Maccabi Tel-Aviv returns to the EuroLeague playoffs for the first time since 2015

Maccabi Tel-Aviv edged Anadolu Efes in a late thriller at home (77-75) and qualified for the EuroLeague playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Maccabi raised its record to 19-8 and will play in the postseason for the first time in five years.

The Turks, who were undefeated until now in 2020, fell to 23-4 and saw their 11-game winning streak and their 12-game road winning streak come to an end.

Maccabi got 21 points from Scottie Wilbekin and a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds from Othello Hunter.

Vasilije Micic and Krunoslav Simon had 14 points each for Efes, which attempted to stun the Israelis, yet Shane Larkin missed the three-pointer at the buzzer.

Barcelona came closer to securing the home-court advantage in the playoffs after defeating ALBA in Berlin (80-84).

The Catalans came back from an eight-point deficit at halftime (46-38) and outscored their opponents 34-46 in the second half to seal the deal.

Barcelona won its eighth straight and improved to 21-7. On the other hand, the Germans dropped to 9-18.

Fenerbahce stood tall at home and defeated Crvena Zvezda at Ulker Sports Arena (66-63), maintaining a playoff push.

The Turks raised their record to 13-14 in the standings and climbed to seventh in the standings. Fenerbahce is now one victory away from Panathinaikos, who are sixth with a 14-13 record.

The two powerhouses will face each other next week in a high-stakes matchup.

For their part, the Serbians now are at 10-17 and two wins outside of the playoff zone.

Baskonia stayed alive in the race for the EuroLeague playoffs by downing Bayern Munich 71-80 to end its road losing streak.

The Basques improved their record to 11-16 and stayed close in the fight for eighth place.

On the contrary, the German champions suffered their 19th loss in the season (8-19) and have one of the worst records in the league.