Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: five games on Thursday
Round 21 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season got underway on Thursday with five contests around the continent. There were massive clashes between former and current champs on the night. Indeed, seven EuroLeague title holders played during the evening. CSKA Moscow saw off Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes crushed Valencia. Barcelona’s woes continued as Milan secured a road win, while Zalgiris flew past Maccabi Tel Aviv. Finally, Olympiacos demolished Fenerbache in an impressive return to form.
CSKA Moscow vs. Real Madrid, 93-87
CSKA Moscow welcomed Real Madrid in a clash of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titans and former multiple champs. The Russian league leaders enhanced their position with a big win, to move to 17-4 in the standings. As for Madrid, the Spanish club slipped to fifth at 13-8. CSKA mostly wrapped this game with a scintillating 33-11 first quarter. From there, the visitors were playing catch up and couldn’t quite get there.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Valencia Basket, 82-66
Neither of these clubs can string a run together, so it was a game between two struggling teams. Anadolu Efes picked up a good home win to move to 6-15. It was not enough to move the Turkish club from the bottom of the standings. As for Valencia, the Spanish champs fall to 7-14. The hosts controlled large parts of the game, taking a 43-31 lead into the long break. Efes extended through the second half and cruised to victory.
Barcelona vs. Milan, 81-83
Barcelona’s season is going from bad to worse as the Catalan former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champ fell at home to fellow struggler Milan. It was a big win for the Serie A title holders and it moved them to 7-14 and a second consecutive victory. As for Barca, the team now sits in 13th place with the same 7-14 record as Milan and Valencia. The game was tight, but a 49-point haul in the middle quarters allow Milan to have something to protect in the final stages. As it was, the visitors passed the test and held for the win.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, 99-84
Zalgiris continues to have a dream season and on Thursday swamped Maccabi Tel Aviv for a big home win. This latest victory once again cements the Lithuanian champs as a true contender this season. Zalgiris now sits on 13-8 in a tie for fifth place. Tel Aviv is still doing solidly and is now on 11-10 in mid-table.
Olympiacos vs. Fenerbahce, 95-80
Olympiacos’ form fell off a cliff in recent weeks. Three losses meant the club fell from top to fourth place, being replaced by an in-form Fenerbahce. So, what would happen when the teams met? Well, Olympiacos re-found its form and hit a scoring vein to crush the reigning EuroLeague champs. The result means the Greek giant moves back to second with a 14-7 record. Fenerbahce is also on the same record.