Euroleague: Bamberg crushes Barcelona
Euroleague Basketball is underway in 2017 with the season now in its second half. Round 16 of the Regular Season tipped off on Thursday with four excellent festivals of hoops. Anadolu Efes came out on top in an Istanbul derby, while Brose Bamberg’s excellent form continued. Elsewhere, Maccabi Tel Aviv picked up a win by a single point and Baskonia Vitoria struck a ton for the second round in a row.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Galatasaray Istanbul, 84-73
Anadolu Efes raced past Galatasaray in this Istanbul derby. The home team secured a win to move to 8-8 in seventh place, while Galatasaray has been overwhelmed by the Euroleague and is 4-12 at the bottom of the standings. Efes managed to way one step ahead for long periods and led 42-36 at halftime. The hosts carried the momentum in the second half and pulled away in the fourth frame. Bryant Dunston paced the victory with 17 points and 6 rebounds, while Sinar Gulen added a game-high 20 points for Galatasaray. Alex Tyus grabbed a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards in the losing effort.
Brose Bamberg vs. FC Barcelona, 85-65
The fortunes of two clubs this season were encapsulated in this game. Brose Bamberg, flying at the moment and in excellent form all term defeated a Barcelona team that has been terrible at times this campaign. Bamberg has won three on the spin and five from its last six, the club is moving into contention with a 7-9 record. That is the same record as Barcelona, but the Spanish team is slipping down the table and has a fight on its hands. The manner of Bamberg’s victory was impressive, this was a stroll! Janis Strelnieks and Darius Miller secured 20 points apiece in the win, while Nicolo Melli doubled up with 17 points and 13 rebounds in success.
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, 93-92
Another former Euroleague champ struggling this season is Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Israeli club picked up a big win on Thursday however, trumping tricky Darussafaka on the night. The win pushes Tel Aviv to 6-10, but the club is still struggling. Turkish side Darussafaka slipped to 8-8 in mid-table off this loss. The game went to the wire, but the hosts were cruising through the long break 53-36, but the guests drained 35 points in the third act. Tel Aviv recovered big in the fourth quarter and snatched the game by a point at the buzzer.
Baskonia Vitoria vs. Unics Kazan, 102-70
Baskonia poured in over 100 points for the second game in succession to hand out the biggest beating of the season so far. The Spanish team eased past Unics to move into second place with an 11-5 record, while Kazan slipped to 6-10. The hosts scored heavy through each frame and amassed 53 points in the first quarter alone. Interestingly, only two Vitoria players passed 10 points, Rodrigue Beaubois with 27 points and Johannes Voightmann with 14 points.