Euroleague Top 16: home comforts

Euroleague Top 16It was a good day to be home on Friday in the Euroleague Top 16 as every host during the play claimed an important win. The clubs at the top of Group E and Group F have an eye on knockout hoops from here as we pass the midway point of the Euroleague Top 16. There is still literally all to play for though as the competition continues through the Top 16 in the pursuit of deciding the final eight clubs to progress.

On Friday Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar took another step to the next round with a comfortable home win over Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, while Panathinaikos enhanced its Euroleague Top 16 chances with a hard fought home victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Group F produced a clash of Euroleague giants as CSKA Moscow brought Olympiacos Piraeus to the Russian capital and duly dispatched the Greek team. FC Barcelona boosted its poor campaign with a cruising home win at the expense of struggling Zalgiris Kaunas.

Group E

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar vs. Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, 82-58
Lokomotiv cruised in Krasnodar on Friday to consolidate second place in Group E with a 5-2 record, while Darussafaka slipped to 1-6 at the foot of the table. The second quarter gave the hosts a boost as a 25-12 run made it 44-28 through halftime. Lokomotiv had control from there on, extending through the third and fourth acts to claim the win.

Anthony Randolph led the win with 18 points, while Malcolm Delaney added 16 points, Evgeny Voronov 14 points, and Chris Singleton managed 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Scottie Wilbekin topped the losing effort with a game high 19 points.

Panathinaikos Athens vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 83-78
Panathinaikos edged Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the Greek capital to tie with Crvena Zvezda Belgrade on 4-3, the two clubs currently sharing the fight for third/fourth. A tight and low scoring first half saw Panathinaikos lead by a single point through the long break, the scoreboard reading 36-35. The Greens improved further at the bucket in the second half but were never allowed to make it formality down the straight.

Miroslav Radujjica set the tone for Panathinaikos with 23 points and 8 boards, followed by Nick Calathes with 12 points and James Gist with 11 points and 8 caroms.

Dario Saric kept the visitors ticking with 18 points and 6 rebounds, while Derrick Brown offered 16 points and Thomas Huertal 15 points and 7 assists.

Group F

CSKA Moscow vs. Olympiacos Piraeus, 92-85
CSKA edged out Olympiacos in the clash of former Euroleague winners and two of the continents premier clubs. The win gave CSKA a 5-2 record and share of top billing in Group F, while Olympiacos now has some work to do from sixth place and a 3-4 record. The Russian hosts built the win on a solid first half, leading 41-33 through the midway point CSKA could keep Olympiacos at bay through the second half.

Milos Teodosic logged 21 points and 5 scoring passes for CSKA, while Nando De Colo contributed 19 points and Cory Higgins netted 12 points.

Georgios Printezis kept Olympiacos cooking with 19 points and 9 boards, followed by Daniel Hackett with 17 points. Othello Hunter and Vasilis Spanoulis bother grabbed 15 points apiece.

FC Barcelona Lassa vs. Zalgiris Kaunas, 92-86
Barcelona’s sloppy Euroleague Top 16 form found some light on Friday as the Spanish club found consistency through the basket to down Zalgiris at home. The win keeps Barca in the hunt with a 3-4 record heading into the second half of the Top 16 season. After conceding the first quarter 16-19, the hosts took charge and led by 10 points through thirty minutes, 65-55. Zalgiris rallied in the fourth act, but the Spaniards held on.

Juan Carlos Navarro nabbed 14 points in the win, with Pau Ribas adding 13 points, and Alex Abrines 12 points.

Renaldas Seibutis led the game with 19 points for Zalgiris, while Edgaras Ulanovas scored 17 points and Lukas Lekavicius managed 16 points.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.