Barcelona hands Fenerbahce second-biggest defeat in franchise history in the EuroLeague
Barcelona crushed Fenerbahce at home on Thursday night (97-55) and remained on top of the EuroLeague standings.
The “Blaugrana” dominated their opponents from the opening tip and never looked back.
They led by 11 after the first 10 minutes (28-17) and 22 at halftime (51-29) and cruised to an easy victory.
The Turks never managed to recover and were down by as many as 44 points in the contest (95-51).
Kyle Kuric was unstoppable for the winners, with 25 points and seven three-pointers (7/8). Four more players scored in double figures for the hosts.
On the other hand, Lorenzo Brown was the only Fenerbahce player that scored in double figures (10 points).
This was the sixth straight win for Barcelona in the EuroLeague, which improved to 7-1. Fenerbahce dropped to 4-4.
This also was Fenerbahce’s second-biggest defeat in franchise history in the EuroLeague. The Turks suffered their biggest loss back in 2010, when they lost to Siena by 43 points (101-58).
Maccabi Tel-Aviv returned to the winning track in the EuroLeague thanks to a dominant victory over Zalgiris Kaunas at home (85-57).
The Israelis played excellent on both ends and decimated their opponents, putting an end to a two-game losing streak.
A 20-0 run in the first half was enough for the hosts to take a 30-point lead at halftime and won the game.
Tyler Dorsey led Maccabi with 16 points, whereas Thomas Walkup had 12 for the Lithuanians.
Maccabi now is at 3-5 in the EuroLeague standings. For its part, Zalgiris has a 5-3 record.
Olympiacos came back from a 15-point first-half deficit and edged ALBA Berlin at home (75-71).
The “Reds” went on a 27-9 run in the third quarter, which was the key to their victory. The Greeks outscored their opponents 51-36 in the second half to claim their second straight victory in the EuroLeague.
Shaquielle McKissic was the best player of the winners, with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Niels Giffey came off the bench to score 13 points for ALBA.
Olympiacos improved to 5-3, whereas ALBA remained on the bottom of the EuroLeague standings, with an 1-5 record.
Darrun Hilliard had a career night in the EuroLeague and handed CSKA Moscow its third win in a row (89-86 over Baskonia).
Hilliard posted a career-high 31 points, on 13/16 shooting and 7/10 from beyond the arc (tying the club record).
The Muscovites were in control until the middle of the fourth quarter (79-64). The Basques, though, led by Youssoupha Fall (19 points), went on a 5-20 run and tied the contest (84-84).
Yet, Hilliard and Nikola Milutinov scored crucial points and sealed the deal for the Russians.
CSKA Moscow climbed higher in the EuroLeague table, at 5-3, whereas Baskonia dropped to 2-4.
CSKA also reached a milestone, as they became the first team with 500 games in the EuroLeague.
The game between Khimki and Armani Milano did not take place, as the Italians are dealing with several positive coronavirus cases.
EuroLeague Basketball will reschedule the game to a later date.