Euroleague: BC Khimki falls to Olympiacos

After starting the Euroleague Top 16 round losing three of their first four games, the defending champions have picked off their last three opponents to turn around their season and get back into the thick of things. Their latest win came at the expense of BC Khimki Moscow in Moscow with a come-from-behind victory. In the other two contests played Friday, Montepaschi Siena improved their record to 6-1 with a home win over Caja Laboral and Fenerbahce Ulker picked up their second win of the round with a 78:72 decision at home over winless Besiktas in an Istanbul derby.

Group F
BC Khimki Moscow – Olympiacos Piraeus, 82:87
Khimki had control over this home contest until early in the fourth quarter when Olympiacos took over the lead and kept it through the end to win their third straight Top 16 match, improving their record to 4-3 in the process. The loss drops Khimki into a tie with the defending champions at 4-3, as well as Caja Laboral. Olympiacos tied a Euroleague record in the contest with a remarkable three turnovers during the match. Zoran Planinic set a new Euroleague Top 16 record by dishing out 13 assists in the contents.

The Russion club got a small lead in the first with a 6:0 run mid-way through the frame, by the end of the first 10 Khimki was up 23:19. Olympiacos found getting the ball to hit the cords difficult in the second quarter. Khimki’s advantage grew slowly, but topped out at 10 right before the half and was cut to eight with a Pero Antic jumper as time was running out on the half.

Khimki extended the margin to 13 early in the third quarter. The Reds dropped five unanswered to cut into the margin and by the time the third 10 minutes had been played the difference had been reduced to six, 60:54.

The clubs exchanged hoops for the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. With the score 68:62, Olympiacos connected on three triples to get their first lead of the contest mid-way through the frame. Khimki got a lay-up from James Augustine, then the Reds got a lay up by Acie Law and a three-point play from Kyle Hines to complete a 2:14 scoring run and a six-point lead, 70:76. Khimki got the next four to cut the lead down to two, 74:76. The clubs exchanged baskets and free throws until Planinic split a pair of singles and Olympiacos got two free throws, a stop and a single to push the lead to six. Kresimir Loncar brought Khimki back within three, 82:85, but Vassilis Spanoulis connected on a pair of charity tosses as Khimki was forced to foul to try to get the ball back to ice the game with seconds to play.

Hines and Spanoulis the way for Olympiacos with 19 points each, with Hines also adding 6 rebounds and Spanoulis dishing out 7 assists. Kosta Papanikolaou added 14. Paul Davis was game-high for Khimki with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Loncar added 19 points and 9 rebounds. Planinic dropped in 17 points an a Euroleague Top 16 record 13 assists.

Fenerbahce Ulker – Besiktas JK, 78:72
Fenerbahce Ulker had to use a strong comeback in the fourth quarter against Besiktas JK to pick up their second win on the Euroleague Top 16 round. The contest was the first ever Euroleague match up of the Istanbul clubs. Besiktas was up by as much as 13 points, but fall to 0-7 with the defeat. Ulker improves to 2-5 as the round hits the half-way point.

The guests held the lead in the first quarter until just before the mid point, but Ulker went on an 11:3 run to build a five-point advantage. The clubs exchanged baskets through the end of the quarter, with Fenerbahce holding a 19:15 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. Ulker’s Bojan Bogdanovic netted 13 of the team’s 19 points in the quarter.

Besiktas opened the scoring in the second frame by running off nine unanswered, the last seven coming from Patrick Christopher. The visitors didn’t stop there as they were able to accumulate a 13-point advantage late in the quarter, and closed out the half with a 10 point lead at the half.

Mid-way through the third quarter Fenerbahce connected on six straight to reduce their deficit from 10 to four points, 42:46. Besiktas countered with two three pointers to push the margin back to 10. David Andersen hit a jumper late in the quarter that put Ulker down by seven, 48:55, which is where the score read when the clubs came out to finish the final 10.

Fenerbahce battled back from seven down to take the lead 71:70 with just over a minute to play. The hosts got four more before Curtis Jerrells connected on a pair of singles to make it 75:72. Bogdanovic added two free throws of his own shortly after, then he split a pair of singles to finish the game at 78:72.

Bogdanovic was game-high with 25 points and a 29 PIR (1 shy of earning MVP honors for the week) for Fenerbahce. Andersen added 13 points 5 assists, and Oguz Savas contributed 12 points. Damir Markota led the Besiktas effort with 15 points, Jerrels added 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Gasper Vidmar connected on 10 points and 5 assists.

Montepaschi Siena – Caja Laboral Vitoria, 85:74
It wasn’t enough for Caja Laboral to ‘win’ the first two quarters of their Week 7 contest with Montepaschi Siena and score the same number of points as their hosts did in the fourth quarter. Siena put together a 13-point advantage during Q3 on Friday to ultimately defeat Caj Laboral 85:74 and improve to 6-1 on the season and in a tie for the top of Group F with FC Barcelona Regal.

The entire first half was an epic battle between these two clubs. Siena led the way in the first quarter from right after Maciej Lampe of Caja dropped in a deuce to open scoring. Lampe’s jumper was countered by a Bobby Brown triple immediately after to give the hosts the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish until Fabien Causeur sank a lay-up just before the buzzer sounded to close the first quarter and give Caja the lead heading into the second, 22:23.

The second quarter was a classic basket exchange with Caja holding on to the lead all the way through with the exception of Siena grabbing the advantage with the opening basket, only to give the lead up on the next possession. Caja never built more than a four point lead as Siena countered nearly every move the visitors made. At the end of the half the margin was a slim two points, 35:37.

In the third Siena used an 18:4 run that started very early in the quarter and ended seven minutes later with the home club up 53:43. Kristjan Kangur hit a triple for Caja that cut the gap to seven, then Siena ran off eight unanswered behind two long balls and a jumper inside the arc. That run put Siena up 15, 61:46. A jumper and a dunk was what Caja answered with in the last minute to cut the deficit to 11 heading into the final 10.

Montepaschi kept the pressure on in the fourth and Besiktas was never able to get closer than nine points, while the margin grew to a top of 17 on the way to Montepaschi’s new 6-1 record.

Bobby Brown was game-high with 18 points and 5 assists. Matthew Janning and Daniel Hackett each contributed 16 points. Lampe paced Caja with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica follewed Lampe close behind with 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Euroleague Group E

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Euroleague Group F

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