Real Madrid clinched the first Euroleague quarter-final playoff spot after routing a short-handed ALBA Berlin 93-62 at home in the Top 16.
The Liga Endesa side improve to 9-1 in Group E and hold strong hopes of playing in a home Final Four after a dominating display against the German side who were missing Jamel McLean, Cliff Hammonds and Leon Radosevic.
Leading 27-18 at the end of the first quarter, Real piled on the pressure and made the game safe after three periods when they held ALBA to 9 points to take an unreachable 70-46 cushion.
Despite the overall supremacy, Real coach Pablo Laso doubted his team’s concentration levels for the full 40 minutes.
“We played a good game from the beginning,” Real coach Pablo Laso said. “But the second quarter was more difficult for us. It was our worst moment at the court. After half-time, in the third quarter we moved the ball the way we like. I am happy with this victory and glad to be in the quarter-finals.”
Jaycee Carroll led a balanced Real Madrid attack with 13 points. Reggie Redding scored a game-high 14 points for ALBA who drop to 4-6 with this loss.
Barcelona claimed sole possession of second place in Group E after beating Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 89-71 and claiming the head-to-head at the Palau Blaugrana.
The Catalan giants move to 7-3, while reigning Euroleague champions Maccabi fall to 6-4 on a night where Devin Smith passed the 1000-point mark.
But despite Smith’s landmark, Maccabi, were clearly second best against a determined Barca outfit, as they quickly took a 26-16 lead after one and never looked back.
Ante Tomic led Barcelona with 16 points, going 4/4 from the field and 8/8 from the foul line. Joe Alexander paced Maccabi with 16.
The third Group E clash saw Red Star Belgrade heap more misery on Galatasaray by beating them 91-68 in Istanbul.
After leading 21-16 at the end of the first period, the Serbians quickly established the advantage in the second by taking a 52-35 lead at the half.
Red Star then made the game safe with a 17-0 run, bridging the third and fourth quarters, led by Slovenian Jaka Blazic, who hit 10 of those points.
By the end, Blazic had led Red Star with 19 points and helped them in their quest for an quarter-final spot, although it is still unlikely. Martynas Pocius led the hosts with 13 points but they drop to 2-8.
The lone Group F game saw Nizhny Novgorod come from behind to creep past Laboral Kutxa 89-85 in Russia.
Trailing at the end of all three periods with a 65-57 deficit to claw back from in the fourth, Nizhny showcased their fighting spirit, which has been on display throughout this Euroleague season.
True to that, a seemingly beaten Nizhny side hit back from 74-66 behind with seven minutes left to take the lead on the back of an 11-0 run and go to 3-7 in the group, with Laboral Kutxa dropping to 4-6.
“I want to say it was good teamwork and good patience,” Nizhny coach Ainars Bagatskis explained. “I don’t remember exactly, but for 35 minutes or more, it was a Laboral Kutxa lead. But with patience, discipline and a little bit of luck, we changed the game.”
Trey Thompkins led the victors with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Davis Bertans had 21 points for Vitoria.
