Kevin Punter’s EuroLeague career night leads Armani Milano past Olympiacos
Kevin Punter made the best performance of his EuroLeague career and helped Armani Milano rally past Olympiacos at home (90-79).
Punter went for a career-high 27 points (8/12 shooting) and a PIR of 33, also a career-high.
Armani led by as many as 18 points (44-26) , but the “Reds” turned things around and cut the deficit to two (81-79).
The Italians, though, closed the game on a 9-0 run to seal the deal and improve to 14-7 in the standings.
On the other hand, Olympiacos lost for the third time in the last four EuroLeague games and dropped to 11-11.
Fenerbahce defeated Maccabi at home (82-75) and extended its winning streak in the EuroLeague to seven games.
It was a hard-fought battle for the Turks, who stood tall and are one step away from the playoff zone (12-10).
On the contrary, Maccabi dropped to 10-12, but remained close to the eighth place in the EuroLeague standings.
Barcelona edged Zenit Saint Petersburg at home (85-81) and won its fifth straight game in the EuroLeague.
The hosts led by 19 late in the third quarter (69-50), but the Russians cut the deficit to six in the fourth (74-68).
The Catalans, though, stood tall and earned the victory in the battle of the two best defensive teams in the EuroLeague.
Barcelona is still on top of the league, with a 16-6 record, whereas Zenit dropped to 13-7.
FC Bayern Munich returned to the winning track, thanks to its 93-95 win over Khimki on the road.
The Bavarians survived a late thriller against the Russians and remained within the playoff zones, at 13-9.
On the other hand, Khimki lost its 14th straight game (2-20), tying a EuroLeague record.
Anadolu Efes extended its winning streak to five games in the EuroLeague, after dominating Crvena Zvezda at home (86-72).
Shane Larkin tied his season high with 23 points and the Turks improved to 12-10, good for eighth in the EuroLeague standings.
For their part, Zvezda dropped to 7-15, losing for the fourth time in the last five EuroLeague games.