CSKA Moscow qualifies for the EuroLeague playoffs after triumph over Panathinaikos
CSKA Moscow decimated Panathinaikos in Athens (66-97) on Thursday night and secured its place in the EuroLeague playoffs.
The Muscovites led for the majority of the night and cruised to an easy victory, improving their record to 19-9.
The Muscovites became the fifth team that reaches the playoffs, after Anadolu Efes, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
On the other hand, Panathinaikos fell to 14-14. The “Greens” suffered their fourth straight loss and sixth in the last seven games.
Their presence in the postseason now is in jeopardy, as they travel to Istanbul next week to clash with Fenerbahce in a high-stakes matchup.
Zenit Saint Petersburg snapped its six-game losing streak by edging Zalgiris Kaunas 76-75 in an overtime thriller at home.
The Russians improved to 8-20 in the standings, but remained on the bottom and have already been eliminated.
For their part, the Lithuanians failed to win their fourth straight and dropped to 12-16. However, they retained their chances to advance to the EuroLeague playoffs.
Real Madrid rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat a resilient ASVEL Villeurbanne 87-78 on Thursday night in Madrid.
The “Whites”, who are dealing with a lot of injuries to key players, raised their record to 22-6 and extended their winning streak to seven games.
Real has already booked its place in the playoffs and is now fighting for the home-court advantage.
On the contrary, ASVEL has lost four of its last five games and now is at 10-18, two wins outside the playoff zone.
Vladimir Micov hit the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer and Armani Milano stunned Valencia at La Fonteta.
The Italians edged the Spaniards in overtime (81-83) and put an end to their five-game losing streak.
On the other hand, Valencia suffered their fourth loss in a row, which decreased their chances to reach the EuroLeague playoffs.
Both teams now have identical records (12-16) and are on a five-way tie at the eighth spot in the standings.