Anadolu Efes maintained its momentum and defeated Fenerbahce in the Turkish derby that headlined Day 1 of EuroLeague Round 12.
The defending champions extended their winning streak to four games, improved to 6-6 and are a step away from the playoff zone. On the contrary, Fenerbahce dropped to 3-9 and have now lost four straight and seven of their last eight.
In a hard-fought battle at Ulker Sports Arena, the visitors trailed by 11 after 30 minutes (67-56). Yet, with Shane Larkin leading the way, Anadolu Efes outscored the hosts 17-33 in the fourth quarter to seal the deal (84-89). Larkin led all scorers with 25 points, on 8/12 shooting.
Will Clyburn scored the last 10 points of CSKA Moscow and handed the Russians a big home win over Bayern Munich (77-74). The Bavarians were in control for the majority of the night, yet Clyburn took over in crunch time and CSKA made another step towards the top four.
Clyburn finished the game with 17 points, whereas Darrun Hilliard went for a game-high 28 points vs his former team. CSKA improved to 7-5, whereas Bayern dropped to 5-7.
Real Madrid decimated Baskonia at Fernando Buesa Arena (60-88) and remained on top of the standings. The “Whites” dominated the game from start to finish, led by as many as 28 and cruised to the win.
Real improved to 10-2 and now are on a five-game winning streak. For their part, the Basques dropped to 4-8 and have lost six of their last seven.
Panathinaikos returned to the winning track in the EuroLeague, following its 70-64 home win over Zenit Saint Petersburg. The “Greens” trailed by 12 early in the game (0-12), but turned things around and led by five after 30 minutes (53-48). In the fourth quarter, it was a tough battle, with the hosts closing the game on a 9-2 run and sealing the deal.
Panathinaikos snapped a five-game losing streak and now is at 3-9. On the contrary, Zenit lost for the first time after five straight victories and dropped to 8-4.
In Berlin, ALBA endured the comeback of Maccabi Tel-Aviv and claimed the 91-86 over the Israelis. The vistors trailed by 10 at halftime (45-35), but cut the deficit to two midway through the fourth quarter (78-76). The hosts, though, stood tall and defeated Maccabi for the first time this century.
ALBA now has a 4-8 record in the competition, whereas Maccabi is at 7-5 and has lost three of its last four games.
