Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Round 24 underway
There were four games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on Thursday as Round 24 tipped off. CSKA Moscow travelled to Maccabi Tel Aviv and crushed the hosts, while Zalgiris Kaunas swamped Barcelona at home. Valencia looked too strong for Brose Bamberg, and elsewhere Milan eased passed Anadolu Efes.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Barcelona, 90-74
Zalgiris Kaunas showed the gulf between these two clubs at the moment by dominating Barcelona at home. The win lifted the Lithuanian champs to 15-9 in fourth place of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings. As for Barcelona (7-`16), this season is a washout, but the club can console itself with the Cope del Rey it won last week. In this contest, the hosts controlled long periods of the game, including a 26-16 third act that put Barca away for good.
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. CSKA Moscow, 73-93
After a solid recovery season so far, Maccabi Tel Aviv had the chance to test if it is a title contender by welcoming current Turkish Airlines EuroLeague leaders CSKA Moscow. It didn’t work out for the hosts as CSKA cemented the reason it is the only team to qualify by winning at a breeze to move to 19-5. As for Maccabi, the club remains in the mix with a 12-12 record in the last qualification space. CSKA dominated this game, taking an 18-30 second quarter to lead 36-52 at halftime and never looking back.
Valencia Basket vs. Brose Bamberg, 86-70
Both teams needed a win, but good at home Valencia was always favourite against poor on the road Bamberg. The game went to form as Valencia cruised in front of its home fans to move to 9-15, the same record as Bamberg. Both teams will need an excellent run from now to get close to progressing. A 28-11 first quarter let Valencia take early charge, but the hosts scored just 8 points in the second frame. In the third quarter, Valencia recovered and pulled away in the fourth act.
Milan vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 77-64
Milan piled more misery on Efes with a solid home win. This basement battle was more for pride with neither club looking like making the play-offs. At home, the Serie A champs played well to move to 8-16. As for Anadolu Efes, the Turkish club is bottom with a 6-18 record, but at least Barcelona seems to want that bottom position just as much.