Euroleague champions Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv have claimed their first win of the Top 16 after beating Red Star 78-67 at home in Group E.
It was a brave effort by the Top 16 debutants, but the Israeli giants eventually pulled away in the final period to seal victory.
Brian Randle led Maccabi with 16 points and 9 rebounds with Sofoklis Schortsanitis coming back to form with 15 points, a Euroleague season-high.
“Before the game we spoke about the importance of playing a strong defensive game,” Maccabi coach Guy Goodes said. “We succeeded in a lot of the things that we had prepared before the game, although I think we still could have scored more points.
“One of the things I told the players in the locker room is that we can beat any team. Also against Barcelona. Barcelona is an excellent team, but this is also a game we can win. When we are on our court, and if we play well and aggressive. With the help of the crowd we have here, we can beat all the teams.”
Nikola Kalinic led Red Star with 18 points as the Serbians await their first win in the Top 16.
Real Madrid forced Galatasaray into 20 turnovers as the Liga Endesa side ran out 93-78 winners at the Barclaycard Center.
Fluent transition basketball led to dominant second quarter from Pablo Laso’s men where they turned a mere 25-24 edge after the first to a 55-39 cushion at the break. From there, they never looked back, ending Galatasaray’s brief 2-game unbeaten run.
“The most important thing is that the team is playing better and I am able to help, which is good,” said Felipe Reyes, who led the winners with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
“This is what we work for every day. Starting the new year winning at home in front of our fans in a Top 16 game is very important.”
In Group F, CSKA Moscow continued their undefeated start by besting Laboral Kutxa 99-90 in a free-flowing contest in the Russian capital.
CSKA have now won 12 straight Euroleague games this season, having secured a Top 16 spot with a 10-0 record in the regular season.
Sonny Weems led the Russian champions with 22 points and 8 rebounds.
Olympiacos continued their push in the Top 16 with a convincing 81-58 win over EA7 Milano in Piraeus.
Brent Petway and Oliver Lafayette both led the Reds with 13 points as they took charge in the third quarter and were untroubled from there.
