Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Armani edges Khimki 88-90
Things are heating up in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as the race for the playoffs becomes tighter with every succeeding round. So far, only Fenerbahce, CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid have punched their tickets to the knockout rounds.
At this point, every game matters for the other teams in the hunt. There are no cake walks or free rides as well. Case in point, league-leading Fenerbahce bullied Turkish rivals Anadolu Efes 84-66, playing gatekeeper and delaying their advancement. Anadolu Efes is still in fourth place in the standings with a 15-9 record.
On the other hand, AX Armani Exchange Milano took a big step towards their goal of advancing to the playoffs with a much-needed win over Khimki Moscow Region. Armani currently sits in sixth place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings with a 13-11 record thanks to this win. It was hard-earned. They rallied to erase a 14-point deficit and squeeze out a win 88-90 on the road. Khimki was a tough opponent for the Italian club as one of their key offensive weapons, Alexey Shved returned to action from injury in this game. He did not skip a beat in his return dropping a big double-double performance with 23 points and 11 assists. Despite Shved’s amazing game, Milan managed to power through via some solid teamwork and solid basketball.
Kaleb Tarczewski was pivotal in the comeback win, going 7-of-8 from the field to finish 15 points. Mike James delivered with 16 points and James Nunnally was excellent with 13 points and seven assists of his own. Vladimir Micov was critical for Armani Milano making a clutch 3-pointer as he went toe-to-toe with Alexey Shved down the stretch. A tactical foul