Zalgiris Kaunas snaps six-game EuroLeague losing streak after triumph over Panathinaikos
Zalgiris Kaunas put an end to a six-game losing streak in the EuroLeague following their 69-81 victory over Panathinaikos in Athens.
The Lithuanians hadn’t won since October 29 and their game against the “Greens” was a must-win one.
Zalgiris took over from the opening tip and never looked back. They led by 12 in the first quarter (12-24) and used a 2-17 run in the third quarter to seal the deal.
Marius Grigonis was impressive for the winners, with 24 points, on 6/8 from the three-point line.
The visitors improved to 6-7 in the EuroLeague standings, whereas Panathinaikos dropped to 4-8.
Mike James was unstoppable and led CSKA Moscow past rivals Khimki in the Russian derby (87-96).
James exploded and went for a new EuroLeague career-high 36 points (on 10/14 shooting).
The American guard also flirted with the triple-double, with nine rebounds, 10 assists (also career high) and a PIR of 51.
CSKA led from start to finish and extended its EuroLeague winning streak to eight games.
CSKA remained on top of the EuroLeague with a 10-3 record, whereas Khimki lost its fourth straight and is still on the bottom (2-11).
In Munich, Bayern relied on its defense and earned another home win to maintain a top four push in the EuroLeague.
This time, the Bavarians rallied past ASVEL Villeurbanne (76-62) and now are at 9-4.
On the other hand, the French suffered their third defeat in a row (all of them on the road) and dropped to 3-9. ASVEL has won only once on the road this season (1-6).
Barcelona recovered from their home loss to Olympiacos earlier this week and defeated Armani Milano at “Palau Blaugrana” (87-71).
It was a hard-fought battle for almost 35 minutes, yet the Catalans used a 21-0 run late in the game and cruised to the victory.
Four players scored in double figures for the winners, while Nick Calathes set a new club record in assists with 14.
Barcelona improved to 10-3 and is on top of the EuroLeague table, whereas Armani dropped to 7-5.