Euroleague: Unicaja Malaga handed first loss

The picture is complete through week six of the 2015/2016 Euroleague Regular Season, shedding more light on which teams will likely be progressing to the Top 16.

In Group B Anadolu Efes Istanbul woke up from three consecutive losses to put its Euroleague campaign back on track with a big home win over Limoges. After losing to Barcelona recently, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar doubled down and showed its credentials with a road win over Panathinaikos in Group C. Previously unbeaten Unicaja Malaga was handed its first loss of the season at the hands of an impressive Brose Baskets Bamberg in Group D, meaning every club has tasted defeat this season.

Group B
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Limoges CSP, 92-74
After three consecutive losses Anadolu Efes roared back in a big way by grounding Limoges in Istanbul to move into fourth spot in Group B. Indeed, Efes (3-3) overlapped the French visitors (2-4) to hold the last qualification place for the time being. The hosts plundered 51 points in the first half to hold a 16 point lead through the long break. Limoges won the third act 19-22 but could not match the Turkish home team in the fourth as Anadolu Efes pleased the Istanbul crowd with a win.

Derrick Brown hit 21 points in the win, while Thomas Heurtal scored 20 points for the Turkish giant. Bryant Dunston added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Yakhouba Diawara topped the losing effort with 17 points, followed by Will Daniels and Ali Traore with 12 points apiece.

Group C
Panathinaikos Athens vs. Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, 71-77
Lokomotiv joined Barcelona at the top of Group C with a 5-1 record thanks to a big road win over Greek giant, Panathinaikos Athens. The Russian club is coasting at the moment and defeating Euroleague giant Panathinaikos in Athens suggests Lokomotiv has the tools to go deep into the tournament this season. The visitors won the first frame 10-21 and used that to always stay a step ahead, never letting the hosts get close enough to taste a win. The loss sees Panathinaikos slip to 2-4, but the club still holds the important final qualification place in Group C.

Malcolm Delaney paced the winning effort with 23 points, with Ryan Broeckhoff adding 16 points and Victor Claver 13 points.

James Fedeline led the Greek hosts with 14 points.

Group D
Brose Baskets Bamberg vs. Unicaja Malaga, 73-53
Brose Baskets Bamberg put together its best performance of the Euroleague season so far with a huge home win over Unicaja Malaga. The victory was impressive on several fronts; firstly the German secured a cruising home game that took apart Malaga, while Bamberg’s win also snapped the Spaniard’s unbeaten record that had stretched five games. The hosts won the game through the middle quarters, claiming the second frame 26-12 and the third act 20-8 for a lead of 60-37 through thirty minutes. In the fourth quarter Bamberg could ease down the straight to success.

Janis Strelnieks topped Brose Baskets with 14 points, while Bradley Wanamaker helped a well-rounded attack with 13 points.

Malaga really failed to turn up, without a single player registering double digits through the bucket.