Olympiacos dominated Panathinaikos in the Greek Clasico and closed the first part of the EuroLeague season in the best way possible.
The “Reds” took over from the opening tip and led by 16 early in the second quarter (23-39) and 13 at halftime (32-45). For their part, the “Greens” cut the deficit to three (51-54), but Olympiacos went on a 14-30 run in the fourth to close out the game.
Olympiacos won its third straight and improved to 12-5, remaining third in the standings. On the contrary, Panathinaikos dropped its third in a row and now is at 4-13.
Billy Baron made the game-winning three-pointer and handed Zenit Saint Petersburg a crucial home win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv (73-71). The Russians led by as many as 17 in the contest, but the Israelis turned things around and came a step away from the win.
With the visitors in front by one with 17 seconds to go (70-71), Baron hit the three and Zenit emerged victorious. The hosts extended their winning streak to three games and climbed to fourth, at 11-6. On the contrary, Maccabi has lost seven straight and dropped to 7-10.
Real Madrid stayed close to the top, following its 71-65 home win over fellow EuroLeague powerhouse CSKA Moscow. The “Whites” were without seven players and head coach Lablo Laso, who have tested positive for Covid-19.
The hosts, though, overcame the struggles and clinched a big victory at Wizink Center. Real led by 14 early in the game (24-10), but the Muscovites turned things around at halftime (35-40). Since then, it was a tough battle, but the hosts went on a 9-0 run midway through the fourth to seal the deal.
Real Madrid kept its second place in the standings, with a 14-3 record, and is perfect at home. On the other hand, CSKA fell to 10-7 on the table.
ASVEL Villeurbanne put an end to the four-game winning streak of Fenerbahce, after the 84-82 win at Astroballe. In a game with several ties and lead changes, the French stood tall in crunch time and snapped a four-game losing streak.
Chris Jones made the difference for the hosts in the final seconds and scored crucial points to hand his team the victory. Jones went for a career-high 27 points. For their part, the Turks missed the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer and suffered a painful road loss.
ASVEL improved to 8-9, whereas Fenerbahce dropped to 7-10, while missing star players Nando De Colo and Jan Vesely to injuries.
Wade Baldwin went for a career-high 30 points to help Baskonia return to the winning track in the EuroLeague. Baldwin scored 16 points in the first quarter and led the Basques to the road win over Bayern Munich (76-81).
The visitors led from start to finish and snapped a six-game losing streak on the road, improving to 6-11. On the contrary, the Bavarians have now lost three in a row and fell to 7-10.
