Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Olympiacos goes top
A busy week of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action closed on Friday with the final four games of Round. This week, Round 7 and Round 8 were played, bringing more shape to the standings. As we mentioned yesterday, the competition this year is fierce, and every club is capable of beating the other. That was proved once again on Friday.
Fenerbahce continued its recent dominance over CSKA Moscow by winning in overtime, the third time in four games between the clubs decided by an added frame. Olympiacos capitalized on CSKA’s loss to go top with a win over Crvena Zvezda. Elsewhere, Milan found a win against Brose Bamberg thanks to a fourth quarter surges, while Barcelona crushed Valencia in an all-Spanish game.
CSKA Moscow vs. Fenerbahce Istanbul, 93-95 OT
CSKA Moscow had the chance to move top on its own for a few hours and a win would have guaranteed first for a week. However, reigning champs Fenerbahce downed the Russian giant in its own back yard to move to 5-3 along with clubs like Khimki, Real Madrid, and CSKA behind Olympiacos. Nothing could separate these two giants through regulation time as the score tied 83-83. Fenerbahce managed to edge the win in overtime. This was the second consecutive overtime win for Fener in Moscow and snapped CSKA’s 13-game home winning streak.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, 85-59
Olympiacos (6-2) had the chance to claim sole possession of top spot and duly took it with a thumping win over a struggling Crvena Zvezda. The Serbian heavyweight’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague honeymoon period is firmly over after last season’s success. Olympiacos controlled large parts of the game and led by 10 points (47-37) at halftime. It was one-way traffic from there as the hosts dominated the second half to victory.
Milan vs. Brose Bamberg, 71-62
Milan picked up an important victory by downing German champs Brose Basket. The visitors have been in fine form, but had no answer for the Italian champs as Milan clicked on the night. However, Bamberg had an opportunity thanks to a 27-35 advantage through the long break. The lead stayed at 43-51 through thirty minutes, but Milan exploded with a game-winning 28-11 run in the fourth act.
FC Barcelona Lassa vs. Valencia Basket, 89-71
In an all-Spanish clash, former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champs Barcelona took out current ACB Liga Endesa title holders Valencia in a convincing performance. Barca led 24-18 after 10 minutes and extended with a 26-14 second period that made it 50-32 through halftime. Valencia rallied to win the third act, but only by three points. Barcelona continued to control the momentum in the fourth and eased down the straight.