EuroLeague Round 9 came to a conclusion as Real Madrid and Olimpia Milano continued their winning paths Friday. The Italian club remained at the top of the table, while Real Madrid achieved its seventh win in the competition.
Let’s dive in the Day 2 of EuroLeague Round 9.
Sergio Llull sets milestone in Real Madrid’s win
Real Madrid was able to roll past Zalgiris Kaunas, who remained without a win for the ninth time in nine EuroLeague games.
Sergio Llull played an important role in Madrid’s home victory, as he scored 13 points and hit three 3-pointers to achieve an impressive EuroLeague milestone.
The former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP made his 500th career three-point shot and entered an exclusive club among other four players to hit 500 threes in the EuroLeague.
Llull entered the game with 497 for his career, then hit a pair of triples in the second quarter. He knocked down his 500th three-point shot with 5:22 left in the game, a transition triple that made it 86-75.
The Spanish national’s three makes from beyond the arc was a season-high for him. He had 41 makes last season, shooting an average of 33 percent. He has hit 11 threes in 34 attempts so far this year.
Fenerbahce suffers horrendous offensive night at the hands of Milan
Fenerbahce has experienced many ups and downs through the season, however Sasa Djordjevic’s players will try to forget Friday’s loss to Milan as soon as possible.
The Turkish club finished the first quarter with a three-point total, hitting its first field goal after nine minutes. Fenerbahce’s first-quarter scoring was its lowest ever in the competition, as the previous negative record was 4 points in the 2004-2005 season.
It also fell 2 points shy of the EuroLeague’s lowest by any team, as Zalgiris Kaunas had only 2 in the opening quarter against Anadolu Efes Istanbul on December 4, 2014.
The visitors finished with 43, which is the lowest production ever for the club. The last time the Turkish giants were held to less than 50 points was in 2008-2009.
“I don’t remember a team that scored just 3 points in a quarter, and it’s obviously my fault. So for the Fenerbahce family, this is all on me, not on the players,” Fener’s head coach Sasa Djordjevic said after the contest.
“I think we could have played differently, but obviously something was missing. The fight, the intensity, it’s something that is one step ahead of us right now, and we have to think about it for the future.”
Dwayne Bacon’s first impactful performance in EuroLeague
Dwayne Bacon needed three EuroLeague games to acclimate himself to the overseas style of play. The former Knicks’ forward scored 16 points as he made 4-of-5 2-pointers and 8-of-8 free throws in Monaco’s big win over Bayern.
Bacon also grabbed 3 rebounds while chipping in one assist and a steal for an index rating of 17. He was excellent for his team in the second quarter, when he scored seven of his 16 points, helping AS Monaco maintain its lead.
The former Hornets’ player had scored 15 points combined in his first two games for the team. He stayed on the court for 25 minutes, the most by any of his teammates.
“We definitely have the team to go to the playoffs. We just have to come out and keep stacking wins like this one – whether it’s home or away. Keep coming out and practicing well and just keep building,” Bacon said after the contest.
“There’s gonna be a lot of ups and downs during the season. But we have the team, we have the players that can compete for a playoffs spot and I think for a championship as well.”
