Turkish Airlines EuroLeague; Round 16 completed
Round 16 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season closed for business on Friday with five hot games completing the week’s action. At home, reigning champ Fenerbahce got its second half of the campaign off to a flyer with a win over Baskonia, while Crvena Zvezda overcame Zalgiris Kaunas in Belgrade. Elsewhere, Olympiacos moved up with a cruising win over Milan and Khimki saw off Brose Bamberg. Finally, Real Madrid toppled Maccabi Tel Aviv in a titanic contest.
Fenerbahce Istanbul vs. Baskonia Vitoria, 79-74
After a slump in recent weeks, defending Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champs Fenerbahce got back to winning ways and started 2018 with a bang. A narrow home win over Baskonia moves Fener up to 10-6 in the standings, while Baskonia slipped to 7-9 on its loss. The visitors held an advantage through the long break, thanks to a 36-38 first half. However, a 27-21 run in the third act swung the momentum to the hosts and Fener closed the game in Q4. Marko Guduric topped the success with 18 points, while Brad Wanamaker added 16 points.
Crvena Zvezda Belgrade vs. Zalgiris Kaunas, 77-65
Crvena Zvezda has recovered enough from a terrible start to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season to put itself in the mix at the start of the year. The Serbian champ downed high flying Zalgiris to move to 7-9 in the standings, while the Lithuanian giant falls to 10-6 and will hope this is just an early 2018 blip and not a dip in overall form. Through thirty minutes, the game was tight with the hosts leading 48-45. Crvena Zvezda built from there and used a 29-20 fourth quarter to secure a cruising finish to the game.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Milan, 87-80
Olympiacos capitalized on CSKA Moscow’s loss yesterday to move back alongside the Russians at the top of the standings. The Greek giant proved too strong for Milan at home and moved to a 12-4 record. Milan continues to flounder and is now joint bottom (but above Anadolu Efes) with a 12-4 showing. Despite closing near the end, the Italian champ was never really in this game and trailed 70-53 after three quarters. In the final frame, Olympiacos controlled the pace to see out the win.
Brose Bamberg vs. Khimki Moscow Region, 70-74
Khimki picked up a come from behind victory to take out German champs Brose basket on the road. The success keeps Khimki firmly in the mix with a 9-7 record, while Bamberg is slipping down the standings on recent poor form, the club now at 6-10. The hosts will see this as a missed opportunity after leading 58-56 through thirty minutes. However, it was a narrow advantage that Khimki quickly closed before pressing on to victory.
Real Madrid vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, 93-81
The game of the week was also the last, with two former multiple EuroLeague champs meeting in the Spanish capital. Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv lived up to their billing by playing out a top contest in front of the fans. Despite losing 48-50 through the long break, the hosts grabbed the momentum in the third act and never let go. Real Madrid controlled the second half, especially with a 21-10 run in the third quarter.