Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Final round opens
It is the last round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season this week, and while all the qualification places are wrapped, there is plenty of interest. Not least we will find out tomorrow the finalized lineup for the Play-Off games. That said, Thursday produced some certainties, such as a Khimki Moscow Region vs. CSKA Moscow series in the next round. Results today ensured we also know Olympiacos will clash with Zalgiris, Fenerbahce will meet Baskonia, and Real Madrid will play Panathinaikos. Only the latter is unclear in terms of which of those clubs will be at home in the first game.
CSKA Moscow 92-81 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
There’s no doubt CSKA Moscow has been the dominant team of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season and the Russian giant wrapped the run in style. This cruising home win over eliminated Crvena Zvezda let CSKA head to the next round with a 24-6 record, while the Belgrade club ended its continental season with an 11-19 showing. The hosts had a good workout from the Serbian champs and had to fight back from several double-digit deficits during the first half. In the second half, CSKA turned the tide to secure a comfortable win.
Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul 91-99 Unicaja Malaga
If any club looks like achieving the dominance of CSKA it is current Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champs Fenerbahce. The Turkish team did not end the season on a high, however, falling to eliminated current EuroCup champs Unicaja Malaga. In a clash of European champions, Fener wins the war as it progresses in second place with a 21-9 record. Nemanja Nedovic was the leader for Malaga as he drained a career-high 31 points on the back of 13-of-13 from the charity strip.
Milan 95-96 Panathinaikos Athens
The game of the day was in Italy as Panathinaikos edged Milan by a single point after overtime. Panathinaikos had already qualified, but enhanced its position to 19-11 and could grab fourth place and home advantage in the Play-Off’s if Real Madrid loses tomorrow. As for Milan, the Italian champs have struggled all season and end the run on a 10-20, the second worst record in the league.
Barcelona 86-82 Khimki Moscow Region
Eliminated Barcelona wrapped its EuroLeague season with a win, but the Catalan giant will not be celebrating after what has been a poor season. Khimki ends on a loss, but in contrast the Russians are sky high after already reaching the Play-Offs for the first time. After this success, the unimportant numbers show Barca ends the regular season on 11-19, while Khimki slips to 16-14. That puts the Russians in 8th and sets up a fascinating all-Russian clash with CSKA in the next round.