Euroleague, Friday recap

Round 5 of the 2015/2016 Euroleague Top 16 wrapped on Friday with five games that delivered the usual blend of high quality hoops and exciting results.

In Group E, Crvena Zvezda continued to look slick with a comfortable home win over Lokomotiv in Serbia, while Anadolu Efes Istanbul outplayed Unicaja Malaga at home. Also in Group E, Panathinaikos Athens defeated winless Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul in the Greek capital.

In Group F Barcelona’s woes continued as Laboral Kutxa Vitoria downed the Catalonians in an all-Spanish contest. Khimki Moscow Region exploded through the bucket to destroy Zalgiris Kaunas and take control of the standings.

Group E
Crvena Zvezda Belgrade vs. Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, 80-66
Crvena Zvezda took another step to the quarter-finals, and took sole possession of second in Group E, with a stirring won over Lokomotiv at home. The Serbian champs plundered 50 points in the first half, including a 33-21 first quarter to lead by 13 points at the long break. The visitors could not get into the game as Crvena Zvezda toned down the scoring in the second half and shut the game down for the remainder of the contest.

Quincy Miller led the winning charge with 24 points, while Tarence Kinsey added 19 points and Maik Zirbes 18 points.

Anthony Randolph topped Lokomotiv with 22 points and Malcom Delaney netted 16 points. The only double-double of the game went to Victor Claver with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Unicaja Malaga vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 75-85
After breezing through the Euroleague Regular Season, Unicaja Malaga is finding the going tougher in the Top 16. The Spanish team was handed its third defeat by an Anadolu Efes Istanbul team that itself has been struggling for consistency. The game was extremely tight throughout, but at halftime the hosts had opened a single point lead, 47-67. Through thirty minutes the game was locked 66-66, but Anadolu Efes went clear in the fourth, stopping Malaga at 9 points to coast to victory.

Jayson Granger led the win with 22 points, while Jon Dielbler added 16 points.

Richard Hendrix and Mindaugas Kuzminskas both scored 16 points in the losing effort, with Hendrix also logging 8 boards.

Panathinaikos Athens vs. Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, 82-79
Darussafaka is on the verge of being eliminated from the Top 16 after losing its fifth consecutive game (0-5), this time at the hands of Panathinaikos. The Greek club had to fight hard on its home court in Athens though, but led throughout the game and hung on at the end to edge the contest. The win keeps The Greens in contention for the quarter-finals after a spotty season on the continent so far.

Miroslav Raduljica topped the winning effort with 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Nick Calathes added 14 points and Vladirmir Jankovic 12 points.

Jamon Gordon was the high scorer of the game, nailing 26 points for Darussafaka, followed by Luke Harangody managed 18 points.

Group F
Khimki Moscow Region vs. Zalgiris Kaunas, 111-80
Khimki is warming into the Euroleague season and took sole possessions of top spot in Group F with a crushing home win over Zalgiris Kaunas. The current Eurocup champs were sensational in every department, especially in offence where the Russian club scored at least 25 points in each frame. The win included 34 points in the fourth quarter, a final act that blew away Zalgiris for good and showed that Khimki are contenders this season.

Tyrese Rice led the attacking deluge with a double-double of 20 points and 11 assists, while Tyler Honeycutt scored 14 points, Alexy Shved managed 13 points, Petteri Koponen hit 12 points, and Zoran Dragic rinsed 11 points.

Renaldas Seibutis topped the downed Lithuanians with 15 points, Ian Vougioukas scored 14 points, and Edgaras Ulanovas managed 12 points.

FC Barcelona Lassa vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria, 78-81 (OT)
Barcelona’s tricky season continued on Friday as Laboral Kutxa Vitoria visited and in an all-Spanish clash took the spoils. The loss leaves Barca out of contention for a qualification spot as it stands and the club needs to wake up to make the last 8 of the tournament. Vitoria on the other hand is on course, sharing second place with CSKA Moscow with a 3-2 record. The game was decided in overtime after the scoreboard locked 70-70 at the end of regulation time. In the added frame Darius Adams produced 5 points to decide the contest.

Adams finished with 17 points, but was bettered by Ioannis Bourousis with 24 points and 8 rebounds in the win.

Alex Abrines led Barcelona with 21 points.