Shane Larkin keeps Anadolu Efes on top of the EuroLeague

Shane Larkin had a stellar performance in the EuroLeague yesterday and led Anadolu Efes to a triumph over ASVEL Villeurbanne (101-74).

Larkin was unstoppable again; he went for a game-high 29 points (9/13 shooting), six rebounds, seven assists and a PIR of 45.

His team, Anadolu Efes, never trailed in the game and led by as many as 29 points (99-70). ASVEL Villeurbanne never bounced back and Efes cruised-controlled to an easy victory.

Thereby, Anadolu Efes remained on top of the standings (17-3), whereas ASVEL dropped to 8-12.

In another game, Valencia survived Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia (81-86), claiming its second straight road win in the EuroLeague.

The Spaniards were in control for the majority of the night. But, the Russians came back in the fourth quarter. Valencia, though, stood tall in the final seconds and sealed the deal.

Valencia improved to 10-10 and maintained a playoff push in the EuroLeague. On the other hand, Zenit dropped to 6-14 and remained on the bottom.

Mike James was unstoppable and led CSKA Moscow to the 94-90 victory over Baskonia.

The superstar of the Muscovites posted 33 points (8/17 shooting, 12/14 free throws) and a PIR of 34.

CSKA outscored the Basques 23-12 in the third quarter and never looked back (75-58). Baskonia only managed to cut the deficit to four (94-90), behind a 6-19 run of their own.

The Russians remained close to the top with a 14-6 record. At the same time, the Basques dropped to 7-13 after losing their third straight.

Sasha Vezenkov made the difference for Olympiacos and led the “Reds” to a crucial victory over Bayern Munich (89-72).

Vezenkov dropped a season-high in the EuroLeague, with 20 points (7/10 shooting), five rebounds and a PIR of 24.

The “Reds” outscored the Bavarians 35-19 in the fourth quarter and never looked back. The Germans never recovered and suffered their sixth straight loss.

Olympiacos improved to 8-12 and stayed alive in the playoff race in the EuroLeague. On the other hand, Bayern dropped to 6-14.

Panathinaikos survived a late thriller against Zalgiris Kaunas at home (96-94), maintaining a playoff push in the EuroLeague.

The “Greens” came back from an early double-digit deficit (13-24) and led by as many as 11 points (89-78).

However, the Lithuanians tried to turn things around late in the game, behind a 7-16 run but came up short.

Panathinaikos improved to 12-8 and maintained a playoff push in the EuroLeague. For their part, Zalgiris dropped to 6-14 and remained on the bottom.

In a late thriller in Belgrade, ALBA Berlin edged Crvena Zvezda (85-94) and earned its second straight win.

Luke Sikma posted a double-double for the winners (15 points, 10 rebounds).

Kevin Punter had a game-high 24 points for the Serbians, who suffered a painful defeat.

ALBA improved to 7-13, whereas Zvezda dropped to 9-11.