CSKA Moscow comes one step away from the EuroLeague playoffs
CSKA Moscow is one step away from the EuroLeague playoffs after dominating Crvena Zvezda at home on Thursday night (87-72).
The Muscovites took control from the opening tip and never looked back, cruising to an easy win over the Serbians.
CSKA improved to 20-10 in the EuroLeague standings and could qualify before the end of Round 31 depending on other results.
On the other hand, Zvezda dropped to 9-22 and remains 17th in the EuroLeague standings, with no mathematical chance to advance.
Anadolu Efes moved closer to the EuroLeague playoffs, after dominating Panathinaikos at home (85-65).
Efes comfortably earned the win over the “Greens”, in the last home game of the regular season, and improved to 20-11.
On the contrary, Panathinaikos (10-19) has already been eliminated from the postseason.
Maccabi Tel Aviv remained alive in the playoff race, after escaping from Zalgirio Arena with a hard-fought 81-88 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas.
The Israelis trailed by seven late in the fourth quarter (79-72), but closed the game on a 2-16 run to seal the deal.
Maccabi now is at 12-17 in the EuroLeague standings, but if Baskonia beats Armani Milano on Friday, the Israelis will be eliminated.
On the other hand, Zalgiris is close to elimination, after dropping to 15-16.
Real Madrid boosted its playoff chances, thanks to its 71-74 win over ASVEL Villeurbanne, eliminating the French from the EuroLeague playoffs.
A 2-15 run in the third quarter enabled the “Whites” to take control of the game and secure the victory.
Real now is at 18-13, whereas ASVEL dropped to 12-18.
Valencia endured the comeback of Bayern Munich and defeated the Bavarians at home (83-76) to maintain a playoff push.
The Spaniards saw Bayern come back from a 13-point deficit at halftime (53-40) and take the lead (55-63), thanks to a 2-23 run.
However, Valencia stood tall and turned things around (70-70), closing the game on an 8-0 run to seal the deal.
Valencia improved to 17-14, extending its EuroLeague winning streak to three games. On the other hand, Bayern dropped to 19-12, but is still close to the top four.