Euroleague: Round 9 tips off with five games

We are now on the final straight of the Euroleague regular season as five games ushered in Round 9 of the competition. There were big wins for Istanbul clubs as Anadolu Efes nailed Crvena Zvezda Belgrade at home and Fenerbahce took out Milan on the road. Also tasting away success was Maccabi Tel Aviv, thanks to a win over Olympiacos.

Brose Bamberg woes continued as Zalgiris picked up a win in Kaunas, while Real Madrid outlasted Unics Kazan in the late game.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, 100-79

Anadolu Efes Istanbul put together its most complete performance of the season. The Turkish hosts swatted Crvena Zvezda aside and now both clubs are locked on 4-5 in mid-table. The teams were tied through the first quarter at 21-21, but Efes picked up in the second and led 47-40 through the long term. Crvena Zvezda lacked fight in the second half as the hosts drained 53 points on the way to an easy win.

Derrick Brown led the win with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Bryce Cotton hit 19 points and Thomas Huertal secured 17 points and 7 assists. Tyler Honeycutt collected a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards for the hosts.

Charles Jenkins topped the Serbian visitors with 20 points, followed by Marko Gudurics’s 14 points.

Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, 73-80

These two former champs have been going ok this season. Both are inconsistent but are in the upper ranges of the standings with 5-4 records. Israeli giant Maccabi Tel Aviv joined Olympiacos on that record with a good road win over the Greek champs. The guests looked good in the first half and amassed a 37-44 lead through halftime. The third act killed the game thanks to a 12-21 run from Tel-Aviv that made it 49-65 after thirty minutes. Olympiacos rallied briefly, but the game was done.

D.J. Seely led the winners with 19 points, while Colton Iverson managed 14 points and 8 boards. Sonny Weems and Andrew Goudelock added 12 points apiece, as Devin Smith doubled up with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Matt Lojeski scored 15 points in the losing effort, with Vassilis Spanoulis scoring 14 points.

Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Brose Bamberg, 86-72

We have wrote in recent weeks that Brose Bamberg has been unlucky. The German champs have played well for little reward. On Thursday in Lithuania there can be no complaints as Zalgiris Kaunas was comfortably the better team. As a result, Bamberg drops to last with a 2-7 record, with Zalgiris on 3-7 a place above. The hosts simply controlled the contest, using a 47-39 first half advantage to build a cruising win in H2.

Paulius Jankunas topped the win with 23 points and 9 rebounds, followed by Kevin Pangos with 19 points.

Daniel Theis secured 15 points for Bamberg, while Janis Strelnieks notched 14 points.

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Fenerbahce Istanbul, 70-79

Fenerbahce moved to 6-3 in the standings with its second consecutive win. The Turkish club is recovering from a three game losing streak and overcame a tricky Milan in Italy. As for the Milanese, the Serie A champs slipped to 4-5. In the first half the visitors looked comfortable and went into the long break with a 36-44 lead. Milan is known for putting up a fight and the hosts exploded in the third act with a 27-14 charge that gave them a 63-58 lead at thirty minutes. Fenerbahce recovered in the fourth and impressively stopped Milan at 7 points on the way to victory.

Kostas Sloukas paced the win with 18 points, 7 boards, and 4 assists. Bobby Dixon added 14 points and Nikola Kalinic scored 13 points.

Rakim Sander took 17 points for Milan, followed by Jamel McLean with 15 points.

Real Madrid vs. Unics Kazan, 89-75

Any club that faces Unics Kazan also faces Keith Langford, the hottest scorer in the Euroleague so far. However, Real Madrid tamed the Russians in the Spanish capital, despite Langford continuing his form. Los Blancos moved to sole possession of second place with a 7-2 record and could be joint top if CSKA Moscow loses tomorrow. Despite a recent recovery, Unics fell to 2-7 with Brose Bamberg. Madrid pulled away in the second half, building a 49-38 term to make it relatively easy down the straight.

Felipe Reyes led the 2015 champs with 17 points, while Sergio Llull added 14 points and 7 scoring passes.

Keith Langford was quiet but still notched 13 points and 7 rebounds for Kazan. Madrid nullifying him was a key to the win. Artsiom Parakhouski topped the losing team with 19 points.