Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Playoffs continue

Game 2 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs tipped off on Thursday and there were plenty of talking points in the two series’ in action. CSKA Moscow took command of its series with a second straight win over Khimki Moscow Region, while Real Madrid blew its series with Panathinaikos wide open with a road success.

CSKA Moscow 89-84 Khimki Moscow Region (2-0)

CSKA Moscow continued to be the team to beat in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as the team downed Khimki Moscow Region in Game 2. The second consecutive home win provided the Army Men with a 2-0 series lead and things are looking good. However, Game 3 and Game 4 will be held on Khimki’s floor and the team will think it has been close to CSKA in these two games and could turn it around at home. Still, don’t be surprised to see CSKA Moscow wrap this up in Game 3 next week. On the night, Sergio Rodriguez continued his blistering form in the playoffs with a career-high 26 points and doubled up with 10 assists. That helped CSKA recover from two points down in the fourth quarter before an 11-2 run sparked a push to victory. Indeed, the game played out almost exactly like Game 1 in terms of CSKA fighting back in Q4 to take the win.

Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens 82-89 Real Madrid (1-1)

Real Madrid has given itself a fantastic chance of qualifying to the next round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. We have discussed previously the importance of home advantage in this competition, so collecting a road win is massive. It means the series heads back to Madrid for the next two games with Madrid knowing two wins in front of its home fans will wrap the series. Panathianikos has a chance of course, but consider Los Blancos is good at home and The Greens can sometimes struggle away. Madrid led for much of the second half as the visitors drained 11 from 20 three pointers to keep the scoreboard ticking.