PAOK defeated Surne Bilbao Basket 79–73 in the first leg of the FIBA Europe Cup Finals and took the first step toward winning the title. The trophy will be decided next Wednesday night (April 29) in Bilbao, where the top team of the competition will be crowned.
PAOK had the lead from the start of the game. They controlled the tempo, led 16–13 at the end of the first quarter, and with Patrick Beverley delivering an outstanding performance—scoring 16 points in the first half—they even extended the lead to 11 points (26–15). At halftime, PAOK were ahead 43–35 and pushed the margin to its highest point early in the second half (47–35).
With the score at 60–53 at the end of the third quarter, the game became highly competitive until the final buzzer. The visitors cut the deficit to just one point (60–59, 68–67, and 71–70), but PAOK, with a crucial basket by Tyree, secured the win and a six-point advantage heading into the second leg, where they will fight for the trophy next Wednesday.

Scoring by Quarters: 16–13, 43–35, 60–53, 79–73
PAOK: Allen 5 (1), Melvin 5 (1), Tyree 21 (2), Koniaris, Omoruyi 4, Persidis, Beverley 24 (5), Fillios 2, Moore 11 (1), Dimsa 7 (1)
Surne Bilbao Basket: Normandas 4 (1), Frey 5 (1), Jarowski 24 (3), Krampelj 3 (1), Hilliard 19 (2), Bagayoko 5, Petrasek, Pantzar 6, Font, Hlinason 7