PAOK B.C. opened their EuroCup Basketball campaign with a commanding 93-78 victory over Spanish visitors La Bruixa d'Or Manresa, turning a tight first half into a decisive statement win on home soil. In front of a loud, white-and-black crowd in Thessaloniki, the Greek side pulled away after the interval and never allowed the Catalans back into a contest that had looked evenly matched through twenty minutes.

Match Overview

The final scoreline of 93-78 flatters PAOK only slightly. For much of the opening quarter the two teams traded baskets in a brisk, open game, with Manresa's guards finding seams in the home defence and knocking down early perimeter looks. PAOK responded with the physicality that has long defined their European home performances, attacking the offensive glass and converting second-chance points to stay level.

The decisive shift came in the third quarter, when PAOK strung together a run of stops and transition scores that stretched a narrow lead into double digits. From there, the hosts controlled tempo, bled the shot clock, and forced Manresa into the kind of hurried, contested attempts that rarely fall on the road in EuroCup Basketball.

Key Moments

• End of the first half: A late PAOK basket sent the teams to the locker rooms with the momentum firmly in Greek hands after a scrappy, back-and-forth opening twenty minutes.
• Third-quarter surge: PAOK's defensive pressure produced a series of turnovers and easy transition points, opening the first meaningful gap of the night.
• Fourth-quarter control: Manresa threatened a comeback with back-to-back three-pointers, but PAOK answered immediately at the other end to snuff out the run.
• Free-throw finishing: The hosts closed the game from the line, keeping the margin comfortable as the clock ran down.

Tactical Story

PAOK's game plan was built on two pillars: protect the paint and punish Manresa on the boards. The Catalans, true to their style, looked to spread the floor and generate open looks from beyond the arc, but the home side's closeouts improved steadily as the match wore on. Once the three-point line was contested, Manresa's offence became predictable, and PAOK's length around the rim did the rest.

Offensively, the Greeks mixed pick-and-roll basketball with opportunistic post-ups, keeping the Spanish defence guessing. Their ball movement in the second half was noticeably sharper, generating open corner threes and cuts to the basket that Manresa simply could not track.

Standout Players

PAOK's backcourt set the tone on both ends, dictating pace and repeatedly beating the first defender off the dribble. The frontcourt contributed a strong rebounding performance, particularly on the offensive end, where extra possessions repeatedly proved decisive. For Manresa, the perimeter shooting kept them within touching distance for three quarters, but a lack of interior scoring left them short when the game tightened.

Season Impact

A 15-point home win to open the EuroCup Basketball season is exactly the platform PAOK wanted. Group-stage points differential can matter enormously in a competition where tiebreakers decide playoff seeding, and a margin of this size against a Spanish opponent carries real value. For Manresa, the defeat is a reminder of how difficult EuroCup road games are, and how quickly a competitive performance can unravel when defensive discipline slips after halftime.

The result also reinforces PAOK's home-court reputation in continental play — a factor that could prove pivotal if they are to challenge for a place in the knockout rounds.