Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Real Madrid Blasts Through Buducnost
The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague defending champions, Real Madrid came away with a massive 89-55 win over Buducnost Podgorica in Round 4 on Thursday. The ease with which Los Blancos dispatched with the Montenegrin Powerhouse was staggering. Buducnost has thus far not fared too well in the EuroLeague and has yet to enjoy the sweet taste of victory. On the hand, Real Madrid has been ready and willing to protect their title.
Edy Tavares was a dominant force in No Man’s Land as he registered 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks for Real Madrid. Sergio Llull and Facundo Campazzo ran the show from the backcourt with seven assists apiece. Nemanja Gordic led Buducnost with 13 points.
The hosts led from the very beginning and did not let up. They dominated both in the low post and from long range so this kind of lopsided victory should come as no surprise.
Olympiacos got back on track in this round with an 88-80 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv. David Blatt got his boys back on track, while Vasilis Spanoulis led four other Olympiacos players to score in double figures with 16 points.
Maccabi Tel Aviv established an early lead and ended the first quarter ahead of Olympiacos 18-21. Their advantage was short-lived as Olympiacos stormed back in the second quarter and wrested control of the game from there and did not relinquish it despite the yellow shirts’ best efforts in the third quarter. DeAndre Kane was responsible for keeping Maccabi Tel Aviv in this contest with a game-high 22 points.
Armani Milano edged out Khimki Moscow Region in the tightest game of the round so far. They came away with the 81-80 win at home. It was the “Mike James Show” for the Milanese team as the former NBA guard dropped 25 points and eight dimes on Khimki. Armani Milano improves to 3-1, while Khimki falls to a disappointing 0-4.
The derby game between Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce at Istanbul was not short of its own exciting moments. Anadolu Efes dug deep to erase a 16-point deficit to enjoy an 89-83 comeback win. Adrien Moermann was a beast on the glass with 15 points and 10 boards to his name.
FC Bayern Munich rode the heroics of Derrick Wiliams who exploded for 22 points off the bench to power them to a 77-71 win over KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Aside from the 24 points put up by Vincent Poirier, Bayern Munich neutralized the rest of Baskonia’s players, limiting the team as a whole to a night of dismal shooting from the field.