Euroleague: Greek giants take home wins

as all four hosts claimed victory on the night. The spoils went to Anadolu Efes, with the club taking out Barcelona. Greek teams Panathinaikos and Olympiacos were hot at home, beating Galatasaray and Unics Kazan respectively. Finally, Baskonia Vitoria was too strong for Draussafaka Dogus.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Barcelona, 72-68

Barcelona’s inconsistency on the continent was in evidence again on Friday as the Spanish club fell on the road Anadolu Efes in Istanbul. The Spaniards slipped to 5-6 as a result, while Efes climbed with a record of 6-5. The hosts cruised through the first quarter and led 21-15 before enhancing to 36-28 at halftime. 18 points in the third and fourth acts were enough for Anadolu Efes, although Barca made it interesting with a fourth quarter rally.

Jayson Granger secured 16 points in the win, while Thomas Huertal added 14 points.

Tyrese Rice stood tall for Barcelona with a game high 22 points and 7 assists.

Panathinaikos Athens vs. Galatasaray Istanbul, 85-58

Panathinaikos was too strong for Galatasaray in the Greek capital, swatting the Turkish visitor aside in an impressive display. In victory, The Greens move to 6-5, while Galatasaray is on 3-8 at the bottom of the Euroleague standings. Consistent offensive plays hurt Galatasaray from the start as Panathinaikos looked good from the start. Despite keeping pace early on, the guests were pushed away as the Greek club eased through the second half with a 46-27 period.

Nick Calathes, Kenny Gabriel, and K.C. Rivers all scored 14 points for Panathinaikos, while Mike James and Chris Singleton collected 13 points apiece.

Blake Schilb scred 15 points in the losing effort.

Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Unics Kazan, 88-59

Olympiacos demolished Unics Kazan to leave the Russians bottom with an 8-3 record. The Greek hosts are in solid form so far this season and moves to 7-4 in a tie for fourth place. A 24-16 run in the first quarter set Olympiacos on a road to success that it never left. The hosts kept the momentum and led 68-42 by time the buzzer sounded for the final split. In the fourth quarter the Greek giant closed out the game in commanding fashion.

Erick Green and Matt Lojeski paced the win with 15 points each, while Vassilis Spanoulis added 10 points.

Keith Langford continued his red hot scoring with 25 points for Unics. Langford’s prowess through the bucket is likely attracting the attention of many rival teams.