Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Real Madrid turns it on

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Round 25 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was completed on Friday with three exciting games around the continent. Real Madrid re-joined CSKA Moscow at the top of the standings with a devastating home win over Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. Olympiacos also won at home, taking a victory over Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul to maintain its charge for first place. Finally, Brose Bamberg snapped a three-game losing streak with an impressive road win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Real Madrid vs. Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, 98-68

Crvena Zvezda has been in hot form this season, but the Serbian champs had no answers for an impervious Los Blancos in the Spanish capital. After CSKA Moscow’s win yesterday, the pressure was on Real Madrid to respond, and the Liga Endesa champs obliged. This win keeps the team top with a 19-6 record, while Belgrade drops to 5th with a 14-11 showing. The hosts put together a blistering first half of 63 points, which was the platform for an easy win. Felipe Reyes moved second on the all-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games played list with his 279th contest. By the way, Madrid put together a near perfect first quarter of 6 from 6 two-pointers, 7 from 7 free throws, and 6 from 8 triples.

Editor’s Note: If you want more information about the EuroLeague, or other international leagues, you can check out Court Side’s Game Center.

Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, 81-73

Olympiacos maintained its best-of-the-rest form with a solid home win over Darussafaka. The Greek giant and former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champ now sits in sole possession of third place with an 18-7 record. Darussafaka remains mid-standings with a 12-13 record. The hosts scored heavy in the opening half, draining 48 points for a 15-point advantage through the long break. The Turkish visitors improved in the second half and won Q3 and Q4, but Olympiacos had too many points in the bank.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Brose Bamberg, 68-87

Brose Bamberg, without a win in three, put in a road performance that recalled the club’s excellent form through the Holiday Season. The Germans dispatched Anadolu Efes in the Istanbul cauldron and moved to 9-16 in the records. Anadolu Efes is on 12-13 and is still in the hunt in the top half. The hosts led 23-17 through ten minutes but will run a terrible second quarter where they managed just 9 points. Bamberg capitalized with 25 points and never looked back.

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