his Cyber EuroLeague career with a victory. Moscholios and Panathinaikos fall to *0–1.

Beyond the result itself, the game provided another reminder of the competitive depth of the Cyber EuroLeague. Even a Final Four participant and recent national 2K tournament winner can be punished immediately, particularly when roster availability and tactical matchups become decisive.

For Sirtautas, however, there could be no better opening statement: a debut, a road win, and a 23–9 fourth quarter against one of the competition’s proven names.

Final score: Panathinaikos 62–71 Paris Basketball

Quarter scores: 21–15, 15–18, 17–15, 9–23

Panathinaikos: Giannis Moscholios 🇬🇷 — 0–1

Paris Basketball: Indrius Sirtautas 🇱🇹 — 1–0